State lawmakers were moving toward finally adjourning their 151-day session late Thursday -- but not before setting the stage for constituents to have to start paying taxes on what they buy from catalogs and on the World Wide Web.

In case you forgot, Gov. Jan Brewer has other priorities this year besides getting the Legislature to approve Medicaid expansion.

The football coaches evidently can’t wait until August for their first showdown of the year.

Calling the governor's proposal unacceptable and politically dead at the Legislature, House Speaker Andy Tobin unveiled his own new plan Tuesday to expand Medicaid, one that would give Arizona voters the final say.

The decision by the IRS to take a closer look at Tea Party finances apparently did not affect some key organizations in Arizona.

A variety show of singing, dancing, acting and comedy will be hosted at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee today, May 10.

The Chandler Children’s Choir is presenting its spring concert, “Dancing Around the World,” a collection of songs representing different nationalities and cultures in different languages.

The Arizona Legislature has gone from the fast track to stuck in the mud as lawmakers have become bogged down by the three key issues: Medicaid, sale taxes and the state budget.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Monday making it easier for police to arrest those who remain on someone else's property.

Trumpeter/bandleader Doc Severinsen can still hit the notes, and it's not something he ever takes for granted. He always warms up.

With a reputation for being innovative and versatile, Dante Ariola made a name for himself directing commercials for the likes of Coca Cola, Nike and Lexus. What began as a substantial career in graphic design morphed into a myriad of film work, including music videos for bands like Cake and Cypress Hill, and a documentary short about wildlife conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, entitled “Man & Beast.”

Local chefs featured on the Eight, Arizona PBS show “Check, Please! Arizona” gather at the inaugural Check, Please! Arizona Festival, where fans and foodies can sample some of the Valley’s best restaurant fare and audition for upcoming episodes of the show. Cuisine from at least 36 of the independent restaurants – from five-star dining establishments to tucked-away cafes – previously featured on the show will be offered.  Among event highlights are cooking demonstrations, panel discussions and the chance to audition in front of cameras.

Arizona firms are on the verge of getting new secrecy protections for the internal reviews they do of their health and safety practices.

Gun rights

In “Wrong,” a movie playing through April 12 at Harkins Valley Art theater, Alexis Dziena plays a love struck pizza-shop employee who leaves her husband for Jack Plotnick’s sad-sack protagonist, whose canine's disappearance sets off a bizarre and unpredictable chain of events.

The 300-plus-member Phoenix Children’s Chorus will be heard nationally with the broadcast of their appearance on National Public Radio’s “From the Top.” One of the most popular weekly music series on public radio, the show reaches more than 700,000 listeners on 250 stations across the country.

You may better know her sister, Dakota, from box-office smashes like “War of the Worlds” and “The Twilight Saga,” but 14-year-old Elle Fanning has already made quite a name for herself among the arthouse set, appearing in such acclaimed works as “Babel,” “Somewhere” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” This month, she takes center stage in a new drama from writer/director Sally Potter entitled “Ginger & Rosa” – a coming-of-age tale set in 1962 London as the threat of the Cuban missile crisis looms overhead.

Riveting, intelligent and a masterclass in acting, “Beyond the Hills” is likely to be the best film you’ll see this spring or maybe even this year.

Ahwatukee Music Maker Workshops has summer camps for all levels to get kids rocking, moving and mastering music.

This summer “Cinderella,” “High School Musical” and “Legally Blonde” will all be making their way to the main stage at Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre (ACT).

Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency, recognized phoenix.gov with a 2013 Sunny Award for the content it provides to residents. Phoenix has won this award four years in a row, and is one of only 247 jurisdictions to be recognized out of 1,000 qualifying websites reviewed.

Rebuffing the concerns of mayors from around the state about lost revenues, a Senate panel voted Wednesday to sharply revamp how sales taxes are assessed and collected.

Auditions for the Arizona All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra earlier this month resulted in nearly 10 students from Horizon Community Learning Center placing for their respective sections.

Two new reports on the cost of changing how construction activity is taxed could torpedo the sales tax simplification plan being pushed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

Every year leading up to Easter, on a temporary, five-story, outdoor stage erected near downtown Mesa, the story of the life and mission of Jesus Christ, taken from the Bible, is portrayed in live performance, music and dance.