Growing up in Nigeria Victor Jakpor said he didn’t notice the poverty of his village.

A spider crawls up the leg of 18-year-old India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) early in Park Chan-wook's English-language debut, "Stoker," and she regards it passively, intrigued.

It’s no surprise that Chelsea Bain has been attending NASCAR races since she was 5 years old. Her dad, Emmett “Buddy” Jobe, brought NASCAR to Phoenix International Raceway in 1987. Now, Bain is more involved in NASCAR than she ever has been, but not as a spectator — as a rockin’ country musician.

Vintage dishware doesn’t have to gather dust in the china cabinet.

Dion Jordan’s return to Arizona to play in the Fiesta Bowl was going to be just that.

As we consider New Year’s resolutions, I gladly share a story of Violet Jerome, a family friend who knew the secrets of keeping the Christmas spirit alive, year-round. Come to think of it, with our nation trapped in moral chaos, her story needs to be shared across the land.

Jonathan M. Joseph of Grand Blanc, Mich., 25, died Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013 at Hurley Medical Center. He is the son of former Ahwatukee Foothills News publisher Jason Joseph.

More than 40 blue, gold and white balloons floated to the sky above Desert Vista High School’s football stadium Saturday as family, friends and loved ones gathered to remember the life of Matthew Swift-Kraemer.

Loss has never come easy for me; be it in cards, a high school sporting event or on a personal level.

It’s the holiday season and time for the obligatory “pep talk” to get you through without a lot of weight gain. But I just can’t bring myself to bore you with another “holiday tips and tricks” article. Frankly, we all know pie is a lot of calories, getting drunk usually leads to regret, and no one “deserves” cheese balls on tooth picks.

More than 6,000 participants walked, ran and strolled with their dogs in downtown Phoenix last month to raise $327,379 for 19 Valley-based HIV/AIDS service providers.

Janet R. Harkness, 88, passed away on Oct. 26. Raised in Los Angeles, Janet attended UCLA, obtaining her master’s degree in education. She then returned to teach at U.E.S., the training and experimental school on the campus of UCLA for over 30 years. She loved Native American history and spent many years taking her students to reservations in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Canada.

It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. If that is true, there must be a global love affair with Apple products of epic proportions. My longtime readers know I have mixed feelings about the sensibility of paying the higher prices charged for anything that begins with an i, but I also feel the “i” products have changed the way we work and play. Just a few years ago, we had one computer for the whole house and that was loaded with the latest and greatest software that would allow us to use email, surf the Internet at a blazing 56K/second speed and possible create a birthday card for Aunt Gladys. These days everyone walks around with a personal computer in their hand that also takes phone calls.

‘Taken 2’

In case you haven’t heard by now, Apple is realeasing its latest iPhone later this week. That leaves the question: What should you do with your old one?

"The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is one of those unexpected movies that will totally take your breath away. Much like “Bridge to Terabithia,” another wonderful live-action fantasy from Walt Disney Pictures, this film catches the audience off guard with its imagination and warmth. Where so many movies marketed to kids are reliant on chases and lazy pop culture references, timeless storytelling and great characters enforce “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” It will be a travesty if children and their parents overlook this brilliant film as it offers the finest family entertainment of the year.

Meeting family for the time, celebrating your grandmother’s birthday in the country where your mother spent a good portion of her life, and participating in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in London is one heck of a two-week run.

Meeting family for the first time, celebrating your grandmother’s birthday in the country where your mother spent a good portion of her life, and participating in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in London is one heck of a two-week run.

Pop-country band Firefly is comprised of three Gilbert sisters from a musically inclined family of nine.

“Locally grown and raised” is the thing to be these days, particularly for fruits, vegetables and thespians.

As a young bride-to-be, it never occurred to Jodi R.R. Smith to put a pitcher on her wedding registry.

"Allahu Akbar. God is great."

"Allahu Akbar. God is great."