When my wife and I tried to park in the designated visitor parking area at Sen. Jeff Flake’s Phoenix office recently, we were told by security to leave or our car would be towed. When we questioned this, as we were there to join with others to hold him accountable for his vote against universal background checks for gun purchases, we were told parking there was for office tenants only. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, security people began blocking all entrances to the parking lot with pick-up trucks and chains.

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will ban open fires in city mountain and desert preserves effective Monday, May 13. In consultation with the Phoenix Fire Department, smoking and charcoal fires are included in the ban due to the extreme fire danger that the combination of low humidity, increasing temperatures and frequent high winds creates each spring. Additional information on the ban is available online at phoenix.gov/parks.

Saying she's run out of patience, Gov. Jan Brewer will veto any bills sent to her until she sees movement on a new state budget and her pet Medicaid expansion project.

In the United States the average kid (age 8-18) spends 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen or on the phone. To counter sedentary living patterns, national physical activity guidelines for youth have been developed. The guidelines call for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for children and teens. The guidelines are based on the amount of physical activity necessary to promote good fitness, health, and wellness. Only 29 percent of high school students meet the 60-minute daily guideline and 14 percent don’t do any physical activity that causes them to breathe hard or that increases heart rate on any day during the week.

Despite the bad rap that saturated fats have, there’s a lot of evidence indicating that saturated fat is essentially good for you. The real harmful and unhealthy fats include trans fats, hydrogenated fats and vegetable oils.

Santana is a 1-year-old Boxer/Great Dane mix that is fun, has high energy, and is eager to learn tricks. He likes other large dogs that can keep up with him and tons of exercise. He is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on his shots and ready to find his forever home.

Having observed the failure of our education system by dumbing-down our children for the past 50 years, concern has to be expressed about the “new” Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI).

The Heady Hoop Tribe, an eclectic group of four women who aim to inspire others through the creative power of modern hoop dance, bring a sense of community to Phoenix.

Summer is coming, but all our dogs still need exercise. Here are some tips on how to beat the heat with your dog.

Running around their school field and doing drills just outside of the multi-purpose room, a team of girls from Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School weren’t just training for their upcoming 5K in Tempe this Saturday, but also giving each other encouragement and learning self-esteem.

Gun rights

California has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. In addition to the over 9,000 federal gun laws, California has also enacted many laws at the state level, including ban on high-capacity magazines, ban on “assault weapons,” waiting period on gun purchases, an approved handgun list — handguns must be certified by the state before they can cross the state line, private party sales require transfer via a licensed dealer, identification of “gun free zones” and many others.

Lottery confidentiality

After graduating a group of 10 new instructors in February to teach Christ-centered yoga, The Center for Living Well is starting another round next week.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to remind all boaters, anglers, and personal watercraft users that this year’s boating season has arrived and to exercise safe, responsible practices when on the water.

Dictionary.com defines “harmony” as: “agreement; accord; harmonious relations.” If your dog counter surfs, jumps on guests, barks incessantly, chases your cat to no end, and chews your couch, your home is in a constant state of tension. Just imagine waking up to your dog bringing you the newspaper and your slippers to start the day? It can happen.

Hardboiled and dyed, plastic and filled with coins, or chocolate and oozing white and yellow fondant, eggs are a hot commodity this time of year.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced that it will review its policies on solitary confinement in light of evidence that this practice causes mental breakdown in prisoners. The devastating effects of solitary confinement can also be seen clearly in dogs who are kept chained “out of sight, out of mind” in their owners’ backyards.

In a week when North Korea posted a homemade video showing the U.S. Capitol building being destroyed by a missile, what more logical response could Hollywood offer than a macho thriller about a Secret Service agent who takes on North Korean terrorists who attack the White House? The first of two similarly themed action dramas set for this year ("White House Down" arrives in June), "Olympus Has Fallen" will put to the test the question of whether American audiences are ready, 12 years after 9-11, to watch, strictly as disposable popcorn entertainment, a film in which the United States and some of its most prominent landmarks are devastated by foreign terrorists.

For years yoga has been a way to escape the pressures of life for Sandra Lassiter, but three years ago she made yoga a way of life by opening Hot Yoga in Ahwatukee Foothills.

From the moment chocolate was discovered it was considered a valuable, divine and decadent treat. The first chocolate candies were invented in the 1860s by Cadbury, who was also the first to market them in a heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day that same decade.

Body by Design has moved to a new Ahwatukee Foothills location to offer more space, child care, and additional networking to its personal training clients.

Spring break is here and many people have travel plans. But before you travel make sure you know the rules of the road, because they are different in every state.

For Kachina, of all the streets in Ahwatukee, to have fast and reckless driving is just sad. I should add littering, for at the southern end of Kachina Drive one can often see cans and bottles as well as fast-food packaging tossed out to the side of the road.