"The Sapphires" is missing a lot — detailed characters, a unique narrative arc, half-plausible scenes of the Vietnam War — but it's got two uncommon things going for it: genuine charm and Chris O'Dowd. They are not mutually exclusive.

After bountifuls of birdies, a new state record and a championship, Hannah O’Sullivan’s hands were still shaking.

A new report released last week says the United States is no longer the beacon for illegal immigration that it was when the economy here was expanding rapidly.

A beloved pet dressed in a Halloween costume, posed next to a lit jack-o’-lantern, sounds like a great photo opportunity — but it’s also a fire hazard.

East Valley residents began their annual collection of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts on Oct. 4 with a goal of collecting 15,000 gift-filled boxes this year.

Cheeky and snarky but with an infectious energy, “Pitch Perfect,” a comedy set in the cutthroat world of competing college a cappella groups, makes us fall in love with the very thing it’s making fun of. It’s ridiculous and predictable but also just a ton of fun, so you may as well give up and give in to your inner musical theater geek.

Master Sgt. William Bridges Stevens, born Nov. 19, 1944 in Indianapolis, Ind. The oldest son of Col. William F. Stevens and Adna Bridges Stevens, he proudly served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years including assignments from Oklahoma to Iceland.

A couple years ago, Meryl Streep played an aging woman rekindling the bond with her estranged husband in “It’s Complicated.” “Hope Springs” shares a similar premise in addition to casting Streep as a veteran woman seeking romance once again. While this is familiar territory, “Hope Springs” actually manages to improve upon “It’s Complicated” in almost every department. Where that romantic comedy from Nancy Meyers was basically an extended episode of a sitcom, this film has much more believable characters and situations. It moreover offers a frank look into the lives of a couple in their twilight years.

McKay Tanner and Nicole Kazan pose for a Desert Vista High School prom photo in May at the Tanner residence on a mountain top in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Four Maricopa County employees shared $5,300 for ideas they proposed which will save the county more than $100,000. The awards are part of the county’s annual Rewarding Ideas Program, a program that began in 1984 and has saved the county more than $12 million.

The Ahwatukee Lions Club annual installation and awards dinner took place on July 14. Outgoing district Gov. Debbie Vine installed the new slate of officers for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, which began on July 1. Serving as president is Pam Hahn and vice president is Jim Mooney. The secretary is Carol Hartwig and the treasurer is Gretchen Fuller. Serving as directors are Kay Jones, Barbara Lyijynen and Charlie Miles.

The wonderful thing about discovering an author you enjoy who writes a series is the anticipation of the next book ... just knowing that as you turn the last page there is another good book on the horizon. And if you discover them after the series has been around a while, you can eagerly go from one book to the next with the characters you have come to love.

Last year, Adam Sandler burdened the world with “Jack and Jill,” quite possibly the worst comedy ever conceived. That debacle of humor hit a new low at the Razzies, winning every single award. I myself named “Jack and Jill” the absolute worst picture of 2011, branding it with the irredeemable grade of zero. “That’s My Boy” is another spectacularly awful feature from Sandler and company. As bad as the film is, it doesn’t sink quite as low as “Jack and Jill.” But that’s like saying a solitary shot to the head is better than multiple shots to the head.

Last year, Adam Sandler burdened the world with “Jack and Jill,” quite possibly the worst comedy ever conceived. That debacle of humor hit a new low at the Razzies, winning every single award. I myself named “Jack and Jill” the absolute worst picture of 2011, branding it with the irredeemable grade of zero. “That’s My Boy” is another spectacularly awful feature from Sandler and company. As bad as the film is, it doesn’t sink quite as low as “Jack and Jill.” But that’s like saying a solitary shot to the head is better than multiple shots to the head.

At 58 years old, Ahwatukee Foothills resident Scott Kipp hopes to still be a long-distance runner well into his 80s.

The members of Girl Scout Troop 635 know that life in other parts of the world isn’t as easy as it is here.

Homeowners are well aware of the many home-related tax breaks they can claim each filing season.

In 1978, National Lampoon’s “Animal House” revolutionized the hard R comedy and is still considered the “Citizen Kane” of the genre. The ’80s followed with numerous other college/teen-aged/sex comedies like “Porky’s,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and “Revenge of the Nerds.” With some of these ’80s flicks like “Screwballs” and “Joysticks,” you could tell just how raunchy they were based on the title. The 1990s, however, was a rather tamed decade. A majority of ’90s comedies rarely embraced nudity and kept the major swear words to a limit. There were two movies that strived to be as vulgar and gleefully crude as the comedies of the ’80s though. One was “There’s Something About Mary.” The other was “American Pie.”