Jewell Parker Roades, the Virginia G. Piper Chair in Creative writing, meets fans and discusses "Sugar," her new novel for middle readers. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who lives on a sugar plantation on the banks of the Mississippi and takes it upon herself to serve as the cultural bridge between the plantation residents and the Chinese workers who come to harvest the cane. Roades will sign copies of her book after the presentation.

The Thunder had one last rally in a standard-setting season, but it wasn’t enough.

"Mud" has the feel of a classic, although it's perhaps not enthralling enough to be one. The third and most elaborate feature to date from writer-director Jeff Nichols seems to have been adapted from a novel that doesn't exist -- something by James Lee Burke, perhaps, or Cormac McCarthy, or some other specialist in frequently violent tales about the challenges to masculinity and the forging of new identities that face rural people who belong to a sprawling modern world -- who might be hanging out in a supermarket parking lot one moment and falling into a creek full of deadly cottonmouths the next.

More than a third of Arizonans collecting jobless benefits could be getting their final checks this week.

It would be impossible to expect Avery Brunson and Chris Davis to replace the talent that left their respective programs, but they can help cushion the blow.

Mountain Pointe continues to move student athletes on to the next level as two athletes signed or are expected to sign letters of intent.

Saturday, Nov. 24

December will soon be descending upon us. For a lot of people this month will entail building snowmen, sledding down hills of snow, making snow angles and getting tongues stuck to icy poles. Of course those stuck in Ahwatukee won’t be able to appreciate any of these traditional winter activities. But who needs snow when you can spend your Christmas break in a cozy movie theater. Here are several films to look out for this holiday season.

The Desert Vista athletic programs produced another batch of scholarships for the November signing date as six Thunder athletes signed letters of intent on Wednesday.

The team representing Phoenix and Ahwatukee Foothills recently won the national title at the USTA League 4.5 Adult National Championships in Tucson.

Kevin and Marsha Casey of Ahwatukee announce the marriage of their daughter, Shauna Lynn Casey, to James Woodall Anderson IV.

Mesa’s Buckhorn Mineral Baths.

Do decency, integrity, ethics, forgiveness, respect, thoughtfulness, self-reflection, kindness, empathy, civility, morality, generosity, hope, and honesty mean anything to anyone today? Are these traits of weakness that separate than sheep from the wolves, the leaders from the followers, the innovators from the implementers? How do we determine what really matters in the world and in our lives, and what tools do we use to know?

In some local NFL news, former Desert Vista quarterback Gerrell Robison was signed to the Cardinals practice squad last week after being cut by Denver at the end of camp. Robinson, who transferred to Hamilton after his sophomore year, had a good senior year at Arizona State as a wide receiver but went undrafted.

Though it has already received national recognition, the documentary co-produced by Ahwatukee Foothills resident Yvette Johnson is premiering in Tempe next week.

Melissa Ripley still remembers the 1972 Munich Olympics where she won three gold swimming medals at the tender age of 15.

If you have to verify you’re looking for work to keep your unemployment checks coming, forget about phoning it in.

Arizona ranks fifth worst overall for conditions for children and families, according to the 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The economic recession has taken a terrible toll on children: conditions worsened in seven of the 16 indicators in Arizona since 2005. Despite the tough economic times, Arizona showed improvement in several key areas, including the teen birthrate and the child death rate.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Yvette Johnson is quickly gaining national recognition by telling the story of a man she has never even met.