With the Affordable Care Act (ACA) set to begin open enrollment in October, many businesses are rushing to prepare for the changes it will bring. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Hot Topics and Lunch event about the ACA this Thursday, June 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport, 427 N. 44th St.

At long last, summer is almost here — which may mean it’s time to put together your traveling plans. Still, while you and your family may enjoy going on a summertime trip, there’s one part of your life that should not go on vacation — your investment portfolio.

Volleyball was Kyle Pitman’s secondary sport, but it was hard to tell with his effort and influence on the court.

A report issued by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University indicates the recent upswing in home prices has come at a steady, sustainable pace, meaning homeowners should not expect another bubble to burst.

Affectionately playing with their Miniature Dachshunds, Joey, Lisa Stapp and her son, Billy, praised the family pet after he rolled over on command.

During Arizona’s hot summer months hiking is still possible, but experts agree that early morning is the time to be on the trails.
“At night the sun has baked on the asphalt all day long and as the sun goes down the asphalt releases that heat,” said Elizabeth Smith, park ranger at South Mountain Park. “Even though the sun is down and you may not have direct sun on you, it’s still hot out. In the morning it’s 80 degrees. I would suggest looking at what the temperature is throughout the day before you make your plans.”


I received a postcard in the mail several weeks ago announcing a public hearing on May 21 to provide an opportunity for the public to provide comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Study on the proposed South Mountain Freeway. None of my neighbors received the same postcard when I talked to them. Why were some of the public left out of the mailing? They may not have been informed of this public hearing, but I have comments to make.

Jaycob Brugman hasn’t even played his first game with the Oakland A’s organization and he is already counting down the days until the season ends.

Interest rates are at historic lows. But they will rise eventually. If you invest in fixed-income vehicles, such as bonds, what might higher rates mean for you?

Dr. Pat Quigley has practiced clinical psychology in Ahwatukee for more than 10 years, and is offering something new to the area for kids and adults with attention-deficit disorders or working memory issues.

Tired of waiting for action, Gov. Jan Brewer forced lawmakers back to the Capitol late Tuesday to approve her budget and Medicaid expansion.

A couple was found dead inside their Ahwatukee Foothills home Monday afternoon after an apparent murder-suicide.

There’s a popular television situation comedy that has spent the last nine years covering a man telling his children about his search for their mother some 20 years earlier. It’s a winding tale, of course, that covers false starts, unlikely coincidences, and (because it’s the 21st century) sexual misadventures.

A couple was found dead inside their Ahwatukee Foothills home on Monday afternoon from apparent gunshot wounds.

Ahwatukee is seeing an increase in real estate activity compared to the same time last year.

Last month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a milestone, when, for the first time, it closed above 15,000. Of course, 15,000 is a nice, round number, and it sounds pretty big — but what does it mean to you, as an individual investor? Is it cause for celebration — or is it more of a “caution” flag?


In three weeks Ahwatukee Kiwanis was able to pull the community together and provide Christmas gifts to 47 boys in six group foster homes across the Valley in 2012. 

Most of the ads for “After Earth” have neglected to mention that M. Night Shyamalan co-wrote and directed the film. Movie studios finally seem to be realizing that having Shyamalan’s name plastered above the title will no longer sell tickets.

Editor’s note: This is part two of a continuing summer series on the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway.

Humanity's home planet hardly merits the name-check in "After Earth," M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi survival tale whose shipwreck action could (with the exception of a scene where our hero scrawls a crude map over Lascaux-like cave paintings) take place on any old life-supporting globe in the cosmos. The disappointingly generic film, which strands a father and son (Will and Jaden Smith) on Earth a thousand years after a planet-wide evacuation, will leave genre audiences pining for the more Terra-centric conceits of "Oblivion," not to mention countless other future-set films that find novelty in making familiar surroundings threatening. Will Smith's presence, not just as co-star but as originator of the story, seems likely to carry box office receipts beyond the benchmark of Shyamalan's previous picture, the wretched "The Last Airbender," but those hoping for a franchise should navigate elsewhere.

Q: What can I do to get better battery life from my smartphone? It doesn’t even get me through the afternoon on most days. — Ed

My son Brett, the comeback athlete

After the high-profile shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010, Scott Rollefstad felt he had to do something to help keep other agents safe.

Individuals for and against the Loop 202 freeway expansion trickled in and out of the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday and offered passionate pleas to panel members as the Arizona Department of Transportation hosted a day-long public hearing on the South Mountain Freeway.