Two old friends paid me a visit last week. The first slipped in without a word, freezing my mind for an instant, like the shock of ice cream gulped down too eagerly on a hot day. As we visited for a while, I noticed the familiar voice is edged with a steely insistence, somehow sharpened rather than blunted by a hunger for news of trouble, and the scent of brewing chaos. By God’s grace and through His perfect timing, there, just in nick of time, was another beloved friend knocking on the door of my heart, gently enfolding me in loving arms. This beloved voice speaks quietly, yet perfectly clearly, sharing a different story, at once both old and fresh. The voice carries words brimming with abundant life, like a lush oasis in an otherwise barren and hostile desert. Such is the power of moments of fear to paralyze our senses, and to leave us feeling isolated and lost. Such is the power of the unparalleled peace found through our faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in the comforting words of Scripture.

The Arizona Baseball Coaches Association has released its All-State teams for each of the four divisions.Three area players were honored.

Longtime Mountain Pointe Athletic Director Ian Moses announced recently that he was no longer going to be the athletic director at the Ahwatukee high school.

As part of the recently passed state budget which included an expanded Medicaid plan expected to reach some 350,000 Arizonans, local school districts are expected to receive inflation funding next fiscal year.

Tempe Police officers arrested a 15-year-old student from Mountain Pointe High School on Monday after connecting him to an online bomb threat last week.

What do United States Congressman David Schweikert, State Senate Majority Leader John McComish, Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCicco, Kedrick Ellison of the Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department, Kyrene Superintendent Dr. David Shauer, Tempe Union High School Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Baca, and Pangea Development have in common?

If you haven't been by the patio at Monti's La Casa Vieja in Tempe for a while, it's changed.

Higley Unified School District athletic director Art Wagner, 42, was found dead near Higley High School Wednesday morning, according to the Gilbert Police Department. Police say the matter is still under investigation, but believe Wagner died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Ken Goodrich of Phoenix Peach LLC, announced the company has an immediate need to hire more than 30 skilled employees in Phoenix to fill vacancies with its newly launched brands Goettl Good Guys Air Conditioning Repairmen and The Sunny Plumber. Both brands plan to expand their workforce over the next several years, adding more than 100 jobs to Arizona’s recovering economy.

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 scenes were about 20 miles and three hours apart on Thursday, but nonetheless felt much the same.