"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12).

It’s been eight months since I had the great opportunity to join the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Since that time we have not made radical changes to the paper or wild editorial changes to the product. What I wanted to do was listen to our readers and take note of any changes that would aid this great community.

Attorney General Tom Horne paid a $300 fine Wednesday -- $582 with surcharges -- to settle a criminal misdemeanor charge he left the scene of an accident without leaving a note.

Did you catch The Rev. Jesse Jackson the other night on CNN demanding a Senate hearing into why regulators never cracked down on that gruesome abortion clinic in Philadelphia?

Out on the grass between classroom buildings and the baseball field at Kyrene Centennial Middle School, a group of 7th graders were measuring indoor temperatures of their model homes for an urban heat island project last week.

"It’s been 10 years, now,” the strong voice said on the phone. Mari Justin is a breast cancer survivor. She, along with hundreds of thousands of breast cancer veterans have faced the demons and now crusade alongside those who are fresh on the battlefield.

Conceding their lobbying arguments are inconsistent with those in court, state prosecutors have given up in their bid to regulate how products with marijuana are labeled.

Public awareness, using the city of Phoenix as a model, system reform, coordinated services and partnerships are all part of a plan to make domestic violence a focus for the city of Phoenix.

Ahwatukee Foothills residents called for increased transparency and increased accountability Thursday night as city of Phoenix staff presented the 2013-14 budget.

The media loosely throws around the word “sociopath.” Many people don’t understand what being a sociopath means. But, if recent studies are correct, 1 in 25 people are considered to be sociopathic. That tells us that most of us will meet several sociopaths in our lifetime. The goal is meet them, work with them, pray with them, but do not get into a relationship with them. Attempting to have a relationship with an emotionally unavailable person will ultimately be psychologically destructive.

15715 S. 46th St., Suite 100

The city of Phoenix is reaching out to residents over the next few months to get input on the city manager’s trial budget, which does not call for an early removal of the city’s food sales tax.

Gov. Jan Brewer is making a bid this week to salvage part of what's left of the law she signed in 2010 aimed at illegal immigration.

It has become clear in Sulem Urbina’s 22 years that she is persistent and thrives when she is tested.

The walls are white, the chairs are plastic, and the smiles are few. As you head down a hallway, cell blocks to the left and a gated recreation area at right, hearing bursts of laughter and lively chatter coming from a small room in front of you is slightly jarring, especially seeing as the boisterous classroom is inside Estrella Women’s Jail in central Phoenix.

It’s such a strange feeling when you know something is done. Our son just turned 20 and his teen years are in the past. Our oldest daughter will graduate in May and her lifetime of home-schooling days will be over. My sister’s fiancé is retiring after more than 35 years with the Denver Fire Department. There is such finality in all these things. When they’re over, they’re over.

Every year leading up to Easter, on a temporary, five-story, outdoor stage erected near downtown Mesa, the story of the life and mission of Jesus Christ, taken from the Bible, is portrayed in live performance, music and dance.

Setting bold new standards for digital searches, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that Border Patrol agents need "reasonable suspicion'' a crime has occurred before delving into the hidden files on someone's computer.

Sorry, but Nancy Pelosi is wrong. We do have a spending problem and the heart of the matter is our inability to control medical costs. Spending on health care now consumes an astonishing 18 percent of our total economic output. Rising Medicare and Medicaid costs are the main drivers of our national debt crisis. Yet health care costs continue to shoot up relentlessly.

After a four-month investigation an Ahwatukee Foothills man has been arrested and booked on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of surreptitious recording.

Attorneys for Gov. Jan Brewer told a federal judge Monday there is no legal basis to order the state to immediately provide driver's licenses to certain illegal immigrants immediately since they are not being harmed.

Brian Brady has all the confidence in his son, Dalton, and the latter credited his father for developing him into one of the best wrestlers the state of Arizona has ever seen.

State lawmakers are moving to let Arizona businesses refuse to disclose to those who might want to sue them what the company knew about defective products.

Gov. Jan Brewer -- or at least her attorneys -- will get a chance to argue that Arizona should be allowed to enforce a law aimed at those who harbor illegal immigrants.

The Independent Redistricting Commission is going to get the cash it needs, at least enough to get it through a trial set to begin next month.