American journalism has disgraced itself in the matter of the Benghazi terrorist attack.

The end of the school year is upon us and now the inevitable question is: “What are we going to do ALL summer long?” or the infamous: “I’m bored,” yes it is summer break! Parents are frantically searching for camps, activities, play dates, swimming lessons, movie days, etc. to fill their kid’s days to avoid the “I’m bored” trap.

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will ban open fires in city mountain and desert preserves effective Monday, May 13. In consultation with the Phoenix Fire Department, smoking and charcoal fires are included in the ban due to the extreme fire danger that the combination of low humidity, increasing temperatures and frequent high winds creates each spring. Additional information on the ban is available online at phoenix.gov/parks.

Last week, the Division I and II baseball state tournaments moved to spring training stadiums across the Valley.

A judge on Thursday threw out charges of violating campaign finance laws against Attorney General Tom Horne and a political ally.

The Norwegian directing team of Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, whose biopic of World War II resistance fighter Max Manus was a huge hit on home turf, have turned to another native hero for "Kon-Tiki." One of the most-vaunted escapades of the 20th century, Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Peru-to-Polynesia expedition by raft gets glossy big-screen treatment in this efficiently told action-adventure. Delivering visual drama and understated character study, sometimes in disappointingly formulaic fashion, the feature has its incisive moments but falls short as both epic and intimate portrait.

High winds and low humidity are creating a danger for the upcoming fire season, the state forester said Thursday, especially for southeast Arizona.

Monday was the deadline for another column, and so right now I should be polishing up 500 words or so about why women do more housekeeping than men and bundling it off to the Ahwatukee Foothills News.

"42” is far from the first movie to explore racial tensions in sports. We’ve seen this subject depicted in other good films like “Remember the Titans” and “Glory Road.” There are plenty of recognizable figures on display here, such as the underdog nobody believed in, the one man willing to take a chance on that underdog, and the ignorant antagonists that wish to see that underdog fail. Familiarity aside, though, “42” executes just about everything wonderfully. This is a good-hearted picture, carried by sincere performances and passionate direction. Not only is it an inspiring story about overcoming prejudice, but an all around rousing baseball movie too.

One arrived before Rudy Valee and the other a year before The Beatles, but together they made beautiful music in nurturing a piece of Ahwatukee that spanned the decades between the roaring ‘20s and this year’s cold winter rains.

Anyone who saw “Scream 4” likely remembers the scene where Hayden Panettiere lists off every horror remake to come out in the past decade, from “Halloween” to “Friday the 13th.” So many of these remakes failed due to a lack of passion on the filmmaker’s behalf. Making a good movie was only their second priority, right after cashing in on an exhausted franchise’s good name. The new “Evil Dead” movie is the rare exception. It’s obvious that director/screenwriter Fede Alvarez has great admiration for Sam Raimi’s beloved cult classic. Along with co-writers Diablo Cody and Rodo Sayagues, Alvarez produces the best contemporary “Evil Dead” movie possible.

"Blood-drenched" barely begins to describe Fede Alvarez's remake of "Evil Dead," a gore-for-broke affair that strips the flesh off Sam Raimi's cult-beloved comic-horror franchise and exposes the demons at its core. The presence of Raimi, original collaborator Rob Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell as producers should give the faithful permission to attend what would otherwise smell like a shameless exploitation of the 1981 film, but the high production values and nonstop action offered here should also please younger genre fans who've never bothered to rent it.

Using nothing more than the soot from a wood burning stove mixed with his own saliva, deaf artist James Castle used this homemade ink to communicate with the world.

Auditions for the Arizona All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra earlier this month resulted in nearly 10 students from Horizon Community Learning Center placing for their respective sections.

Going against the grain suited Mountain Pointe just fine.

For Horizon Honors senior Stephanie Yamamoto, 17, Japanese taiko drumming is more than just rigorous exercise or a way to get in touch with her roots — it’s a spiritual art.

Born on Jan. 21, 1930 in Pemberville, Ohio, and passed away on Feb. 25 in Tempe, Beryl was a resident of Toledo, Ohio, for more than 60 years and a snowbird in Ahwatukee for the past 15 years.

A bipartisan group of city elected officials gathered at Phoenix Fire Station No. 12 recently to send Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema back to Washington with an urgent message from local communities.

Have you ever wanted to see some of your favorite “Saturday Night Live” performers on stage? Well, “SNL” fans can now rejoice because Chandler Center for the Arts is hosting three veterans: Tim Meadows, Jon Lovitz and Chris Kattan, for a one-night comedy performance this Friday.

“Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Andy Lane is in the Sweet 16.

Have you ever wanted to see some of your favorite “Saturday Night Live” performers on stage? Well, “SNL” fans can now rejoice because Chandler Center for the Arts is hosting three veterans: Tim Meadows, Jon Lovitz and Chris Kattan, for a one-night comedy performance this Friday.

Hang around the Valley long enough, and you’re bound to encounter the work of Mesa artist Zarco Guerrero. From public art installations to stage plays to performances at festivals, the longtime Mesa artist is prolific.

The National Association Realtors and Remodeling Magazine released a report comparing remodeling cost versus value. Results depend upon various factors such as location, work quality, neighborhood home values, the timing of selling the house and the actual completion of the project.