Teens are bound to be excited to leave backpacks and books behind for carefree summer fun. However, if your teen’s summer includes driving or riding with a teen driver, there are a few things to consider.

Dear Mikey: I just turned 25 years old and I got myself in a situation where I had to file bankruptcy a week before my birthday. This is not at all where I expected myself to be when I turned 25. I thought I would have my career launched already (just got laid off), have my bachelor’s degree by now (still have 21 more credits to go), be married by now (girlfriend and I just broke up a month ago), having kids (not even close), and a house (can barely afford the rent in my apartment).

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.

When it comes to fitness, some people have their own agendas on why they want to get off the coach and start shedding their unwanted body mass.

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 on Monday afternoon from apparent gunshot wounds.

Police cannot use the state's traffic laws to draw blood from suspected drunk drivers without a warrant absent their specific permission at the time of the test, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled last week.

The Court of Appeals won't stop the state from continuing to fund a controversial voucher program, at least not now.

Summertime is burger time. And it’s so easy to throw a few beef patties on the grill. Not much is required in the way of embellishment, yet they have a big happiness return.
What’s the magic ingredient? Fat, of course. Beef burgers are high in fat, which guarantees flavor and juiciness. And because fat enhances flavor, it also makes anything else you put in or on the burger taste better, too.
Heartbreakingly, as you decrease the fat content in a burger, its flavor tends to go bye-bye, too. This is a real problem if you want to dig into a delicious burger and still want the blood to continue sailing through your arteries. The solution? Turkey.
I know. I know. You’ve tried turkey burgers and it was like eating wet cardboard. Hah! But you haven’t tried my turkey burgers...
Let’s start with the basic ingredient — ground turkey. While researching this recipe, I discovered that the labels on ground turkey can be quite confusing. You’d figure that a package labeled “lean” would mean what it says. Weirdly, it turns out that the calories and fat in a 4-ounce portion of “lean” ground turkey can range from 120 calories with 1 percent fat to 160 calories with 12 percent fat (which is as rich as a lean beef burger). As always, it’s best to read labels and not rely on words such as “lean” or “white meat” when looking for healthy choices.
Or, better yet, grind your own turkey. Start by buying a small package of turkey tenderloins, the flap of meat that lies just under the breast. As little as a 1 1/2 pounds of turkey tenderloins can be ground to produce six burgers. Cut the tenderloins into 1-inch cubes and freeze them for 30 minutes. Pop them in a food processor and pulse until they achieve a medium-grind consistency.
Now we come to the crucial part of the recipe, the part I call Turkey Helper. The blandest and driest of white meats, turkey cries out for flavor and moisture. Happily, any number of vegetables can answer this call, including sauteed onions, bell peppers or mushrooms, shredded raw Napa cabbage, or carrots.


Conceding he lacks the votes, House Speaker Andy Tobin gave up Tuesday in his bid to block the Medicaid expansion plan by Gov. Jan Brewer with his own alternative.

Americans are more confident in the U.S. economy than at any point in the past five years, thanks to surging home values, a brighter job market and record-setting stock prices.
Stock averages last month extended the year’s explosive rally.
Further gains in consumer confidence could help the economy withstand the effects of higher taxes and federal spending cuts that kicked in this year. Spending by consumers drives about 70 percent of economic growth.


The ever increasing list of fad diets welcomes our newest member: Raspberry ketones. HCG, you are barely hanging on by a thread.
Raspberry ketones are a natural phenolic compound that are responsible for the heavenly aroma of red raspberries. They (allegedly) increased both the expression and secretion of adiponectin. Higher adiponectin equals lower levels of body fat. What has brought them out into the public conscience recently is the recent endorsement of them by the one and only Dr. Oz. These are usually taken in pill form, twice per day at a cost of roughly $50-70 per month. 
A website that sells this product quotes Wikipedia: (according to Wikipedia, “prevent high-fat-diet-induced elevations in body weight.”) What it leaves out is the following statement: However, no effects on body weight were observed with doses up to 200 times greater than the estimated intake in humans. Although products containing this compound are marketed for weight loss, there is no clinical evidence for this effect in humans.
This is an unbelievably hard to resist product. First, although these ketones have been known for more than 40 years, they are exciting and new in the world of weight loss. Not only that, but most products that sell them put delicious looking raspberries on their packaging, making it look enticing. Combine that with Dr. Oz’s blessing and you may have trouble even finding this product on the shelves.
The website also has this required statement: “Caution: Do not exceed the recommended dose. Pregnant or nursing mothers, children under 18 and individuals with a known medical condition should consult a physician before using this or any dietary supplement. Keep out of reach of children. Do not use if the inner seal is damaged or broken. Store in a cool, dry place. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet.”
What about eating actual raspberries? Or better yet, eat all different kinds of berries everyday. Are they expensive? Maybe a little pricey, especially when out of season, but they can be purchased frozen all year. Raspberries are high in fiber and the whole raspberries are an antioxidant powerhouse and worth much more per ounce than a pill could ever be worth and without the “warnings” on the label.


While driving on Ray Road recently I saw a bumper sticker reading: “People who think guns kill people must think that pencils misspell words.”


Devon Kennard was in town over Mother’s Day weekend.


As we deal with the aftermath of yet another disaster in our nation, I thought it would be important to highlight the heroism that takes place every day in our classrooms and community.

With a unique style of commencement ceremony, Horizon Community Learning Center in Ahwatukee graduated 92 seniors on Tuesday night.

She: "Baby, you are gonna miss that plane."

Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought.

Mountain Pointe senior Hannah DeMarr has been spinning and twirling gracefully as a ballerina since she was 3 years old.

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

Saying people are entitled to know what they're eating, a Tucson activist has taken the first steps to force a public vote next year to require labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients.

Forget fears of sequestration. And never mind the hike in payroll taxes that shrunk paychecks.

Most of us already realize “normal” is relative. Yet, we are only human. And as such, we can scarcely stop ourselves from the very-human behavior of seizing every available opportunity to try to quantify and define the term.