Boots may be for walking, but the sneakers at Mesa’s Mountain View High School — at least four pairs of them — are made for painting.

It’s time to privatize Gilbert.

"Mud" has the feel of a classic, although it's perhaps not enthralling enough to be one. The third and most elaborate feature to date from writer-director Jeff Nichols seems to have been adapted from a novel that doesn't exist -- something by James Lee Burke, perhaps, or Cormac McCarthy, or some other specialist in frequently violent tales about the challenges to masculinity and the forging of new identities that face rural people who belong to a sprawling modern world -- who might be hanging out in a supermarket parking lot one moment and falling into a creek full of deadly cottonmouths the next.

A plan to revamp the state's recall laws for all future elections fell apart Thursday as some Republican senators broke party ranks.

While Thursday's opening day at Country Thunder was the shortest day concert-wise, there was no disappointment in the four acts that took the stage – especially not when it came to headliner Brantley Gilbert.

While visiting a second-grade classroom in Chandler some seven years ago, Barbara Blalock witnessed a 7-year-old girl hand in her right tennis shoe as collateral. She was borrowing a pencil from her teacher.

Wondering what became of that New Year’s Resolution? Or just need a little motivation to stay on track?

When it came time for the Mesa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to choose a new president and CEO, it certainly seemed like Sally Harrison would be the obvious choice.

While the team practiced corner kicks, Xavier girls soccer coach Barb Chura would joke with defender Kellie Peay about never letting her standout defender move up to be a forward in those situations, even with Peay’s obvious header and ball-in-the-air skills.

Roots and Boots: Featuring Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie & Aaron Tippin: Enjoy a night of throw-back country music when these stars unite for one evening in Chandler. Pictures are allowed, though audio, video and cell phone use is not. The musicians will sign autographs after the show.

Enjoy this annual rodeo extravaganza where there’ll be a PRCA rodeo competition, a petting zoo, an RV show, a draft horse show, mutton bustin’ and a whole lot more.

Students at Chandler and Mesa high schools took more AP exams than their East Valley neighbors — and most of their statewide counterparts, to boot — according to results released this week by The College Board.

In a room at the School of Ballet Arizona, this phrase is tacked onto a bulletin board and followed faithfully: “There are three ways to build a costume — good, fast and cheap. Of these three options, only two of the three are possible at a time.”

Q: I’ve heard rumors that there are viruses that can take over your computer and demand a ransom to allow you back in. Can this really happen? — Kris

Strangely enough, a team which has been as dominant as Brophy's boys soccer squad this season, a slew of tense moments and potential mental meltdowns led to, well, nothing.

In a home quarterfinals match for No. 4 Campo Verde's girls soccer team, the Coyotes' Breanna Olsen scored two goals, including one on a penalty kick to lead Campo Verde to a 4-0 win over No. 5 Fountain Hills in the Div. II quarterfinals.

When most of the country is shivering in their boots, Mesa is bursting with blue skies and the smell of orange blossoms.

TUCSON — A reconfigured lineup. An oddly shaped field and a long drive to the field.

Stomp, on stage Wednesday and Thursday in Phoenix, has been making international headlines since it burst onto the music scene in the early ’90s. The renowned street performers continue to wow audiences, using everything from brooms and boots to trash cans and Zippo lighters to create a percussive experience like no other.

Since it broke into the music scene in the early ’90s as a street performance troupe, Stomp has been making international headlines.

George Orwell, in his “1984” book, used the word “groupthink” to mean the making of sheep-like decisions as a group while discouraging individual thought. Well, here’s an antonym I call “Reverse-Think,” meaning to NOT think like the group.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — After nearly 50 years of living in the Rocky Mountains, I thought I knew how to enjoy the winter. I've gone skiing, skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, tobogganing, sleigh riding, dog-sledding and more.

A: I have an old computer with (Windows) XP that is running very slow (I think it has a virus). I would like to get a new computer and transfer things to the new computer but I’m afraid it will transfer the virus. What should I do? -- Maureen