NEW YORK - If you want to stretch your dollar without shrinking your appetite, you're in luck. Fast-food companies, looking for a way to attract budget-conscious customers and keep them spending, are increasingly offering more food for less money.

The economic downturn has prompted companies to keep costs in check, meaning smaller parties and lower-profile corporate gatherings, local caterers say.

Greg Grove was watching the Suns game when his daughter came out of her room complaining of leg pains and tingling skin. When Grove walked his 6-year-old back to her bed to tuck her in, he realized Kate’s complaints were all too legitimate: A scorpion was crawling in his little girl’s bed.

Greg Grove was watching the Suns game when his daughter came out of her room complaining of leg pains and tingling skin. When Grove walked his 6-year-old back to her bed to tuck her in, he realized Kate’s complaints were all too legitimate: A scorpion was crawling in his little girl’s bed.

WASHINGTON – One in three Hispanic households with children is never sure if it will have enough food for all members of the family, according to a recent report.

It was good to get a few decent monsoon rain storms in the Valley this year, but that does not erase the fact that this has been one of the hottest summers on record. All across the West, it’s the same story. The drought shows no signs of subsiding. The Colorado River supplies water to tens of millions of people in the Southwest; it sustains a large portion of the nation’s food supply, and it draws tourists from every corner of the earth to sustain our economy. It is also shrinking. The river cannot sustain the growing population that depends on it over the long haul, unless we do something.

We hear it time and time again — “Eat your veggies!” From the grocery aisle to the farmers market, vegetables are plentiful. But it is all too easy to wind up with wan, dried-out carrots from the supermarket or overpriced broccoli from a farm stand.

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When the weather turns warm, I find myself craving the smell and taste of a great homemade burger off the grill.

Many have their Thanksgiving traditions, whether it be a favorite side dish, a game of football or spending time with family. For the past 15 years, the students at Maricopa Wells Middle School have spent time making sure those less fortunate can share in some of those traditions.

My goodness, there’s a lot of plastic on store shelves this holiday season. I realize it’s the season for using plastic to buy plastic. But there are alternatives.

They changed the worlds of music, fashion, politics and pop culture.

And the Iowa Republican straw poll proves exactly what? That in politics money talks? But we knew that already.

Deflation has finally come to the Arizona shopping cart. New figures from the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation find that, on average, the cost of food from grocery stores in the state is about 20 percent less than it was a year ago.

A new kind of food store is scheduled to open Jan. 17 at the Promenade shopping center in Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road.

Are you constantly struggling to reach or maintain healthy weight? Do you experience cravings for specific foods? What about unexplained joint pain, skin problems or headaches? If so, the cause is highly probably related to the food(s) you’re eating.

The head of a popular Arizona winery will host a five-course wine pairing dinner in Chandler — at a rate more affordable than typical winemaker dinners.

My youngest daughter and I had quite an experience at the airport in Chicago a few weeks ago. We loaded all of our things into tubs to go through security and then sat down to put ourselves back together again. We put on and tied our boots, strapped the laptop back in its bag, collected our winter coats (it was 30 below zero that day), grabbed Stella's booster seat, pulled up the handle for her carry-on and tried to stay out of everyone else's way all at the same time. We walked a little ways to a restaurant and ordered some food. As we were approaching the cash register, I realized that my purse was nowhere in sight. In a moment of panic, I decided that I must have left it in a tub on the conveyor belt. We raced back and asked the guard, who appeared to be in charge, if he had my purse. He directed us to "the booth." Immediately a man approached and told me that I had left my purse under a seat in the security area. Gulp. I made some half-hearted joke that "at least I had remembered my child." He did not laugh. My purse holds a lot of important things: ID, money, credit cards, keys and a shot in case my daughter has a severe allergic reaction. I am usually so careful to keep an eye on it, but there were so many other things I was trying to keep track of that I did not immediately realize it was missing. I was concerned with gathering up all of our baggage and that kept me from remembering something very important. Hanging on to too much emotional baggage can keep us from remembering what really is important, too. Recently a friend betrayed me. It came as quite a surprise, and I could feel myself immediately getting frustrated and angry. The next day I was still upset. The Lord was quick to point out that a root of bitterness was beginning to grow and I needed to get rid of it immediately. I was "hanging on" to the incident and not holding the other person in very high regard. In the past, I would not have realized and maybe would not have even cared. Unfortunately, bitterness has been a very familiar feeling. It can have some pretty deep roots, and the deeper they grow, the harder they are to pull up. Just like dandelions. As a child, I was often given the chore of pulling up dandelions in the yard. I did not always do it the way I was supposed to - I preferred to pick the flowers and make pretty yellow bouquets. But before long, even more dandelions would grow because I had merely yanked the stems out. Those weeds would only stay away if I used the special pronged tool to pull them out by the roots. Ephesians 4:31 admonishes us to "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior." It is not easy to get rid of bitterness when someone has really wronged you. Believe me, I do not say this lightly. I also know that bitterness will eat away at your soul if you allow it to continue to grow. It will spread to other areas of your life, just like dandelions can travel across the lawn and then into the neighbor's yard. Invite God to use that weed picker and pull out the bitterness. While you're at it, let Him have at the rage and anger, too. It might be painful to dig up, and it may not disappear completely overnight, but it is very freeing to let it go. When there is less baggage, there is more room for remembering the important things - like clothing yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) Ahwatukee Foothills resident Lisa Jisa is a member of the Foothills Baptist Church, where she is active in the choir and mission work. She can be reached at bltm@qwest.net.

My youngest daughter and I had quite an experience at the airport in Chicago a few weeks ago. We loaded all of our things into tubs to go through security and then sat down to put ourselves back together again. We put on and tied our boots, strapped the laptop back in its bag, collected our winter coats (it was 30 below zero that day), grabbed Stella's booster seat, pulled up the handle for her carry-on and tried to stay out of everyone else's way all at the same time. We walked a little ways to a restaurant and ordered some food. As we were approaching the cash register, I realized that my purse was nowhere in sight. In a moment of panic, I decided that I must have left it in a tub on the conveyor belt. We raced back and asked the guard, who appeared to be in charge, if he had my purse. He directed us to "the booth." Immediately a man approached and told me that I had left my purse under a seat in the security area. Gulp. I made some half-hearted joke that "at least I had remembered my child." He did not laugh. My purse holds a lot of important things: ID, money, credit cards, keys and a shot in case my daughter has a severe allergic reaction. I am usually so careful to keep an eye on it, but there were so many other things I was trying to keep track of that I did not immediately realize it was missing. I was concerned with gathering up all of our baggage and that kept me from remembering something very important. Hanging on to too much emotional baggage can keep us from remembering what really is important, too. Recently a friend betrayed me. It came as quite a surprise, and I could feel myself immediately getting frustrated and angry. The next day I was still upset. The Lord was quick to point out that a root of bitterness was beginning to grow and I needed to get rid of it immediately. I was "hanging on" to the incident and not holding the other person in very high regard. In the past, I would not have realized and maybe would not have even cared. Unfortunately, bitterness has been a very familiar feeling. It can have some pretty deep roots, and the deeper they grow, the harder they are to pull up. Just like dandelions. As a child, I was often given the chore of pulling up dandelions in the yard. I did not always do it the way I was supposed to - I preferred to pick the flowers and make pretty yellow bouquets. But before long, even more dandelions would grow because I had merely yanked the stems out. Those weeds would only stay away if I used the special pronged tool to pull them out by the roots. Ephesians 4:31 admonishes us to "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior." It is not easy to get rid of bitterness when someone has really wronged you. Believe me, I do not say this lightly. I also know that bitterness will eat away at your soul if you allow it to continue to grow. It will spread to other areas of your life, just like dandelions can travel across the lawn and then into the neighbor's yard. Invite God to use that weed picker and pull out the bitterness. While you're at it, let Him have at the rage and anger, too. It might be painful to dig up, and it may not disappear completely overnight, but it is very freeing to let it go. When there is less baggage, there is more room for remembering the important things - like clothing yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) Ahwatukee Foothills resident Lisa Jisa is a member of the Foothills Baptist Church, where she is active in the choir and mission work. She can be reached at bltm@qwest.net.

The Fiesta Bowl and the Insight Bowl are expected to draw large numbers of out-of-state football fans to the Valley, but it is unlikely the games will surpass last year’s financial impact to the area. The reason is simply in the numbers.

Paul Koch comes from a long line of blue-collar workers. His great-grandfather left Germany to settle in the U.S. as a toolmaker, a craft handed down to his sons, grandsons and great-grandson. Along with thousands of others, they collectively created an industry and identity for Erie, Pa., as a major tool-and-die center.