“If you moved to Gilbert because of the good schools, then you may become disappointed. New GPS board members want to turn Gilbert into a charter school district. Charter schools are a privatization of public schools that funnel your tax dollars to a small group of insiders. Charter schools do not outperform public schools. Do research, pay attention, and get involved.”

The expectations thrust upon Ky Westbrook are sometimes entirely unfair.

Bartender Tony Conigliaro's new beverage book is called "The Cocktail Lab," and he's not speaking figuratively.

“Through the National Security Agency, the Obama Administration is secretly monitoring Verizon phone calls made in the United States by millions of Americans. An Obama administration official has acknowledged such collection of people’s telephone records is a critical tool to fight terrorism, and is in fact going on.”

Characters are frequently urged to "release the beast" in "The Purge," a high-concept home-invasion shocker set in a future where one night a year, all crime is legal. But what should be a clammy exercise in claustrophobic, queasy tension becomes, in the hands of writer/director James DeMonaco, an underpowered compendium of over-familiar scare tactics and sledgehammer-subtle social satire. The intriguingly nightmarish premise may well rustle up a decent opening weekend for a picture that comes with the imprimatur of producer Michael Bay before the lukewarm word of mouth hastens its trip to DVD and VOD.

The thought of kindergarten setting the stage for a successful education can be daunting. Parents across the country are discussing whether their children are ready for kindergarten or would benefit from another year in preschool. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, parents can calm apprehensions by understanding they are a key component to their children’s success in school. Here are a few tips to help parents with kindergarten readiness.

A Gilbert woman has been sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison and lifetime probation for abusing her adopted son.

When it comes to packing a picnic basket, sandwiches are almost always the stars of the menu. And why not? They are easy to eat with your hands, pack well and are versatile enough to keep everyone happy.

Jurors who spent five months determining Jodi Arias’ fate couldn’t decide whether she should get life in prison or die for murdering her boyfriend, sending prosecutors back to the drawing board to rehash the shocking case of sex, lies and violence to another 12 people.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" is like fan-boy fiction on a $185 million budget. It's reverential, it's faithful, it's steeped in "Trek" mythology.

Barbecue chicken is one of my favorite summertime dishes. I like every part of it — the tomato-based sauce (the spicier the better), the crispy skin, even the bones.

LAS VEGAS — To step into club XS at the Wynn Las Vegas is to enter the dreamscape of a modern artist with fetishes for gold and bronze and bodies in motion.

LOS ANGELES — Isabella Rossellini's search for the meaning of maternal instinct in "Mammas" looks at nine animals where things like polygamy, lying and dying convince her that "anything goes."

President Obama’s new “religious tolerance” consultant to the Pentagon, Mikey Weinstein, wants Christian military service members who openly talk about their faith in uniform to be charged with treason, which is a crime punishable by death according to military law.

My friend Bob would shudder if he knew that I planted plantain today.

In the galaxy of big-screen superheros — a rather glum lot — Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is the snappy one.

NEW YORK — Bodies tensed and noses twitching, the dogs sniff the hunting ground before them: a lower Manhattan alley, grimy, dim and perfect for rats. With a terse command — "Now!" — the chase is on.

Happiness is... a warm cheese sandwich.

There's a siege mentality about Michael Bay's movies, as though viewers are the enemy holed up in a bunker and he's the guy ordering heavy-metal music around-the-clock to wear down our morale and force us to surrender.

LOS ANGELES — Lily Tomlin's admiration for elephants began when she met Ruby and Billy.

Mark was on the verge of losing it. A deadline was approaching for an important client and the success of the project was hinging on his teams activities.

Eddie Castillo said that the South American culture has the empanada, the British have the pasty, and he and his business partner Mike Caliendo are giving Arizona the hand pie.

You may better know her sister, Dakota, from box-office smashes like “War of the Worlds” and “The Twilight Saga,” but 14-year-old Elle Fanning has already made quite a name for herself among the arthouse set, appearing in such acclaimed works as “Babel,” “Somewhere” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” This month, she takes center stage in a new drama from writer/director Sally Potter entitled “Ginger & Rosa” – a coming-of-age tale set in 1962 London as the threat of the Cuban missile crisis looms overhead.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Most folks know Memphis for its barbecue and Philly for its cheesesteaks, but how about Nashville and its hot chicken?