The Republican gubernatorial field shrank again Friday as Jan Smith Flórez pulled out of the race. The former Santa Cruz County attorney and judge on the state Court of Appeals said there is no way a relatively political unknown can gather the more than 4,000 $5 donations to qualify for public funding.

LOS ANGELES - Nomar Garciaparra tied a major league record when he was hit three times, rookie Andre Ethier went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-4 Monday night.

Ashley Auton drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning to score the winning run as host Saguaro edged Fountain Hills, 2-1, in a non-region high school softball game Saturday. Deidre Grzelak struck out nine and allowed two hits for the Sabercats. Lindsey Wahlert gave up just three hits for Fountain Hills.

A taste of Arizona history plus some down-home, Southwestern entertainment will be featured during a three-hour concert Dec. 9 at Scottsdale Community College.

 In Spanish and English, the Senate pushed contentious immigration legislation over early procedural hurdles with deceptive ease on Tuesday as President Barack Obama insisted the “moment is now” to give 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally a chance at citizenship.

WASHINGTON — The Republican Party, having lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, confronts a dilemma that's easier to describe than to solve: How can it broaden its appeal to up-for-grabs voters without alienating its conservative base?

At two hours and 16 minutes, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" - the fourth film in the ridiculously successful Disney franchise - is the shortest in the series. But it still feels overlong and overstuffed: needlessly convoluted yet, at the same time, phoned-in.

The Diamondbacks are finally showing their youth. Showing it off on a national stage, that is.

Smokers in Chandler will soon find their habit unwelcome in many businesses as the city’s no-smoking ordinance goes into effect Wednesday.

Robbie Mathers was so close.

McClintock took a walk into the 4A state baseball tournament Friday. The Chargers' Kevin Calhoun walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning to score the winning run as host McClintock beat Phoenix Moon Valley, 4-3, in a one-game playoff to determine the 4A Skyline Region regular-season champion.

WASHINGTON — Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.

Thousands in attendance at the Major League Baseball's All-Star Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Thousands in attendance at the Major League Baseball's All-Star Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center.

List of candidates and their funding:

Bethney Reynoldson struck out 12 as host Pinnacle shut out Saguaro, 2-0, Thursday in a 4A non-region softball game. Kristy Overman and Jen Johnson each scored for the Pioneers (2-6).

WASHINGTON – The House voted Wednesday to swap more than 2,400 acres of copper-rich federal land in Pinal County with a mining company that plans to develop the third-largest undeveloped copper resource in the world.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" was one of the most surprising movie phenomenons of recent times. Despite the lackluster source material of an amusement park ride, the filmmakers managed to produce a thrilling, humorous and adult entertainment. While the 2006 follow-up, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," was a letdown for some, I regarded the film as one of the most enjoyably over-the-top sequels since "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Although I marginally recommended the third installment of the series, "At World's End," I'd be lying if I said that the movie wasn't a narrative mess and lacked the freshness of its processors.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" was one of the most surprising movie phenomenons of recent times. Despite the lackluster source material of an amusement park ride, the filmmakers managed to produce a thrilling, humorous and adult entertainment. While the 2006 follow-up, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," was a letdown for some, I regarded the film as one of the most enjoyably over-the-top sequels since "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Although I marginally recommended the third installment of the series, "At World's End," I'd be lying if I said that the movie wasn't a narrative mess and lacked the freshness of its processors.

Chandler Valley Christian, the top seed from the East Region, made an early exit from the 1A/2A/3A boys state soccer tournament Friday at the Tempe Sports Complex.

On his seventh organization in seven years, Matt Perisho has found a home. Perisho, a McClintock High School product and Chandler resident, has unprecedented comfort in two ways: an organization that he likes and likes him and a role he cherishes and at which he excels.

LOS ANGELES - A federal appeals court postponed the Oct. 7 recall election Monday in a decision that threw what has already been a chaotic campaign into utter turmoil.

A couple of lasting impressions from Ridge Nielsen’s football career at Mesa Mountain View took place the final two weeks of 2006.

As superhero summers go, this one is truly super.