Hurricane evacuees staying at Veterans Memorial Coliseum can trade their cots for a private hotel room, and the federal government will foot the bill for up to two weeks, thanks to a program being run by the American Red Cross.

Female prisoners, National Guardsmen, humanitarian workers and state officials worked side by side Saturday preparing the aging Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix for the first wave of refugees displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Two feet of water filled the first floor of John Farrell Screen’s New Orleans home.

Two feet of water filled the first floor of John Farrell Screen’s New Orleans home.

This weekend, the floor of the Arizona State Fairgrounds Coliseum will be transformed into a large dental clinic for people seeking care.

PHOENIX - For many going to the Arizona State Fair, Veterans Memorial Coliseum will simply be that old arena with a saddleback roof where featured acts perform. Or it’s a place to view exhibits when rides and deep-fried Twinkies become too much.

Arizona gave $1.7 million in federal stimulus money to the Arizona State Fair to complete repairs on the roof of Veterans Memorial Coliseum, just in time for its start date on Oct. 16, according to an announcement last week by Gov. Jan Brewer.

Homes for every evacuee at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum is this week’s goal.

It was medicinal for me last Friday to watch a high school basketball game a day after my father’s passing. To enjoy a game just for the game’s sake.

Watch the Coffin Draggers and the Bombshells battle it out for the 2012 Arizona Derby Dames Championship title. There will also be a men’s competition, featuring the Phoenix Rattleskates and the San Diego Aftershocks.

In a scant three year career, R&B superstar Rihanna has scored three consecutive hit albums and a plethora of smash singles. The singer gave fans who packed the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fair Saturday night a tight retrospective of her brief, meteoric career.