EV Life

Steve and Annette Economides don't dread food shopping, even as prices rise. That's because the north Scottsdale couple, known affectionately as "America's Cheapest Family," shop so strategically, the faltering economy hasn't hit them hard at the checkout counter.

History's first fire engine was kind of a cross between a riding lawn mower, a railroad handcar and a Super Soaker squirt gun. The Dutch built it, around 1670, and there's a replica at the Hall of Flame Museum. Men would drag it to the local fire, and pump it like an enormous tire jack until water shot out the metal tube on top. (Firehoses hadn't been invented yet.)

VIDEO: Take a tour of the Hall of Flame museum

Dozens of East Valley residents and visitors got more than just a ride when they boarded a red trolley in downtown Scottsdale on Saturday. They were treated to a free, three-act play.

VIDEO: Learn more about the play

SLIDESHOW: See more photos from the trolley

Came into the world just a squallin’ brat

The Greater Phoenix Pond Society's annual tour isn't just a way to show off some society member's best work. It's also a recruiting drive. "That's how we get out membership," says group member Bill Reeves. "We have a half-dozen people each year that go through the tour, then join."

SLIDESHOW: See images of Bill Reeves' backyard oasis

Abraham Samandar was born and raised in Jerusalem, and he has read and reread the “old stories” from in and around his historic hometown.

Galina Mihaleva wasn't supposed to be here. Not "here on Earth" here, but here in a Marshall Way arts district boutique dressed wall to wall with couture garments. This inviting, loft-style space wasn't supposed to bear her name on its window.

SLIDESHOW: See Galina Mihaleva and some of her designs

 The plant: Maybe I’m in love with the sweet, licorice-flavored leaves of tarragon because I grew up on my Sicilian grandmother’s anise-flavored cookies and biscotti.

 Q: Is it too late to plant summer squash? If not, are they difficult to grow?

Ten-year-old Dillon Blestrud says he has seen some remarkable changes in his classmates since they began doing community service with the Trendsetters Club at Kyrene de Los Niños Elementary School in Tempe.

After mentioning in this week’s restaurant review of Papaya Thai that I wasn’t aware of any other Thai restaurants in east Mesa, readers were quick to fill me in.

Becoming a parent is one of life's most beautiful and exciting milestones. It can also be one of the scariest.

SLIDESHOW: Blythe Lipman shows some practical tips

There are a lot of movie theaters in the Valley. If I wanted to see “Iron Man” tonight, there are about 10 places within a 20-minute drive of my home where I could do just that — all lovely, relatively generic multiplexes owned by chains like Harkins, AMC and Cinemark.

The line of people showing up for free sandwiches Wednesday at Joe’s Real BBQ goes out the door and around the side of the historic brick building in downtown Gilbert. And around the back. And loops around the parking lot. And doubles back across the rear of the building.

Charlaine Harris is a happy kind of nervous these days.

It’s not your regular exercise class. No slamming of weights. No squeaking of shoes. Just a half-lit room at Scottsdale’s Granite Reef Senior Center. Twenty seniors are seated in chairs, their arms and torsos tracing fluid arcs to the music of Chinese flutes.

Models from the Ford/Robert Black Agency will wear clothing from Fleurt Boutique in Scottsdale as part of the Spring Into Summer fashion show May 16 at the Hotel Valley Ho.

HARTFORD, Conn. - Facebook, the world's second-largest social networking Web site, is adding more than 40 new safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyberbullies, attorneys general from several states said Thursday.

For Al Cummer, a Flint-style coney dog is part science and part art. The specifications are exacting, but when you get the ingredients just right …

Is your tax rebate check burning a whole in your pocket? Sure, a lot of the so-called experts recommend you do something sensible with it, like paying off your credit card biil. But where’s the fun in that?