If fireworks are your thing, you've got plenty to choose from this weekend. But there are plenty of things to do on either side of - or instead of - the typical Fourth of July barbecue or fireworks viewing. So take advantage of the three-day weekend with some of these ideas:

On Saturday, many of us will hoist American flags, attend barbecues festooned in red, white and blue, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to watch colorful fireworks illuminate the night sky.

The Food Writers Act of 1902 requires me, as well as every other food writer in America, to produce a story every Fourth of July about either hot dogs or apple pie. I flipped a coin, and this year it’s hot dogs.

People who enjoy taking photos of Arizona wildlife can win cash for showing off their skills.

Bank robber John Dillinger might have thought he'd found the perfect hideout in Tucson, Ariz., in January 1934. The dusty city was a far cry from Chicago, where every law enforcer was looking for him.

"The Dillinger gang was the most notorious gang in America at that time," said Marshall Trimble, Arizona's official historian. "Tucson was considered kind of a quiet place in the boondocks." 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A public-private effort to research cleaner ways of using Wyoming coal could be key in addressing the growing energy needs of the West, a coal gasification industry official said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave Arizona and other states permission Tuesday to enact their own regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Her fellow job seekers offer knowing groans as Diane Castro recalls the day she was laid off: The fear of being summoned to the front office. The phones in nearby cubicles going off like grenades. Finally, a ring at her desk.

I first heard of upside-down tomatoes from the late Tom Robinson of Russelton, Pa., back in 2000. I still use the techniques he taught me to plant one or two tomato plants each season.

Sigmund, or Siggy, is an endearingly odd little dude.