It’s a wacky but fun East Valley tradition for kids: Swimming with Santa.

The Horizon girls volleyball team only lost one match to an in-state opponent this year, and Nikki Hess could do nothing to stop it.

Brophy swim coach Pat O’Neill knew Gabriel Espinosa was the favorite to win the 50-yard freestyle at the Division I state championship meet in early November.

There’s often an asterisk when athletes dominate at a lower classification level because it’s unknown how they would fare against the best.

Everyone knows Woody Guthrie for his impact on American folk music and many people associate him with the debilitating genetic disease that left him unable to perform and caused his death in middle age.

Kids love Halloween — the costumes, the candy, the craziness and the fun — but when it falls on a weeknight, like it does this year, it can be a hassle for parents. Thanks to all the carnivals and trunk-or-treats going on around the East Valley this weekend, the whole family can enjoy themselves without having to worry about getting up the next morning for school.

Whether you want to explore a classy art festival or cheer at the ostrich, or even Chihuahua races, the East Valley has it! Let’s take advantage of our Arizona paradise and dance outdoors to live music, indulge during a cook-off, put on our boots for the rodeo and Old West Days, or run foot races.

A Chandler teacher who suffered three skull fractures after being struck by a vehicle three weeks ago is making progress in her recovery, her employer said.

“It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do with it.”

Eight school days ago, vehicles filled with kids and backpacks, stretched for blocks beyond Zaharis, a pulsating east Mesa elementary school. It nestles in the shadows of Red Mountain, camouflaged in lush sagebrush and cacti.

Help a student start his or her school year on the right foot by making a donation at a back-to-school drive this weekend at the Tempe Kiwanis Recreation Center. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arizona is collecting donations of new and unused backpacks, spiral notebooks, crayon packs, pocket folders and index cards. Every person who makes a donation will get half-price admission from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22 at the Kiwanis Wave Pool, 6115 S. All-America Way.

OMAHA, Neb. — Arizona doesn't plan on being a one-year wonder even though the catalysts for the Wildcats' first national championship since 1986 probably are heading off to professional baseball in the next few weeks.

A statewide plan dubbed the “Campaign for Grade-Level Reading,” spearheaded by the United Way, is a finalist for the All-America City Award.

Although gentle in nature, loving and free-spirited, beagles are not known for their obedience.

Although gentle in nature, loving and free-spirited, beagles are not known for their obedience.

In an attempt to alleviate rampant voter fraud discovered in previous elections, the state of Texas passed a new voter ID law in 2011, which the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) brazenly blocked on Monday because it claims the law would disenfranchise minority voters.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is conducting a month-long drive, March Into Tennis, to get more kids playing the sport. Throughout the month, a record 1,200 USTA youth tennis events will take place across the country.

Forty years after Richard Nixon and America declared war on cancer, the numbers stood out in Anna Barker’s presentation last Friday at the East Valley Health Care Summit in Gilbert.

Who's got the oldest car in Arizona?

Who's got the oldest car in Arizona?

In keeping with its designation as a Playful City USA community for the third consecutive year, Tempe will host a free day of play for kids of all ages to celebrate play and reap the benefits of being active. PlayDay will be 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 18, at Kiwanis Park at Mill Avenue and All-America Way.

In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson began what was then called Negro History Week. In recognition of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, both of whom celebrated their birth dates during the second week of February.

Celebrate that golden breed of dog, the golden retreiver, during the Bark in the Park event 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 29 at Tempe's Kiwanis Park, located at Mill Avenue and All-America Way.

Tempe residents can turn their Christmas trees into compost through Jan. 22 by dropping off the pines or setting them out during bulk trash collections. All lights and decorations need to be removed before setting the trees out.