Mesa United Way is inviting residents to make a donation to its Community Chest and enter “The Happiest Sweepstakes on Earth!” to win a Disneyland vacation and other prizes.

The same local dance company that takes audiences deep into vampire territory each autumn with its acclaimed "A Vampire Tale" is going into uncharted waters.

If you haven’t yet stopped by Four Peaks Brewing Company’s newest location, here’s a good reason to: They’re going to be tapping Pumpkin Porter — in February.

Editor's note:  The following story was written and submitted for an Arizona State journalism class.  If you have a possible story to submit please send to sports@evtrib.com

A second-year law student at Arizona State University, Adam Brown arrived at the new Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop in Mesa about 8 a.m. on Monday to be first in line for the grand opening of the shop, nearly 24 hours before its doors opened for business.

"Killing Them Softly" is a stylish and violent dark comedy about low-level gangsters and thugs, set squarely within the U.S. economic collapse of autumn 2008. In rather heavy-handed fashion, it suggests that the mob functions as a microcosm of American capitalism. Thankfully, Brad Pitt is there to keep it from going under.

As a Valley native, I remember growing up and wishing for the cooler temperatures that come with changing fall leaves. You know, the kind of weather where you need to drink hot chocolate to stay warm!

You don’t have to drive to northern Arizona for New England-esque fall color worth photographing. A pocket of it exists just 50 miles away, at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior.

We’re no stranger to Fall’s pumpkin-this, pumpkin-that frenzy. We’ve sipped, scarfed and inhaled more pumpkin-imbued coffee, cheesecake and candles than is probably reasonable. And, yet, there’s another autumn creation we’re itching to try: TQLA’s new pumpkin margarita.

On a sun-splashed Higley High School football field blanketed with a warm autumn breeze on Friday, more than 3,000 people came to celebrate military veterans for their service and sacrifices they made through the decades for the freedoms we enjoy today that did not come for free.

One of the many things I love about Thanksgiving is the continuity of the menu across generations and regions.

For this Thanksgiving pie, we decided to see what would happen if we transformed that classic treat of autumn - the caramel apple - into a pie. The result was a crazy good no-bake apple pie.

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved classic cars, especially Chevrolets.

One of the most enduring of Halloween icons, candy corn is now over 130 years old.

We may daydream of autumn’s changing leaves, but here in the desert, Phoenix’s holey red Papago Buttes are where it really starts to feel like fall. Desert Botanical Garden’s Great Pumpkin Festival kicks off Oct. 25 at the base of the mountains, and it’s a good spot to grab a pumpkin and snap a few fall photos.

In this column space, I often get a break from writing about the bad news, the crime and the dark side of a community. I get to write about human interests — people, their jobs, a unique project in a community or one’s hobby. You know, the lighter side of life.

Without changing leaves and crisp air, we Valley dwellers rely on other harbingers to let us know autumn has arrived.

When you think curry, chances are potatoes and chicken come to mind. But we think you also should consider apples.

The new film Dredd 3D follows a day-in-the-life of the post-apocalyptic Mega City One’s most famous judge, jury and executioner - Judge Dredd. But the new movie is more of a gritty re-envisioning of the comic-book source material and a direct remake of Sylvester Stallone’s Judge Dredd from 1995.

Autumn’s a great time to fall for apple appeal, with cooler temperatures setting the stage for the fruit to star in gently steaming pies and alongside fragrant roasts.