Burgers and potato salad are traditional fare at Memorial Day picnics, but it's also fun to shake things up every now and again with an unexpected new flavor. And if the recipe for said dish is as easy as it is lip-smacking? So much the better for the cook, who would much rather be relaxing in the sunshine with guests than fretting over complicated details.

There have been highs and lows from the 2012-2013 athletic year.

Boz Scaggs knows he has a reputation for being something of a perfectionist. The casually stylish singer-songwriter recalls the endless tinkering and expansive budgets that went into making his multiplatinum 1970s albums “Silk Degrees” and “Down Two Then Left.”

In just over five years, the Ride for Reading program has delivered more than 110,000 books to kids in schools in needy communities, including a spot here in the Valley.

A “Celebration of Life” service to honor respected educator and leader among state high school sports circles Art Wagner is scheduled for Monday night at 6 p.m. at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts in Gilbert.

Fun Find Fridays is my series on the strange comic book related paraphernalia I’ve found at comic book shows, antique shops, swap meets, or buried in my closet.

NEW YORK — U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year — the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago.

“It was a dark and stormy night.”

State senators approved their version of a new $8.8 billion budget Thursday -- but not before adding millions of dollars to the original Republican plan.

A Senate panel approved $82 million in inflation aid for public schools -- and then voted, in essence, never to give back hundreds of millions more that they've shorted schools for the last four years.

PHOENIX — Obstacle course runners start on their feet, but eventually end up on their stomachs, sides, even backs at they clamber through mud, over shipping containers, across netting made of mangled ropes.

Beer fans can get a lift to this weekend’s big brew party.

A free all-day workshop for women in Phoenix this Saturday, May 18, aims to offer a way to “unlock one’s true potential as a catalyst for lasting love, stronger relationships and a greater sense of fulfillment,” says event promoter, Jan Hemming.

Design magazines and home decorating catalogs tend to feature sprawling backyards with big wooden decks and room for everything from decorative fountains to artificial ponds.

Jewell Parker Roades, the Virginia G. Piper Chair in Creative writing, meets fans and discusses "Sugar," her new novel for middle readers. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who lives on a sugar plantation on the banks of the Mississippi and takes it upon herself to serve as the cultural bridge between the plantation residents and the Chinese workers who come to harvest the cane. Roades will sign copies of her book after the presentation.

The decision by the IRS to take a closer look at Tea Party finances apparently did not affect some key organizations in Arizona.

NEW YORK — It's May. Memorial Day and the end of the school year are in sight. Suddenly, you're thinking about a summer vacation. A little advance planning — and some insider tips — can save you a lot of money. Whether you're booking airfare, a car rental or a hotel room, there are questions you should ask first.

It’s not often art lovers get to see a work in progress let alone contribute to it, but Arizona Opera gives fans the opportunity to do just that this weekend when they present the first reading of “Riders of the Purple Sage” — an original opera based on Zane Grey’s western novel, set on the Arizona-Utah border.

The placemat is a favorite at many dinner tables: The often-whimsical plastic version catches the slip of spaghetti from a youngster's fork, while a nice cotton placemat elevates the dining experience just a little without having to set down a whole tablecloth.

The 94th annual Children’s Book Week, the national celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, officially starts May 13, but youngsters can join activities sooner at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe:

Even though “The Great Gatsby” has gotten the movie treatment several times in the past, no film adaptation has ever really stood out as the definitive version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated novel.

If any piece of classic American literature should be depicted on film with wildly decadent and boldly inventive style, it's "The Great Gatsby." After all, who was the character of Jay Gatsby himself if not a spinner of grandiose tales and a peddler of lavish dreams?