The people of "Peeples" make a better impression than most collections of oddballs in the weary mold of comedies centered on meeting the prospective in-laws.

Apache Junction High School's Navy JROTC Academic Team capped an outstanding school year with a Top 10 finish April 27 at the NJROTC National Academic Competition in Orlando, Fla. This was the first time the high school qualified for the national level after making several appearances at the Western Regionals in California. The level of competition in Orlando was intense with the top four students from the top three schools in each region of the United States competing with one another. AJHS made it through to the semifinals among academically top-ranked public and private high schools in the nation with much larger NJROTC programs. Apache Junction High School's NJROTC is now ranked ninth in the entire nation for academics and is looking forward to climbing the ranks in 2013-14. Congratulations to team members Grifyn Davis, freshman; Nick Knight, sophomore; Uziel Pilas, junior; and Grace Kennedy, senior.

Gov. Jan Brewer said Tuesday that Arizona's precedent-setting 2010 law aimed at illegal immigration helped pave the way for the kind of legislation now being considered in Congress.

BOSTON — The bombs that ripped through the Boston Marathon crowd were fashioned out of ordinary kitchen pressure cookers, packed with nails and other fiendishly lethal shrapnel, and hidden in duffel bags left on the ground, people close to the investigation said Tuesday.

After listening to the arguments before the Supreme Court on Proposition 8, and as someone who leans conservative, usually votes Republican and is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I found the arguments to overturn it compelling. Moreover, I found the arguments on behalf of proponents of Proposition 8 to be relatively weak, focusing almost solely on procreation.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it could find a way out of the case over California's ban on same-sex marriage without issuing a major national ruling on whether America's gays have a right to marry.

Perhaps Rod Livdahl (letter of 3/20) should review his Econ 101 textbook before he presents his next lesson on the subject. “Trickle Down” and “Trickle Up” are not economic terms. They are political terms, coined by Liberals to mock and distort serious economic discussion. There is no authentic “Trickle Down” school of thought that proposed the enrichment of the wealthy by government action in order to allow some of that wealth to somehow dribble down to the masses. “Trickle Up” appears to be an advanced term invented by Mr. Livdahl.

We learned in school about the inventors such as Edison and Bell who parlayed their inventions into fortunes, of the great capitalists of the Gilded Age such as Rockefeller and Carnegie and Morgan who took great risks on their way to becoming titans of industry.

BOSTON — Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for her advocacy on reducing gun violence.

Someday, the talent pool will dry up enough and the Chandler High girls track program will be challenged for state supremacy. That day, however, is not in the immediate future.

“No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future,” (2013 president’s inaugural address).

Washington  --  A US Airways executive repeated assurances in Washington on Tuesday that the company plans to maintain a significant corporate presence in Phoenix after its proposed merger with Texas-based American Airlines.

Chris Christie got laughs on the Letterman show last week when he showed up with a doughnut. I get what he was trying to do. People keep goofing on his girth, and a former White House doctor had just told CNN that if Christie were elected president, “I’m worried about this man dying in office.” So he figures that the best way to defuse the issue is to make light of his weight.

It's a Saturday afternoon, and a multitude of fans – 25,000 total throughout a day defined by a peek-a-boo sun – meander underneath Chase Field's retractable roof for the annual D-Backs annual FanFest. The day is a prelude to the upcoming season – an opportunity for the Diamondback faithful to snag a few autographs, take a few cuts against a wiffleball-lobbing Wade Miley and, most importantly, bask in the glow of the lovely optimism that comes before the realities of a 162-game season commence.

CHICAGO — A merged American Airlines and US Airways will carry more passengers around the world than any other, but even the biggest airline flying doesn't need eight hub airports on the ground.

WASHINGTON — Republicans warned Tuesday that President Barack Obama's second-term agenda would bring more tax increases and escalate deficit spending, vowing that they would guard against Washington-centric policies and help middle-class families rebound from years of tepid economic growth.

Since 1986, the Scripps Celebrity Super Bowl Poll has been asking big names in entertainment, news, sports and pop culture to predict the outcome of the big game. This year, more than 115 celebrities picked between the San Francisco 49ers, led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and the Baltimore Ravens, featuring linebacker Ray Lewis.

At least Romney had binders. Binders full of qualified women to fill cabinet positions, that is. Democrats mercilessly pounded Romney for the binders comment he made during the 2012 presidential campaign, but I’ll bet the Obama campaign now wishes Romney had passed the binders on to Obama since it seems he’s having a hard time picking women to fill his second term cabinet positions.

WASHINGTON — Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.