Days before the state track and field championships last month, Brophy coaches outlined for their athletes what it would take to win the Division I title.

The Walton Group of Companies, a Canadian company whose U.S. headquarters are based in Scottsdale, has pledged to improve the well-being of needy children in Arizona with a $25,000 donation to Phoenix Suns Charities.

PHILADELPHIA — The City of Brotherly Love is perhaps best known for its Colonial roots but locals will tell you there's much more to explore in this city of 1.5 million people. Options abound for travelers looking for free things to do in and around the historic district and beyond — and they don't all involve tri-corner hats and Betsy Ross' flag.

Finding air-conditioned summer entertainment can be tricky in the Valley of the Sun. It got a bit easier when Arizona’s newest cultural attraction — Butterfly Wonderland — opened last month in Scottsdale.

ASU women finish eighth at NCAA outdoors; nine All-America performances overall for Devils.

Arizona's Barrett wins sixth NCAA high jump title; Lalang takes 5K for second victory of outdoor event.

For several years, Arizona has had a law that, unlike many other laws whose hifalutin-sounding names have nothing to do with what they’re about, has one of the clearest names: the Stupid Motorist Law.

Senior Keia Pinnick finishes third in heptathlon at NCAA outdoor championships.

Arizona's Lawi Lalang wins 10K at NCAA outdoor championships for sixth career national title.

Humorist Dave Barry has said, "the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. The wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

Arizona Outdoor Women, a group started to give women 18 and older the opportunity to learn camping, whitewater rafting, off-road driving and other outdoor activities in a relaxed atmosphere, has slots available in one-day and weekend workshops planned for summer and fall.

LAS VEGAS — The junked signs that attracted throngs to old Las Vegas have for years gathered dust in a neon boneyard just a few miles from the sleek mega-casinos on the Strip.

AMADO

Now that June is boiling up all over, as a public service this column will provide, especially to new arrivals, unsolicited advice on summer survival in the Sonoran Desert. When you’re not covering yourself in aloe vera juice to relieve a scalding sunburn, when surfaces inside your car are noticeably less than molten, when you’re watching someone else on TV being carried down from Camelback Mountain giving a thumbs-up to the camera — that’s when you’ll thank me, um, I hope.

If making Popsicle stick crafts, experiencing the outdoors and eating homemade ice cream were highlights of your childhood summers, you’ll be thrilled to know that you can repeat those joys with your kids June 8 to July 14 at Bass Pro Shops in Mesa.

The Valley is under an ozone health watch that will continue into Saturday.

NEW YORK — The round, white, paper light shades sold at Ikea for $5 are a familiar item in contemporary interior design. But these inexpensive lanterns are knockoffs of light sculptures created by the renowned artist Isamu Noguchi in the early 1950s.

A mulch fire, which began approximately Tuesday afternoon afternoon, is still burning in the West Valley, near Dobbins Road and 62nd Avenue, in Laveen.

Whether you've just bought a shiny new grill or pulled your old one out of winter hibernation, step No. 1 before embracing grilling season is to clean and season it.

Arizona-based Maracay Homes recently spent $4 million to design new floor plans based on consumer requests in a post recession economy. Those new floor plans — the New Arizona Living Collection — include secondary living rooms that can be used as playrooms, laundry rooms by master bedrooms and expanded outdoor spaces, said Maracay President and CEO Andy Warren.

The forecast for summer travel, 2013: Partly sunny.

The great weather expected this weekend across Arizona is an open invitation to step out into the state’s great outdoors. Between hiking and camping in Arizona State Parks, checking out your favorite fishing hole, or just getting some all-around exercise, there are plenty of opportunities. Just be sure to pack your common sense when you pack your car or bike.

When the school year ends a few weeks from now, millions of kids will head off to sleepaway camp for a summer filled with color wars, kayaking and bunk life. Most will have a great time, some will make friends for life, and many will look back on the experience fondly.