The presence of a cheering Gorilla at Mesa’s Westwood High School could mean one thing: Something big was about to happen.

The Valley sports media has been tripping over itself in lauding the hiring of new Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, calling it a turning point and a ray of light for a franchise that has been in a death spiral during these past couple years of the Robert Sarver era.

A smattering of butterflies have flitted through my yard this spring, loitering briefly around the lantana and aloe stalks before moving on to lusher landscapes. Those fleeting backyard glimpses are nothing compared to the up-close and personal look you get at hundreds of butterflies inside The Marshall Butterfly Pavilion at Desert Botanical Garden.

His acceptance speech was easily the most brief, but the thoughts shared Friday night by United Food Bank President and CEO Bob Evans were certainly among the most poignant.

It’s way too early. The National League West is way too talented. Summer in Arizona is way too long.

Saying a loving home trumps the chance of disease, state lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to allowing foster children to be placed in homes where other youngsters are not immunized.

Arizona State will play its home baseball games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium beginning in 2015.

A mob of runners and many well wishers flocked to Tempe on Saturday for the ninth annual Pat's Run to honor one of Arizona's finest and pay respect to the victims of Monday's attack on the Boston Marathon.

A.T. Still University will host its sixth annual Community Health & Wellness Day April 20 at the Chandler CARE Center, 777 E. Galveston St.

The Phoenix Suns have a chance to begin their ascension from the ashes this summer. With one lottery pick safely earned among the top five and another still possible — unless Kobe Bryant is intent on dragging the Los Angeles Lakers’ lifeless carcass to the postseason for a public funeral at the hands of San Antonio or Oklahoma City — the first seeds for resurgence are at hand.

Mesa’s own Olympic champion Breeja Larson will return to her hometown to compete at the Mesa Swimming Grand Prix, this Thursday through Saturday at the Skyline Aquatic Center.

Valley of the Sun United Way and Mesa United Way are partnering for a special Project Connect event April 11 at Broadway Christian Church, 7335 E. Broadway Road, Mesa.

Arizona State point guard Jahii Carson is testing the NBA waters.

If the Phoenix Coyotes snap their run of three straight Stanley Cup Playoff appearances this spring, you can blame Thursdays.

Amare Stoudemire’s right knee, the microfracture knee, the knee we all know would surely bring a premature end to one of the most exciting NBA talents in this millennium, is now waving a white flag.

Home prices are expected to continue their rise — in the East Valley in particular — as a shortage of available homes creates an imbalance in the market, according to a report released last week by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

For a long time, two things felt as if they would always exist among Arizona Cardinals’ fans:

Cathy Garcia’s T-shirts have been in high demand since the Grammys and Oscars where they were included in gift bags for celebrities.

Since then, the Glendale resident has stayed busy with orders for her T-shirt line, Cha-Cha ChiC, named after her Chihuahua, Cha Cha.