For more than 30 years, two words — “East Valley” — did more than anything else to put a vibrant, growing, destination-in-an-of-itself region on the map. Without them, this area may well have remained the land of Nod: A sleepy place whose residents do little other than shift positions every few hours.

PARIS — Scrapings from the bottoms of 2,500-year-old pottery containers have shed new light on the origins of French winemaking.

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.

This letter is in response to a letter you published on May 22, 2013 entitled “Government shouldn’t overreach in regulating midwives.” While I can sympathize with a need for support on an issue that will impact their lives, I do not feel it is fair to ask for support without providing all the facts regarding home births.

An upcoming forum organized by the East Valley Partnership will feature the unveiling of a new branding effort that could end up being the most significant campaign in the group’s history.

Prolific documentary-maker Alex Gibney delivers a gripping account of the wins and losses of hard-charging idealism on the front lines of the information wars in "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks." Exhaustively researched and balanced in its view of the controversial key player, the film slips in ahead of DreamWorks' dramatic take on the exploits of Julian Assange, "The Fifth Estate," which is currently shooting.

To make an original statement with yard art, think beyond fountains, globes and statuary. Add chicken coops to be chic.

Baseball America published its Arizona prospect report on Thursday with the MLB draft one week away. Not surprisingly, several East Valley names dotted the list.

"Reasonable Doubt" is The East Valley Tribune's five-part series investigating the hidden costs of the MCSO's immigration enforcement efforts... winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. First published July 9-13, 2008.

“Why does it seem you only publish the partisan hateful comments? Are there no sane people out there who just want an honest government that will not lie to them or spy on them and not have to worry about the IRS harassing them just because they want to be left alone to live their lives in peace? Why must everything be about politics?”

Authorities on Tuesday released nearly 600 photos that investigators took in the aftermath of the Tucson shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others.

“It was a dark and stormy night.”

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.

E-Books and Amazon.com may spell the demise of the publishing industry, but Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, named “Best Bookstore” yet again by “2013 Best of East Valley Voters, continues to thrive.

Chandler’s Arizona College Prep-Erie earned a Top 100 on Newsweek’s 2013 America’s Best High Schools list.

This weekend was warm enough that locals seemed to collectively change their wardrobes from light layers to tank tops, shorts and other summer staples. If you cringe at the thought of your right to bare arms, then it’s time to take the Tough Lotus Challenge.

The Norwegian directing team of Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, whose biopic of World War II resistance fighter Max Manus was a huge hit on home turf, have turned to another native hero for "Kon-Tiki." One of the most-vaunted escapades of the 20th century, Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Peru-to-Polynesia expedition by raft gets glossy big-screen treatment in this efficiently told action-adventure. Delivering visual drama and understated character study, sometimes in disappointingly formulaic fashion, the feature has its incisive moments but falls short as both epic and intimate portrait.

Not so long ago, there was a certain image associated with being vegetarian. It usually involved Birkenstocks, lentil loaf and an agenda.