New figures show the state's economy continues to plug along.

Gilbert district schools will continue to offer free, full-day kindergarten next school year following a vote Wednesday night by the governing board.

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.

One week after a 2-2 vote by the Gilbert Unified School District governing board put into question future discussion about a budget override ballot issue, an agenda was posted showing the board will vote on the matter Wednesday night.

School districts in the East Valley are working the numbers to figure how much they will have to pay utilities, pay teachers next year or spend on textbooks.

American oil producers are in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration once again, this time the president is promising to force the Big 5 oil companies to pay their “fair share.” This begs the question: Who gets to decide who’s not paying enough? Who gets to decide which American taxpayers or businesses need to pay more?

LAS VEGAS — To step into club XS at the Wynn Las Vegas is to enter the dreamscape of a modern artist with fetishes for gold and bronze and bodies in motion.

Grand Canyon Education Inc.'s shares soared Wednesday after the for-profit education company reported first-quarter results that far exceeded market expectations, and it issued a strong full-year forecast.

I have to admit that this column is going to have few readers. For one thing, here is the only mention it will have of the name Jodi Arias. That’s it. Sorry.

So President Obama wants to end so-called “tax loopholes” for American oil and gas companies? Sounds like a good idea, until you learn that what the president is really asking. The “Close the Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act” essentially asks American taxpayers and businesses to shoulder the economic brunt of the Administration’s ambitious green energy objectives.

It's not a big breakthrough.

The fight to expand Medicaid in Arizona continues as Gov. Brewer pushes the Legislature to pursue legislation to expand coverage to include folks up to 133 percent of poverty guidelines.

The prom is making a big comeback.

WASHINGTON — Americans are more optimistic the job market is healing and will deliver higher pay later this year. That brighter outlook, along with rising home prices, cheaper gasoline and a surging stock market, could offset some of the drag from the recent tax increases and government spending cuts.

No one can deny the Great Recession left a permanent mark on our nation and its economy. But what effect did it have on the American Dream of Home Ownership? That’s the question we set out to answer by asking Phoenix-based Benchmark Research Technologies to survey nearly 1,700 Arizona new home shoppers about their attitudes surrounding home ownership in the post-recession era.

Recent images of a cruise ship limping back to port after an engine malfunction didn't do the cruise industry any favors heading into the summer vacation season. And cringe-worthy accounts from passengers who had to make do without power or working toilets for five days may have turned some travelers off cruising for good.

Higley Elementary and Middle School is undergoing a transition to a back-to-basics style of instruction in 2013-14 - the inaugural school year as “The Higley Traditional Academy.”

New unemployment numbers released Thursday suggest the state's economic recovery is weakening.

Unemployment insurance

You wouldn’t think $3.50 cupcakes would catch on in a recession, but Sprinkles Cupcakes did just that. Opened in 2008 at Scottsdale and Camelback roads, the sweet shop is celebrating its fifth anniversary by giving away something fans of its cupcakes can’t even get in Arizona: Sprinkles brand ice cream.