A unanimous Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has endorsed a $2.2 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, some $82.4 million lower than the county currently spends. The budget approved today is likely to produce a modest property tax decrease for Valley homeowners but also a merit-based salary increase for county employees, who have gone without permanent increases for five years.

Here is a collection of thoughts and stories from those who've crossed paths (personally or professionally) with former Higley district athletic director Art Wagner, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 15.

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.

The number of hybrid cars in the U.S. will triple by 2015, according to J.D. Power and Associates. This change in demand and technology requires a new skill set from today’s mechanics. The premise is that drivers around the world will continue trading gas guzzling, big-body cars for lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles that are easier on the pockets and the environment.

When Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2010, Steve Cottrell saw a way to combine his laboratory background and his interest in the plant he’d been studying since his 11-year-old son died of cancer more than a decade before.

The Senate voted 19-11 Tuesday to make it easier for schools to get rid of teachers who are not performing up to expectations.

Hundreds of teachers at religious schools around the state could soon be at risk of being laid off with no prospect of collecting jobless benefits.

Coming soon to downtown Mesa: big changes to one of the city’s acclaimed all-ages attractions.

Coming soon to downtown Mesa: big changes to one of the city’s acclaimed all-ages attractions.

Barrett-Jackson is home to the world’s most profitable car auction. Its main event, held every January in Scottsdale, kicked off its 2013 season by tying its 2007 record sales of close to $100 million.

NEW YORK — It's no secret that Apple wants to get into the living room by making its own TV set, and there have been plenty of rumors and reports about how and when it's going to happen.

A fast-food chain CEO ditches his corner office for flipping burgers at one of his restaurants. It sounds like a plot for a reality TV show. It is.

Rebuffing the concerns of mayors from around the state about lost revenues, a Senate panel voted Wednesday to sharply revamp how sales taxes are assessed and collected.

Arizona Republicans say they don't need to change their stance on immigration or even their message to attract the Latino voters who largely defected last year.

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.

Hoping to lure more movies, TV shows and commercials, state lawmakers are moving to once again provide income tax credits for those who produce them in Arizona.

WASHINGTON — Seeking to focus on nation-building at home, President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address to call for more spending on infrastructure and manufacturing, while also announcing the withdrawal of 34,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan within a year.

State lawmakers are moving to throw a new hurdle in the path of divorced parents who want to move.

Nobody plays deadpan strait man better than Jason Bateman. Nobody plays belly laugh shocking better than Melissa McCarthy. Based on this promising mismatched duo, “Identity Thief” looked like it might be the first sidesplitting comedy of the New Year.

The Mountain Pointe football program is headed to Nevada to open the season.

On Jan. 22, Priest Willis slipped on a pair of powder blue football gloves, aligned his hands in the sign of a ‘U’ and confirmed to the college football world what everyone long suspected: He was verbally committing to UCLA.

In 2010 my wife and I purchased a home in San Tan Valley. We also own a home in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to see environmentally responsible economic development in the East Valley to provide head-of-household salary jobs along with dollars that can be used to improve and expand public infrastructure, schools, etc.

It was less than three years ago that Mesa’s The Gold Mine Radio station finally received its FCC license — following a 12-year effort.

An appliance store employee was shot on the job in Tempe.