There was a time when a Jerry Bruckheimer movie meant something — namely, the promise of exploding cars flipping in midair like half-cooked hamburger patties.

Maybe it’s happened to you too: Losing a friend over political differences. More than ever, our nation’s upheaval seems to be rocking relationships. If my family could lose a longtime friend, and your family could too, might the trend be the canary in the mine?

MINNEAPOLIS -- When patriotism inspired the Rev. Jerry Fehn a decade ago to serve soldiers in combat zones abroad, the 45-year-old was afraid he had waited too long. He needn't have worried. The National Guard, wrestling with a chronic shortage of priests, cleared the roadblocks that might have kept Fehn out.

LOS ANGELES - A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.

WASHINGTON - Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush Wednesday they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.

Scottsdale City Court has seen a more than 50 percent rise in the number of criminal and civil cases over the last several years, straining the court's resources and prompting a request to increase security oversight.

As violence continues Friday in Iraq with at least 23 killed in bombings, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq said he doesn’t have enough troops in increasingly violent Diyala province.

An aquatic invasion that Arizona wildlife and utilities officials have been dreading is now under way. A harmful species of mollusks that disrupts ecosystems and can spread throughout entire river systems has been discovered in the Colorado River waters from Lake Mead downstream to Lake Havasu.

WASHINGTON - The Army, strained by unrelenting violence in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two combat brigades while shifting personnel and equipment from other military units.

Russ Ortiz's second season with the Diamondbacks hit another low Tuesday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 24, with a right calf strain. He was replaced on the active roster by right-handed relief pitcher Casey Daigle.

Russ Ortiz's second season with the Diamondbacks hit another low Tuesday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 24, with a right calf strain. He was replaced on the active roster by right-handed relief pitcher Casey Daigle.

Marine Capt. RORY QUINN, in his latest exclusive dispatch for asap, writes about how be stationed in Iraq starts to wear on you after a few months.

Tyson Nash’s lower abdominal strain doesn’t isn’t getting better. So, for the second time in less than a month, the Coyotes forward will travel to Philadelphia in the next few days to see specialist Dr. William Meyers.

WASHINGTON - The mysterious respiratory disease that has swept greyhound racetracks across the country and also afflicted pet dogs is a type of flu - an influenza strain that jumped from horses to dogs, researchers reported Monday.

April 13, 2005

The Mesa Police Department needs to improve the way it relates to Hispanics, many of about 25 residents said Tuesday to a committee studying whether the city should create a citizen’s police review board.

SAN FRANCISCO - Curt Schilling may not be at full strength today.

The weak economy and record low mortgage rates have hurt the East Valley rental market. Landlords are struggling to keep their units rented and some tenants are struggling to pay their rent, landlords and attorneys say. Each year about 90,000 renters in Arizona get evicted from their homes and many of them are because they didn't pay their rent.