East Valley Tribune - Today's Top Stories

Crowd protests possible Mesa school closing

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:45:32 -0700

More than 30 people, mostly students, from west Mesa's Powell Junior High School protested the possible closing of their neighborhood school on Friday.

SRP to build solar power plant in E.V.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:05:09 -0700

Salt River Project said Friday it will build a 20-megawatt solar power plant in the East Valley that will give its electric customers an alternative to rooftop solar panels if they wish to use renewable power.

It's always 'Senior Night' for Hamilton football

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:04:18 -0700

It's a fall Friday night in the retirement community of Sun Lakes. Some residents are playing bingo. Others have settled in for a quiet night in their homes. About 50 of the retirees, however, have something different in mind.

Visa wins legal battle with Tucson firm

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:44:49 -0700

A new court ruling shows that merchants who accept credit card payments for orders they get online need to know exactly what the card company is promising or risk having the money taken back.

Murphy resigns as ASU baseball coach

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:44:48 -0700

Arizona State baseball coach Pat Murphy resigned during a meeting with athletic director Lisa Love on Friday.

Now LIVE: Talking Football with Scott Bordow

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:18:49 -0700

Tribune sports columnist Scott Bordow is taking football-related questions -- anything you want to know about the Sun Devils, Cardinals, fantasy football, the rest of the NFL or the college game.

Concern over law to deny benefits to illegals

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:26:39 -0700

East Valley officials and leaders say a new law related to checking legal status of residents seeking government benefits is wide open to interpretation, could become a headache and cost taxpayers if it results in frivolous lawsuits.

Chandler city manager to stay until June

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:37:13 -0700

Chandler City Manager Mark Pentz, who previously revealed plans to retire next spring, says he will stay on until June at the request of Mayor Boyd Dunn to help steer the city through a difficult budget process.

Gould, Verschoor won't support budget plan

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:07:11 -0700

Efforts to start plugging the $2 billion hole in the state budget came to a screeching halt Thursday when two Republican lawmakers refused to support the plan.

Gilbert's new hotels eye economic rebound

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:46:21 -0700

Gilbert's fourth hotel, which marked its official opening Thursday, is ushering 96 rooms into the market. That brings Gilbert's total lodgings to 466 rooms in a town that barely had 140 only six months ago.

Jobless rate rises despite more working

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:29:00 -0700

A new unemployment report provides mixed news about the state of Arizona's economy. The figures Thursday from the state Department of Commerce show the number of people with jobs rose 13,200 between September and October. Jack York, a senior economist with the agency, credited lots of seasonal hiring with the jump.

VX Live 11/20

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:24:06 -0700

Keep up on all the high school football action with us beginning at 6 p.m.

Study: Valley population flat since 2007

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:27:29 -0700

A study released this week by the Urban Land Institute says the Valley's population has remained virtually flat since the recession hit in 2007 - a first for any extended period in the metro Phoenix area in recent times.

Ex-Motorola site attracting tenants

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:45:34 -0700

The former Motorola semiconductor plant site at Broadway and Dobson roads in Mesa continues to attract tenants despite prolonged sluggishness in the local commercial real estate market.

North Pole irked at end to Santa replies

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:40:24 -0700

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.

Q.C. council votes to delay trash decision

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:36:23 -0700

Queen Creek residents won't know whether they'll have townwide curbside waste pickup until February. The council on Wednesday asked town staff to explore different options for manure pickup and the possibility of letting individual residents opt out of town trash service. The council voted 5-1 to delay the decision until those questions are answered, with Councilman Jeff Brown voting no.

FAA glitch causes widespread air travel delays

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:34:32 -0700

ATLANTA — Air travelers nationwide scrambled to revise their travel plans Thursday after an FAA computer glitch caused widespread cancellations and delays for the second time in 15 months. The impact at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Thursday morning was “minimal,” spokeswoman Claire Stern said, adding that the computer glitch has been fixed.

Senate moves to cut $300M more in spending

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:48:58 -0700

State senators voted to cut nearly $300 million in spending Wednesday in an effort to start dealing with an anticipated $2 billion deficit.

Sheriff: Soldiers had 680 pounds of pot

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:47:02 -0700

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies busted three U.S. Army soldiers with almost 700 pounds of marijuana and $10,000 in cash during a two-day sweep for human smugglers.

Arpaio conducts two-day immigration sweep

Prosecutors file first employer sanctions case

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:07:29 -0700

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed the first case under the 2-year-old employer sanctions law that punishes businesses for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.