The town of Gilbert is a nice place to live, but it’s no place to go when you die — it’s the only southeast Valley community without a cemetery. Residents have recently begun e-mailing Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, requesting that a cemetery be built. Lewis said constructing a graveyard may…

Taryn Thomas isn’t shy about anything, which makes for an unnerving lunch. On a breezy Friday afternoon on the patio at Zipps Sports Grill in Scottsdale, she’s chain-smoking between coughs and eating fried chicken strips with her fingers. She’s talking loudly and enthusiastically about her sexual experiences, using lots of…

Governor Jan Brewer has dropped plans for a special November 3 election on a temporary sales-tax increase. The earliest possible reschedule date for an election is December 8. The Senate is still trying to get enough votes to send a budget package to Brewer…University of Phoenix has opened a 21,500…

Dunlap Avenue reopened this morning, after being closed for 12 hours following a serious accident involving a Phoenix fire truck. The truck was near I-17 and Dunlap, en route to a fire, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, when a car heading north on the frontage road plowed into it…

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell 2-9 to the Washington Nationals yesterday. The game marked the Nationals’ eighth consecutive victory and a three-game sweep against the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks open a three-game series at home against the New York Mets tonight…Arizona’s bald eagle population grew by record numbers this year, partly because…

The federal government has awarded a $54 million grant to Arizona for the expansion and creation of charter schools. The state plans to open up to 92 new campuses…The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints plans to build two temples in the Valley, one in Phoenix and one in…

Anybody willing to walk 97 miles through metro Phoenix in August has either a loose screw or a damn good reason.The walkers are members of Right to Marry: Arizona, an organization that seeks equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians. The plan is to walk about 15 miles a day for seven…

A north Phoenix church has reached an agreement with city officials that will allow the church to continue serving meals to the homeless, after neighbors in the area complained about homeless people littering. The city’s researching whether or not the church is violating a zone ordinance…Many Valley high schools are…

Border Patrol agents seized nearly 1200 pounds of marijuana from a truck near Yuma. Agents say they spotted the vehicle using night vision equipment, and used deflation devices to cripple the truck’s tires. The driver and passenger fled on foot, leaving behind their haul, which has an estimated street value…

Arizona’s three state universities will receive a boost next week, as the federal government begins dishing out $154 million in stimulus funds. The universities permanently reduced their budgets by 20 percent this year, but university officials say the funds will still help save hundreds of jobs…A bankruptcy judge has moved…

The hundreds of millions of dollars the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa fronted for the federal portion of the Light Rail Transit Project will soon be almost completely repaid, thanks to a $90 million reimbursement from the federal government. The $587.2 million bill paid by Valley taxpayers went toward…

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will celebrate the 16th anniversary of Tent City today. The planned fete includes a hot dog barbecue and an ice cream social for inmates. Arpaio says the 1,000 hot dogs and the ice cream were donated…Police arrested 48 people at a house party near 32nd…

The Arizona state government budget is once again up in the air, as legislators failed to approve a spending plan for 2010 over a late-night session last night. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene today at 1 p.m., but another vote isn’t expected to be taken…The city of Gilbert’s request…

The number of illegal immigrants in Arizona has dropped by a third in the past two years, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies. Arizona had the largest decline of any state, thanks in part to a tough job market and stricter immigration laws and policies…Dozens of…

Arizona legislators are considering selling the House and Senate buildings to offset financial woes. According to the plan, officials hope to sell the buildings and then lease them back over several years. Such a sale could quickly inject about $735 million into the state’s economy…Arizona’s schools have received high marks…

Agua Fria Union High School District superintendent Dudley Butts has resigned, just days after the district hired a public relations firm to handle media inquiries, and more than five months after a mercury spill at Agua Fria High that closed the school for three days…Chandler City Manager Mark Pentz’s proposal…

Police are investigating a home invasion in Peoria early this morning, in which as many as nine people were taken hostage. Police received a call about a burglary in progress just before 3 a.m., and arrived as four suspects were leaving in a truck. One suspect escaped on foot…Three employees of…

52 people will become new U.S. citizens today in a naturalization ceremony in Phoenix. The soon-to-be citizens range in age from 20 to 75, and come from countries including Lebanon, the Philipines, and Mexico. As part of the ceremony, which takes place this afternoon at Burton Barr Central Library, Valley…