Missing a few neighbors and friends? We might all be in San Diego. San Diego locals call us “Zonies,” poking gentle fun at us. Californians claim that every other person in their state is a vacationing Arizonan from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The young family made quite a drive for this special summer vacation.
Delayed a year by a global pandemic, the XXXII Olympiad has commenced in Tokyo. As a child, I would’ve been thrilled, anxious, mesmerized.
There have been many phases in our country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — denial, incompetence, surging effectiveness — but this latest development I did not see coming.
Did you enjoy this past Memorial Day weekend? It signified the remembrance of those men and women who served in the military and did not return home so that we could have the remarkable freedoms that we enjoy. Flags flying, parades, memorials, picnics, family gatherings, three-day weekends, …
“Love means you never have to say you’re sorry,” or so Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal told us in the 1970 motion picture “Love Story.” But over a half-century later, the love of money has Hollywood falling all over itself to apologize to communist China.
One of the things I miss most about America was how people used to believe certain topics shouldn’t be discussed in public.
You may find the description below distasteful, disturbing and overwrought. But after reading this column, you may very well agree with the assessment.
The edict from the Centers for Disease Control came down May 13, catching most of us by surprise. The new guidance: Anyone fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should feel free to do whatever we want indoors or outdoors without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.
You’ve heard the old joke about the minister who uses the invocation he delivers at a political banquet as both a warning and a teaching moment: “Oh Lord, make our words sweet, for one day we may have to eat them!”
Early in my newspaper career, I worked at a New Jersey tabloid where the publisher was a man of few words, most of them insulting and frequently shouted at top volume. He was easy to make angry, and I did so one afternoon upon returning from the scene of a row house fire in Trenton.
As our country begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, our government needs to take big steps to help our Arizonan families stand back up stronger than ever while also ensuring our economy doesn’t falter and leave families out in the cold.
Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly have boldly gone where few Arizonans from their party have gone before.
Every so often on Facebook or Instagram, I see that one of my friends has gone hunting, successfully killing this or that forest creature. There are smiles all around as the hunter strikes a pose beside a mule deer, turkey or javelina. All involved — except the animal — seem inordinately pro…
Last year we had no toilet paper or hand sanitizer. This year we have no houses. Oh, and let’s not forget we are running out of chicken wings, lumber, microchips, and chlorine for pools. This summer, “experts” are predicting we might have shortages of gasoline and bacon. It’s almost too much…
For the past 14 months, my logic about the COVID-19 pandemic has been a lot like my rationale for turning down any and all offers to go skydiving.
The last of the guilty pronouncements in the case of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin still hung in the air when your thoughts turned to the other 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers on the job in this divided nation of ours.
The Biden administration is not only working to erase our southern border; it is also intent on erasing any term that accurately depicts the dire situation we now face.
Little more than a month after he called Dec. 7, 1941, a “Day of Infamy” and led America into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt paused from his duties as commander-in-chief to assume the mantle of “First Fan.”
Quick to hold a grudge yet molasses slow to forgive an enemy. That will be my epitaph. It also explains why I’m having a difficult time with the Phoenix Suns these days.
A general durable power of attorney is arguably the most powerful legal document you can sign. It can allow someone to sell your house or to buy one in your name. The same is true with vehicles. If someone appoints you as their agent through a power of attorney, you can open credit cards and…
Between courtship and marriage, their love affair lasted 60 years. It spanned perfect health and terminal sickness, for richer and poorer, full measures of joy and sadness.
Love is in the air! And so are the doves, finches and hummingbirds. Spring brings the promise of hope, new life, fresh beginnings, green leaves and babies. Lots of them. Baby finches — in all their bright yellow glory — hang on the finch seed socks that I have hanging and chirp constantly, t…
The death penalty brings out the worst parts of people and our society. If I were to ask any person I meet on the street if killing is wrong, I’d expect nearly everyone to say “yes.” But if I ask someone whether they support the death penalty, about half the time the answer is “yes.”
According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, allegations of adult abuse are increasing. In fiscal year 2020, there were 5,593 reports of abuse, 5,616 reports of neglect and 6,343 reports of exploitation. As horrible as these numbers are, many more cases are likely unreported. So…
The end of my father’s life is fast approaching, and if I am being completely honest, his last breath will be a blessing.
Did you watch the Royal Rumble? It was quite the show. I didn’t want to see the spectacle myself, but the drama has made headlines everywhere until it is impossible to avoid this sad, steaming mess.
If you believe in the criminal justice system, file this under good news: The Arizona Department of Corrections recently issued a press release reporting it’s once again ready to execute some of the 115 murderers housed on death row.
Have you taken a good photo lately? It seems like humans love to snap photos of their pets. This must be true by all the adorable dog and cat pictures posted on social media. As my husband points out, we have had very few photos taken of the two of us together in the past few years. But our …
A week of mild Arizona weather and the start of Cactus League baseball can only mean one thing: Again it’s that time when hope springs eternal for Valley sports fans.
Our health care system may not be perfect, but over the years we have made great strides to provide more Americans with the coverage they need and connect them to the quality care and services they deserve. Passage of the Affordable Care Act has been critical to this evolution of health care…
While thousands of Arizona seniors wait for vaccines, the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress are refusing to prioritize Americans over illegal immigrants for vaccinations. As requests from Gov. Doug Ducey and other Arizona leaders asking for more vaccines for Arizona fall on deaf…
In 1995, in a column for this newspaper, I made a serious error in judgment.
Every few months, a stranger approaches me on the golf course to discuss something I’ve written. This makes me anxious, because (a) these folks typically disagree with the column in question and (b) I’m usually about to miss a 5-foot putt I need to make par.
It was a Monday night in April and my parents let me stay up past bedtime to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was Tuesday afternoon and work got too heavy. A break was called for, mindless diversion. My thoughts turned to an old favorite: a matinee movie. Ninety minutes of popcorn, soda and cinema. This sounded like exactly the ticket.
He wrestled with kidney cancer for a decade, fought like a demon, but finally Dave Rehnke took his last breath on Jan. 11.
After a few hours, you had to switch off the television and stop scrolling the videos on social media.
Sometimes he has a good day, his mind clicking like it used to, and our phone conversations take us back in time.
As we stare 2021 in the face, here’s hoping that our elected leaders take a stand against one of the most serious public health threats currently facing the state of Arizona.
As we head into possibly the most isolating holiday season yet, there are more children who are in desperate need of mentorship. We are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Schools have been out for months. Families are having to make tough decisions at the dinner table, and we are al…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a variety of moratoriums on residential evictions. But unless something changes, after Dec. 31, ordinary landlord-tenant law will begin again. In short, tenants who have not paid their rent will once again face being evicted.
As the Arizona State Treasurer and chairwoman of the state’s first-ever Financial Literacy Task Force, increasing financial awareness is one of my top priorities. By making wise personal finance decisions, Arizonans not only strengthen themselves but also their families, communities and the …
After a year of fighting over masks, we have something new to look forward to likely beginning next month: arguing over whether or not refusing to get a vaccine against COVID-19 constitutes a public health menace.
