Crazy for Cookies  The Fourth Annual Girl Scout Cookie Challenge. By Alison Bailin Batz Everyone has a special place in their hearts for Girl Scout cookies. Not only because they’re spectacularly delicious, but because the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls fulfill their dreams, follow their passions, and change the world. “Girl Scout cookies not only help our local Girl Scouts earn money for fun, educat ...

Irish Cultural Center Explore Irish history, music, art, literature, and language. By Julie Carlson   Do you enjoy researching your genealogy or celebrating St. Patrick's Day? Do you know that Arizona has a long and storied Irish history? At the last census there were over 500,000 people in Arizona with some Irish ancestry. An Irishman named Hugo O’Conor founded Tucson. Nicknamed Captain Red, he was as ...

Passion & Pedigree  The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show celebrates 62 years in the Valley. Before heading out to compete at this year’s 62nd Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February, it’s a good bet 12-year-old Quinn Eisenfeld has gone up to a week without washing her hair. “Your hair actually has to be a little dirty to get the best bun,” says Eisenfeld, a student at Cicero Preparatory Academy in ...

Flexible Dieting Stop yo-yo dieting. Instead, take the 80/20 approach for sustainable weight loss.     By Stephanie and Zachary Dorworth Yo-yo dieting and weight fluctuations are becoming far too common. Many times the seasons of New Year's resolutions, summer swimsuits, and holidays are contributors to these common fluctuations. Many people force themselves to go cold turkey on the things they en ...

OdySea Aquarium The largest aquarium in the Southwest offers a rare peek at ocean life. By Julie Carlson   After a much anticipated wait, OdySea Aquarium is now open. Holding more than two million gallons of water and fascinating marine life from around the globe, this two-story facility offers visitors an intimate and rare peek inside our planet’s oceans. Located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian ...

  Fresh Reads By Julie Carlson   RUINS OF WAR By John A. Connell Nominated for the 2016 Barry Award for Best First Mystery, Connell's story is set after World War II in American-occupied Germany in 1945. Protagonist Mason Collins is an intelligent, sharp, and charismatic detective. Having survived the war, the former Chicago cop enters the Criminal Investigation Department of the military to solve ...

Off-Center Golf pro Scott Sackett talks straight shots. With the help of Trackman, we’re going to examine how much an off-center hit affects the curvature on a golf shot. In the picture below, one of my students hit a shot that, if hit in the center of the face, should have gone relatively straight. This is because where the golf club was traveling through impact (club path) is close to 0 and where the face ...

Scottsdale You may have noticed the city’s Welcome to Scottsdale signs and wondered, “Why the name Scottsdale? Is it named after a Scott or a Dale?” U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott was the area’s first land developer. In 1888, he purchased 640 acres in what’s now downtown Scottsdale for the bargain price of $3.50 an acre. Along with his wife and his brother, the trio settled in to what was then called Ora ...

Ask Dirk  A hairy domestic situation calls for some serious relationship advice.   By M.D. Thalmann   Dear Dirk, My wife is a member of a humanitarian foster group for animals. She keeps bringing home stray animals and after barely trying at all to find a suitable home, she decides to keep the dogs and cats. Our house has become overrun with animals and their hair is everywhere––on the couch, in t ...

Makeover Success Reverse the signs of aging with treatments designed to make you look young again. By Jennifer Geoghegan   Take a look at these quick and easy treatments to get a vibrant glow and youthful visage. BOTOX Botox is a great start to almost any makeover. These simple injections relax fine lines and wrinkles to smooth the appearance of skin. In approximately 15 minutes, this purified protein ...

Beth Ames Swartz: Valley artist has a long and storied career painting powerful imagery. By Nicole Royse Renowned Paradise Valley artist Beth Ames Swartz has been creating amazing paintings for 55 years. Her artwork reflects a reverence for the natural world, while expressing her interest in the spiritual. Swartz creates her art in series, exploring systems of knowledge and translating them into visual expe ...

The City Different  Rich in art, artsy in attitude, and rich in culinary tradition, Santa Fe offers a lot to savor. By Alison Bailin Batz     Given its unique historical combination of Native American, Spanish, and Anglo cultures––and the resulting influence of each of them in the art, food, architecture, and entertainment of the region––Santa Fe is often called The City Different. And while crowd ...

The Great Escape The largest prisoner of war escape in America during World War II happened right here in the Valley. By Marshall Trimble The largest prisoner of war escape inside the United States during World War II occurred at Papago Park during the Christmas holidays of 1944. Camp Papago housed some 1,700 German naval personnel sent to the Arizona desert to get them as far away from water as possible. U ...

Lexus RX450h The RX continues as the epitome of luxury SUV, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. Since its 1999 debut, the Lexus RX has defined the car-based (crossover) luxury sport utility vehicle segment its introduction served to create. Back in ’00, the few upmarket SUVs extant were little more than tarted-up trucks—rough-riding bastions of leather-clad power seats and wood-trimmed cabins that struggled t ...

20-Minute Stairs Workout  Quickly ramp up your fitness with this quick cardio workout. By Kim Miller and Shannon Dougherty Photos by Stephanie Heymann Photography Model: Joyce Emily Laszloffy   Incorporating a staircase into your workout is an excellent way to help you improve your stamina, strength, and overall fitness level. Don’t get fixated on having to complete a one-hour workout if you have limit ...