East Valley Tribune

Tempe police responded to 911 reports of a “suspicious package” at a grocery store and quickly evacuated the area as a precaution, according to authorities. Full Story »

Mesa police say two junior high school students who had been missing since Wednesday have been found and have been returned to their parents. Full Story »

Higley Unified School District Superintendent Denise Birdwell will begin negotiations with the district attorney on a new contract after the governing board voted unanimously Thursday to keep her in the district. Full Story »

Festival of Trees, a 3-year-old Christmas tree auction in Gilbert benefitting Banner Gateway Medical Center, is hoping to get more folks in the holiday spirit after a 20 percent drop in sales last year. Full Story »

A former Higley Unified School District information technology employee is disputing accusations by the superintendent that led to him losing his job with the district in October and being investigated by police. Full Story »

A Town Council vote on a new neighborhood and employment area in northeast Queen Creek was delayed until April to give a developer and Queen Creek time to figure out how the development, a major street realignment and a planned park will fit together. Full Story »

A new federal program is aimed at making the short-sale a more viable option for distressed homeowners hoping to avoid foreclosure. Full Story »

PMT Ambulance is taking a swing at East Valley elected leaders in the form of a survey that claims the public is miffed over how officials handled an ambulance service contract. Full Story »

Chandler's comprehensive citywide transportation plan, meant to keep local roads from grinding into gridlock over the next two decades, was set for a public airing Thursday evening. Full Story »

It's been more than 30 years since a leaky left breast prompted then 43-year-old Sarah Ralls to visit the doctor for a mammogram, only to find out cancerous calcium deposits in the right breast were the real problem. It's also why the 74-year-old Gilbert resident is appalled at revised recommendations by a federal task force against routine breast cancer screening of women 40 to 49 years old and ... Full Story »

Police are asking for the public's help in locating two junior high school girls who have been missing since Wednesday. Full Story »

If music is an international language, then students from Mesa's Dobson High School will do well communicating with others during their visit to China next summer. Full Story »

The Valley could very likely see rain and 25 mph wind gusts early next week as a system from Alaska rolls through the area, weather forecasters say. Full Story »

Imagine the Beastie Boys singing about messy rooms, sibling rivalry and bedtime, and you have something close to popular kid-pop quartet The Imagination Movers. The band in blue jumpsuits, made up of four real-life dads, will perform 7 p.m. Friday at Mesa Arts Center. Full Story »

Chandler police arrested a 22-year-old gang member Tuesday and are trying to tie him to a 2006 murder of a 19-year-old mother. Full Story »

Three people, including a light-rail driver, were taken to area hospitals Wednesday after a collision involving a westbound light-rail train and a white passenger van at 18th and Washington streets in Phoenix. Full Story »

The Arizona Supreme Court refused late Wednesday to block enactment of a new state law that requires public employees to report illegal immigrants. Full Story »

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Vernon Parker took the first steps Wednesday to start collecting cash to battle a proposal by Gov. Jan Brewer for a temporary tax hike. Full Story »

Starting out with baby steps, organizers of a Mesa shoe drive for orphans hope that an avalanche of support will garner new shoes for needy soles. Full Story »

A bomb threat and a high number of absent Maricopa County sheriff's deputies and detention officers brought justice to a halt Wednesday in Superior Court in downtown Phoenix. Full Story »

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The creditors committee in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Freedom Communications will be allowed to seek an alternative to the company's reorganization plan, a Delaware judge has ruled. Full Story »

A Gilbert committee made up of residents recommended Tuesday the town delay nearly $4 million in construction projects, put school-based police officers back on the street and move the election cycle to even-numbered years, ideas designed to cut costs in lean budget times. Full Story »

Arizona will continue to lose jobs well into next year and may not get back to 2007 levels of employment until 2013 or beyond, Lee McPheters predicted Wednesday. Loss of COBRA subsidies pinches jobless Full Story »

Two girls were flown to the hospital Wednesday after they were struck by a car in Queen Creek near Grapefruit Street and San Tan Boulevard. Full Story »

A 30-year-old Chandler man was sentenced to five months in jail and lifetime probation for a jury conviction on a charge of child abuse. Spate of child abuse in Chandler spurs action Full Story »