If you earned a master’s degree and had decades of experience in your chosen field, what would you expect to earn? 

Certainly, you’d expect more than the $50,000 salary of the teacher we spoke with recently.

It should come as no surprise to learn that educators in our state are woefully underpaid, earning about $45,000 per year, which is far below the national median. But teachers aren’t all that is lacking in our school systems.

That’s why five school districts in our community have bonds or overrides on the ballot this fall. Chandler, Gilbert, Higley, Mesa and Queen Creek Unified are all depending on the outcome of November’s vote.

There are great things happe...

This year, while you’re on the way to a barbeque, kids sporting event or heading away on a holiday getaway, you’ll be sharing the road with millions of Americans traveling during the busiest season. 

As one of 3.5 million professional truck drivers on America’s roads, I’ll be joining you on the road too,  I deliver the goods you rely on.

Making holidays special is due in large part to the trucking industry. 

The trucking industry, which is supported by 7.7 million professionals, including drivers, technicians, vendors and partners, delivers to 80 percent of America’s communities.

According to the American Transportation Research Institute, more than 84 of Arizon...

He was 22 years old when he left this mortal life, on a dusty road in the township of Yusafiyah, a region of Baghdad known as the Triangle of Death.

 The date was May 22, 2005. Sgt. Kenny Schall, Phoenix-born and Peoria-raised, was riding in his Army Humvee in the thick of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Let the record show that while this was Kenny Schall’s last day alive, his story has yet to end. His parents, Terri and John, his sister Jessica and his brother Matthew, and a patriotic group of Phoenix firefighters have made sure of that. 

Thousands of partygoers from around the Valley, attend a Hawaiian-themed charitable event known as “Get Leid For Kenny.” 

This ye...

Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of basic needs to the 14,000 children in our state’s foster care system. It is truly important to give boys and girls who have been abused and neglected a sense of safety and dignity.  

The beds, cribs, clothing, diapers, backpacks filled with school supplies, and other items help to raise their self-esteem. 

We take basic needs to another level with our Birthday Dreams program.  We believe that celebrating a birthday for children in foster care is a basic need. Having met so many youngsters who – just due to their unique circumstances – have never celebrated their birthday, we understand the importance of that special day.

We recei...

As we enter the beginnings of the new school year, I often reflect on the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

 As a school social worker, I find this to be especially true. Oftentimes the question is, “Who are school social workers and what do they do?”  

School social workers make a difference in kid’s lives. When a student has an issue with being bullied or their parents are facing a divorce, we are there. When a student experiences homelessness, hunger, or violence, we are there.  

When a student is too anxious to take an exam or too depressed and can barely get out of bed, we are there. When your little one is sad because they’re having a hard time making friend...