Cancer is the worst. But it brings out our best.

Cancer has a way of making everything else feel trivial. And it insinuates itself into your life more and more as you get older.  I’ve learned this the hard way. My wife has battled cancer (twice). Two of my close friends are battling cancer right now, and are in my thoughts as this issue comes […]

New Suns Core Is Winning — Off the Court

The Phoenix Suns are on a seven-year run of not making the playoffs, something almost unthinkable back in the days of Charles Barkley and Steve Nash. It’s been rough during that time. The team’s popularity, which was once universal, has taken a hit. The result is the Suns are doing what most teams in their […]

The restaurant boom is real. And probably not sustainable. But still good.

I’ve lived in the Valley since 1994, so I’ve seen it grow quite a bit. I remember really feeling like the city was hitting its stride in the late 1990s. Long-planned freeways were getting done, we had new sports teams, great new development projects were popping up. Things were getting … better. Our quality of […]

When the arts thrive, our community thrives

And right now, they’re doing pretty darn well It’s a Friday night in May, and The Missus and I are out by the Peoria Sports Complex — not for a baseball game, mind you, but to catch a Tony Award-winning musical. We’re at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and if you haven’t heard of it, you should […]

Next Doors: High school isn’t what high school used to be

In many ways, it’s a lot better. By Tom Evans This month, thousands of young people across the state of Arizona will achieve a major life milestone by graduating from high school. But they may not get the same kind of education you or I received. The high school delivery model has changed a great […]

Giving Back: Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation

The Organization: Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation The Cause: From the Foundation’s web site, “The mission of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation is to support three main areas of need: homelessness, indigent healthcare and children’s programs of all types, including education and youth baseball field development. In addition, the Foundation has created strategic programs that address the needs […]

Next Doors: The Future of Barrow

Barrow Neurological Institute is beginning a new era. Here’s what the future holds. Hopefully, you’ve never had to experience Barrow Neurological Institute. But if you have, you realize one thing very quickly — we’re very lucky to have it in our community. The missus and I are in the latter category, so we follow Barrow […]

Next Doors: Ahead of the Curve

Arizona’s future is unfolding in ways you may not hear about. We’re going to change that. By Tom Evans So a few of us, including our esteemed editor Mike Saucier and I, went to the grand opening of 1951@SkySong back in October. We were still in the kicking-the-tires phase with Frontdoors Media at the time […]

Tax credit contributions fuel non-profits and schools, help donors’ bottom line

They almost sound too good to be true. But Arizona’s charity and education tax credits are very real, and completely legitimate. And they’re more than just a great way to save money on state and federal tax returns — they’ve become one of the most important fundraising tools available for hundreds of non-profits and schools […]

Breaking News: Andrea and Tom Evans Purchase Frontdoors News

Two Valley entrepreneurs have added to their portfolio by purchasing a prominent local online publication with an eye toward expanding its footprint. Andrea and Tom Evans, owners of Evans Communications, a Phoenix-based public relations, marketing and event planning firm, have reached an agreement with Julia C. Patrick of Patrick Media Group to assume control of […]