The 2020 Mercedes Benz GLE450 is never boring By C.A. Haire The new 2020 GLE450 is being shipped to Mercedes dealers, so we grabbed one for a one-week test drive. This is an impressive SUV, but a pricey one when it’s loaded with options. The base cost starts at $61,000. But how about an air suspension package for $8,000 more, or leather trim at $3,000? In fact, we have a list of 29 options, totaling $35,000 ...

Sports memorabilia and chatter make this shop fun By Octavio Serrano Al Matatov has been getting a haircut once a week since he was 11 years old. As a child, he shoveled snow in his native New York to near money to pay for his haircuts. “I’ve always been into my own hair and the latest styles,” Matatov says. “I went to my barber at least once a week and people would always assume I was a barber.” That would ...

With Ellie Reyes, Ivory Row Bridal is more than a store By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Ellie Reyes’ life mission is to make brides beautiful. She’s not particular about size or shape. The dresses could be white, ivory, red or black; petite or plus sized. Reyes just wants brides to be happy with the dresses she designs at Ivory Row Bridal in the Shops at Norterra. Reyes purchased the store in July 2018 and se ...

Arizona Legislative District 1 representatives stay connected By Heather Maxwell, PCED Executive Director Anthem Area Chamber of Commerce The Anthem Area Chamber of Commerce will host its second annual Legislative Town Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 17. Hosted in partnership with the Anthem Community Council, the event will be held at the Anthem Civic Building, 3701 W. Anthem Way. The Town Hall we ...

Anthem Prep is looking forward to the next 10 years By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Anthem Preparatory Academy headmaster Grant Goodrich has watched his school grow since he was hired as founding faculty in 2010 to teach Latin, Greek and chess. The two are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries this school year and using the opportunity to reflect on that decade. Students will boast a new crest on their unif ...

ProMusica takes Americana to the people of Ireland By Bridgette Redman Sometimes the most memorable musical moments are the unexpected ones. ProMusica Arizona recently traveled as musical ambassadors to Ireland, performing three formal one-hour concerts in cathedrals across the Emerald Isle. While the 22 singers of the North Phoenix community chorale planned ahead to sing their repertoire of Americana music ...

Fire Station 55 set to decrease response times By Eric Newman Phoenix Fire Station 55, which broke ground in September, is expected to be functional by the beginning of August. Public information officer Mark Vanacore says the 11,000-square-foot station, located at the northeast corner of I-17 and Jomax Road, had an “extremely fluid” opening date of July 29, depending on staff and equipment availability. Th ...

North Phoenix couple preparing for artist studio tour By Sue Kern-Fleischer November may seem far away, especially when it’s brutally hot outside, but one North Phoenix couple, Kenneth and Diana Ferguson, are busy preparing for Arizona’s longest-running artist studio tour, Hidden in the Hills. A signature event of the nonprofit Sonoran Arts League, Hidden in the Hills features 198 artists in 47 studio locat ...

Detective Sean Reavie discovers ways to help abused children By Ron Sanzone Sometimes, putting on a superhero costume can make you a real-life superhero. At least that is the case with Phoenix resident Sean Reavie and other members of Put on the Cape: A Foundation for Hope. Officially dubbed Put on the Cape in January, the organization hosts fundraisers, collects donations and stages superhero-themed events ...

Teenagers need to slow down or face the consequences By Judge Gerald Williams Every week, law enforcement agents issue at least four, but usually around six, tickets to high school students in Anthem for speeding. Almost none of the allegations claim the juvenile was going only a few miles per hour over the speed limit. Nearly all claim that the high school student was traveling at a rate of approximately 2 ...