The Thomas J. Pappas schools in Phoenix and Tempe had one mission: educate homeless students. That mission collapsed, however, under the weight of large budget deficits. The schools, run by Maricopa County Regional School District, were closed in 2008.

Tasha Sarmiento looked out the window of the Vista Colina family shelter as she waited for a school bus to bring her three children home.

In 1880, two brothers discovered that an electrical current could be produced by applying pressure to some crystals. Maybe Pierre and Jacques Curie thought their discovery would lead to the light switch. But a modern-day speed trap was probably far from their minds.

Chad Kirkpatrick’s office, located on the top floor of the Arizona Department of Administration’s building, has a near-perfect view of the Copper Dome.

He also has a clear view of his goal: to make government more cost- effective, efficient and more responsive to its citizens by using technology to streamline basic operations.

A startup Tempe motor company is hoping to turn their lime-green, “spunky little ride” into the 21st century version of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Since August 2008, Elio Motors has been working on a cockpit-shaped, three-wheeled vehicle that seats two people and is the size of a small compact car.

The first-person shooter animation recreated a showdown at a Sioux Falls, S.D., parking lot. But this was no video game. It was what Hells Angels’ Chad Wilson saw when he confronted at least a half-dozen members of a rival motorcycle gang in 2006 and shot five of them with a .40-caliber handgun.

The lawyer discipline program of the State Bar of Arizona often proves the last resort for people who believe that they have been wronged either by the actions of their own attorneys or by opposing counsel.

Every year the State Bar receives more than 4,000 complaints against its member attorneys, with the majority of the allegations dismissed without referral for further investigation after review by Bar counsel.

Michael Kurtenbach recalls Janet Napolitano’s election over Matt Salmon for governor in 2002. He remembers seeing her inauguration speech on TV when he was 13 and seeing her leave for Washington D.C. earlier this year.

However, one thing the 18-year-old political science major at Arizona State University doesn’t remember, is a man serving as Arizona’s governor.