1. OKLAHOMA BEGINS CLEARING TWISTER DEBRIS

Northwest Fire District’s governing board approved a contract for Michael J. Brandt to become its fire chief, dropping the “interim” from his current title when the two-year contract kicks in on May 28.

One of only a couple gastropubs on the Northwest side of Tucson, The Parish, has made its mark by serving a variety of southern dishes, beers and cocktails.

(BPT) - Today, the majority of adults have a mobile phone, and we’re using it for far more things than simply making phone calls. According to a 2012 report from The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, of the 85 percent of American adults who own a cellphone, 85 percent use their cellphones to take photos.

Northwest Fire District firefighters responded to 2002 W. Gardner Lane at 0100 after 9-1-1 calls were received reporting a mobile home on fire. Deputies from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on patrol in the area arrived just before fire crews and attempted to make entry into the mobile home to check for the victim, but were driven back by the heavy smoke and fire.

Most people spend Mother’s Day bestowing flowers, gifts and heartfelt sentiments upon their moms. But for some, knowing how to honor their mother is not so easy. After all, mothers are only human, and not all of them are perfect.

(NAPSI)—Homeowners use water for many purposes, including drinking, cooking, washing, heating, humidifying, flushing (the No. 1 use of water in a home) and their pets. Those are just a few reasons homeowners should make sure they understand what’s in their water.

Gov. Jan Brewer today appointed attorneys Sean Earl Brearcliffe, Michael Joseph Butler and Brenden James Griffin to the Pima County Superior Court.

(StatePoint) If you work from home, you know how important it is to turn your home office into an efficient workspace. And these days, making improvements with that goal in mind rests on keeping up with the trends and times.

Your editorial, “What can we really do?”, disappointed me for its pessimism. While many people who are discouraged by our political process and remain silent in resignation, that reaction is short-sighted and wrong.

Technology has been connecting families for generations. The invention of the phone let us hear voices of loved ones far away, and the creation of the Internet helped us to see them. Today, those same technologies that we’ve used to bring our families closer together are helping us to connect with and support families who are worlds apart. In doing so, the very concept and experience of “gifting” and philanthropy is being transformed.

(BPT) - While organ transplantation is a remarkable story in the history of medicine, the need for organs is vastly greater than the number available for transplantation.

It’s hard to imagine, but there really was a time when classical music was the popular music of the day. Haydn, Beethoven and the boys were the “rock stars” of their time. If music fans wanted to hear the latest and greatest music, they ventured to the nearest church to drink in the sounds of these classical greats.

(NewsUSA) - Despite the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and concussions among athletes and service members, the road to diagnosis and prevention is an unpaved one riddled with obstacles.

After forming an exploratory committee to consider running for governor, Sen. Al Melvin, R-District 11, is confident that his bold ideas could lead him to the state’s top position in 2014.

(BPT) - The economy is starting to turn around, but competition for open jobs remains fierce. For job hunters, the mental and financial stresses mount every day they remain unemployed. To keep job-search momentum high and attitudes positive, it’s important to follow a few simple steps from the experts.

(BPT) - Warm weather heralds home improvement season. It’s also the season of high electric bills as air conditioners hum to life in response to rising temperatures across the country. When you’re making summer upgrades to your home, improvements that make your house more livable and attractive are even more rewarding when they also help put money back in your pocket.

(BPT) - What if you could program the future of your child’s health as simply as you program your alarm clock? Push a button, choose a selected wake-up time, click and you’re done. It’s not quite that simple, but studies show that what a woman eats just before and during pregnancy will impact the health of her child for the rest of his or her life. It’s an area of research called fetal programming.

(BPT) - Do you have a child in your life who will be graduating this spring?

(NAPSI)Cancer is one of the most widespread diseases and the leading cause of death worldwide. Nearly one in 24 Americans are living with some form of cancer, so chances are you know someone with the disease.

For the past couple years Oro Valley Eye Care has steadily grown under the ownership and care of Dr. Robert Mitchell.

It is estimated that at some point in their lifetime, one in ten U.S. children between the ages of 4 and 17 will be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), making it the most common childhood neurobehavioral disorder.[1] Although there is no cure for ADHD, the disorder can be successfully managed through a comprehensive treatment approach including, but not limited to, behavioral therapy, medication, and parent and child education.[2]

My thirteen-year-old daughter is playing baseball on an organized, uniforms-make-it-official, team this year. It’s a first for her. She’s taking part in Challenger Baseball, a local league for children and young adults with physical and/or mental challenges. She knows the schedule by heart and—on game days—starts itching to get suited up right after breakfast. That in spite of the fact that her games don’t typically begin until 7:30 pm. Saying she enjoys playing is a bit of an understatement.

The Pima County Health Department is currently contacting 174 dental patients who were seen at the T Dental Clinic at 3662 W. Ina Road in Marana between January and July of 2010 because they may have been exposed to blood borne diseases like Hepatitis or HIV. This is a precautionary measure and at this time no cases of transmission of disease have been identified.