"We're going to turn Adams Street into a stage of creativity and vitality," said president and CEO of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, which is coordinating the program with the help of funding from businesses.

The idea came from who was impressed with the street performers he saw during a visit to Santa Monica, Calif. "A community isn't a community without artists and performers," Gordon said during a ceremony kicking off the program.

Because Kearney didn't know how to find street performers, he turned to a Phoenix vaudeville/circus performer who said he tapped into the "loose network of street performers" in the Valley. They will be paid a nominal fee, plus tips, to perform along Adams on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at various downtown spots on nights when there are major events.

"It was important to get paid something because there is no real culture of tipping down here yet," Strange said. "Hopefully that will pick up."

"Our service is a direct response to the feedback we've been receiving from couples who are frustrated with the lack of social networks for couples," Clark said.

Like dating sites, UnitingCouples.com matches couples based on profiles and compatibility questionnaires. And, like most dating sites, this one costs. There is a $25 initial membership fee and a monthly fee of $9.95. But to celebrate its launch, the site is offering the first six months of membership free to couples registering before Dec. 26.

. . . Your mother should know: Some kids blame their parents for everything. Fulton Homes CEO is no different. Fulton, just named one of the 50 most generous Americans by Business Week magazine, traces his charitable roots to his mother. She ran a hamburger stand in Tempe and never turned away a hungry soul.

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