Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 53

INSIDE I Aging is inevitable but often an improvement. Tha Guide, E3 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 8, 2006 THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC LIVING.AZCENTRAL.COM SECTION p. i i -k v. '(h Immediate response urged at sign of a stroke By Connie Midey The Arizona Republic When U.S. Sen.

Tim Johnson experienced strokelike symptoms this month, he was taken to the hospital quickly, a response that health experts urge for anyone who may be THURSDAY MAKE THE MOST OF IT ORDER IT Big-game parking You may have snagged tickets for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl or the BCS National Championship Game, but your work is not over. Glendale transportation folks are reminding people to get parking passes. Call the Fiesta Bowl at (480) 350-0911, go online to www.fiesta bowl.org or visit the ticket office at7135E.Camelback Road, Suite 190, in Scottsdale from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

DONATE IT That warm feeling Continue the spirit of the season with a blanket donation to the Salvation Army for distribution to the homeless or to use in its shelters. For more information, go to www.salvationarmycares.org or call (602)267-4289. BOOK IT Express train to joy If you want to book a ride for you and your child on the Polar Express next December, do it now. All Saturdays in December 2007 are already booked, according to Grand Canyon Railway, which operates the popular, complete-with-hot-chocolate-and-cookies train ride that re-creates the popular children's classic tale, Polar Express. Next year's train rides begin Nov.

8 and continue with select evenings into January 2008. For reservations, call 1-800-843-8724 or go online at www.thetrain.com for more DAVID KADLUB0W5KITHE ARIZONA REPUBLIC The commute is ending for TV personality Jineane Ford. She's leaving the world of daily broadcasting to concentrate on family, including sons Austin (left) 10, and Cody, 12, and husband Kerry Ross, and her other businesses. 1 1 longtime stint ri rnm suffering a stroke. Prompt medical attention can save the brain and improve chances of recovering from a stroke, the third-leading cause of death Sen.

Tim Johnson in the United States, says Sharon Siewert, a registered nurse and director of neuro-sciences for John C. Lincoln Hospitals in Phoenix. When a stroke deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients, "individual cells start to die in three to four seconds," she says. Johnson suffered bleeding in his brain as the result of an arteriovenous malformation, a congenital circulatory condition that causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large, become entangled and weaken. In one type of stroke, an AVM-weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain, hindering normal blood flow, the American Stroke Association says.

Siewert says the emergency involving the South Dakota senator was a reminder of the importance of recognizing the signs of a stroke and taking immediate action. According to the stroke association, the signs, which come on suddenly, may include numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion and trouble speaking or understanding; difficulty seeing in one or both eyes; problems walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and a severe headache with no known cause. "Believe it or not," Siewert says, "half of the people who experience the symptoms of a TIA don't report it." See STROKE Page E2 Stroke symptoms Think "fast" to determine whether someone may be suffering a stroke, says Sharon Siewert of John C. Lincoln Hospitals in Phoenix. 1 Face: Does it droop on one side? Can the person smile and show all teeth? A Arms: Are they equally strong? Can the person hold up both arms? Speech: Is it slurred or garbled? Can the person speak normal sentences? 'I Time: Don't waste it.

If the patient has problems with any of the above, call 911 immediately. Marissa Leigh: The Scottsdale teenager who drew envy and ire because of her $50,000 MTV-televised birthday party this past spring is working on an album. She has recorded three on Valley TV 0 THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Jineane Ford in anchor mode in '01 with (from left) Brahm Resnick, Kevin Kelly and Dave Kingmen. Beauty queen Jineane Ford didn't start out to be a pageant contestant or a TV reporter. THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC "4 i 4 By Randy Cordova The Arizona Republic Jineane Ford has spent more than two decades in front of the cameras as a TV personality.

She seems completely at home on the air, with a relaxed, friendly manner. At 47, she has decided to leave television after the Tuesday edition of Arizona Midday on Channel 12 (KPNX). If you think there is some angst involved in the move, you're wrong. "Are you kidding?" she says, smiling. "I am so looking forward to this." The reason for the change is a simple one.

For more than two years, she has been married to Kerry Ross, a fire captain in Pinetop-Lakeside in the White Mountains. They have six children between them. She also has two businesses in the area. The commute from Mesa and the pressure of maintaining two households was getting to her. "It's the strangest thing," she says.

"I'll be shopping at the grocery store. I know I have a gallon of milk at home, but I don't know which home. And if I don't buy milk, it never fails that it's in the other house." Ford's decision doesn't surprise those who know her. John Misner, KPNX president and general manager, knew the move was coming. "She has always made it clear that she wants to be with her sean Valley welcomes As the year draws to a close, The Arizona Republic looks back at people we've featured and catches you up on their lives.

Who: After leaving the Valley for New York City and his new MSNBC buddies at Rockefeller Center, Sean (pronounced Seen) McLaughlin is back. But this time, he's chief meteorologist and Sunday news co-anchor at Channel 5 (KPHO), the CBS affiliate. In the news: A popular Valley weatherman, McLaughlin wound up taking his weather prognostications to the Today show and MSNBC in 2004. But McLaughlin eventually parted ways with MSNBC, citing a different direction that organization was taking and his desire for more time with his family. On Sept.

5, he returned to Phoenix, a I ending Goals him nights boys and Kerry," Misner says. "We're delighted she's going to join her family in the White Mountains, but we want to have her back at Channel 12." He says the station is leaving the door open for her to tape occasional segments for Arizona Midday, the show she has anchored for two years. And she says she is not leaving the airwaves permanently. "I don't want to just vanish," she says. "Maybe I'll represent a company or do commercial work or a pretaped show.

Maybe I'll be selling a truck on the air. Who knows?" Beauty queen For viewers with a long history in the Valley, the thought of a TV world without Ford is a bit startling. She first came to the attention of the state in 1978, when she was named Fiesta Bowl queen. See JINEANE Page E2 Mclaughlin familiar face joining former fellow Channel 12 (KPNX) newscasters Kent Dana and Catherine Anaya at Channel 5. What's up now: McLaughlin has settled into not only reporting the weather but also co-anchoring the Sunday news programs, something Steve Ham-mel, Channel 5 vice TOM TINGLETHE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Get ready for next year's Polar Express now.

"DINE OUT Better than home It's time for comfort food. Cozy up to the outdoor fireplace at Corbin's Bar Grill or walk inside where, if they don't know your name, they'll treat you as if they do. Try a mucho macho hamburger ($9) or the grilled portabella with cheese, artichokes, red pepper, tomato and onion The buttermilk-battered onion rings are on the must-have list, too. Details: Corbin's Bar Grill, 8729 N. Central Phoenix, (602) 466-3201.

Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays-Thursdays; open till 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 p.m. Sundays. Compiled by Susan Felt Sandler Claus Adam Sandler brings holiday cheer to i brother and sister with cancer.

The Scene, E6 For an extensive guide to Fiesta Bowl and New Year's Eve events around town, go to events.azcentral.com. INDEX Abby E6 Birthdays E6 Bridge E6 Comics E4, 5 Crosswords Horoscope E6 Television ES REACH US: Arizona Living editor, Marian Frank, 602.444.NEWSormarian. frankarizonarepublic.com AND WHAT Sam Moore: Scotts-dale's soul-music legend, who was half of the duo Sam Dave in the 1960s, has been smiling in 2006. First, he got Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, i 1 Vi I if Sting and Jon BonJovi to lend their talents to his album Sam Moore: Overnight Sensational. Released in August, the disc was produced by Randy Jackson, known to millions as one of the judges on American Idol.

Then on Dec. 7, Moore, 71, was nominated for a Grammy for his version of You Are So Beautiful. 'Wow! To come back and be nominated for something like this I must've done something right," Moore said. Larry Rodgers songs and is working with a Los Angeles producer, said Leigh's father, Marc Dubowy. To see a video of one of the songs, go to refinerynyc.com marissa.

The junior at Desert Mountain High School is focused on her future and her quest to become famous. Watch for her in a small part in a CW network show, Hidden Palms, about a rebellious teen who moves to Palm Springs. The show is a mid-season replacement in 2007. Sonja Haller president and general manager, says McLaughlin wants to expand. for the new year: Expect to see behind the anchor desk on more in 2007, Hammel says.

Susan Felt.