Editor’s note: This is part one of a continuing summer series on the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway.

There's a siege mentality about Michael Bay's movies, as though viewers are the enemy holed up in a bunker and he's the guy ordering heavy-metal music around-the-clock to wear down our morale and force us to surrender.

Jim Heath doesn't worry that his style of music will go out of style.

While most 10-year-old girls would be anticipating new dolls and toys for their birthdays, Kyrene de la Esperanza Elementary School student Natalie Stevens collected donations instead.

By now it's clear that nothing and no one can kill Bruce Willis, whose fifth film in the "Die Hard" franchise, the horribly titled "A Good Day to Die Hard," opened last week.

The Phoenix City Council has given approval for the Phoenix Public Transit Department to buy buses that use compressed natural gas: a big change for Phoenix, which now has the country’s largest liquefied natural gas bus fleet. The new 120 Valley Metro buses will use CNG, which will save the city a net $4 million.

I must disagree with Mr. Robert O’Meara, “A shadow in the hallway near the Lincoln Bedroom,” AFN, Jan. 30, when he says that Bill Clinton has no other interests in life outside politics. His interests range far and wide.

I was struck by something while watching the recent swearing in ceremony in Washington. I caught a glimpse of Bill Clinton (just Bill, no Hillary in sight — although I am sure she was with him somewhere) sitting two or three rows back from where the action was happening.

It’s that time of year to hand out some honors for the year’s best. So it is without further ado that I bring you the Third Annual Hammer Awards.

Just turned 50, Tom Cruise is eligible for membership in the American Association of Retired Persons. Just split from third wife Katie Holmes, Cruise is the object of told-you-so cynics who simply knew that romance wouldn’t last. Just finished with his stab at something really different as a heavy-metal rock god in “Rock of Ages,” Cruise is coming off one of the lowest-grossing movies in his career.

Danny Zelisko presents Brian Setzer’s Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza, with special guest Totsy, at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Celebrity Theatre. 

Mountain Park Community Church in Ahwatukee Foothills is hosting its annual “Surviving the Holidays” event Thursday night for those dealing with loss and grief.

The beginning of the wrestling season is so much different than the end.

“That movie would have been infinitely better if it had been shown in 3-D.” I cannot speak for the rest of the movie going population, but this is one sentence I will never utter walking out of a cineplex. That is not to say 3-D technology is completely expendable. With the right movie, 3-D can be effectively exploited and have an enriching impact on a cinematic experience. In a majority of cases though, 3-D merely acts as a shameful method for the studio to increase the ticket price. Some people buy into the assumption that 3-D makes a movie appear more realistic and integrates the audience into the action. When not properly executed, however, 3-D can have dark, dreary and distracting consequences on a film originally shot in 2-D. In that sense, 3-D not only robs the audience of an extra $3, but also takes them out of the motion picture.

The sexual harassment allegations against the Phoenix Fire Department are appalling. No woman should have to go through the harassment inflicted on this Phoenix Fire Department employee, who recently sued the city over years of such treatment.

ASU Polytechnic officially opened Citrus Dining Pavilion and Century Residential Hall on Sept. 18, the first new dorm on the east Mesa campus.

On an average afternoon, school kids freshly released for the day can still be seen in multi-purpose rooms, computer labs, music rooms, and playgrounds.

Lori Vander-Maten knew one day that she would be involved in a stage version of the MGM classic film “The Wizard of Oz.” “I’ve had a love affair with ‘The Wizard of Oz’ since I was a kid and we would watch it on television when it was on once a year,” said Vander-Maten.

I’m truly excited about the Aug. 28 Democratic primary for Congress because we have an opportunity to elect someone who can make a real difference for Ahwatukee families: my friend, Andrei Cherny.

I’m truly excited about the Aug. 28 Democratic primary for Congress because we have an opportunity to elect someone who can make a real difference for Ahwatukee families: my friend, Andrei Cherny.

When the lazy days of summer give way to hectic fall schedules, there is nothing like dashing in from the cold and being enveloped by a home filled with delicious smells.

Realty brokers John and Pam Eagan have moved their local office to a new Ahwatukee location, mentioning the real estate market is on the upside.

Finally some good news about cholesterol and kids: A big government study shows that in the past decade, the proportion of children who have high cholesterol has fallen.

It can be hard to imagine Brent Miller as a little guy considering he was 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds during his playing days.