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

Phoenix police said they arrested a volunteer drama teacher from Mountain Pointe High School yesterday after a former student told police he had a relationship with the teacher while a minor.

Higley Unified School District athletic director Art Wagner, 42, was found dead near Higley High School Wednesday morning, according to the Gilbert Police Department. Police say the matter is still under investigation, but believe Wagner died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Breast Cancer Society has announced a call for entries for educational scholarships to breast cancer survivors and their children. The Empower One Scholarship and Hope Scholarship programs assist those who have been affected by breast cancer with obtaining a college degree or trade certificate.

Mother-daughter team Stephanie and Carley Barton spent the Saturday before Mother’s Day together at the salon, but the duo wasn’t there just to be pampered. They’ve both been growing their hair out for years to be donated to Locks of Love.

Phoenix film makers Marcus A. Stricklin and Sandy Kim, of Future Legends Production, have been invited to the Cannes Short Film Corner for the production of their film, “The Last Dance,” working with children actors from Ahwatukee.

Gloria A. Poulin of Ahwatukee Foothills, 86, born Sept. 10, 1926, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, passed away May 2. She devoted her life, love and energy to her family and raised her children instilling virtues and values.

It’s been eight months since I had the great opportunity to join the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Since that time we have not made radical changes to the paper or wild editorial changes to the product. What I wanted to do was listen to our readers and take note of any changes that would aid this great community.

It was a small turnout with a lot of passion at the Protecting Arizona’s Resources and Children (PARC) meeting on Saturday, May 11.

Another school year is drawing to a close — so if you have young children, they’re one year closer to the day when they head off to college. And both you and your children need to prepare for that day. Your kids can do so by developing good study habits. As for you, it’s never too soon to start preparing for the high costs of higher education.

Joss Bates was dropped off at his Ahwatukee home last weekend to find 114 notes hanging around his front yard, displaying quotes, words of comfort, love and encouragement written on them from friends and family.

When I was a kid…heck, when all of us were kids, our mothers had a stack of aphorisms for any occasion. When I was 10 years old, I was convinced that all new moms were given a handbook of Snappy Sayings for All Occasions as they were packing their bag in the maternity ward, because all the moms said all the same things.

MomDoc, a staple in women’s health care in the Valley, has named Lori Linder its new chief operating officer. She will assume responsibilities in early May.

A variety show of singing, dancing, acting and comedy will be hosted at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee today, May 10.

Keystone Montessori • 1025 E. Liberty Lane

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway expansion has been released, local environmentalists are planning to use the 90-day comment period to tear it apart.

In the United States the average kid (age 8-18) spends 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen or on the phone. To counter sedentary living patterns, national physical activity guidelines for youth have been developed. The guidelines call for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for children and teens. The guidelines are based on the amount of physical activity necessary to promote good fitness, health, and wellness. Only 29 percent of high school students meet the 60-minute daily guideline and 14 percent don’t do any physical activity that causes them to breathe hard or that increases heart rate on any day during the week.

Dear Mikey,

Students ambassadors from the Everest College Phoenix Mesa campus hopped to help the Easter bunny this year by providing more than 100 Easter baskets for children at Cardon Children’s Medical Center. This marks the fourth year in a row that the Everest College Phoenix Mesa campus has helped to give the children at the medical center a surprise on Easter morning.

Darkness can be paralyzing.

Interest in the annual Festival of Lights Golf Tournament has dwindled in recent years and when the co-chairs of the event moved to Gilbert it was unclear who would take over, but Ahwatukee Kiwanis stepped up and is hoping to make the tournament more successful than ever.

If you work for an employer who offers a benefits package that includes life insurance and disability income insurance, consider yourself fortunate. But you can’t necessarily consider yourself fully protected. And if you don’t have appropriate life and disability insurance, your long-term financial goals could be at risk.

With graduation just around the corner, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton emphasized the importance of college and answered questions about city issues as he spoke to a classroom of seniors on Wednesday at Mountain Pointe High School.

Newborns in Need will be hosting its annual baby shower on Saturday, May 4 with free knitting, crochet and sewing lessons for anyone who attends.

There are so many reasons for the Legislature to approve Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid that it is hard for me to believe that any elected official would put ideology before the good of their constituents and the state of Arizona.