Seven Ahwatukee eighth-graders received $100 Barnes and Noble gift certificates for outstanding community service. The Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club makes these awards each year. This year’s recipients are: from Centennial, Shauntel Thomas and Gabriel Barragan; from Akimel A-al, Alyia Poplawski and Erisa Freund; and Altadeña, Kristin de Jesus, Colt Sample and Thomas Luke Heywood.

Nancy Zguda, 92, of Phoenix passed away on May 29. She was born on Feb. 19, 1921 in the Bronx, N.Y., to Amelia and Joseph Conforti.

Old Navy in the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center will be closing at the end of this month to relocate to the new Phoenix Premium Outlets on the Gila River Indian Community.

With the Affordable Care Act (ACA) set to begin open enrollment in October, many businesses are rushing to prepare for the changes it will bring. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Hot Topics and Lunch event about the ACA this Thursday, June 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport, 427 N. 44th St.

The eighth annual Warrior Baseball Camp, hosted by the Mountain Pointe baseball program, will be from 7 to 11 a.m. July 26-27 at the school’s baseball field, 4201 E. Knox Road.

Three Ahwatukee Foothills track athletes saw individual age group wins and swept the top three spots in the 1,500-meter run at the 2013 USATF Masters State Championship at Mesa Community College recently.

Dear Mikey: I just turned 25 years old and I got myself in a situation where I had to file bankruptcy a week before my birthday. This is not at all where I expected myself to be when I turned 25. I thought I would have my career launched already (just got laid off), have my bachelor’s degree by now (still have 21 more credits to go), be married by now (girlfriend and I just broke up a month ago), having kids (not even close), and a house (can barely afford the rent in my apartment).

Edward Jones Financial Advisor Richard A. Davenport has been selected for the 2013 Phoenix Award in the Retirement Planning Consultants and Services category of the Phoenix Award Program.

On Aug. 27, you will once again have the opportunity to exercise your given right to vote — this time in the Phoenix City Council District 6 election.

Drawing a small but receptive crowd to its east parking lot on Friday evening, the Ahwatukee Recreation Center hosted a flag retirement ceremony that reminded attendees about what the flag truly means.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the arrival of the Ahwatukee Community Resource Guide and Directory. Filled with color photographs, the publication is a glossy, full-color business directory featuring chamber members listed both alphabetically and by category. It also is a quick resource guide about the Ahwatukee area, including a map, demographics, history, economy, schools, health care, recreation and general community information.

Enjoy great food, live music and fireworks at the 38th celebration of Red, White and Boom! Hosted by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce and presented by Vision Community Management, the Red, White and Boom Fireworks Festival is professionally produced by HDE Agency and will be at the Ahwatukee Country Club, 12432 S. 48th St. from 4 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3.

Whether you’re a parent or caregiver, we all want the best for our kids. Part of that is making sure they have the reading skills to succeed in school and in life.

I have a book in my personal library titled, “How to Lie with Statistics.”

During Arizona’s hot summer months hiking is still possible, but experts agree that early morning is the time to be on the trails.
“At night the sun has baked on the asphalt all day long and as the sun goes down the asphalt releases that heat,” said Elizabeth Smith, park ranger at South Mountain Park. “Even though the sun is down and you may not have direct sun on you, it’s still hot out. In the morning it’s 80 degrees. I would suggest looking at what the temperature is throughout the day before you make your plans.”


Will the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce let the community know why they remain silent while other chambers are thrilled to support this destructive freeway because they hope to profit from Ahwatukee’s business loss?

Governing board members for the Kyrene School District approved a recommendation this week that will ask voters to continue its current 15 percent maintenance and operations override this election.

There have been many articles on the proposed Loop 202, pros and cons.

On May 18 Everest College Phoenix celebrated the graduation of 141 students from its Phoenix campus. During the graduation ceremony, Calvin Coolidge Goode was recognized for his extraordinary leadership in Arizona and beyond as well as his dedication to the promotion of education and advancement of civil rights. He was presented with an Everest College Phoenix honorary degree, doctor of humane letters.

Owners of The Lakes Golf Course have decided not to continue to fill a lake on Lakeside Boulevard in Ahwatukee now that the golf course has shut down for business. That is forcing the neighboring homeowners association’s pond to dry up and residents are scrambling to save stranded fish and turtles.

I received a postcard in the mail several weeks ago announcing a public hearing on May 21 to provide an opportunity for the public to provide comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Study on the proposed South Mountain Freeway. None of my neighbors received the same postcard when I talked to them. Why were some of the public left out of the mailing? They may not have been informed of this public hearing, but I have comments to make.

REALITY TIME is fast approaching on the conclusion of the public comment period on the proposed Loop 202 for the South Mountain Freeway, as we have just until July 24 to submit our opinions.

Not waiting for formal gubernatorial approval, foes of her Medicaid expansion already are moving to undo at the ballot box and in court what they could not block at the Legislature.

Littlejohn Engineering Associates (LEA) announced the addition of Thomas Lavalette, RLS, as Southwest survey manager in the Phoenix office. He has been surveying for more than 25 years, most recently as the vice president of surveying for Engineering Alliance, Inc. During the last 19 years, Lavalette provided civil surveying and construction staking services on more than 500 projects throughout the state of Arizona.

Dr. Pat Quigley has practiced clinical psychology in Ahwatukee for more than 10 years, and is offering something new to the area for kids and adults with attention-deficit disorders or working memory issues.