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.

The Arizona Newspapers Foundation, Inc. (ANF) announced a scholarship available to Arizona college students majoring in journalism. This summer, ANF will award scholarships to students attending Arizona State University, University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University full-time. Students must have completed at least one term and have one term remaining before graduation.

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.

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.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Humana Communities Benefit program will award a one-time, $100,000 grant to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Maricopa County focused on improving health experiences or building healthy communities.

As the saying goes, “Good things come to people who wait.” For some time I have been suggesting to anyone who is in the market for a new computer to wait a while for Windows 8 to be improved, and that time may be around the corner. This is welcome news to those of you who have had the misfortune of either purchasing a Windows 8 computer or have received a gift with the ill-fated operating system installed on a new computer.

I have not voted in some time now, having figured out that it simply does no good. And yes, I sincerely believe the “system” itself is the problem.

State Farm recently announced its role as the anchor tenant in the Marina Heights development on Tempe Town Lake. The company will be hosting a career fair in Phoenix June 11-12 to fill 900 positions in many departments in the Papago Buttes and Gateway facilities, where the company expects continued hiring throughout 2013. The job openings include full- and part-time positions and some bilingual opportunities.

Dr. Amy Puls and Dr. Peter Pinto of Ahwatukee Foothills announce the upcoming wedding of their son, Johnny Pinto, to Dr. Chelsea Dinner. Parents of the bride, Dr. Alan and Anne Dinner, reside in Indianapolis, Ind. 

Phoenix International Raceway recently announced that tickets are on the sale for the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased by visiting Phoenix Raceway.com or calling (866) 408-7223.


The rookie class at Mountain Pointe next year is a rather large one.


Ahwatukee residents Dan and Lisa Roger announce the engagement of their daughter, Kate Roger, to Graham Lerner, son of Paul Lerner of Chicago and Victoria Olson of Bradenton, Fla. The wedding will be on Sept. 14 in Chicago.

Bethany Christian School’s board of directors announced a change in leadership after Barbara Hunsaker informed them that after 13 years, she’s ready to move on.
The new administrator, Kary Sterkowitz, will be returning to Arizona after having spent the last nine years as a school administrator in El Cajon, Calif. 
Sterkowitz will be on campus starting June 10.


New York -- U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year — the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago.

Tempe has announced a $600 million office development deal to be built near Tempe Town Lake.

Individuals for and against the Loop 202 freeway expansion trickled in and out of the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday and offered passionate pleas to panel members as the Arizona Department of Transportation hosted a day-long public hearing on the South Mountain Freeway.

After just three years in business Something Sweet Bakery announced it will be closing its doors on May 31.

Refusing to blink, Gov. Jan Brewer late Thursday vetoed five bills sent to her this week by Senate President Andy Biggs despite her threat she would do just that.

The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits (Alliance) and Arizona Grantmakers Forum (AGF) awarded $179,500 in prizes to 40 nonprofits who participated in Arizona Gives Day at a reception on May 2.

The Department of Administration reports Arizona’s jobless rate last month was 7.9 percent. That’s the third straight month at that level.

Longtime Mountain Pointe Athletic Director Ian Moses announced recently that he was no longer going to be the athletic director at the Ahwatukee high school.

The Big South Conference announced the official nominees for the Conference’s Woman of the Year award for 2012-13, with 13 student-athletes including Ahwatukee resident and Seton Catholic graduate Molly Barlow from 10 member institutions comprising this year’s candidates.

An anonymous donation is keeping the Phoenix gun buyback program going for one final Saturday, May 18.