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

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.

Summer School … these two words can sound like a one- to two-month jail sentence for students in school.

As anyone who has ever taken a standardized test knows, the last step in preparing for the test is to sharpen your No. 2 pencil. That may not be enough, however, for those thinking about taking college entrance exams. Planning and preparation for the ACT/SAT should begin now for rising seniors. Here are some topics to consider as you establish your test-taking strategies.

Learning about the difference between wants and needs, students within the Kyrene School District learned the basics of finance and saving in a program through Bank of America.

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to the women of Mesa Arizona Hermosa Vista Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My Sisters’ Place recently received 60 beautiful handbags filled with an assortment of makeup, jewelry, lotion, perfume and notes filled with love and encouragement for the women in our shelter.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Kristy Nied Jozwiak said it was like something out of a movie when her landscaper was attacked by Africanized bees in her backyard.

Dillie Nerios is a Florida food stamp recruiter. Her job is to sign up 150 seniors monthly in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

It may not be gourmet, but it is cheap — and the proceeds go to a charity that helps local first responders and their families when they’re the ones in crisis.

Ahwatukee resident Michael Feyrer subscribes to the philosophy that his life is like a pair of shoes — to be worn out in service.

Arizonans have devised a variety of ways to retreat from the scorching summer heat, including relaxing indoors or poolside, or escaping it entirely for a summer vacation. However, there’s one thing that can’t escape from the sizzling temperatures — your ride.

Dear Mikey,

The soft underbelly of a lot of volleyball teams is right in the middle of the net.

"Had I known about the crime problems around Arizona State University I would have never let Kyleigh move to Tempe.” Those are the words of Karen Montenegro, the mother of murdered ASU student Kyleigh Sousa.

The Medicaid restoration plan put forth by Gov. Brewer is a prudent economic option that helps our state stay competitive while serving those who are most vulnerable.

Principal Shelley Conner said she’ll miss camaraderie the most at St. John Bosco in Ahwatukee.

Preparing for a debut of his short film on Tuesday for friends, family and a panel of local cinematographers, Mountain Pointe High School senior Vincent Cota was putting the finishing touches on the piece after school this week.

The Norwegian directing team of Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, whose biopic of World War II resistance fighter Max Manus was a huge hit on home turf, have turned to another native hero for "Kon-Tiki." One of the most-vaunted escapades of the 20th century, Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Peru-to-Polynesia expedition by raft gets glossy big-screen treatment in this efficiently told action-adventure. Delivering visual drama and understated character study, sometimes in disappointingly formulaic fashion, the feature has its incisive moments but falls short as both epic and intimate portrait.

OB Sports Golf Management announced summer stay-and-play packages for Scottsdale and Sedona, Ariz., and Las Vegas. The offerings include a number of ready-made packages, and golfers may customize any package and book online at www.obsportsgolfvacations.com. Or, for personalized reservation assistance, they may contact Denise Crawford at (866) 561-4653 or dcrawford@obsports.com.

There once was a time when having a tattoo would make a person an outsider. Now in this day and age, it seems like everyone and their mother has a tattoo somewhere on their body.

“ISBK” and “MLB” were two of the graffiti tags appearing frequently on block walls, trash dumpsters, and road signs in Ahwatukee during 2010, particularly inside the Elliot-Warner Loop.

Izzy Marshall’s football career at Arizona State is over before it ever really got started.

I received a press release today on the Brothers in Arms Classic the Desert Vista football team is participating in the fall.

While rowing has been a sport dominated by colleges and teams on the East Coast, crew teams have started to flourish in unsuspecting places—like the desert.

Connecting to Serve and the Ahwatukee Community Network would like to extend our gratitude to our panelists and the victims of domestic violence who attended our special forum on this serious issue April 16 at Mountain Park Senior Living.