Residents 18 years and older are invited to attend an orientation session on the city’s Blight Buster Volunteer Program from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Neighborhood Services Department’s west facility, 3325 W. Flower St.

In Phoenix, as graffiti has become a challenge in parts of our community, we have leveraged the power of volunteers to help the city remain a beautiful place to live and work.

In Phoenix, as graffiti has become a challenge in parts of our community, we have leveraged the power of volunteers to help the city remain a beautiful place to live and work.

Beginning July 1, the city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) will launch the “Graffiti Free Phoenix” pilot program.

I had my stitches removed this morning. It has been two weeks since I had major surgery for malignant cutaneous desmoplastic melanoma on my upper back/lower neck. Sounds ominous right? It is. The surgery took five hours. The surgeon removed an area about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch deep. The incision is about 8 inches wide. This has been the biggest health challenge of my life.

I had my stitches removed this morning. It has been two weeks since I had major surgery for malignant cutaneous desmoplastic melanoma on my upper back/lower neck. Sounds ominous right? It is. The surgery took five hours. The surgeon removed an area about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch deep. The incision is about 8 inches wide. This has been the biggest health challenge of my life.

Imagine a downtown with multi-story buildings and sidewalks bustling with young people, professionals, and shoppers. Frequently, a light rail train travels through, stopping to unload passengers from all over the Valley who come to this urban center for work, entertainment and a vibrant nightlife.

This is in response to the letter regarding the Loop 202 extension through Ahwatukee Foothills (“Freeway is coming so shift fighting efforts to a worthier cause,” AFN, March 21).

City Manager David Cavazos released the 2012-13 Phoenix budget for community review that is structurally balanced, includes $5.3 million of program and service additions, and proposes no new fees or taxes for the public.

The depth of the Great Recession was front and center in the daily lives of East Valley residents as storefront after storefront emptied out of the area’s countless and prominent shopping centers.

William Ramsey’s letter, “No Build South Mountain” (AFN, March 2), was one of the more logical reviews of the issue I have read. Attending the so-called public meetings of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) or Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), I have seen how little public comment means relating to an issue. I noticed reports are a formality and often show no interest in real-life problems.

Arizonans will divide up about $1.6 billion from a nationwide settlement announced Thursday with five major mortgage lenders.

The amount of graffiti found in Ahwatukee Foothills increased in 2011, according to the Ahwatukee Board of Management (ABM).

In one of his best-known routines, the late comedian George Carlin famously questioned why the day's temperatures are recorded at the local airport - when nobody actually lives there.

In one of his best-known routines, the late comedian George Carlin famously questioned why the day's temperatures are recorded at the local airport - when nobody actually lives there.

Urban blight, namely billboards no matter what their description, is a natural artifact of city growth and expansion. Phoenix and its freeways are already becoming another congested Santa Monica, Calif. How can former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard suggest that Phoenix return to the 25-year tradition of making garishly lit billboards illegal, when traditional forms of communication have nearly become displaced, such as postal mail for paying bills and letter writing by smartphones, iPhones or email? That we have these advanced means of accomplishing the same thing doesn't mean citizens of Phoenix have alienated themselves from core values that matter most to their safety and well-being; so how would Goddard know "billboard companies are overriding the values of the citizens of Phoenix?" (AFN, Oct. 12).

If you want to continue to make a difference where you live, consider taking part in the Blight Buster Volunteer Program through the Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department (NSD).

The City of Phoenix is hosting a meeting to gather comments and input to prepare for the 2012-13 Annual Action Plan component of the Consolidated Plan, a one-year plan that shows the city's proposed use of four types of federal funding:

The City of Phoenix is hosting a meeting to gather comments and input to prepare for the 2012-13 Annual Action Plan component of the Consolidated Plan, a one-year plan that shows the city's proposed use of four types of federal funding:

Homemade "seed bombs" are a favorite tool of guerrilla gardeners.

Randy Exelby owns what is called a "destination shop," so his business will not be drastically affected by others going out of business around it.

This column is about you, and it’s about Michigan Mary.

These days, hybrids are either panned or praised in the world of gardening. Not that hybrids are such oddities. A hybrid is merely the offspring of two parents that are not genetically the same.

These days, hybrids are either panned or praised in the world of gardening. Not that hybrids are such oddities. A hybrid is merely the offspring of two parents that are not genetically the same.

A group of volunteers in Surprise pulled weeds, picked up trash and trimmed bushes and trees Saturday at homes throughout the city.

The Surprise Pride Day Community Cleanup spruced up yards scattered around a dozen different parts of the city with more than 300 volunteers working up a sweat in the warm morning sun for the good of their hometown.