It’s May. Memorial Day and the end of the school year are in sight. Suddenly, you’re thinking about a summer vacation. A little advance planning — and some insider tips — can save you a lot of money. Whether you’re booking airfare, a car rental or a hotel room, there are questions you should ask first.

Are you interested in cutting costs and saving money?

The city of Phoenix is looking for more residents to sign up for a pilot program that will help keep less green organic materials out of landfills and could save the city money.

On paper, J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” is one of those movies that should have crashed and burned. A reboot of a beloved franchise with younger, lesser-known actors stepping into the shoes of an iconic cast of characters. The fact that Abrams went on record stating that he was never a huge “Star Trek” fan didn’t bode well either. Against all odds, though, Abrams not only produced a great “Star Trek” picture, but quite possibly the best “Star Trek” ever made. That’s right, even better than “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”

Dear Mikey,

Phoenix is great because of our strong communities where neighbors work together and take pride in the place they call home.

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the city of Phoenix will hold the regularly scheduled City Council Election for voters in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 to elect a council member. There is no election for council member in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 this year because the terms of the council members are staggered. The Council Election is open to Phoenix residents who are registered voters and reside within Districts 2, 4, 6 or 8 at least 29 days prior to the election.

Instead of asking for gifts, St. John Bosco sixth-graders Lauren A. and Shea S. combined their recent 12th birthday parties into a fundraiser for a family in need. The Perres are local residents facing heart wrenching medical issues and staggering medical costs. Within two months of one another, Mrs. Perre was diagnosed with a form of Lou Gehrig’s disease and her 16-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Lauren and Shea invited the entire sixth-grade population of St. John Bosco, as well as many other friends, to party at Desert Foothills Park on April 26. In lieu of birthday gifts, Shea, Lauren and their friends dug into their piggy banks and donated money to help the Perres. In the end, Lauren, She and their friends collected approximately $1,700. The Perres were overwhelmed at the compassion and generosity of both the girls and the community.

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

Trying to fasten on his bow tie, cummerbund and pocket square, Tre Campbell, of Mountain Pointe High School, got ready in a matter of minutes for his senior prom.

They aren't close to going home.

The scenes were about 20 miles and three hours apart on Thursday, but nonetheless felt much the same.

When my wife and I tried to park in the designated visitor parking area at Sen. Jeff Flake’s Phoenix office recently, we were told by security to leave or our car would be towed. When we questioned this, as we were there to join with others to hold him accountable for his vote against universal background checks for gun purchases, we were told parking there was for office tenants only. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, security people began blocking all entrances to the parking lot with pick-up trucks and chains.

If the recent season finale of “Project Runway” left you jonesing for a fashion fix, look to Scottsdale on May 18.

The people of "Peeples" make a better impression than most collections of oddballs in the weary mold of comedies centered on meeting the prospective in-laws.

The Chandler Children’s Choir is presenting its spring concert, “Dancing Around the World,” a collection of songs representing different nationalities and cultures in different languages.

Sea Life Aquarium at Arizona Mills is giving kids and adults a sneak peek into the life of a sea creature with no brain and no heart — jellyfish.

This weekend was warm enough that locals seemed to collectively change their wardrobes from light layers to tank tops, shorts and other summer staples. If you cringe at the thought of your right to bare arms, then it’s time to take the Tough Lotus Challenge.

Gov. Jan Brewer refused Thursday to make Arizona the second state in the nation to declare privately minted gold and silver coins, bars and ingots to be legal tender in the state.

Any chance of cities or counties conducting future gun-buyback programs is about to evaporate.

Jodi is estimated to be about 2 years old. She’s a blend of some kind, perhaps a Spitz/Chow. She weighs approximately 35 pounds, so she’s on the smaller side. Word on the street is that someone saw Jodi being pushed from a car.