Teens are bound to be excited to leave backpacks and books behind for carefree summer fun. However, if your teen’s summer includes driving or riding with a teen driver, there are a few things to consider.

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).

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.

A Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson said the reasons people get stuck on local mountains is failing to stay on the hiking path and not being prepared.

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.

The Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board unanimously approved the appointment of Steven R. Gonzales, Ed.D., as president of GateWay Community College, effective July 1.

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

Thank you for sticking around when the going got tough.

Tyler Petcher, a 2009 graduate of Mountain Pointe High School, graduated May 12 from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., with a bachelor’s degree in chemical/biomolecular engineering. He has accepted a position in Illinois as a field service engineer at a wastewater and reuse company.

Local school districts, including Kyrene, will now be able to pay for capital needs as bond legislation was passed in conjunction with the state’s budget early on Friday.

With the monsoon season officially beginning tomorrow, June 15, Arizonans should be aware of the possible dangers the monsoon can bring both on the road and at home. Thunderstorms, flash floods, heavy rain

The Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) is accepting nominations for its Teacher of the Year program. 

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.

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.

State lawmakers were moving toward finally adjourning their 151-day session late Thursday -- but not before setting the stage for constituents to have to start paying taxes on what they buy from catalogs and on the World Wide Web.

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.

Michelle M. Lauer, attorney at business law firm Jaburg & Wilk, P.C., has been awarded Top Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona from the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education.

For the second consecutive summer, Salt River Project (SRP) is helping customers save energy, conserve water and beautify the environment with the popular SRP Shade Tree Program.

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.

On May 22, my neighbor was on a ladder washing the upper-story windows of his Ahwatukee house. His wife was holding the ladder at street-level, when he came crashing down. He fell 8 feet onto his head. The ladder came down onto his wife’s arm.

Seton Catholic Preparatory High School starts its first summer session of Music Theater Camp for ninth-graders this week. The first session will be June 10-21 and a second session is July 15-26. The camp will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $150 for each session.

In an attempt to get as much public input as possible, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is hosting additional community forums to gather comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of the South Mountain Freeway.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is offering the community a unique chance to discover Cuba through a fully-inclusive “cultural connections” program.

She started looking into her homeowner’s association because she just didn’t think what they were doing to her was fair.