Rock-star Ted Nugent has extravagant praise for National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s alleged patriotism. “LaPierre,” says Nugent, “resembles our forefathers who stood on Concord bridge and risked all to give birth to a truly free, independent America.”

Desert Vista High School students this week presented a near-complete application for teacher evaluations to be rolled out in the fall, a project more than a year in the making.

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

It’s no secret to Realtors that fabulous kitchens sell homes. Improve the room used primarily for food preparation, and the entire house will feel homier to residents, guests and prospective buyers alike.

Web-hosting giant Go Daddy announced Tuesday it will be expanding its operations in Arizona, adding 300 employees.

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.

Five artists and artist teams have created six new works of public art for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s PHX SkyTrain stations and connector bridges. The large-scale works include terrazzo floors, glass murals and a sculptural ceiling installation.

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

Out on the grass between classroom buildings and the baseball field at Kyrene Centennial Middle School, a group of 7th graders were measuring indoor temperatures of their model homes for an urban heat island project last week.

Local entrepreneurs are in the final stages of getting their portable medical clinic repurposed from a steel shipping container sent to Kenya.

As temperatures begin rising, so do concerns for children around pools with no fences. To help alleviate the worries of families and assure children’s safety, Fulton Homes is kicking off its annual Fence Patrol program this month.

Sonoran Science Academy

Home-decorating television shows and shelter magazines have many Americans dreaming about inviting an expert interior designer into their homes.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Andy Roach has been selected to be part of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, courtesy of the world-famous Chandler facility, Advanced Auto Service and Tires Centers and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Chandler Angell of Ahwatukee was named to the dean’s list at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the fall 2012 semester. The dean’s list recognizes full-time students who maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA out of a possible 4.0 and have no grades below “C.” Angell studies electrical engineering.

If your goal is to lose weight, look and feel your best and live a healthy, vibrant life, be aware of the damaging additives and synthetic chemicals in the foods you buy and eat. Seventy-five percent of the average American diet is from processed and packaged foods, which equates to approximately 10 pounds of additives eaten annually.

Arizona cities that want to place or keep photo enforcement cameras on state roads are going to have to prove they do more than generate fines.

"There’s a sucker born every minute” was originally coined by David Hannum, but we all associate it with P.T. Barnum, which proves the point that anyone can be a victim of scams and hoaxes if the line is made believable enough and the person being scammed wants to believe it. Such is the case with a scam currently being run by a group claiming to be from Microsoft but who are, in reality, salespeople.

Packed into the Tempe Center for the Arts, local teachers, students and school leaders gathered Thursday night for the Excellence in Education Awards, and many in Ahwatukee came out winners.

The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest organization on earth at 2,000 years. It changes very slowly. In theology it only changes at the far edges. It is built on a rock (some say built of road).

No public figure has clearly articulated the true lesson from the 10th anniversary of the disastrous Iraq War. That lesson is a matter of logic. In weighing the war’s costs and benefits, we reversed the burden of proof. The war’s proponents should have been presumed guilty until proven innocent. Instead, the Bush Administration reversed that proper criterion, generally supported by the national press in placing the burden on skeptics.

Bicyclists will have a chance to speak directly to city staff and offer suggestions for improving biking in Phoenix during the District 6 Bike Summit on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pecos Park Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Room 3.

Darcy Frear, a Desert Vista High graduate and biomedical engineering major in Arizona State’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Barrett, the Honors College, has won the Greater Phoenix Area 2013 Outstanding Engineering Student award.

As the Internet continues its growth and small business works its way into today’s social realms, plenty of questions continue to arise.

Joseph Ortiz, Ahwatukee financial advisor with Edward Jones, invites the community to join him for monthly workshops on timely economic issues or concerns. Ortiz said he will be bringing in certain guest speakers throughout the year to speak about issues relating to engineering, manufacturing, housing and the auto industry.