Three Ahwatukee Foothills track athletes saw individual age group wins and swept the top three spots in the 1,500-meter run at the 2013 USATF Masters State Championship at Mesa Community College recently.

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.

Enjoy great food, live music and fireworks at the 38th celebration of Red, White and Boom! Hosted by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce and presented by Vision Community Management, the Red, White and Boom Fireworks Festival is professionally produced by HDE Agency and will be at the Ahwatukee Country Club, 12432 S. 48th St. from 4 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3.

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.

Affectionately playing with their Miniature Dachshunds, Joey, Lisa Stapp and her son, Billy, praised the family pet after he rolled over on command.

The city of Phoenix Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is hosting a Homebuyer Information Session at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, at the Sunnyslope Senior Center, 802 E. Vogel Ave. The session will feature available Move-In Ready (MIR) homes in established Phoenix neighborhoods as well as newly built green homes at the Gordon Estates subdivision located at 16th and Apollo streets, between Southern Avenue and Baseline Road.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Humana Communities Benefit program will award a one-time, $100,000 grant to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Maricopa County focused on improving health experiences or building healthy communities.

When it comes to fitness, some people have their own agendas on why they want to get off the coach and start shedding their unwanted body mass.

Ahwatukee resident Matthew Hawkins, 14, son of Scott and Cara Hawkins, earned great accomplishments in the sport of trampoline and tumbling. He took first place in Level 10 Double Mini and Tumble Track at the Trampoline and Tumbling Region 2 Championships in Las Vegas on May 12. Hawkins was selected for the All-Star team and will represent our region at the National Championships to take place in Kansas City over the weekend of July 4.

State Farm recently announced its role as the anchor tenant in the Marina Heights development on Tempe Town Lake. The company will be hosting a career fair in Phoenix June 11-12 to fill 900 positions in many departments in the Papago Buttes and Gateway facilities, where the company expects continued hiring throughout 2013. The job openings include full- and part-time positions and some bilingual opportunities.

The scores junior golfers post make most weekend hackers shake their heads.

The 25th Advantage Basketball Camp events near Ahwatukee will be at the East Valley YMCA, 1807 S. Sunview, July 15-19.

What a crazy three days for area athletes.

It’s more than 75 days before the first kickoff, but there’s plenty of preparation going on already.

On April 15, two pressure cooker-fashioned bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The attack left the city and entire country shaken.

The First Tee of Phoenix will host the ninth annual Splish Splash Golf Bash at its South Mountain facility, 9510 S. 7th St., on June 8 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) honored their 10th annual Teal & Silver award recipients during a breakfast event at the college’s Williams Campus on May 7 at the Student Pavilion Center. Nine winners were recognized for their efforts and support of CGCC students, employees, programs, services and the college community.

It’s only been a week since the 1-cent sales tax went off the books, but area economists and businesses do not expect to see much if any increase in retail sales in the foreseeable future due in part to consumers having little idea the increase ended.

My Gym Ahwatukee • 4142 E. Chandler Blvd.

Although it is almost a prerequisite the summer before senior year in high school, Jake Alexander isn’t about to take it easy.


As Christy Everson was nearing age 40, she made a decision: She wanted to have a child, even though she was single and it meant doing it all alone. Her daughter, conceived via a sperm donor, is now 2 1/2 years old, and Everson hopes to have a second child.


Local churches in Ahwatukee Foothills are keeping their heads above the sea of technology with the use of iPhone, Android and tablet apps for their members.
Along with the surge in use of Bible apps, online podcasts of sermons and social media, non-denominational Christian churches as a whole are remembering that relevancy is key.
Pastor Jeff Zubeck of Living Word Bible Church said “keeping up with the times” is key, though the larger scope of the church shouldn’t change the main message, just the method of delivery.
Whether in church services or at home, members and attendees of Mountain Park Community Church can literally have their church in their pocket.