The fight to expand Medicaid in Arizona continues as Gov. Brewer pushes the Legislature to pursue legislation to expand coverage to include folks up to 133 percent of poverty guidelines.

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

As anyone who has ever taken a standardized test knows, the last step in preparing for the test is to sharpen your No. 2 pencil. That may not be enough, however, for those thinking about taking college entrance exams. Planning and preparation for the ACT/SAT should begin now for rising seniors. Here are some topics to consider as you establish your test-taking strategies.

The success of the spring sports kept me away from all but one day of three weeks of spring football.

Calling the governor's proposal unacceptable and politically dead at the Legislature, House Speaker Andy Tobin unveiled his own new plan Tuesday to expand Medicaid, one that would give Arizona voters the final say.

Seeking to keep fields accessible and available to some 4,000 kids in and around Ahwatukee, various youth sports leagues met with the Kyrene School District on Monday after add-on costs to the Ahwatukee Foothills Pony Baseball Association caused heated community concern.

It’s been eight months since I had the great opportunity to join the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Since that time we have not made radical changes to the paper or wild editorial changes to the product. What I wanted to do was listen to our readers and take note of any changes that would aid this great community.

Saying she's run out of patience, Gov. Jan Brewer will veto any bills sent to her until she sees movement on a new state budget and her pet Medicaid expansion project.

After months of waiting The Lakes Golf Course has closed its doors, but the future of the course still remains unknown.

Pippa can be a bit shy when she meets new people but with a little bit of time, this little gal opens up to show her peppy, loving and cuddly personality. She has flourished into a sweet, bubbly dog. She loves to play ball with her foster brother and go on walks. One of her favorite activities is playing with toys. Pippa loves to pull all the toys out of the toy box and hide various ones around the house. She’s looking for a home with another young, active, dog that she can play with. Another canine friend also gives Pippa confidence and makes for a great snuggle buddy. Pippa has become quite the ball chaser in foster care as well. She’s looking forward to continuing to hone her ball skills in her new home. Pippa is looking for a patient home that will understand that she is initially shy with new folks, but that with patience she comes around. Daily walks, plenty of snuggle time and lots of toys are all on this little girl’s wish list.

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway expansion has been released, local environmentalists are planning to use the 90-day comment period to tear it apart.

Popular downtown Gilbert Postino East WineCafe is set to welcome a new neighbor with some south of the border flair. Joyride Taco House is set to open June 3 on the north side of Postino’s Grainbelt building, and it will share some outdoor space with the wine bar.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce’s Red, White and Beautiful event on Thursday, May 9 will feature a fashion show, vendors and a chance to be pampered, all from local Ahwatukee businesses.

The Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the South Mountain Freeway was released on April 26, but as the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to study putting the freeway down Pecos Road a group of Gila River Indian Community Landowners are stuck waiting for answers as their initiative — which could make it possible for the freeway to go on tribal land — is stalled by the Tribal Council.

There are so many reasons for the Legislature to approve Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid that it is hard for me to believe that any elected official would put ideology before the good of their constituents and the state of Arizona.

Danielle Block has a hard time balancing the rigors of pitching and hitting.

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.

If you’re just a casual swimmer, you probably don’t have to adjust your diet before jumping in. But that’s not the case with competitive swimmers, who must constantly watch what they eat and drink. You can learn a lot from swimmers’ consumption patterns — particularly if you’re an investor.

An Ahwatukee Foothills resident is making her dreams come true by providing much needed furniture to families getting back on their feet after homelessness.

More than 300 Kyrene School District teachers were surveyed this year on their opinions of the newly-adopted teacher evaluation system, most agreeing the system’s feedback helped refine their practice.

When Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2010, Steve Cottrell saw a way to combine his laboratory background and his interest in the plant he’d been studying since his 11-year-old son died of cancer more than a decade before.

On Sunday, the popular PBS restaurant review show, “Check, Please! Arizona,” hosts its first food festival at CityScape in Phoenix. While attendees enjoy a plethora of food and wine samples and live demonstrations from award-winning chefs like Robert McGrath and Chris Bianco, one humble festival booth — Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs — takes the next step in its Cinderella story.

The Kyrene School District may consider getting an appraisal on the parcel of land near Club West before sending out a Request for Proposals to sell it.

The Heady Hoop Tribe, an eclectic group of four women who aim to inspire others through the creative power of modern hoop dance, bring a sense of community to Phoenix.

Since the beginning of 2013 there have been some announced changes for buyers looking to obtain an FHA loan. FHA is an insurer of mortgage loans and is popular because of the low down payment option. I had the opportunity to ask Dawna Lepler of The Lending Company a few questions many of my real estate clients have asked over the past few months.