A class of fifth-grade students Friday opened up ping-pong balls with small science experiments inside after they returned from a trip to the “edge of space” inside the Earth’s atmosphere.

Ahwatukee resident Michael Feyrer subscribes to the philosophy that his life is like a pair of shoes — to be worn out in service.

The best-tasting veggie burger I’ve ever met is falafel. A product of the Middle East, falafel are deep-fried fritters made from ground chickpeas or fava beans that are tucked into pita pockets and drizzled with tahini. They are delicious, hearty, inexpensive and relatively healthy.

Eddie Castillo said that the South American culture has the empanada, the British have the pasty, and he and his business partner Mike Caliendo are giving Arizona the hand pie.

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.

Whenever Esi Impraim’s mother made jollof — a rich, tomato-laced dish of meats, rice and sometimes seafood — the time it took to bubble away on the stove was always excruciating.

Recently, my family had distant relatives visit from Germany. Over the years there have been many visits between us visiting Germany and them visiting the USA. They are a wonderful family and we thoroughly enjoyed the time together. Upon waking up one morning, my 4-year-old had already asked to visit Germany.

About five years ago when Children of Hope Preschool needed funds to install sprinklers, staff and volunteers were able to raise about half needed to pay for the expensive price tag through the help of the community.

Here’s a nod to St. Patrick’s Day more palatable than wearing green or tossing about mispronounced expressions meant to sound Irish (Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! Erin go bragh! A hundred thousand welcomes!): Culver’s is offering $1 Green Mint Chip short shakes on Sunday, March 17.

It has been a busy year for plumbers fixing cracked frozen pipes, but local plumbing and air conditioning specialists say the danger of leaking pipes is never really over for homeowners. It’s important to take steps year-round to prevent water damage.

It seems that every culture has a probiotic food that has been made for centuries. The Koreans have Kimchi. The Japanese have Miso Soup and Kombucha. The Africans have Amasi and the list goes on and on. Our history and ancestors have fermented and preserved many types of foods. This actually benefited our health and well being. Meanwhile, in our generation we have gone away from these traditions and have added antibiotics to our bodies. These antibiotics can be found in both our medicine and our food. This has caused a great imbalance in the beneficial bacteria that belongs in our bodies. This imbalance has contributed to a wide variety of diseases. Today, we are seeing a great come back with both probiotic supplements and foods.

We know we should eat better, but let’s face it: When we find ourselves at a fast food drive-thru, we’re probably not going to order a salad — not with all those burgers, fries and shakes on the menu board.

We’d never get off this easy with our significant other, but when it comes to making kids feel extra special on Valentine’s Day, we like how Culver’s and Phoenix Flower Shops think.

"Warm Bodies," the latest permutation of the zombie screen phenomenon, places heart over horror and romantic teen angst over sharp social commentary.

Like the amped up comeback tour of two rockers who had their heyday sometime in the mid-'80s, Sylvester Stallone and director Walter Hill ("48 HRS.," ''The Warriors") join forces for a hard-hitting exercise in beefy, brainless fun with the New Orleans-set actioner "Bullet to the Head."

Looking for a few simple ways to freshen up the go-to dish of the Super Bowl? We cobbled together a mighty tasty basic guacamole, then came up with four ways to turn basic into unbelievably good.

Ryan Dempsey was 7 years old when he first started to draw. Three years, and more than 100 canvases later, he continues to use his talent to paint pictures for himself, for his family and friends, and for a good cause.

Yoasis

Yoasis

After a year that tested the strength of both the general and school community in Ahwatukee Foothills, even greater challenges could be ahead in 2013.

Calling it a compromise between extremes, Attorney General Tom Horne on Wednesday proposed training and arming the principal or other top administrator at every public school.

Decreases in bond sales and legislative cuts could affect Kyrene School District with larger class sizes, program reductions, and reduced compensation for teachers and staff.