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.

Presented by Chandler Regional’s HEAT Wave committee, healthy living classes are geared towards patients with congestive heart failure, patients who are recovering from a heart attack, or anyone who would like to adopt a healthy living lifestyle.

Editor’s Note: Phoenix police remind all residents to leave nothing in your car when it is parked outside. If something must be left in the car make sure it is in the trunk or out of sight. Never leave your car doors unlocked even while leaving the car momentarily. Police have seen a string of these quick crimes of opportunity and say they are preventable.

Volleyball was Kyle Pitman’s secondary sport, but it was hard to tell with his effort and influence on the court.

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

During Arizona’s hot summer months hiking is still possible, but experts agree that early morning is the time to be on the trails.
“At night the sun has baked on the asphalt all day long and as the sun goes down the asphalt releases that heat,” said Elizabeth Smith, park ranger at South Mountain Park. “Even though the sun is down and you may not have direct sun on you, it’s still hot out. In the morning it’s 80 degrees. I would suggest looking at what the temperature is throughout the day before you make your plans.”


I received a postcard in the mail several weeks ago announcing a public hearing on May 21 to provide an opportunity for the public to provide comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Study on the proposed South Mountain Freeway. None of my neighbors received the same postcard when I talked to them. Why were some of the public left out of the mailing? They may not have been informed of this public hearing, but I have comments to make.

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.

Forget the tie. Think bespoke booze for Father’s Day, specifically a beverage tailor-made to suit the hobbies father knows best.

With temperatures on the rise, it’s important to stay hydrated and replenish your electrolytes. Whether you exercise intensely or your child participates in an outdoor sport or you’re a construction worker with a physically demanding job, you’re at risk of dehydration and loss of electrolytes.

Culminating the ongoing discussion between local youth sports organizations and the Kyrene School District over use of facilities rates, the district presented a lowered rate structure Monday that now heads to the governing board.

There’s a popular television situation comedy that has spent the last nine years covering a man telling his children about his search for their mother some 20 years earlier. It’s a winding tale, of course, that covers false starts, unlikely coincidences, and (because it’s the 21st century) sexual misadventures.

A couple was found dead inside their Ahwatukee Foothills home on Monday afternoon from apparent gunshot wounds.

Five years ago Ahwatukee Foothills resident Joe Busone made headlines when his firing from a corporately-owned restaurant caused many of his employees to walk out with him. Those employees inspired him to open a restaurant of his own, and over the weekend of June 1 the business celebrated four years of doing what the staff loves.

My Gym Ahwatukee • 4142 E. Chandler Blvd.

Active members of Protecting Arizona’s Resources and Children (PARC) in our Village of Ahwatukee and outlying residential areas aim to stop the South Mountain Freeway from being built on Pecos Road. Preventing the destruction of our community and South Mountain is the main goal of PARC, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.

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

Police cannot use the state's traffic laws to draw blood from suspected drunk drivers without a warrant absent their specific permission at the time of the test, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled last week.

• On May 19 at 8 a.m. police took a report of a stolen license plate near the 4400 block of East Agave. Between 6 p.m. May 18 and 6 a.m. May 19 a license plate was stolen from 2010 Toyota Corolla.

• On May 19 at 12:46 p.m. police took a report of a natural death near the 3200 block of East Chandler Boulevard. Officers received a call from an out-of-town relative who said they hadn’t heard from their relative living in Ahwatukee. Officers made entry into the apartment and found the 55-year-old resident deceased. All indications are it was a natural death.

• On May 19 at 12:40 a.m. near the 4700 block of East Warner Road police recovered a vehicle taken from another jurisdiction. A 1994 Honda Accord was recovered in parking lot.

• On May 19 at 4 a.m. police took a report of an aggravated assault near the 1400 block of East Chandler Boulevard. A juvenile male had an BB-gun pistol and pointed it at other juveniles who thought it was a real gun. Police were called and he was arrested.

• On May 19 at approximately 4 a.m. police responded an armed robbery near the 4400 block of East Ray Road. Unknown suspects pointed a hand gun at a victim and demanded money. The robber received an unknown amount of cash and fled on foot.

• On May 20 at 9:10 p.m. police took a report of an aggravated assault near the 15400 block of South 24th Street. The victim claimed someone had attempted to run over them on sidewalk while they were walking on East Mountain Sky Boulevard. The victim and suspect knew each other.

7. On May 21 at 3:20 a.m. police took a report of a domestic violence incident near the 12800 block of South 46th Street. The suspect, who was known but fled prior to police arrival, broke vehicle windows and committed assault by punching their brother.

• On May 22 at 6 a.m. police arrested a man near the 11000 block of South 51st Street. An adult male was arrested for domestic violence criminal damage and outstanding warrants.


Tyler Viza’s inclusion at No. 427 in Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who saw Desert Vista’s comeback against Brophy in the first round of the Division I state baseball tournament.

After seeing her daughter, Delilah, graduate from preschool at the Foundation for Blind Children’s Chandler campus, one mother stood up and recited a poem for parents, staff and students on Thursday.
“The crooked stem no longer mattered, no one missed the leaves, all they saw was the exquisite rose, that someone was a teacher and that rose was my daughter.”
Moved with compassion and empathy, several parents wiped away tears at the Cooperative Preschool for the Visually Impaired during the small ceremony at the campus on Warner Road near the Loop 101.
Parent Christine Knots said the growth she has seen in her son, Cameron, this year has been huge. Cameron, 5, who has been visually impaired since birth, now dresses himself, feeds himself, uses a Braille writer everyday, and started potty training earlier than expected.
“He’s so independent now,” Knotts said.
The foundation graduated nearly 40 students from its preschool program around the Valley this past week, with some students now heading to elementary schools in the Kyrene and Chandler Unified school districts.
For teacher Jean Murphy, every year graduating her students is unique.
“For some reason it’s really hard this year, the changes in the kids have been over the top,” she said, with tears filling her eyes.
Murphy said some of the changes included seeing her students walk, learn American Sign Language, improve in motor skills, and more.
“It’s just about seeing the light bulb come on and take whatever tiny little step it is,” said Murphy. “It’s always so exciting for me.”
Certificates of achievement were handed out to each student on Thursday, along with single, yellow carnations for their parents as a “thank you.”
The preschool program packs in a wide array of services to the students in five-hour days during the week. Students are exposed to music, gymnastics, pet, physical and speech therapies as well as social and cognitive development.
One of the graduates, 5-year-old Aubrey Brock, could have easily been recognized as “Miss Congeniality,” after running off to the back of the stage giggling after receiving her certificate.
Her mother, Aria, said the past year at the preschool has made Aubrey more confident and was truly a “blessing.”
“She was already a social butterfly, but I’ve just seen her bloom here and it’s been amazing.”
Foundation for Blind Children’s Chandler campus is located at 2005 N. 91st Place. For more information, visit seeitourway.org.


Time to break out the clubs for Starfire Golf Club’s Summer 2013 $99 Unlimited Golf Pass event.

When Ahwatukee Foothills News decided to start including a column in the newspaper, “‘Tukee Talk” seemed like a unique and clever name but the original Tukee Talks have been going on for years.

Let me add a few points in support of Don Kennedy’s May 15 AFN guest commentary (“Why the resistance to background checks and why the need for semi-automatics?”).

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