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.

The Phoenix City Council has approved a sweeping ethics reform package for elected officials that Mayor Greg Stanton says gives the city some of the toughest ethics rules in the nation.

Valley Christian graduate and Ahwatukee resident Carter Gladstone found a home to continue his baseball career as the outfielder signed with Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday.

With the monsoon season officially beginning tomorrow, June 15, Arizonans should be aware of the possible dangers the monsoon can bring both on the road and at home. Thunderstorms, flash floods, heavy rain

Most first-year club sports teams often struggle to find an identity. But that hasn’t been the case for Club SPAWN, a local baseball team that is ranked nationally. In its inaugural season Club SPAWN’s record is 69-22. 

Melissa Kahn has the regular season down.

It’s unfortunate, but true: The elderly population may be the most vulnerable group in our society. In fact, in an effort to call attention to the problems of physical, emotional and financial abuse of the elderly, the United Nations has designated June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. If you have older parents, or even grandparents, can you do to anything to help prevent them from being victimized, especially with regard to their finances?

Voters who have seen how medical marijuana works in Arizona may get a chance to extend the ability to use the drug to all other adults.

On May 22, my neighbor was on a ladder washing the upper-story windows of his Ahwatukee house. His wife was holding the ladder at street-level, when he came crashing down. He fell 8 feet onto his head. The ladder came down onto his wife’s arm.

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

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.

SEATTLE (AP) — When the United States first released its roster for a stretch of three World Cup qualifying matches in less than two weeks, Brad Evans’ name was absent.

St. Mary’s has ruled the Division I girls basketball scene as local teams can attest.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is offering the community a unique chance to discover Cuba through a fully-inclusive “cultural connections” program.

In completing the process of finalizing a new district policy manual, Tempe Union High School District administration will be reviewing policies like emergency plans and student discipline as well as others before the start of the 2013-14 school year.

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.

Three students recently promoted from the eighth grade at St. John. Bosco Catholic School in Ahwatukee recently received scholarships for private high school tuition, each worth $8,000.


Gov. Jan Brewer today celebrated news that Arizona has been ranked the sixth best state in the nation in which to do business. That’s according to the 2013 report from Chief Executive Magazine, which surveyed more than 700 CEOs nationwide. Arizona’s ranking reflects a four-spot climb from last year’s report.
“This is exciting news for Arizona, and a true testament to the work we have been doing to attract businesses to our State,” Brewer said. “It is fitting that this report was released on the same day Arizona welcomed the major expansion of GoDaddy – a move that will create 300 quality jobs for our citizens and pump nearly $30 million into the state economy.
For its 9th annual report, Chief Executive Magazine surveyed 736 business leaders – the largest response to date – and asked them to grade states based on taxation and regulation, quality of workforce and living environment. 
Texas ranked first in the nation while California, for the ninth consecutive year, ranked last. 
To view the report, visit: http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business-2013.


An Ahwatukee couple’s youngest son was killed in Afghanistan this week when a suicide bomber attacked his unit.

I am one of those whose mother invoked starving children in India or China as a way to get me to eat nasty vegetables like eggplant and okra and to otherwise leave nothing on the plate. These days, I like vegetables, I clearly do not often leave anything on the plate, and my mother need not look past our own shores to see starving children.


Our immigration system is broken, and that’s bad for our country and our economy. As the Senate debates the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform recently introduced, I hope that Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake will continue to support this important legislation.


Thanks to the Ahwatukee Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) active seniors at Mountain Park Senior Living now have one more activity to get their heart rates pumping — a new ping-pong table.
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chapter of the National Charity League (AFNCL) presented Michelle Major, director of fun for Mountain Park Senior Living Center, with a check for $500 on May 9. Traci Tartaglio, Lauri Branch, and Katie Branch of AFNCL were on hand to present the check to Major and a few residents.
The AFNCL is a mother/daughter organization for girls from seventh grade through high school graduation. This 300-plus member organization participates in volunteer work across the metro Phoenix area. AFNCL’s mission is to strengthen the bonds between mother and daughter through the spirit of volunteerism, and has enjoyed a thriving partnership with Mountain Park Senior Living Center.
Tartaglio participates in AFNCL along with her daughter Bailee. 
For more information, visit www.nationalcharityleague.org/nclahwatukee.

In case you forgot, Gov. Jan Brewer has other priorities this year besides getting the Legislature to approve Medicaid expansion.

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.