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.

Father’s Day gifts have morphed over the years. It used to be a tie, a golf hat or a jazz CD. But dads are more tech-savvy these days.

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.

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.

Abortion foes are making a late-session push to allow health inspectors to inspect clinics without a warrant.

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

Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought.

The art of the summer cocktail is something I take most seriously.

Companies that hope to enforce their out-of-state judgments against Arizona firms have to follow the procedures to the letter of the law, the Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled.

As of the day I am writing this there are 130 active rental listings on the MLS in Ahwatukee and 416 have been rented in the past six months.

Two old friends paid me a visit last week. The first slipped in without a word, freezing my mind for an instant, like the shock of ice cream gulped down too eagerly on a hot day. As we visited for a while, I noticed the familiar voice is edged with a steely insistence, somehow sharpened rather than blunted by a hunger for news of trouble, and the scent of brewing chaos. By God’s grace and through His perfect timing, there, just in nick of time, was another beloved friend knocking on the door of my heart, gently enfolding me in loving arms. This beloved voice speaks quietly, yet perfectly clearly, sharing a different story, at once both old and fresh. The voice carries words brimming with abundant life, like a lush oasis in an otherwise barren and hostile desert. Such is the power of moments of fear to paralyze our senses, and to leave us feeling isolated and lost. Such is the power of the unparalleled peace found through our faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in the comforting words of Scripture.

If you grew up in the early 90s, you probably remember an animated feature from 20th Century Fox called “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.” It was the environmentally-conscious movie every 90s kid saw, and yet, nobody really liked. The film’s intentions might have been good, but even the youngest children seemed to find its blatant green message overly preachy. The fact that “FernGully” was lacking in any interesting characters or magic didn’t help. “Epic,” which was also coincidentally distributed by Fox, is a bit like “FernGully” if it had smarter, more imaginative filmmakers backing it. While it’s not a massive improvement, “Epic” is at least fun, energized, and subtle with its environmental themes.

Dear Mikey,

1. On May 9 police took a report of criminal damage in the 13600 block of south 44th Street. The victim told police he had a 2001 two-door Honda that his son usually drives parked on the street overnight. When his son went to go to work in the morning he noticed a scratch down the side of the car.

The end of the school year is upon us and now the inevitable question is: “What are we going to do ALL summer long?” or the infamous: “I’m bored,” yes it is summer break! Parents are frantically searching for camps, activities, play dates, swimming lessons, movie days, etc. to fill their kid’s days to avoid the “I’m bored” trap.

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.

Desert Vista High School students this week presented a near-complete application for teacher evaluations to be rolled out in the fall, a project more than a year in the making.

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the city of Phoenix will hold the regularly scheduled City Council Election for voters in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 to elect a council member. There is no election for council member in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 this year because the terms of the council members are staggered. The Council Election is open to Phoenix residents who are registered voters and reside within Districts 2, 4, 6 or 8 at least 29 days prior to the election.

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.

Around 8 p.m., a party bus with a large Jack Daniels logo pulled up to the home.

With the onslaught of Oscar contenders that debuted last November, there’s a good chance that a little-seen indie gem, “Starlet,” managed to fall off your radar during its short, theatrical run. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 SXSW film festival, “Starlet” explores the unlikely friendship between a cheerful, aspiring actress (played by the winsome Dree Hemingway) and a cantankerous, elderly widow (the late Besedka Johnson).

Where are the “silver linings” for the Ahwatukee Foothills area from the proposed South Mountain Freeway?

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