Tis the season where neck ties, golf balls, and mid-priced polo shirts begin to fly off the shelves. That’s right, Father’s Day is just around the corner. And besides the annual tradition of the final round of the U.S. Open being played, that Sunday in June is our opportunity to remember, appreciate, and show a little love to the men in our lives who went above and beyond the call of duty as fathers.

As we deal with the aftermath of yet another disaster in our nation, I thought it would be important to highlight the heroism that takes place every day in our classrooms and community.

In the interest of serving you, our loyal reader – and Ahwatukee resident – better, the Ahwatukee Foothills News is asking for your help!

I’d like to thank Bryan Brinkley (“Richardson’s arguments are absurd,” AFN May 3) for taking the time to respond to the “absurd” arguments in my many gun control articles.

Our family bought a sofa a couple of years ago. It was a frustrating experience. I won’t go into it other than to say when my wife and I finally agreed on one, I thought a burden had been lifted. Then the salesman forces another decision: “So which protection plan do you want?”

Dillie Nerios is a Florida food stamp recruiter. Her job is to sign up 150 seniors monthly in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Dear Mikey,

Darkness can be paralyzing.

Izzy Marshall’s football career at Arizona State is over before it ever really got started.

Just about all the actors in “The Big Wedding” are severely typecast. Diane Keaton is a high-strung, divorced mother like in “Something’s Gotta Give,” Robert De Niro is the father of somebody getting married like in “Meet the Fockers,” Amanda Seyfried is a blushing bride like in “Mamma Mia,” Robin Williams is an eccentric minister like in “License to Wed,” Topher Grace is a deadpan, quick-witted nice guy like in “That ‘70s Show,” and Katherine Heigl is a needy single woman like in every movie she does. Even though the actors are in their comfort zones, not a single person feels natural in “The Big Wedding.” That’s probably because the film doesn’t understand its own characters or their motivations. Nobody behind the camera has any idea what they’re doing, resulting in one of the most awkward romantic comedies of recent memory.

As we survey the panoply of absurd ideas our legislators, both state and national, face from special interest groups these days, we have to wonder what has become of that rare commodity: common sense.

When I took office last year, I made three commitments about the city’s budget. I made the commitment to cut wasteful spending and build a smarter government that does more with less. I committed to use our savings and increased revenues from a recovering economy to lower taxes. And I made the commitment not to accelerate any tax cut if the result hurt our public’s safety.

Making important transitions in life can be challenging, but Ahwatukee Foothills resident Merry Randolph is committed to making the transition easier for women from the outside in.

Being sick — taken out of the game of life’s commitments — is so tough. But sometimes that’s what it takes for God to show us that He’s working through us, in us, and even in spite of us.

The Foothills Women’s Club is putting together a vendor night to show off the diversity of the businesses and people that can be found in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Editor’s note: Follows is a one-on-one interview with Joshua Sasse, of the movie “The Big and I,” and Leah Gibson, from “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Both are playing key roles in “Rogue,” DIRECTV’s first original series.

"Hi, I’m Rachel from card member services.”

Noah Miller is in a perpetual fight with his own body.

When the (Kyrene School District Governing Board) decided to go to the 68-minute class schedule (3 to 2 vote), it was justified by statistics from an outside group the former superintendent brought in. Their claim was in order to compete with other districts, the students needed more academic time.

In the same vein of “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “Catcher in the Rye,” Rudolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me, Ultima” has evolved into one of the most widely beloved and challenged books of all time. In some high schools this best-selling Chicano novel is considered a mandatory reading. Other schools have banished the book for its use of profanity, references to witchcraft, and religious themes.

In a recent opinion piece (“Huppenthal’s money plea off base,” AFN, Feb. 17) a writer chastises Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal for not seeking additional funding on top of what Huppenthal is already requesting. The writer feels that even more money should flow into Kyrene so parents “don’t have to donate reams of paper to their schools.”

"Snitch” is a movie that knows what it wants to say, but fails to get its message across in a non conventional fashion. The film is loosely based on a “Frontline” documentary about Joey Settembrino, an 18-year-old who was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison for selling LSD. The government offered Settembrino a reduced sentence in exchange for the names of drug dealers high up on the totem pole.

After going through years of dialysis, a double transplant, and even while facing continual health problems, CK’s Ashley Abromavage takes it all in stride.

Recently, Rep. Bob Thorpe introduced a bill that would require our children to swear an oath in order to be able to receive their diploma and graduate high school.

The Texas Rangers had been to two straight World Series and the Los Angeles Angels brought in Albert Pujols.