The 2013 legislative session began with a unanimous vote in the House and the Senate to appropriate emergency funding for additional Child Protective Services staff. With that vote, lawmakers affirmed child safety as a top priority.

Near the end of Equestrian Trail's winding road in Ahwatukee, nearly 80 students along with parents, family and other friends met at fellow senior Kyndall Johnston's home.

Trying to fasten on his bow tie, cummerbund and pocket square, Tre Campbell, of Mountain Pointe High School, got ready in a matter of minutes for his senior prom.

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).

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

The persistence and determination I have shown in the past four years is about reform and getting us ready for the new world we live in. There is a bigger reason why I have been pushing so hard for change. It’s about getting Phoenix ready to compete in a global economy. If the council repeals the food tax it will be added to a long list of reforms we accomplished. There were three significant reforms toward the goal of getting us ready to compete in this new world market and getting government to operate more like your household

In the United States the average kid (age 8-18) spends 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen or on the phone. To counter sedentary living patterns, national physical activity guidelines for youth have been developed. The guidelines call for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for children and teens. The guidelines are based on the amount of physical activity necessary to promote good fitness, health, and wellness. Only 29 percent of high school students meet the 60-minute daily guideline and 14 percent don’t do any physical activity that causes them to breathe hard or that increases heart rate on any day during the week.

1. On April 22 around 8:30 p.m. police responded to a call of graffiti at a park in the 13200 block of South 48th Street. Unknown suspects, two adult males between the ages of 20 and 25, were seen spraying paint in the park. An officer located the pavilion and found a can of black spray paint, which was impounded for evidence and DNA analysis.

I did it. Even though it might make me the last person in Ahwatukee over the age of 9 to do so, I have a smartphone. It was not a case of desire; the screen on my “vintage” phone was so scratched I couldn’t see it, and it turned out I could get the smartphone and pay $10 less per month. I suspect the kid that sold it to me was like a seedy, back alley pusher — “come on, its even cheaper” — and that a smartphone is gateway technology.

There are restaurants that slash prices on margaritas or invite a mariachi band for Cinco de Mayo - and then there are restaurants that go a little nuts.

“ISBK” and “MLB” were two of the graffiti tags appearing frequently on block walls, trash dumpsters, and road signs in Ahwatukee during 2010, particularly inside the Elliot-Warner Loop.

Trumpeter/bandleader Doc Severinsen can still hit the notes, and it's not something he ever takes for granted. He always warms up.

An Ahwatukee Foothills resident is making her dreams come true by providing much needed furniture to families getting back on their feet after homelessness.

Registration opens April 27 at 10:30 a.m. for Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department summer programs including full-day supervised recreation programs at 13 sites to keep kids engaged, active and safe over the summer break. The full-day programs will start June 3 and run through the end of July. In addition to the full-day programs, centers also are offering a large selection of general interest classes and sports programs. Many smaller centers also are offering free, drop-in programs during the summer.

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study for the South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway will be released today and available for review and comment over the next 90 days.

We were married on St. Patrick’s Day at the Foothills Golf Club. The wedding was beautiful, everyone had a wonderful time, the pictures came out great — best wedding a couple could ask for. If it wasn’t for the Ahwatukee community; however, our day would have been a disaster.

"It’s been 10 years, now,” the strong voice said on the phone. Mari Justin is a breast cancer survivor. She, along with hundreds of thousands of breast cancer veterans have faced the demons and now crusade alongside those who are fresh on the battlefield.

More than 55 million people in the United States are currently experiencing some degree of hearing loss. According to the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH), there are more than 700,000 people in Arizona who are hard of hearing, but not everyone realizes there is something that can be done prevent further loss.

When an event or circumstance arises in your life that you think might require the expertise of an attorney, you may be at a loss as to where to start to find the right one. There are plenty of advertisements on television and online, but how do you know if you will get value for your money, if the attorney will be attentive to you and your needs, and whether the attorney will do a good job for you?

When is the best time to get something done? There are a lot of different ways that people ask this question, but my initial reaction is: Whenever you have time to do it.

Q: I would like to print from my Gmail account on my iPhone or iPad to my printer, but it doesn’t come up in Apple’s print option on either (device). Any suggestions? — Daryl

“Those three seconds I took my eyes off the road changed my life forever.”

Those unwanted text messages for everything from special sales to dating services could soon be a thing of the past.

The night of the shooting in Aurora, Colo., Ahwatukee Foothills mom and lawyer Ellen Davis had enough.