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.

Washington • Sen. Jeff Flake’s vote against expanded background checks on gun sales earlier this month caused his approval ratings to drop, making him one of the “most unpopular” U.S. senators, a new poll says.

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.

The prom is making a big comeback.

Dr. Neal Lester, author and professor of English at Arizona State University, was honored with an achievement award for the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of West Georgia 36th annual Alumni Association Awards Gala. A native of Jefferson, Ga., Lester graduated from the University of West Georgia in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree in English.

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

When Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2010, Steve Cottrell saw a way to combine his laboratory background and his interest in the plant he’d been studying since his 11-year-old son died of cancer more than a decade before.

Summit School of Ahwatukee middle school teachers, Andrea Yocum, Christy Menard and Amy Lecky, are recipients of this year’s Xavier College Preparatory Golden Gator Award for Excellence in Teaching. Xavier High School recognizes junior high teachers who have been inspirational to Xavier freshmen students. This is the third Golden Gator for Lecky, who teaches middle school language arts and literature, and the second for both science teacher Andrea Yocum, and math teacher Christy Menard. In previous years Summit teacher Melissa France has also received this award.

Robert Redford does his most compelling work in some time as both actor and director in "The Company You Keep," a tense yet admirably restrained thriller about a fugitive forced out of hiding after 30 years to prove his innocence. Adapted with clarity and intelligence by Lem Dobbs from Neil Gordon's novel, and lent distinguishing heft by its roster of screen veterans, this gripping drama provides an absorbing reflection on the courage and cost of dissent.

One arrived before Rudy Valee and the other a year before The Beatles, but together they made beautiful music in nurturing a piece of Ahwatukee that spanned the decades between the roaring ‘20s and this year’s cold winter rains.

Chandler Angell of Ahwatukee was named to the dean’s list at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the fall 2012 semester. The dean’s list recognizes full-time students who maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA out of a possible 4.0 and have no grades below “C.” Angell studies electrical engineering.

For high school seniors this is the time of year when emotions run high. The month of April brings its own set of challenges as seniors approach May 1, National Decision Day. This is the day when seniors who have been offered admission to a college or university must accept or decline all offers. How will you make this very important, perhaps even life-changing decision? Here are a few tips to guide you:

You may know him as one of the stars of the popular PBS series “History Detectives,” but Dr. Eduardo Pagán is also a Grand Canyon State native and history professor at Arizona State University.

It may not be as mainstream a form of expression these days as, say, Instagram, but poetry, that old-fashioned art of arranging language to create an emotional response through meaning, sound and rhythm, is alive and well.

Arizona is fortunate to have three fine universities in our state. All these institutions are to be commended for different aspects of academia; the one thing we can say for all of them is that a degree from any of them is highly esteemed. Yes, they can be expensive, but they offer an excellent education.

What should be a hilarious, long-overdue pairing of two hugely likable, superstar comedians ends up being a major disappointment with "Admission."

A painting of large, yellow sunflowers adorns a gallery wall — living among other paintings, and sculptures, universally depicting happy scenes and bright colors.

When Jay Mesinger heard about a study seeking Golden Retrievers to help fight canine cancer, he immediately signed up 2-year-old Louie.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Dale Baker has been recognized for her work in the field of science, becoming this year’s recipient of the most prestigious award in the field of science education from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

In a previous column I discussed the PACER, a test of cardiovascular fitness that is part of the national youth physical fitness test battery (FITNESSGRAM). FITNESSGRAM, was developed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and is now offered as a cooperative program with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). In addition to assessing cardiovascular fitness, the FITNESSGRAM Test Battery includes tests of muscle fitness, flexibility, and body composition.

‘One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? She asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don’t know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn’t matter.”

Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … well, you know the rest.

Jessica Starr was never one to take no as an answer.

Dedicated to helping students learn, longtime Ahwatukee Foothills resident and Arizona State University professor Dr. Mary Niemczyk hopes the release of her second book will gain the attention of students Valleywide.