Owners of The Lakes Golf Course have decided not to continue to fill a lake on Lakeside Boulevard in Ahwatukee now that the golf course has shut down for business. That is forcing the neighboring homeowners association’s pond to dry up and residents are scrambling to save stranded fish and turtles.

State lawmakers were moving toward finally adjourning their 151-day session late Thursday -- but not before setting the stage for constituents to have to start paying taxes on what they buy from catalogs and on the World Wide Web.

Not waiting for formal gubernatorial approval, foes of her Medicaid expansion already are moving to undo at the ballot box and in court what they could not block at the Legislature.

For the second consecutive summer, Salt River Project (SRP) is helping customers save energy, conserve water and beautify the environment with the popular SRP Shade Tree Program.

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

Tired of waiting for action, Gov. Jan Brewer forced lawmakers back to the Capitol late Tuesday to approve her budget and Medicaid expansion.

Culminating the ongoing discussion between local youth sports organizations and the Kyrene School District over use of facilities rates, the district presented a lowered rate structure Monday that now heads to the governing board.

Levi Salem passed away on Tuesday, June 4 at the age of 93. He is survived by his daughter, Robin Stinnett, two grandchildren, Scott Salem and Kelly Stinnett, and one great granddaughter, Sophia Grace Salem.

It’s signed, sealed and delivered. The home of your dreams is now a reality and you’re ready to decorate, entertain, and nest. Then suddenly, the dream turns into a nightmare. The air conditioning unit crashes — right in the middle of the July swelter. When else?

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) honored their 10th annual Teal & Silver award recipients during a breakfast event at the college’s Williams Campus on May 7 at the Student Pavilion Center. Nine winners were recognized for their efforts and support of CGCC students, employees, programs, services and the college community.

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.

Some GOP lawmakers are threatening to torpedo the budget being pushed by their own leaders if $400 million in planned spending is not cut across the board.

Homeowners are starting to think about spring cleaning rituals. We organize, shuffle, wash, vacuum and even dust in corners that are normally forgotten or overlooked. We conquer our bathrooms, kitchens, dark closets and are brave enough to look under the bed. What about the furniture? More than likely, it hasn’t been cleaned, or cleaned properly, in a long time, if ever. So, it’s time for spring-cleaners to tackle their deep, dark furniture-cleaning fears. With some simple, ongoing TLC, you can extend the life of your furniture and stave off the need to buy new furniture. Just make sure you’re doing it correctly and not making things worse.

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

Q: What is better for a computer, leaving it on all the time or shutting it down every night? — Justin


The Court of Appeals won't stop the state from continuing to fund a controversial voucher program, at least not now.

After reading that the Senate has passed a bill to have online retailers charge sales tax exactly the same as brick and mortar businesses, I am hopeful that Congress will see the impact this will have on their communities. Small businesses have suffered and many have closed because people can save tax dollars by purchasing online. In fact, many people use local retail businesses as testing grounds for whatever they want to buy online. While we all love the idea of getting a deal, it shouldn’t be done on the backs of our local retail businesses. If the same tax is charged online as in person sales, both types of retail would be better served. I hope our Congressmen will realize that when the issue comes to a vote.


While driving on Ray Road recently I saw a bumper sticker reading: “People who think guns kill people must think that pencils misspell words.”


As temperatures keep creeping into the triple digits this week, public pools around Ahwatukee Foothills are starting their summer sessions to keep kids cool.


As some of you may know I have been covering the Jodi Arias murder trial as a legal expert for FOX 10 and other national TV stations. I’ve probably done over 65 TV appearances as a legal expert on the case. This case has turned out to be the biggest case of 2013 and maybe as big as the O.J. Simpson case.

AZPASS (Arizona People Acting for a Safer Society) would like to respond to Bill Richardson (“Limiting magazine capacity: Let’s try it!,” AFN, April 28) who seems to want to only confuse the discussion, and to prevent the rest of us from reaching a reasonable consensus on sensible gun regulation.


One of the ways the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce assists local businesses is with a membership drive taking place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6 at The Grace Inn, 10831 S. 51st St. It is the chamber’s chance to introduce businesses to their main benefits and have a little fun.


Part of a new sponsorship program, the Kyrene School District was able to save more than 1.5 million kilowatts in energy this past school year, saving the district around $200,000.

Let me add a few points in support of Don Kennedy’s May 15 AFN guest commentary (“Why the resistance to background checks and why the need for semi-automatics?”).