In an effort to help wounded service members, Ahwatukee residents Agnes Oblas and Peggy Coomans are hosting a seven-hour knit-a-thon this weekend.

As anyone who has ever taken a standardized test knows, the last step in preparing for the test is to sharpen your No. 2 pencil. That may not be enough, however, for those thinking about taking college entrance exams. Planning and preparation for the ACT/SAT should begin now for rising seniors. Here are some topics to consider as you establish your test-taking strategies.

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

Another Italian eatery is preparing to open in the recently closed Anzio Landing restaurant space in Mesa.

The Mountain Pointe duo of Natrell Curtis and Jalen Brown keep getting national attention.

New Valley Church in Ahwatukee is offering Financial Peace University, a well-known program, for those wanting direction in how to save, spend and get out of debt.

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

I received a press release today on the Brothers in Arms Classic the Desert Vista football team is participating in the fall.

New York • When he first started working with Imagine Dragons, music producer Alex da Kid was looking for some inspiration for the Broadway musical, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

The heat may be back, but so is a great way to cool off: Big Surf Waterpark opens Saturday, May 4.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense operational committee, announced that three Arizona employers have been selected as semifinalists for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Starting next semester, students who smoke will have to find other places to light up between classes. All Arizona State University campuses and buildings will become tobacco-free beginning Aug. 1.

Their stories are nowhere near as harrowing.

Gov. Jan Brewer said Tuesday that enhanced security is being put in place for this weekend's Pat Tillman run in the wake of the bombings in Boston.

Lane Change is practicing a new song for its set list, Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me.” The manager is coaching the vocalists on the harmonies: “This note needs to be higher.” “This part is too early.” “Let’s start from this part.” Then they start at the recognizable chorus.

Start marking your calendars with all the shows you plan to see this season. Arizona Theatre Company has announced its 2013-2014 lineup.

The tale of two Americas. We have the America which is comfortable with the collective government control of production through socialism or communism, plus all of the misery which goes with collectivism. On the other hand, we have the America which wants liberty for the individual to control the means of production and all of the benefits which derive from the spirit of the free man.

William Barfield Sr. and Frank Matus, both of Desert Vista High School, died over the weekend according to school officials.

WASHINGTON — Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.

Joseph Ortiz of Edward Jones

January means resolutions. My guess is that at least one of your resolutions falls under the category of being happier in some area of your life. If so, you might want to take a look at Gretchen Rubin’s new book, “Happier at Home” (2012). Her previous book, “The Happiness Project,” was No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for months. Although I hadn’t read that one, I bought her next book as the “perfect” gift for someone. Before I wrapped it I skimmed it a little further than in the bookstore. Soon I was reading each page and knew I had to have my own copy. This is a valuable and inspirational reference for any individual, family or home — the kind of book you might not read at one sitting or from beginning to end, but snippets on a daily or weekly basis. With a highlighter.

More ordinary buyers are finally getting into the Phoenix-area housing market as home prices continue to rise and investors find fewer bargains to snap up. That’s according to a new report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, which reveals the numbers for Maricopa and Pinal counties, as of November.

Chandler Regional Medical Center’s Radiology Department recently received recognition by American College of Radiology for Ultrasound Imaging.

Marilyn Monroe. The Rolling Stones. And Bond — James Bond. What do they have in common?