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

A federal judge on Tuesday slapped down the latest efforts by the state to block the Tohono O'odham from building a casino on the edge of Glendale.

The Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the South Mountain Freeway was released on April 26, but as the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to study putting the freeway down Pecos Road a group of Gila River Indian Community Landowners are stuck waiting for answers as their initiative — which could make it possible for the freeway to go on tribal land — is stalled by the Tribal Council.

Saying there are technical problems with the proposal, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed legislation Friday which would have allowed individuals to shop around for the best price on health care needs.

When the new Phoenix Premium Outlets opened last week it was flooded with eager shoppers, but many of those shoppers were confused when they saw the taxes applied to their purchases.

You could pick up some pretty good art for a decent price this weekend.

The tribal council for the Gila River Indian Community is sending the GRIC Landowners initiative — which could move the Loop 202 Freeway off the Pecos Road Alignment — to be investigated by tribal police before it decides if the initiative will be accepted as is or go to a public vote.

A voter initiative that could move the Loop 202 freeway onto tribal land will go before the tribal council on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Once the initiative goes before the council it has 60 days to either accept it as is or put it to a vote.

It has been performed by the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond, and appeared everywhere from the 2012 Olympic Games to “South Park.” No longer just a musical staple of Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs, “Hava Nagila” has become a global phenomenon that has captivated the masses with its simple message of happiness and gratitude.

At three public meetings this week anti-freeway demonstrators spoke out about the possible Loop 202 extension through South Mountain, citing environmental and cultural impacts the freeway would have on the surrounding area.

What has been the biggest concern for the future of Ahwatukee for years will remain at the top of the list moving into 2013. There has still been no decision made on whether or not the South Mountain Freeway will run down Pecos Road.

People have always speculated about what might or might not happen in 2012, but this past year turned out to be one full of waiting.

The signatures needed to rescind the results of a February tribal election, when the Gila River Indian Community voted “No Build” for the Loop 202, have been verified.

Several youth from the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) showed up in anti-Loop 202 T-shirts and masks to the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce Public Policy meeting on Friday to show opposition for the meeting’s presenter.

Some members of the Gila River Indian Community will meet for a relay run and march to show solidarity in opposition against the Loop 202 Freeway this weekend.

The development group responsible for bringing together the GRIC Landowners, the group fighting for the Loop 202 extension to go on tribal land, say their project and ultimate goal for the community has very little to do with whether or not the freeway extension is built.

The proposed Loop 202 extension through Ahwatukee Foothills or the Gila River Indian Community would have destructive impacts on the land and the people, according to speakers at “The Price of Progress,” a panel discussion at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Maybe it’s the sign of a slightly improved economy.

Signatures for a new voter initiative for the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) on the Loop 202 freeway extension was turned in during a meeting yesterday with the tribal elections office.

Signatures for a new voter initiative for the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) on the Loop 202 freeway extension will be turned in during a meeting with the tribal elections office at 11 a.m. today.

Months after the group known as Gila River Landowners announced it had collected enough signatures for a new voter initiative on the Loop 202 freeway those signatures still have not been turned in, and an exact timeline for the vote is still unknown.

To be honest with you, I don’t really care where you get your chicken sandwich. The thing that interests me the most about the whole Chick-fil-A, marriage equality discussion is wrapped up in the phrase, “the biblical model of marriage.” It interests me because there are assumptions being made about a “biblical model” that simply does not hold water. The Bible does not have that much to say about marriage, and a great deal of what is said does not fit the assumptions.

Most of us have learned as we’ve gotten older that life doesn’t always turn out the way we planned. That may be good or bad depending upon the situation, but the one positive is that most of us eventually find a way to rebound; and it never hurts to have someone in our corner to help us get back on track as we experience life’s ups and downs.

State health officials issued the first 97 allocations Tuesday to operate medical marijuana dispensaries amid threats of litigation on multiple fronts.