May 3 was my birthday and I found myself ruminating over the course of my life of 72 years. I found focus on the fact that many, perhaps some of you that may know me, do not think I’m a very good “handyman.”

Twenty-two schools in the Mesa Unified School District are running at 80 percent student capacity or less. Seven schools each have more than $3 million in repairs needed in the next five years. The district’s enrollment has dropped by more than 6,000 students in the last eight years, and its budget has been chopped by at least $60 million in the last two.

Since the residential real estate meltdown hit the Valley, neither low prices nor low interest rates have been enough to excite enough potential homeowners to trigger a rebound.

Roundabout interchanges being proposed for the future Loop 202 intersections at McKellips and Brown roads address residents’ complaints and engineering problems, a state transportation consultant said Wednesday.

If we live in the digital age, why do we still have so much clutter?

When you live in Arizona all your life, as my family has for five generations, your state's border with Mexico becomes more than a line in the dirt. The Arizona-Mexico border represents a gateway to business, an entryway for people and a potential pathway to economic opportunity. Left unprotected, however, this 370-mile stretch also represents a source of real and present danger to Arizonans and fellow Americans.

Being able to read the latest goings-on on your cell phone is a certain sign that access to news is nearly universal.

Thanks to the Independent Redistricting Commission, we might see something done in Congress this year.

Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you feel the effects of the prices at the pump, and our reliance on gasoline has only increased. So why is energy taking a backseat role in this election? In the Presidential debate, the topic of energy was barely discussed!

BOUQUET to the Arizona Department of Public Safety for cracking down on speeders on Valley freeways last weekend, netting hundreds of motorists going well above the posted limit. But why not a sustained enforcement effort that surely would make our major transportation corridors safer?

Queen Creek residents opposed to a Salt River Project power line scheduled to be strung above their homes say their biggest concern is getting the utility to work better with communities when planning new routes.

East Valley drivers saw another drop in fuel prices this week, according to AAA Arizona.

Scottsdale has thrown out nearly 600 photo enforcement speeding citations after learning they were triggered by a faulty sensor.

Beginning today, five of six photo enforcement cameras will resume capturing images of speeding motorists along Loop 101 in Scottsdale.

Recovery from addiction can be complicated for many reasons, grief being one of them. Grief is not reserved for loss of life; we experience grief when experiencing major life changes including relationships with alcohol and drugs.

Mesa motorists will learn today whether they will now have to watch their speed through city intersections. The Mesa City Council is to vote on a new photo radar program that will increase the number of red-light cameras at intersections from 13 to 30.

Mesa motorists will learn today whether they will now have to watch their speed through city intersections. The Mesa City Council is to vote on a new photo radar program that will increase the number of red-light cameras at intersections from 13 to 30.

Thanks to the Independent Redistricting Commission, we might see something done in Congress this year.

Ten Arizona mayors formed a roundtable to use their influence and leverage city resources to improve education last week.

It is so tiresome having to read the many letters from Rod Livdahl. You can almost count on his first paragraph denouncing something “the Republicans” have done. His bias is so obvious that it seems to get in the way of good logic. His latest attack is against “the GOP mantra that revenues go up when taxes go down.” There is some truth in this charge, but the tax loopholes which make for lower taxes on “the rich” were just as often created by Democrats as by Republicans. Neither party has a monopoly on crony capitalism!

Driving — something most everyone in our country does today, but where does it begin? We kick off our driving career at age 16 in most states, and it is at this time, it’s the most dangerous. Teen driving is a controversial topic, and according to James Gilbert (The Yuma Sun), claims the life of more American teenagers than anything else today.

Mesa is beefing up enforcement of speed limits near Rhodes Junior High School. Speed cameras are being installed on Baseline Road, in the median west of Longmore.

After two meetings in January where the governing board tabled the discussion, Maricopa High School’s sports teams can celebrate the approval of a new grass turf surface that may be in place for the fall sports season.

Are you looking for a position as a mail carrier, cook, customer service representative or account claims processor? If so, you’ll want to visit one of the many upcoming job fairs taking place at the Maricopa Workforce Connections Business Center located at 735 N. Gilbert Road.