BOULDER, Colo. — Ethan Welty is thinking ahead to harvest time as he cycles through tidy Boulder streets pointing out apple, plum and mulberry trees on public and private land.

NEW YORK — It's May. Memorial Day and the end of the school year are in sight. Suddenly, you're thinking about a summer vacation. A little advance planning — and some insider tips — can save you a lot of money. Whether you're booking airfare, a car rental or a hotel room, there are questions you should ask first.

It’s May. Memorial Day and the end of the school year are in sight. Suddenly, you’re thinking about a summer vacation. A little advance planning — and some insider tips — can save you a lot of money. Whether you’re booking airfare, a car rental or a hotel room, there are questions you should ask first.

BOSTON — The bombs that ripped through the Boston Marathon crowd were fashioned out of ordinary kitchen pressure cookers, packed with nails and other fiendishly lethal shrapnel, and hidden in duffel bags left on the ground, people close to the investigation said Tuesday.

“The ‘bathroom bill’ is without doubt the most hateful measure the Legislature has ever come up with. It’s also indicative of a complete lack of understanding of transgender people and the LGBT community in general. To remedy this, I suggest viewing a program called “In the Life” on YouTube. Oh, wait, some people don’t want to understand; they just want to hate.”

If you remember when kosher wine meant mostly cheap and sweet, you probably also know that the second part is no longer true. Today, there are plenty of quality kosher wines being made around the world.

VATICAN CITY — Benedict XVI always cast himself as the reluctant pope, a shy bookworm who preferred solitary walks in the Alps to the public glare and the majesty of Vatican pageantry. And on Monday, the Vatican announced that the leader of the world's billion Roman Catholics was stepping down — the first pontiff to do so since 1415.

When people think of Jewish film, their minds tend to jump right to two subjects: religion and the Holocaust. While the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival certainly embraces those subject matters, executive director Jerry Mittelman ensures that they make up only a slice of the wide spectrum of films the fest has to offer.

The Mesa Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing 14-year-old.

"To Friday’s Venter, I am OK with your idea of looking at all the college transcripts of McCain, Palin, Limbaugh, if we could only see Obama’s. Of course this liberal Venter is not educated enough to tell you that his hero spent millions of dollars sealing his records from the public! Where did Obama get the money to pay these lawyers and what is he hiding? I would imagine there is enough information in these transcripts to bring down this so-callled President!"

For nearly a decade, Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee Foothills has offered a unique experience to the biblical story of Christmas right in its “backyard.”

Division III Championship

The youngest Jewish group at Arizona State University, Jewish Arizonans on Campus, established a house this semester on College Avenue and 15th Street in Tempe in which students can meet and grow in their faith together.

Phoenix’s award-winning Sister Cities program is looking to expand and create more economic opportunities for the city.

I am not sure when you will be reading this, but chances are good that you have already voted, or it could be that the votes have been counted and the election is over. Regardless of the outcome I am pretty certain of two things. First, whichever candidate won, whether you voted that way or not, is likely not nearly as bad as his or her opponent told you. No matter what has been written by those who frequently write letters to the editor, no elected official is loosing a lot of sleep trying to design ways to destroy the country. The second thing I am pretty certain about is that whichever candidate won, whether you voted that way or not, is likely not a savior either.

Editor's Note: These letters to the editor have been sorted by topic by the Tribune editorial staff in an effort to allow readers to read varied opinions on the issues, candidates, and other circumstances surrounding the 2012 general election. These submissions are the opinions of the author, not the Tribune, and have not been edited for grammar or content.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — President Barack Obama sharply challenged Mitt Romney on foreign policy in their final campaign debate Monday night, accusing him of "wrong and reckless leadership that is all over the map." The Republican coolly responded, "Attacking me is not an agenda" for dealing with a dangerous world.

President Barack Obama countered Mitt Romney's Big Bird and binders on Monday night with horses, bayonets and Battleship. Who won? The Internet, of course.

A Mesa mother of two is trying to teach her children while also igniting a spirit of service that expands beyond the boundaries of Arizona.