Obama announced an executive order to establish initiative on educational excellence for African Americans. It will give them complete education from the time they are born till they get career. He also calls for the price of college tuition to drop.

I despise racist people. They, to me, deserve zero respect.

Kayla Peterson was among nearly 900 St. Olaf students who were recognized for academic achievement at the college’s annual honors day convocation on May 4. Peterson is from Ahwatukee Foothills and is a graduate of Desert Vista High School. She is a sociology/anthropology and environmental studies major. Kayla is the daughter of Todd and Jayne Peterson.

The City of Mesa is celebrating Global Youth Service Day by hosting an athletic shoe drive for kids 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 27 at Mountain View High School.

Law enforcement agencies and major retailers in the Phoenix area hope that sharing information will help them combat retail theft committed by criminal groups and gangs.

Valley of the Sun United Way and Mesa United Way are partnering for a special Project Connect event April 11 at Broadway Christian Church, 7335 E. Broadway Road, Mesa.

I find the opposition to Obamacare a gross, contradictory, and hypocritical position held by certain elected officials who represent the citizens of this great country.

Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley announces the appointment of Rabbi Kenneth Leitner as the congregation’s new rabbi.

Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a new version of an anti-stalking bill that riled social media users when a previous version sought to make it a crime to annoy or offend someone online.

The state of Arizona has to improve government transparency in order to give ordinary people like me a say in important decisions. I have opinions about policies and budget concerns, yet last week’s budget bills were passed with such short notice that I did not have enough time to give any input. My opinion is that big decisions should not be made at the 11th hour and then thrown at the public with hardly any time to react. Even some legislators complained about this lack of notice. Government transparency is a right of the public and I deserve for my voice to heard and at least considered when it comes to how state money is being spent.

The annual "Furry Tails Can Come True" dinner and auction will be held for Gilbert's Friends for Life Animal Rescue in Tempe Saturday, Feb. 25.

As a part of Chandler's 17th annual Multicultural Festival, 150 people will become U.S. citizens Saturday at 11 a.m. at the festival's third annual naturalization ceremony.

In the wake of a handful of football players and a coach losing their lives this summer due to extreme heat and humidity during football practices across the country, we wrote about the harsh reminders and precautions necessary around the East Valley last week.

This month, more than 80 freshman and sophomores from Betty Fairfax High School in Laveen will participate in an intensive eight-week curriculum based program called "Kaleidoscope" presented by ASU Gammage. Since 1994, Kaleidoscope a nationally recognized and awarded program educates and exposes students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience live Broadway theater.

This month, more than 80 freshman and sophomores from Betty Fairfax High School in Laveen will participate in an intensive eight-week curriculum based program called "Kaleidoscope" presented by ASU Gammage. Since 1994, Kaleidoscope a nationally recognized and awarded program educates and exposes students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience live Broadway theater.

Imagine flaking out on your 20-page college sociology class paper not because you’re out partying but because you get an email from hip-hop baron Jay-Z, offering you a shot at taking your music — which you’ve recorded in your dorm room — to the big leagues. That’s the way it went down for recently graduated Duke University frat boy Mike Posner, whose Top 10 hit “Cooler Than Me” has been all over the radio this summer. The 22-year-old visits Tempe in support of his debut album, last month’s “31 Minutes to Takeoff.”

Determining how many new students a district will have and when to open new schools is no light task, but the School Facilities Board hopes the addition of a staff demographer will help.

Restaurants, food companies and schools have taken the blame for adding to children’s girths. Now, a new study by an Arizona State University graduate student reveals how families influence their teens’ eating habits.

While doctors and nurses care for the medical needs of patients at Mesa's Cardon Children's Medical Center, a special group tries to help the kids be kids, even in the hospital.

While doctors and nurses care for the medical needs of patients at Mesa's Cardon Children's Medical Center, a special group tries to help the kids be kids, even in the hospital.

While doctors and nurses care for the medical needs of patients at Mesa's Cardon Children's Medical Center, a special group tries to help the kids be kids, even in the hospital.

You may know him as one of the stars of the popular PBS series “History Detectives,” but Dr. Eduardo Pagán is also a Grand Canyon State native and history professor at Arizona State University.

As 2012 comes to a close, many of us will make resolutions for the new year to lose weight, read a book, learn a language, or one of a million other goals we have put off to improve our well being. However, there is something we can do to make a far greater impact on our own lives and in our community: pledge to shift 10 percent of the money you spend from national chains to independent businesses.