Larry Luenser

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department offers several programs and classes to the public for affordable prices. Adults can enjoy arts and crafts, music, games, computer and language classes as well as an opportunity to join a basketball, softball or volleyball league. Teen sports (for ages 13-17) include basketball and dogeball while some of the teen programs offered in Phoenix include teen council, music, education and field trips. Youth classes vary from art, music, ballet/tap and gymnastics to cooking, hip-hop, computers and chess. Everybody is welcome to come to swim, take a bike ride, hike or tour various locations around the city through the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department. Suffice it to say, Phoenix offers something for everyone. Come see for yourself!

When the City of Peoria introduced curbside recycling a year ago, they were hoping it would create a 15% diversion rate for recycled waste. Happily, Peoria residents exceeded their expectations by helping the city collect over 15,000 tons of recyclable waste, for a 23% diversion rate. As a "thank you" for residents' efforts, the city is offering free tickets to the final night game of the season for the Peoria Saguaros vs the Peoria Javelinas at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday, November 12th. You can download your free coupons by visiting their website. If you are one of the first 500 visitors to bring a non-recyclable plastic grocery bag, you will receive a reusable grocery bag courtesy of local Peoria Walmarts. The reusable grocery bags are a great way to reduce the use of non-recyclable materials. While 23% is a great start, we can always do more to help reduce, recycle and reuse. Go to the City's website, download and print your tickets and come out to the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday to enjoy a free night of family fun by cheering on our local sports teams.

Remodeling your kitchen doesn't have to be a drain on your bank account. Here are a few simple, easy ways to update the look of your kitchen without spending too much money or time:

1. A simple coat of paint not only brightens up the walls, but can make older cabinets look fresh and clean. Don't forget a coat of paint on the island base and maybe even a new butcher block top.

2. Dress up your open shelves with molding around the edges and brackets for a more decorative touch.

3. Adding a window to a blank wall will bring in more natural light, whether it's an exterior wall above the sink or an interior wall into an adjoining room.

4. Replace the cabinet and drawer fixtures with new knobs and pulls. Have fun playing around with different antique glass knobs, pewter pulls and even handmade fixtures.

5. Hang your cooking utensils within easy reach of the stove by using a decorative curtain rod and steel S-hooks for spoons and ladles.

6. Create more storage by adding shelving to open wall space.

7. A glass shelf across the middle of the kitchen window over the sink not only adds extra storage, but creates an interesting focal point to the room.

8. Take off a lower cabinet door and add decorative baskets on the shelves. This breaks up the monotony of just having plain cabinets throughout the kitchen.

9. Use slate tiles to create a simple, inexpensive and easy to install backsplash. It creates warmth and allows for quick cleanups.

10. Curtains aren't the only window treatments to use in a kitchen. Adding a shelf above the window trim to display plants or collectibles and wainscoting below frames windows nicely.

These are only a few of the many simple, easy, inexpensive ways to change a kitchen from a re-don't to a re-do!

With many people losing their homes to foreclosure or leaving them altogether, Glendale has seen an increase of vacant properties throughout the city. Homeowners are worried about how these abandoned properties affect their home values. The City of Glendale encourages its residents to call in to their offices if they believe a property has been abandoned and poses a safety hazard, appears to have a property maintenance issue or if suspicious activity has been occurring at the property. Glendale offers several programs to help residents maintain their neighborhoods. The following are some of the programs Glendale officials have made available for residents with concerns regarding vacant properties in their neighborhood:

1. Property Maintenance Issues (Glendale Code Compliance Department; 623-930-3610). If a home has had no activity on it after 10 days of being vacant, contact the Glendale Code Compliance Department. They will come out to take care of any safety issue right away. However, cleaning up trash or taking care of an overgrown lawn will take longer.

2. Homeowner Assistance (Community Revitilization Division; 623-930-3670). If you are a distressed homeowner looking for assistance because you are in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, call the Community Revitilization Division. They can refer you to several non-profit programs that can help you.

3. Reporting Suspicious Activity/Crime (Police Department; 9-1-1 for emergency or 623-930-3000 for non-emergency). Call 9-1-1 if the criminal or suspicious activity is happening at that time. Use the non-emergency number for other reports. If there is an ongoing issue with suspicious or criminal activity, contact the Community Action Teams (CAT) at 623-930-3380. The police department has put together this special force to deal with any ongoing problems.

4. Reporting Graffiti (Graffiti Removal Hotline; 623-930-3080). No one likes to see graffiti in their neighborhood. It brings down the property values and tends to give the whole neighborhood a black eye. If you see graffiti on an abandoned home, please call the graffiti hotline right away.

With everyone's help, we can keep Glendale clean and safe.

1. Foreclosures are at record highs. Many estimates put the amount of homes in foreclosure by the end of the year at 2 million. What does this mean? If your credit is good and you have some money set aside, now is an excellent time to buy.

2. Home prices keep falling. How fast they are falling depends on your area. In some higher demand markets, prices have continued to climb, albeit at a slower pace. Despite the national decline in prices, however, several markets are actually experiencing a comeback.

3. It's not as easy to get a mortgage loan as it once was. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Loose lending practices in the past were a big contributor to the downfall of such companies as Countrywide, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Many people were approved for mortgages they just couldn't afford. Now, you will not be able to "live outside your means" to own a home.

4. Say bye-bye to bad real estate agents. Since homes used to practically sell themselves, every Tom, Dick and Harry became a weekend agent. Now, people are picky about what they get for that 6% commission they have to shell out. This means that the cream will rise to the top, leaving only the best Realtors to pick from.

5. Historically low mortgage rates. Unlike the double digit interest rates experienced before the 1990s, the 30-year fixed rate mortgages are at a historically low 5.93% right now.

6. Urban markets are on the rise. With rising gas prices and long commute times, many people are leaving suburbia for homes closer to their workplace. Even though the price/foot is traditionally lower in a suburban home, people have flocked to downtown areas, creating a rise in demand for urban housing.

7. Just because it's bigger, doesn't mean it's better. More and more homebuyers are looking at downsizing their homes to ease their costs on property taxes, maintenance and utilities.

8. Green is the word. Since more and more buyers are looking for eco-friendly homes that utilize Energy-Star appliances, tankless water heaters and radiant floor heating, stressing these attributes when trying to sell your home will help you stand out in a competitive real estate market.

9. Use of technology and social networking have dramatically changed the real estate landscape. With online listings, home valuations and other helpful information on homes easily available on the internet, real estate agents are finding that they have to rethink how they market themselves and their listings.

10. Flipping is out. With the large inventory of homes on hand and prices on the decline, many people are now buying up the bargains and holding onto them instead of flipping them quickly for profit. Any good real estate investor knows that a down market is the best time to buy.