From sports to news, and from happy to sad, The Explorer Newspaper’s staff  has captured the many moments in and around Southern Arizona. Here are just a few highlights from the past year.

The need to pontificate is one of the curses of aging, and as my beyond-senior mother would say, “That’s not a question.” 

Now that the Town of Marana has assumed control of the wastewater treatment facility after a lengthy battle with Pima County, officials are now reviewing a fee structure that will be put in place by March of this year.

The Oro Valley Town Council plans a closed executive session this week for its annual review of the town manager's performance.

An appointed task force charged with recommending revisions to the Oro Valley commercial sign code has begun to meet.

The pits of the sand and gravel mines that gape and yawn along the length of the Santa Cruz River in Marana are facing tougher regulation and reviews by the town, and mines in unincorporated areas may soon receive similar scrutiny as Pima County pledges to follow Marana's lead.

Oro Valley planners are hoping to shed some light on what at times has been a very touchy subject around town.

The online streaming industry is growing and growing every year. Standing at the forefront of this online explosion is Netflix, the well known provider of both online streaming of thousands of different programs ranging from movies, to T.V. shows, and documentaries as well as in home, through the mail deliveries of their content. Netflix began the road to online kingship back in 1997, when the company began as a traditional through the mail provider. By 1999 the company had introduced a monthly subscription policy and now operates on both monthly payment and unlimited online streaming. Over the past decade or so, Netflix has found its way into the homes of many families, college students, and anyone else who enjoys video entertainment. Netflix has been able to stand amongst the forefront of much of the development of the in-home and delivery movie craze, but this rise to the top has not been one without trials and setbacks.

(NewsUSA) - After 18 years spent leaping over regulatory hurdles and sputtering in political gridlock, the first genetically modified animal intended for human consumption is one critical step closer to receiving federal approval.

It is now that time of year, the dreaded (or maybe loved) summer. In Tucson, we will be expecting temperatures well into the one-hundred plus region. We will go through sweltering heat, little to no cloud coverage, and burning winds, now this just seems awful. Many people may think to themselves, “Why would anyone want to do anything out in this heat?” Luckily for those of us who are a little braver to the summer heat, there is plenty fun to be had and entertainment to find. Tucson has a hidden little secret that may take some time for non-natives to realize, we have some of the best outdoor events you could ask for. If you take a drive out to Houghton and I-10, you may be surprised to see a growing figure out in the distance. No, that’s not a mirage; this small oasis of fun is real. Starting April 18 and running until April 28, the Pima County Fair graces us with droves of rides, entertainment, food, and fun for your whole family to enjoy, a place to “Get Your Fun On!” .

When most people think of George Lucas, they are hurtled along a prestigious history of inspiration, creation, and creativity the likes of which have sparked the imaginations of millions around the world. Lucas, and his entities LucasFilms and LucasArts, have been responsible for some of the most innovative and groundbreaking creations in the past decades. Both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise empires were birthed from the mind of Lucas, and their successes have been nearly unparalleled in modern culture. The Lucas empire stretches beyond movies, though. While LucasFilms is responsible for the classic films we all know and love, LucasArts has been supplying the gaming world with games as impressive as the movies.

On Feb. 24, millions of television sets across the globe tuned in to one of the most celebrated and glamorous celebrity spectacles of the modern era: The Oscars. Yet, within the aftermath of this 85th Oscar ceremony, it is important to note that all too often viewers are somehow missing the bigger picture. Within the Oscar experience, there is a plethora of trivial and somewhat meaningless aspects of the evening that many people choose to highlight. What designer clothing is Meryl Streep going to wear as she struts down the carpet? Did Robert Downey Jr. have something done to his nose? Did you hear about Jennifer Lawrence’s wardrobe malfunction? It is a melancholy truth that these topics are brought to the forefront of discussion.

(BPT) - We live in a visual age, consuming thousands of images every day via a range of devices that allow us to access the Internet and its vast resources quickly and easily. Just as with virtually every other aspect of our lives, journalism has also evolved to keep pace with our increasingly visual world.

(BPT) - This year marked a time of change, innovation, trials and hope. But what was the most memorable moment of 2012? A great place to look is online searches, as they mark the people, places and events that mattered most in a given year.

Chances are that if you read my column regularly, you already know how I feel about remakes. If you don’t, well let me fill you in: I abhor them. I hate them with a passion. I personally believe they are single-handedly going to destroy Hollywood because they take away from the creativity and unique ideas that the city was once home too.

The Arizona State Land Department is reviewing two reports of consultants charged with preparing an engineering assessment and an economic assessment of the possible sale of 900 acres of state trust land near Picacho Peak to Union Pacific Railroad for a proposed switching yard.

Released in October of 1976, Leftoverture rose as high #5 on the Billboard Pop Albums in 1977, which to this day has solidified its place as one of the most influential progressive rock albums in modern times. Kansas experienced with a wide variety of different instruments that created a unique sound that has yet to be truly replicated. While still featuring the expected instruments characteristic of a rock band of its time, the band reached beyond the likes of guitar, bass, and drums, and incorporated other instruments into the fold that included piano, violins, violas, organs, vibraphones, and analog synthesizers. The reward is for the listener, as this exposes us to a style of progressive rock that has little been explored, both back then and to this day. The lyrical content is deeply psychological, dealing mostly in the realms of human emotion, intuition, death, and ancient philosophy. The lyrical themes blend with the music progression in unison creating a music that is way before it's time.

Federal budget policy and the fiscal health of the United States were discussed during a luncheon and town hall event hosted June 29 by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office.

I know it is an off election year, and that there is not a lot of interest in what the Town is doing, but we better keep a close eye on this budget cycle.

The community discussion about the future of Oro Valley's Development Review Board continued last week.