(NewsUSA) - Tick-borne illnesses are found throughout the United States. Though Lyme disease, transmitted by blacklegged ticks, is the most pervasive and publicly discussed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists a wide range of diseases spread by ticks. With tens of thousands of people impacted each year from such illnesses, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) advises summer enthusiasts about the danger of disease transmission from ticks and encourages them to take proper precautions to protect against exposure to these blood-sucking pests.

When the community was asked to identify priorities to take to voters in a potential November 2014 Pima County bond election, the result was approximately $1.3 billion worth of projects.

(BPT) - Nothing says summer like dairy products from the number one dairy state, California. From scoops of cold, creamy ice cream to melted cheese atop juicy grilled burgers, dairy and summer menus go together like sweet corn and butter. But nothing spoils the summer fun like spoiled milk, which is why it’s important to know how to store your dairy products – especially in the hotter months.

Q: What causes a laptop’s screen to suddenly have a tiny black spot in the middle of it and is there anything I can do about it? — Thomas

1. OBAMA APPROVES ARMING REBELS

I have a pet peeve. Who am I kidding? I have many of them, actually, but today I’m focusing on just the one. It pertains to my children. Here’s the scoop: I’m really fed up with people offering food to my children (pun totally intended). It happens all of the time. At church, for example. My children attend Sunday School while my husband and I are in the congregation at church. The service—and subsequently, Sunday School lessons—last an hour. One hour. The 10:30 a.m hour, at that. On any given Sunday, my family will typically enjoy a fairly hearty weekend treat of a breakfast. Waffles or pancakes or biscuits and eggs. By the time we drop the kids off in their respective Sunday School classrooms, scarcely an hour has passed since my family sat down for breakfast. Yet, when we pick them up from Sunday School, we hear reports of snacks that were given out. And I’m not talking about something healthy like a handful of grapes or a segment of orange. I’m talking about powdered donuts or cookies or packaged cereal bars—food imposters laden with sugar and preservatives.

(BPT) - Indoors or outdoors, your home decor needs some TLC to look its best. Replacing worn or dated furniture or flooring inside your home is considered fairly easy. But when outdoor spaces start to appear shabby, do you decide to live with the tired look because you think freshening the space will be too time-consuming or costly?

(BPT) - Summer has arrived and vacation season is underway. With the kids home from school, and family and friends anxious to visit, you can expect the stress of getting your home ready to be in full swing. Here are a few helpful tips that will make you a successful host and give your guests a warm welcome.

Now you see it – now you don't. This, in a nutshell, describes how Adam Block, renowned astrophotographer and astronomy educator with the University of Arizona's Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, discovered a supernova in a galaxy far, far away.

(NAPSI)—When it’s time to move to your college dorm, your first apartment, your family house, your scaled-down empty nest or whenever you have a new home, you may be able to save time, trouble and money by doing it yourself.

(NAPSI)—A group of seniors with imagination and initiative recently demonstrated how committed volunteers can make a difference in a community.

(NAPSI)—The next time you get a headache, you might care to consider this: If you’re like most migraine sufferers, you don’t even know it, and even if you do, you may not be treating it properly to get the fastest relief.

(BPT) - Whether it’s plywood, bottled water or generators, Americans gather the necessary supplies and seek the appropriate shelter if confronted by the wrath of Mother Nature. Regardless of the disaster – hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires – lives can be turned upside-down in an instant. Some of the most commonly overlooked items, as people stock up for emergencies, are prescription medications. In some cases, not having access to necessary medication can itself be a life-threatening situation.

(BPT) - Warm weather and sunshine are putting families across the country in vacation-planning mode. Whether traveling by train, plane or automobile, mobile devices are typically the first thing parents and kids pack.

(BPT) - Few things in life are as special as the unconditional love and loyalty a pet provides. With 78.2 million owned dogs and 86.4 million owned cats in the United States, according to The Humane Society, it’s obvious Americans enjoy having pets. What might not be so apparent is how best to care for them. When it comes to making sure your pet stays healthy and lives as long as possible, what steps can you take?

(BPT) - With Father’s Day right around the corner, give Dad a break from his “to do” list by taking care of the easier DIY tasks for him. From simple fixes to bigger projects, sometimes all you need is the right tool at the right time, to get the job done.

(BPT) - Sailors silently gliding underwater while patrolling the ocean depths in a nuclear-powered sub and the pride of earning the coveted Submarine Dolphins. This is the exciting and challenging life for personnel in the United States Naval Submarine force.

This time of year gets to me. When the mercury climbs and the sun won’t relent, my mind goes back. It was on a midsummer day nearly four years ago that my then two-year-old son nearly drowned. I took my four children to a friend’s house to spend an afternoon cooling off in their pool. My friend and I sat in the shallow end of her pool keeping watch as our combined six children splashed and swam the day away. My two-year-old stayed at my side on the pool’s lagoon, spraying the other kids with a stream from a water gun he’d taken a liking to.

(BPT) - Common cancers have a high level of awareness among Americans – and rightly so. Prevalent cancers like breast, colon or prostate affect a large number of people, and it’s important to be aware of preventive and diagnostic measures. But cancer can also strike in an area of the body many people don’t think about – the feet.

My eighteen-year-old daughter’s beloved first car broke down on the side of I-10 about a month ago. In order to buy that little green Volkswagen Beetle in the first place, she’d saved for well over a year, stashing away every penny she earned from her part-time job, as well as cash birthday and Christmas gifts. So when the temperature gauge somersaulted and grey smoke poured from the exhaust pipe that day, my daughter’s dream car quite literally went up in smoke. And, unfortunately, there were no affordable options to get it back up and running. There was a grieving process to be sure, but perhaps the heaviest burden fell on the shoulders of my husband. Used car shopping, you see, is like the kryptonite to his Superman.

The University of Arizona's Olympic silver medalist high jumper Brigetta Barrett has been named the Pac-12 Conference Woman of the Year for the 2012-13 academic year, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has announced.

(NAPSI)—For kids, summertime should mean food, friends and fun. For many families fighting to make ends meet, however, summer can mean struggling to stretch tight food budgets even further.