Time marches on.

It’s time to privatize Gilbert.

So President Obama wants to end so-called “tax loopholes” for American oil and gas companies? Sounds like a good idea, until you learn that what the president is really asking. The “Close the Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act” essentially asks American taxpayers and businesses to shoulder the economic brunt of the Administration’s ambitious green energy objectives.

On May 5, 1862, a rag-tag force of vastly outnumbered Mexican soldiers held off well-provisioned French troops backed by heavy artillery in a battle to defend Mexican sovereignty.

America’s sixteenth president is currently visiting the East Valley. Chandler Hamilton Library is featuring “Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times,” an exhibit on display through May 3 that celebrates the life and leadership of Lincoln. The exhibit was created by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study on the potential effects of the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway extension — a project that would give the East Valley another artery to the Phoenix region’s west side — is now available to the public for review and comment.

Higley Elementary and Middle School is undergoing a transition to a back-to-basics style of instruction in 2013-14 - the inaugural school year as “The Higley Traditional Academy.”

If you’re interested in either Irish culture or boxing, you’re going to want to check out The Irish Cultural Center’s “Boxing Writers and Movie Night.” On Thursday, April 25, Jay Tunney, son of heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney, will discuss his new book “The Prizefighter and the Playwright,” a story about his father’s friendship with Irish author George Bernard Shaw.

Mesa Public Libraries is holding a series of teen volunteer fairs for students entering seventh through 12th grade, between the ages of 12 and 18 to fill positions for the Summer Reading Program. Jobs will assist as program desk aides, computer aids, self-checkout assistants, shelving positions, program craft aides and other miscellaneous duties.

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.

Lottery confidentiality

Mesa

NEW YORK — At the beginning of each tourist season, the entrepreneurs who pitch the thrill rides, hot dogs, sideshows and souvenirs at gritty Coney Island gather along its famous boardwalk to pray for two things: good weather and large crowds.

The Red Mountain Library will be hosting a free “Energywise” workshop with SRP 1 to 3 p.m. Friday.

Wayne Pomeroy prides himself on saying he’s always had a job.

Wayne Pomeroy prides himself on saying he’s always had a job.

Learn about estate planning, investing and more during a series of free financial planning workshops starting on Friday at Mesa’s Red Mountain Library.

Public safety, health officials and volunteers will walk Mesa neighborhoods Saturday as part of the annual Walk for Water Safety. Participants will distribute 5,000 water safety bags door-to-door.

Don’t become a victim of identity theft. The Mesa Main Library is offering a free workshop on how to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of this virtual crime. The workshop is held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 6.

“Hey, Mesa! How about not ripping up Broadway until you’re finished with Southern? But no, that would make sense!”

The Gilbert Unified School District will hold public forums this week to gather input from the community on the attributes it wants in the district's next superintendent.

The Grand Canyon, copper, and Arizona's history will be celebrated Saturday as the Southeast Regional Library hosts a "living museum" event 1 to 4 p.m.

Those who pick or scratch it rich would get more privacy under the terms of legislation given preliminary approval Monday by the state Senate.