Fifth grade teacher Kim Tredick was recently awarded $25,000 from the Milken Family Foundation for being recognized as an educator dedicated to making every student successful. The cash award was a surprise for this Sulphur Springs teacher and the check presentation was a media event with not only local press, but every major news channel in attendance.

It's a lovely Saturday afternoon and you decide to spend it in the park, flying kites with your children. The park is clean and well kept with plenty of parking spaces and mature trees to provide you some shade. Did you notice on the trip over to the park that the road was well maintained, flowing smoothly and free of potholes? The ambience of the Santa Clarita Valley is well documented in our parks and roadways. Houses are sold to those who want to enjoy our recreational facilities, schools and rolling hills. Being named one of the safest cities hasn't hurt, either. But roads, parks, schools and safety come at a cost.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the country fall prey to tax scams that rip off their money. Because most people hate the prospect of paying the government their share of taxes, many seek an alternative means to paying taxes or they fall victim to what they think is a good money making opportunity. As many of us know, now there is more than one way to go fishing and that's phishing over the internet. The latest phishing scam claims to be an IRS refund notification. The phishing e-mail claims the recipient is eligible for a sizeable tax refund.

Dr. Joel S. Miller, DMD, MAGD, has recently trained in neuromuscular dentistry. Dr. Miller, now a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, has also received training in neuromuscular dentistry at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. Neuromuscular Dentistry can help alleviate symptoms such as headaches, neck and shoulder pain, jaw pain, clicking or popping in the jaw and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

By now, all of the New Year's resolutions that we made regarding working out, eating right or even quitting smoking have played out. We either did or we did not. Statistics say that most of us have not even come close to keeping those pesky resolutions. I propose we change New Year's resolutions to weekly resolutions. This way we can begin anew 52 times a year instead of once. Much better odds, don't you think? When it comes to financial resolutions we should give them the same attention that we should give to eating or living better. Let's start with some activities that can be implemented on a regular basis until they become habits.

We see the litter and we shake our heads. Trashy highways are a common sight in Southern California. Even at high speeds, we notice our freeways are a disgrace. Californians love their cars, but they also love fast food and bottled soft drinks, probably the largest trash items thrown out the window and onto our roads. More than 260,000 bags of trash are collected every year by the maintenance crew from the California Department of Transportation.

Jim Moaddab and Mason Abedinzadeh recently purchased the Nick N Willy's in Stevenson Ranch and will soon open a second location off Via Princessa. With over 26 years experience in restaurant business, it was time for them to open one of their own. Their motto is simple: "Create a home-like atmosphere while providing excellent customer service and great pizza!" For more information call 291-1921.

In America today, we have a large and growing problem with consumer debt. Many experts through many different forums have talked about the increase in consumer debt in great length. According to statistics from Debtscape, a nonprofit credit counseling organization, "Currently, national consumer debt is 2.04 trillion dollars (April 2004), with credit card debt equaling about 750 billion dollars." Using those totals, "for every man, woman and child in the country, Americans owe $2,293 in credit card debt (based on current population figures)." Here are some additional stats from Debtscape: the average balance on a single credit card is $8,000; the average household has 10 credit cards; Americans paid out approximately $82 billion in interest alone last year.

If you're planning to make any New Year's resolutions this month, you may not want to read this. But for your sake, I hope you do. Actually, my motives aren't completely selfless. I hope you read this for my sake, too. And not just for my sake. I'm writing for the sake of everyone who lives in the valley. This could profoundly affect us all. Like most Americans around this time of year, you've probably made at least a mental list of promises you sincerely expect to keep in 2007. For some of you, those promises involve your health. You'll resolve to shed a few pounds. You'll vow to really need to dig out those old clothes you shoved to the back of your closet several New Year's ham dinners ago.

College of the Canyons selected Jill Mellady as Alumna of the Year for 2006. A 1983 graduate of COC, Mellady has since established a successful business, Mellady Direct Marketing. She also serves on the school's foundation board of directors, as well as volunteers as the co-chair of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children's Cancer and as a board member for the Child & Family Center and the Valley Industrial Association.

The holiday season seems to be lasting longer and longer each year. It used to be that Halloween would come and go and then a couple of weeks would pass before the Thanksgiving decorations and turkeys would flood our local stores and shopping malls. Now, holiday seasons overlap and sections of stores that used to be dedicated to seasonal items are now split in two in order to accommodate the expanded service to their customers. This helps us remember the season, right? Other ways that we remember the seasons are with family pictures, gifts and of course our credit card statements. If you haven't completed all of your purchases yet and are contemplating "how" to buy the next gift (even if it is for yourself), not "what" to buy, here are a few tips that can make the next few statements, I mean months, easier.

Mac's Project, Inc. has announced its "Recycle for Life" program and the collection of aluminum, plastic and glass beverage containers. Proceeds from recycling efforts will raise money to benefit area children being treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and their families. By donating your recyclable beverage containers to the program, businesses are not only donating for the benefit of our area children but are doing something about our environment and helping to keep California beautiful.

Saje Natural Wellness is now located inside the Valencia Town Center Mall on the second level across from Macy's. Saje's side-effect free wellness line features a wide range of chemical-free, drug-free, preservative-free wellness remedies for everything from headaches and back pain to allergies and stress reduction. For more information call 799-7722.

Well, it is that time of year again. The holidays are upon us. You may be asking yourself, "How did they get here so soon? What am I going to get everyone? Have I even finished paying for last year?" This time of year can be terrific. Great food; family; work parties; silly, but cute, kids programs at school. All of these can be very exciting and can help to make the season a joyful time of traditions and memories. But this can also be a very stressful time. You may ask yourself, "What great food am I going to make? What family is coming for dinner? Are Uncle Joe and Aunt Sally still not talking?

The top retailers of food, fashion & design are hosting a special trendsetting event at SCV Design Center on November 3. This collaborative event will feature demonstrations, a fashion show, fabulous food and specialty merchandise. The VIP list is now forming since space is limited; call Just Us Girls at 259-7157 or Madalian at 799-7983 for more information.

Here's a holiday riddle for you: What's big, plump, more than you'll ever be able to handle and requires a lot of work to get rid of when the holidays are over? No, it's not Aunt Posey's deep-fried Butterball, lovingly boiled in refreshing peanut oil (although this is a vivid guess). It's that plastic in your wallet or purse calling to you to buy something else, right now - before the rush begins. It's probably calling to you like some demonic clown from a Stephen King straight-to-DVD special that you wished you hadn't wasted an hour of your life on. The sad tale of your credit card bill doesn't end well, either.

Cobblestone Cottages' Brighton Handbag Trade-in event allowed customers to bring in a handbag for donation and receive a bonus towards the purchase of a Brighton handbag. Over 100 handbags were donated and then given to the Assistance League's Take Two Thrift store, which runs Operation School Bell, which helps grade school students with their school supply and related needs.

In the future, people will be highly dependent on personal and retirement savings programs to get through retirement. The guaranteed benefits of old-style pension plans are almost a thing of the past. Interest rates and stock market returns have been inconsistent recently and have no clear direction for the near future. Finally, Social Security only provides a subsistence level benefit.

Your business is up and running and you have a loyal customer base, but how do you get to the next level? Or you are a new business owner and you would like to let the community know what you have to offer. Competition is tough in the Santa Clarita Valley, but because of our small town status, getting to the next level may be as easy as reaching out to the community, volunteering or joining a networking group.

Arrive early. If you are there before the mass of the group, you are assured the maximum opportunity to meet everyone. Arrive with a goal in mind. Before the meeting, set a goal for yourself for that day, and then achieve it. Don't arrive at the meeting feeling lackadaisical or unfocused. Take some time to get yourself focused before the meeting. Make sure you have writing materials and plenty of business cards and/or brochures. Make sure you have a purse or briefcase to deposit the materials and business cards that you will accumulate.