Here is a collection of thoughts and stories from those who've crossed paths (personally or professionally) with former Higley district athletic director Art Wagner, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 15.

History is one of our greatest teachers.

David Greer paced around his classrooms at Desert Mountain on Tuesday, anxiously awaiting the start of the Division I baseball state championship game.

When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.

It’s not often art lovers get to see a work in progress let alone contribute to it, but Arizona Opera gives fans the opportunity to do just that this weekend when they present the first reading of “Riders of the Purple Sage” — an original opera based on Zane Grey’s western novel, set on the Arizona-Utah border.

ASU's class of 2013 will get their diplomas this week in Tempe and at least one of the graduates will be a little older than the rest.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Among the not-so-favorite memories from high school, standing in front of the class to deliver a presentation ranks right up there. Remember, the clammy palms, racing heart, dry throat and jumbled nerves?

Famous Dave’s BBQ locations in Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert, as well as Peoria, will thank teachers May 7 with its BBQ Two Meat Salute for "National Teacher Appreciation Day."

The prom is making a big comeback.

An eclectic group of four Valley women, the Heady Hoop Tribe aims to inspire others in the Phoenix area through the creative power of modern hoop dance.

There are restaurants that slash prices on margaritas or invite a mariachi band for Cinco de Mayo - and then there are restaurants that go a little nuts.

Hard rocker Tom Keifer would be among the first to say that life doesn’t go as planned. The long-time musician, best known for his lead role in the band Cinderella, released his first solo album – ”The Way Life Goes” – April 30 after a 10-year process and a long struggle with partial vocal chord paralysis — the ruination of many music careers.

Trumpeter/bandleader Doc Severinsen can still hit the notes, and it's not something he ever takes for granted. He always warms up.

Long a companion for artists, the color wheel can also be a handy tool for gardeners.

Putting herself through school, Shayna Stevens relies heavily on student loans to pursue a degree in secondary education at Northern Arizona University.

Thousands of students in poorly performing public schools could soon get what amounts to a voucher from the state to go elsewhere -- or even get educated at home -- a move that could remove hundreds of millions of dollars a year from public schools.

Some adorable Mesa babies will show off their swim skills on national TV this coming Tuesday.

When Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2010, Steve Cottrell saw a way to combine his laboratory background and his interest in the plant he’d been studying since his 11-year-old son died of cancer more than a decade before.

Water still bubbles and the sharp scent of chemicals still fills the amber-lit darkroom at Mesa High School as students — years after the advent of the digital camera or the camera phone — develop film into photographs in the time-honored method.

An ex-girlfriend of the man Jodi Arias says she killed in self-defense testified Tuesday that with her, the victim was never physically or verbally abusive.

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.”

Embattled state Attorney General Tom Horne could have to fend off a bid to keep him from getting his own party's nomination for reelection.