The Horizon Honors golf team finished second at the Division III state tournament last weekend.

Higley Unified School District athletic director Art Wagner, 42, was found dead near Higley High School Wednesday morning, according to the Gilbert Police Department. Police say the matter is still under investigation, but believe Wagner died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It’s been eight months since I had the great opportunity to join the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Since that time we have not made radical changes to the paper or wild editorial changes to the product. What I wanted to do was listen to our readers and take note of any changes that would aid this great community.

The Horizon Honors golf team finished second at the Division III state tournament this weekend.

The Horizon Honors golf team is headed to Division III state golf event this weekend as it hopes to better last year’s eighth-place finish.

After months of waiting The Lakes Golf Course has closed its doors, but the future of the course still remains unknown.

I sympathize with Ben Holt (president of Save The Lakes) and the owners of homes along The Lakes Golf Course, they have been given the “proverbial screw” by the owners. Hopefully, it can be turned into a “park-like” area, then with the money he saves by closing this course, Wilson Gee (golf course owner) can improve the Ahwatukee Country Club course back to what it was when I purchased my home in 1999. Mr. Gee, go take a look at the Whirlwinds just south of Ahwatukee to see what a golf course should look like.

The First Tee of Phoenix and the OB Sports Golf Academy announced the launch of the First Tee of Phoenix Elite Academy.

1. On April 22 around 8:30 p.m. police responded to a call of graffiti at a park in the 13200 block of South 48th Street. Unknown suspects, two adult males between the ages of 20 and 25, were seen spraying paint in the park. An officer located the pavilion and found a can of black spray paint, which was impounded for evidence and DNA analysis.

Interest in the annual Festival of Lights Golf Tournament has dwindled in recent years and when the co-chairs of the event moved to Gilbert it was unclear who would take over, but Ahwatukee Kiwanis stepped up and is hoping to make the tournament more successful than ever.

OB Sports Golf Vacations has three golf packages available starting at $160 per night.

The greens at Starfire Golf Club just got a whole lot greener with the implementation of Waste Management’s total recycling program. Starfire Golf Club is Scottsdale’s first golf public course to implement the program as part of its effort to go green and increase recycling and composting initiatives. Starfire Golf Club launched the program as the city’s first golf course recycling initiative on April 22 in commemoration of Earth Day.

The 43rd Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Youth Sports Awards are on Thursday, May 9, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, in the new Virginia G. Piper Theater.

OB Sports Golf Management announced summer stay-and-play packages for Scottsdale and Sedona, Ariz., and Las Vegas. The offerings include a number of ready-made packages, and golfers may customize any package and book online at www.obsportsgolfvacations.com. Or, for personalized reservation assistance, they may contact Denise Crawford at (866) 561-4653 or dcrawford@obsports.com.

The First Tee of Phoenix and the OB Sports Golf Academy announced the launch of the First Tee of Phoenix Elite Academy.

When I moved to Ahwatukee 22 years ago, both golf courses in the area were green and very attractive. Now The Lakes at Ahwatukee course, I am told, is about to be closed. I live on the 11th fairway of the Ahwatukee Country Club. This course, in the last several years, has become somewhat of an eyesore. They are no longer watering up to the fence in my backyard, saying the water destroys the fence and now there is noting but dry grass/ground that is very dusty, especially when a golf cart travels along the side of the fairway. This causes a lot of dust on my patio/patio furniture and neighbors pools.

The Mountain Pointe alumni tournament will be on May 11 at Club West, 16400 S. 14th Ave.

The Mountain Pointe alumni golf tournament will be on May 11 at Club West, which is located 16400 S. 14th Ave.

With a reputation for being innovative and versatile, Dante Ariola made a name for himself directing commercials for the likes of Coca Cola, Nike and Lexus. What began as a substantial career in graphic design morphed into a myriad of film work, including music videos for bands like Cake and Cypress Hill, and a documentary short about wildlife conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, entitled “Man & Beast.”

We were married on St. Patrick’s Day at the Foothills Golf Club. The wedding was beautiful, everyone had a wonderful time, the pictures came out great — best wedding a couple could ask for. If it wasn’t for the Ahwatukee community; however, our day would have been a disaster.

Before the weather gets any hotter, take your pooch out for a stroll at some of Ahwatukee’s dog-friendly restaurants.

While summer temperatures can be a scorcher, there’s one activity that helps Arizonans beat the heat: lounging in the pool. And what better way to cool off than relax in someone else’s pool — especially at one of our state’s sparkling AAA Four or Five Diamond properties?