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New sign at Stone & Drachman in midtown Tucson.

Court blocks Tucson Inn demolition amid preservation dispute

Judge halts the demolition of three motels on Miracle Mile and asbestos abatement after preservation groups argue the actions threaten the historic integrity of the iconic motels.
A Cholla High School student puts on a virtual reality headset on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.

Cholla High School students experience Native art through virtual reality

Students, through the use of virtual reality sets, listened to three different stories from Navajo artists.
Kids from the cast of "Cinderella" from Spotlight Community Theater. "Cinderella" plays December 5th through the 8th at the theater.

Spotlight Community Theater's production of "Cinderella".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A tale of true love that started in Tucson in 1943 that continues today; and historian David Leighton shares the history of the Reid Park Zoo..
Paula at age 12. She hadn’t been able to start school until age 8, after the war ended.

Remembering Paula Bronstein, a survivor of the Holocaust.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Beth Colburn Orozco shares the story of her search for the daughter she never knew.
DUSK Music Festival is on November 9th and 10th in downtown Tucson at Jácome Plaza. The festival has live music, food and art.

DUSK Music Festival returns to Tucson.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Voices from the Tucson Pride Festival; emerging UA filmmakers take the stage at San Diego Comic-Con; and historian David Leighton shares the star-studded story of Nick C. Hall.
Molly McKasson and Susan Claassen performed comedy and improv skits as “Mols and Suz” throughout the mid 1970’s and 1980’s. Now they are reviving their sketch comedy for one night at Invisible Theater on Oct. 15.

Political satire that has aged like wine: Mols and Suz - Together Again One Night Only!

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The 3rd Annual Chinese Chorizo Festival celebrates culture, community and food; and Tucson native Jeff Biggers on co-writing "Disturbing the Bones".
From Saguaro City Music Theatre's production of "The Million Dollar Quartet": Wyatt Andrew Brownell as Jerry Lee Lewis, Tarif Pappu as Carl Perkins, Colton Sims as Elvis Presley and Michael D. Potter as Johnny Cash.

"The Million Dollar Quartet": Meet four performers filling some very big blue suede shoes.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Film Fest Tucson returns with independent and international cinematic gems; and "Stories that Soar!" explores the meaning and versatility of love.
(L to R:) Carlisle Ellis, Max Wingert, Dennis O'Dell and Amy Selegue rehearsing "Sorry, Wrong Number" for The Late Night Radio Hour.

Late Night Radio Hour offers a unique theatrical experience.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Monument Valley's important role in the classic westerns of John Ford & John Wayne; and a local librarian is recognized for his dedication to improving youth mental health.
Stacks of hay bales sit beside an irrigation canal in Imperial Valley on June 20, 2023. Critics have called for reductions to the amount of alfalfa grown with Colorado River water. The particularly thirsty crop is mostly used for cattle feed.

The Buzz: Arizona/Saudi relations go back long before Fondomonte

We listen to an episode of AZPM's podcast Tapped that traces the link between the two deserts
Illustration of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn.

Cassini orbited Saturn 20 years ago this summer

The robotic explorer made historic discoveries about the ringed planet and its moons.
LEFT: Date Palms on the campus on the University of Arizona. July 2024. RIGHT: Arizona alfalfa field with flood irrigation on a sunny day.

From date palms to alfalfa: How Arizona became fertile ground for Saudi farms

What started with a camel handler would grow into a lucrative trade, but eventually ended in exploitation of lax water laws.
Archeologist Dr. Deni Seymour at work in the desert unearthing artifacts.

Discovering dynamic history in "Coronado: The New Evidence".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Simon Donovan shares a story about a beloved dog named Betty.
Christine Grady Gorder holding the photo of her WWII sweetheart U.S Army Staff Sergeant Ward Sackal who was killed in combat in Europe. The 98 year old has visited has visited his grave in France 11 times.

A tale of true love that began in Tucson in 1943 continues today...

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Visit Valley of the Moon; Marquez Price on "digital detoxing"; and 65 years of local television history in the AZPM Video Archive.
The Central Arizona Project canal just north of CAP headquarters near Phoenix.

A crisis fraught with possibility: How a massive canal set Arizona up for growth

The Central Arizona Project ensured that the states biggest cities had enough water and brought about a farm boom in the middle of the state.
Spanish-language publications such as Justicia, El Machete and additional years of El Tucsonense are available online.

50 historical Arizona newspapers now available online through Library of Congress collection

Publications from several Arizona cities are now publicly available thanks to a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
The Nazis required everyone to have identity papers. Hellpap went back to Berlin many years after the Holocaust and found a copy of his in an archive. He was 10 years old when this photo was taken.

"The Holocaust and Beyond: From the Boy Who Escaped the Nazis"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The story of Nick C. Hall, the Mayor of Old Tucson, and a song about spreading love, joy, and hope.

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