Local News Category

Open-top Vertical Pipes There is a wide-spread threat to birds and other wildlife which has long gone unnoticed: open-topped vertical pipes. The animals explore them for nesting potential, then get stuck in them and die of any of the various causes one may die of when stuck in a vertical pipe. Any pipe from 1 to… Read more »

As Ramadan draws to a close, Houda, her family, and the other residents of Tucson’s Small Syria are getting ready to celebrate the joyous days of Eid al-Fitr, the three-day holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. As Houda describes Eid al-Fitr, it sounds very much like an old-fashioned Christmas—full of the anticipation and delight of… Read more »

The good news is that here in Arizona no heat records have been broken this year. Yet. Moreover, the National Weather Service expects temperatures here to rise over the weekend to only 113 degrees on Monday, a full 2 degrees cooler than it was last year on that day. But it is still going to… Read more »

The human species did not exist the last time CO2 levels in the earth’s atmosphere were sustained at 400 ppm, as they are now. It was 10 to 15 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. The earth  then was 12ºC (21ºF) warmer. There was little or no ice in the oceans and sea levels… Read more »

The Gwich’in Nation has relied on the area known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for survival for millennia. Three members of the Gwich’in Steering Committee traveled from the Arctic across the desert Southwest to tell their story and to meet others with similar struggles. Bernadette Demientieff, Jeneen Frei Njootli, and James Nathaniel, Jr. stopped by the KXCI studios while they were in Tucson… Read more »

30 Minutes spoke with American Friends Service Committee Arizona Program Coordinator Grace Gámez, PhD. Grace discussed her work and the Blurring the Boundaries: Trauma and Healing Justice conference. The conference was designed to offer a critical examination of how the criminal justice system responds to, reinforces, and creates trauma for crime survivors, people accused of crime, and… Read more »

Bike on by the Urban Poetry Mailbox Bike on by the Urban Poetry Mailbox: Poet, Tucson resident, and library associate Elizabeth Salper dreamed up the Urban Poetry Pollinator project to help spread the joy of poetry in unexpected places. One of those places is in the heart of her neighborhood, Broadmoor-Broadway, where you can find… Read more »

The inflatable latex balloon was invented 200 years ago by the English physicist Michael Faraday. They did not fly to well initially, but by now, they have been improved to the point that they can stay afloat for as long as a week. In the end, however, they still must come down and that is… Read more »

Houda, her family, and many of the residents of Tucson’s Small Syria are preparing for their first Ramadan in America. Ramadan is the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, and it is a holiday rich with family and social connections. In Muslim-majority countries, many businesses restrict their hours all month to accommodate their fasting employees… Read more »

Today on 30 minutes, we’ll be hearing three stories from City High School Radio. Stefano Panchesin produced this first story as part of a history project for his sophomore Humanities class taught by Dillon Martino. The class studied the cultural legacies behind place names in Tucson. Stefano decided to look into the story behind the Allande… Read more »

Our guest today on 30 Minutes was Kimber Lanning, Executive Director and founder of Local First Arizona Arizona. She spoke about the Local First Arizona movement and the upcoming Food and Farm Finance Forum. The fourth annual Arizona Food and Farm Finance Forum will be held on May 18-19, 2017, at the University of Arizona’s Environment… Read more »

The concept of extending the teaching activities of academic institutions beyond campus dates back as far as 800 BC. The emperors of the Zhou dynasty sent out educators to the countryside to teach crop rotation and drainage techniques. The concept took root in Europe during the Irish Potato Famine, when Lord Clarendon sent out scientifically trained… Read more »

In episode 9 of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, Houda introduces you to another resident of Tucson’s Small Syria: her neighbor and classmate, Mohammad. Mohammad, his older sister, younger brother, and parents fled Damascus when Mohammad was eleven years old. His father worked for the government, so they feared for his life. As fighting… Read more »

During this interview I sat with Matthew Saraficio who is a recent graduate from Arizona State University earning a Bachlor’s degree in Acting. He talked about his role and experience during the production of “Shooting Columbus.” The performance was presented by Borderlands Theater and created by the group Fifth World Collective. The group consisted of indigenous and non-indigenous… Read more »

The Foundation for Creative Broadcasting, Inc. dba KXCI Governing Board of Directors 2017 Election Information Each year, KXCI members elect three of their fellow members to seats on the KXCI Board of Directors. Each seat is for one 3-year term. Officially, anyone who is a member of KXCI in good standing for 30 days prior… Read more »

Tucson has a new poet laureate! TC Tolbert is the first trans-queer poet laureate in United States history. In honor of this occasion Blackfeet tribal member and writer Bill Wetzel convened this panel Ideas For Change: A Conversation with Tucson Poet Laureate TC Tolbert in April 2017. Casa Libre founder/executive director and poet Kristen E…. Read more »

FIRE In an extraordinary accidental shooting, a Border Patrol agent started a wildfire near Sonoita last week by recreationally firing his service weapon. The blaze, aggravated by lower than average precipitation and high winds, scorched more than 60 square miles in the Coronado National Forest. Gun fire is not different from any other type of… Read more »

Episode 21: Transit Cycles In this Episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, we talk with Duncan Benning, proprietor of Transit Cycles and lifelong bicyclist and bicycle advocate. Learn about the multitude of different kinds of bikes and their uses, what to look for when buying a bike, and hear how Duncan’s love for bicycling began. “I don’t think I ever… Read more »

Houda & Melanie refer to Houda’s apartment complex in Tucson as Small Syria—16 Syrian families live there today, but a year ago there were none. Houda says that when she’s out in Tucson, she feels like she’s in America. But when she comes back home to her complex, she feels like she’s in Syria. In… Read more »

30 Minutes featured a conversation with Meg Weesner and Randy Serraglio. They are part of the core team of organizers for the People’s Climate March in Tucson on April 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m in El Presidio Park. Meg Weesner is Group Chair for the Rincon Group of the Sierra Club. Randy Serraglio… Read more »

Dr. Ada Wilkinson-Lee and Maria Federcico-Brummer are part of the Dolores Huerta Celebración Planning Committee. They discussed “Celebrando la Mujer: Noche de Resistencia: 4th Annual Dolores Huerta Awards” which took place on April 20th at YWCA Southern Arizona. A highlight of the event is an award presentation to the 2017 Dolores Huerta Celebración awardees. Isabel… Read more »

It is curious that there is no Nobel Prize for the most ancient of all human arts, the art of music. True, Bob Dylan did get one, the first musician so honored, but that was not for his music, but for his words. A recent study from the University of Ohio showed that over the… Read more »

“The Tucson women’s march was a part of a nation-wide and global movement for believers in equality to stand together in solidarity the day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. The movement itself was not anti-Trump but rather a non-partisan pro-equality demonstration intended to show the world… Read more »

Special web-only bonus extended episode – learn much more about the Tuesday Night Bike Ride and hear more clips from the March 21 ride! In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, we ride along with the Tuesday Night Bike Ride and talk to its unofficial leader, Collin Forbes. This Tucson tradition has been going on… Read more »

Education is hugely important to Houda–and to many Syrians. As she says in this episode of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, “School is the light of life. Without it is the darkness.” The violence in Syria has had a devastating impact on the educational system–and on an entire generation of Syrian children. Syria had been steadily… Read more »

30 Minutes focuses on Tucson’s Community Take Back the Night 2017. Take Back the Night Planning Committee members Monserrat Caballero and Casey Chimneystar Condit spoke about the event taking place on Wednesday, April 12th from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the City of South Tucson Municipal Complex, 1601 South 6th Avenue, on the corner… Read more »

Borderlands Restoration is a 4-year old organization with the mission to restore ecological balance in the Northern Sonora. BR employs simple but effective techniques to prevent erosion and restore the soil where erosion already has taken its toll. Erosion occurs especially in the aftermath of wild fires, which have been on the increase in our… Read more »

  In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, we ride along with the Tuesday Night Bike Ride and talk to its unofficial leader, Collin Forbes. This Tucson tradition has been going on every week, rain or shine, for almost ten years. Learn about the ride’s history, what makes it special, some of Collin’s favorite rides,… Read more »

What Is a Weed? A weed is a plant that grows where you don’t want it. Well, our entire front yard is overrun by a plant I call a weed, ’cause I don’t want it, as it is crowding out everything else. I was in the belief that the plant in question was ‘Russian knapweed’, aka… Read more »

In episode six of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship Houda brings us to her high school at the beginning of the war, when she was fourteen years old, after her father’s arrest and release. The story Houda tells in this episode is jarring, distressing, upsetting. Houda’s mother told Melanie the story first—through gesture, expression, and the limited… Read more »

30 Minutes spoke with Rebecca Fealk, Program Coordinator for American Friends Service Committee in Tucson to learn more about their work and their upcoming event. 2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), an international non-profit peace and justice organization. Founded in 1917 by pacifist Quakers as an alternative to military… Read more »

The Watershed Management Group hosts its spring Edible Shade mesquite pancake breakfast on Sunday, March 26, from 9 am – 12 pm at its Living Lab and Learning Center, 1137 Dodge Boulevard. Toppings for the pancakes include locally produced Prickly Pear syrup! Children will enjoy the La Casa del Chorrito playhouse. There will be presentations on… Read more »

30 Minutes features a conversation with Executive Director of The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona (NAMISA) H. Clarke Romans, Ph.D. and Christina Bickelmann, NAMISA Communications and Events Director. Mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in five adults and children. NAMI provides no-cost advocacy, education, and support for people with… Read more »

SARSEF’s Mission The mission of the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation (SARSEF) is to bring out the scientist in K-12 students. To this end, the Foundation helps more than 90,000 students in schools throughout the region to set up scientific projects on just about any subject that interests them. Although the emphasis is on the… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo we talk with local documentary photographer, Kathleen Dreier who has captured images and stories at Cyclovia Tucson since the very beginning. Now in it’s eighth year, Cyclovia Tucson gives people the opportunity to visit new neighborhoods and enjoy great weather, friends, food, and an array of family friendly… Read more »

Episode five of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship begins where episode 4 ended: Houda’s father is in prison after being arrested in the street outside Houda’s home while her mother and sisters watched. Recently, a family friend was able to visit Houda’s neighborhood in Aleppo. They shot the video below. The video shows the street… Read more »

Until about eight years ago, there used to be entire fields of discarded bottles all over the Tohono O’odham reservation, testifying to the despair that followed the disintegration of an ancient way of life. But today, these fields are largely gone, thanks to the dedication of one man to cleaning up the rez and his own life as well. And not only did he… Read more »

In a special one hour round table discussion for International Women’s Day Maggy Zanger, Rose M. Lopez, Linda Green, and Anna Ochoa O’Leary spoke about domestic issues in the US and in southern Arizona and along the US Mexico border. Topics include forced migration, violence against women, reproductive rights, and the heightened vulnerabilities of indigenous… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, we talk with Zack Jarret, President of Valley of the Moon, about the upcoming neighborhood tour designed to best be seen by bike or on foot (read what the Arizona Daily Star had to say about this upcoming tour here). The Rillito Bend Neighborhood and Friends of Valley… Read more »

30 Minutes features a conversation with Editor of the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition Carolyn Sugiyama Classen. She was the former legislative aid to US Senator Daniel Inouye from Hawai’i who was instrumental in the creation of the National Commission which investigated the World War II Japanese American internment. February 19, 2017 marks the 75th anniversary… Read more »

KXCI International Women’s Day Special Programming made possible in part by generous support from Marshall Foundation Wednesday, March 8th 7:00 am-8:00 pm Listen live: 91.3 KXCI Tucson or https://kxci.org/ Contact: Amanda Shauger amanda@kxci.org 520-623-1000 ext. 17 or 520-990-3623 KXCI Commemorates International Women’s Day with a great lineup of our women DJs, special community guests, and plenty of… Read more »

Our children will have to deal with the world their parents leave behind and where the idea always was that they should be better off than us, it appears that the opposite is about to happen. The massive amounts of soot floating about in the air will infringe on their right to life; the effects… Read more »

In episodes 4-5 of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, Houda begins to talk about the unraveling of her childhood in Aleppo. Houda grew up in the apartment below her four cousins, who are similar ages to Houda and her sisters. They were in and out of each other’s homes constantly—a tight-knit extended family. And… Read more »

In 2012, Roberts Bezeau participated in a study of garbage on the Panamese island of Colón, where he lives. A crew of 15 people opened 60,000 garbage bags and sorted out the contents. By far the biggest pile was the one with discarded plastic bottles. “It just kept on growing”. After the 6-month study was over,… Read more »

Web Supplement: Baking with Marwa There are more refugee stories in Tucson than we can possibly tell on the radio. So as part of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, we will bring you additional stories on the website. This is the first. Marwa, from Daraa, Syria, arrived in Tucson in 2016 with her family. Syria… Read more »

Armyworms Invade Africa In addition to drought and war, a new scourge has hit West and Central Africa: the fall armyworm, a.k.a. Spodoptera frugiperda, a critter that likes to get about. This voracious caterpillar originates in South America, but has spread as far North as Canada and now made its way across the Atlantic, probably as eggs… Read more »

August Wilson was one of our greatest playwrights, a titan of the American theater. He was careful about his legacy, and didn’t allow his plays to be made into feature films unless he had approval of the director. He wrote a screenplay for one of his two Pulitzer Prize winners, Fences, stipulating that the director… Read more »

In episode three of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, Houda begins to describe her family’s journey from Aleppo to Tucson. Like all Syrian refugee families seeking resettlement, Houda’s family went through extensive and repeated background checks, identity verification, medical exams, and interviews with multiple international and U.S. agencies. The process from application with the International… Read more »

30 Minutes features historian Dr. Michael Engs discussing the 100th year anniversary of Pershing’s Punitive Expedition into Mexico in 1916 and in particular the valor of the United States Buffalo Soldiers from the 10th Cavalry who were stationed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona from 1913 to 1933. The expedition into Mexico to seek out Francisco Pancho Villa… Read more »

On Janurary 21st, 2017, The Amerind Foundation convened a presentation entitled “Native Voices: Indigenous American & RED INK Literary Festival”. Seven authors shared their work at the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, Arizona. The event was hosted by Simon Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo member and award winning Regents Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University. Today’s first poet is Karen… Read more »

Berms, Basins & Humanure How do people practice sustainability in their every-day lives? Under the banner ‘Common Green’, the Weekly Green asks folks from all walks of life about their efforts to keep our neck of the woods and, by extension, the rest of the universe, habitable. This week, the microphone is manned by J.P. who implements Brad… Read more »

Many would agree that 2016 was a terrible year in general, and I don’t need to explain why. It is strange to have to admit, then, that it was a great year for film. Here is a list of my favorites among those I managed to see. Some of the movies are technically from 2015,… Read more »

Tucson-native Clayton Kamm stops by to tell us more about an event he dreamed up that combines his favorite things: bikes, poetry, local beer and local food. Poets Pedal, an afternoon of biking, poetry, gastronomy, and live music,  is a collaboration between the University of Arizona Poetry Center, Edible Baja Arizona magazine and Living Streets Alliance… Read more »

Aquarius, a new film by Brazilian writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho, wants to make us comfortable before we enter its main story. In a prologue from 1980, a group of friends, slightly tipsy, laugh and play music while driving a car on the sand along the sea shore. Among them is the beautiful Clara, played by… Read more »

Buffelgrass is a recurring theme on this program and that is because it is really, really bad. It was brought in by cattle ranchers from abroad in the 1930’s for cheap grazing because it is very low maintenance and reproduces easily. And it did. Now here’s a legal immigrant that is no longer welcome. There… Read more »

In episode two of Mn Huna: Finding Refuge in Friendship, we begin to introduce you to Houda’s family. Houda is the middle daughter in a tight-knit family of five. They all fled Aleppo together in 2013. But when Houda, her parents, and her younger sister Sara were resettled to Tucson in July of 2016, her older sister Noor… Read more »

On Janurary 21st, 2017, The Amerind Foundation convened a presentation entitled “Native Voices: Indigenous American & RED INK Literary Festival”. Seven authors shared their work at the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, Arizona. The event was hosted by Simon Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo member and award winning Regents Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University. Today’s first poet is Kyle… Read more »

Concrete is actually just one of the many applications of cement. Cement is a mix of lime and water that is an excellent binding agent, first discovered by the ancient Macedonians some 3,000 years ago. The discovery ranks with fire, the wheel and sliced bread among the great game changers in human history. If cement… Read more »

  Do you know what a Bookbike is? The Pima County Library has a fleet of Bookbikes that it takes to various locations and neighborhood events to give out free books, library cards, and information about library and literacy programs, as well as bike maps. In this episode, you’ll hear Karen Greene, Librarian on the Move at the Downtown… Read more »

On Janurary 21st, 2017, The Amerind Foundation convened a presentation entitled “Native Voices: Indigenous American & RED INK Literary Festival“. Seven authors shared their work at the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, Arizona. The event was hosted by Simon Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo Native and award winning Regents Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University. We’ll hear two pieces… Read more »

It is a soaring testimony to Mother Nature’s magic that the most massive animals ever to exist on Earth, the dinosaurs, have evolved into the very lightest: the birds. There are almost ten thousand known species of birds in the world. About 1300 of those, that’s 12%, are now considered threatened. That number is even… Read more »

Since its inception, 91.3 KXCI Community Radio has celebrated Martin Luther King Day. The Djs who are on each year share shape the programming with their passion and expertise. KXCI commemorates the life and legacy of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16th, 2017 with special programming from 7am to 6pm…. Read more »

30 Minutes spoke with University of Arizona faculty members Suzi Dovi, Phyllis Taoua and Denis Provencher about the upcoming Inauguration Day Teach-In and March for Unity and Solidarity. The teach-in takes place on Friday, January 20th at Old Main on the University of Arizona campus from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Following the teach-in there… Read more »

One hour southwest of Tucson lies the old mining town of Arivaca, now home to artists, crafts people and other professionals, as well as to award-winning authors Byrd Baylor and Kenny Buchanan. Arivaca has the oldest school house in Arizona, which is at the center of the Arivaca Ecofest on Saturday, January 28. The Ecofest grew out of… Read more »

Distracted driving is a leading cause of collisions and death involving people walking, riding a bike, and driving a car. Use of cell phones while driving puts everyone using our roads at risk. Did you know Arizona is one of only two states in the U.S. without a state-wide ban on texting while driving? A… Read more »

On December 30th we played KXCI’s Top 100 albums of 2016. This list was compiled from ALL the KXCI playlists for every show during 2016. Therefore this list represents all the DJ’s and their collective favorite new releases, as they actually played them throughout the year. Looking forward to a great year of music in… Read more »

An artist friend of mine once told me that it is bad marketing in the art world to put a date on your works, because people are not interested in what you made last year, or ten years ago, no matter how great it is; they want to see the latest. It has to be… Read more »

KXCI’s 2016 Top Local Releases Tucson has a local music scene that we are happy to show off here at KXCI. What better place to celebrate local music then right here right now? Here’s a handy list of recommended local 2016 releases (in no particular order) for your listening pleasure. Foxx Bodies – Foxx Bodies… Read more »

Thesis Thursday is a program on KXCI which runs every Thursday. We invite our friends from The University of Arizona to come down to the station and chat a little bit about what they are working on, their plans for the future and  we even talk a little bit about music. Today’s guest is Ariana… Read more »

Jared Perkins, Chief Operating Officer of the Children’s Clinics talks about a new program in Tucson providing adaptive bicycles to children with chronic illnesses.  Believing that play is fundamental to health and wellbeing, and that every child can be an athlete despite developmental abilities, the Children’s Clinics has partnered with Ambucs to donate adaptive bicycles individually customized to meet the special needs… Read more »

Each year the Winterhaven neighborhood draws tens of thousands of visitors to check out the dazzling and ornate light displays hosted by dozens of homes. The streets are temporarily closed to cars and people of all ages stroll about checking out the lights and enjoying the crisp evenings in Tucson. If you’ve ever been, you… Read more »

  A little bit of history on the feast of Christmas: The geographical location of the Northern European countries makes the winters there long, cold and dark. In places near the Arctic Circle there may be a little as 3 hours of sunshine a day. No wonder then that the winter solstice, when the days… Read more »

30 Minutes features more remarks from the November 28th, 2016  “Protecting the Sacred: A Panel on Indigenous Environmental Issues” convened by Blackfeet tribal member and writer Bill Wetzel at Revolutionary Grounds Books and Coffee‘s back patio. The panel was a discussion on indigenous environmental issues. It focused primarily on water and developments at Standing Rock… Read more »

  PtP – El Grupo Youth Cycling Daniela Diamente, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit El Grupo Youth Cycling describes the history of this amazing Tucson organization that empowers youth through bicycling.  El Grupo is over 10 years old and has expanded each year to include more kids and more programs. Tune into this… Read more »

The Queen of Katwe, a film by Mira Nair, is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl who, with very little formal education, became an international chess champion. The accomplished Indian director Nair, who loves to make movies about people and subjects largely ignored in mainstream film, presents us in this… Read more »

30 Minutes features remarks from the November 28th, 2016  “Protecting the Sacred: A Panel on Indigenous Environmental Issues” convened by Blackfeet tribal member and writer Bill Wetzel at Revolutionary Grounds Books and Coffee‘s back patio. The panel was a discussion on indigenous environmental issues. It focused primarily on water and developments at Standing Rock regarding… Read more »

Ersi Arvizu stopped by the KXCI Studios ahead of her performance at Lalopalooza on Friday, December 9th at El Casino Ballroom as we celebrate the upcoming 100th Anniversary of legendary Tucson Born Musician Lalo Guerrero who was born on December 24th, 1916. Ersi Arvizu is a voice from the past. Not in the dust-and-mothballs fashion,… Read more »

This week’s episode follows up on last week’s interview with Aaron Baumann of the Watershed Management Group. WMG proposes that our area’s water supply can be made independent of the Colorado River by increased efficiency of rainwater harvesting, gray water reuse and reduction of personal water use from the current average of 120 gallons a… Read more »

Watershed Management Group is a Tucson-based grassroots organization promoting a sustainable environment in and around Tucson and the Northern Sonora. As sustainability begins with a sustainable water supply, a primary objective if WMG is to restore perennial flow in our rivers and creeks without drawing on the Colorado River by collecting precipitation more efficiently and by decreasing per-person water… Read more »

Due to overwhelming support, this show has been sold out! Friday, December 9th from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm   El Casino Ballroom 437 East 26th Street Tucson Federal Credit Union and KXCI present Lalopalooza on Friday, December 9th at El Casino Ballroom as we celebrate the upcoming 100th Anniversary of legendary Tucson Born Musician Lalo… Read more »

Did you know you can support KXCI just by shopping at Fry’s? It’s easy when you enroll in Fry’s Community Rewards! To Register your Fry’s Card, sign up with your V.I.P Card and select The Foundation for Creative Broadcasting, Inc. Organization 63065. Once you’re enrolled, you’ll earn rewards for KXCI every time you shop and use your… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, BICAS staff members Troy Neiman and Monique Laraway, talk about the 21st annual Bike Art Auction. This event on December 2nd and 3rd, will have locally made bicycle art, beer, and live music! To suggest a bicycling topic for Pedaling the Pueblo or to ask questions about bicycling in… Read more »

30 Minutes spoke with Abby Jensen about Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance which takes place each year on November 20th. She also discussed recent legislation such as HR 2 in North Carolina and other legislative concerns. Locally, Transgender Day of Remembrance began with a ceremony at the fountain at Old Main in… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, the founder of El Tour de Tucson, Richard DeBernardis discusses the origin of the event and the positive impact it has on the Tucson community. El Tour race offers various distances (28-miles, 40-miles, 54-miles, 76-miles, 104-miles) so that bicyclists of various abilities can participate. Richard is the president… Read more »

XIXA’s Gabriel Sullivan and Brian Lopez joined guest host Ernesto Portillo Jr. for an intimate acoustic set on October 13, 2016. Video by Julius Schlosberg. This is the title track from their full-length debut, Bloodline.

Monsters The old Greeks imagined the rip current in the Straight of Messina (not, as erroneously mentioned in the broadcast, at the foot of the Rock of Gibraltar) as a monster and the gigantic whirlpool in its vicinity as well, naming them Scylla and Charybdis. Throughout the Middle Ages, seafarers returned from far-flung voyages to… Read more »

This episode focuses on the lack of environmental and conservation-minded voices on the Arizona Governor’s Water Augmentation Council (GWAC). We talk with Tucson City Council Member Steve Kozachik, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Executive Director Sandy Bahr, and former President of the Huachuca Audubon Society Tricia Gerrodette.  Our interviewees discuss how the Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, has… Read more »

Today on 30 Minutes, we continue with remarks made at the 2016 Tucson Makers: Inspired by Women. This event was presented by AIGA Arizona and held at MOCA Tucson. Attendees had an opportunity to hear five women representing a range of creative industries. Each gave a slide presentation on what they are most passionate about. Today’s… Read more »

It was a delight to have Joey Burns and Jairo Zavala of Calexico drop in during our busy October to chat, guest DJ, and play a couple of acoustic songs in the booth prior to their appearance at the inaugural Dusk Music Festival. Click below to here their performance and interview with Home Stretch host… Read more »

CO2 at 400 PPM For the first time in recorded history, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon-dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, exceeds 400 parts per million. In 1960, the concentration was about 315 parts per million globally.  CO2 is absorbed by vegetation, so in summer concentrations drop in the tree-rich Northern Hemisphere, but in winter when… Read more »

Episode 9: Cyclovia Tucson Cyclovia Tucson is the fourth largest event in Tucson, and definitely the biggest car-free event in the city. Learn about how this event has changed and grown into a celebration of Tucson’s unique and diverse neighborhoods, as well as a how it continues to be a cherished event that gets people… Read more »

Today on 30 Minutes, we feature remarks made at the 2016 Tucson Makers: Inspired by Women. This event was presented by AIGA Arizona and held at MOCA Tucson. Attendees had an opportunity to hear five women representing a range of creative industries. Each gave a slide presentation on what they are most passionate about. Today’s… Read more »

Ironwood Tree Experience is a local non-profit organization with the mission to take young people out in the field to learn about their natural surroundings, from day trips to 10-day expeditions to the jungles of Costa Rica. Find out the details in the Weekly Green’s interview with ITE Youth coordinator Lesley Newman:  

In this episode, Kylie Walzak and Colby Henley with Living Streets Alliance talk about the launch of Love to Ride in Tucson. Love to Ride is an online platform and smartphone app that makes it easy and fun for existing bicycle riders to encourage their friends, co-workers and community to ride. While the Love to… Read more »

PLASTIC FROM FUNGI A team of scientists at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands has discovered a way to make a biodegradable plastic-like material from fungi. Several types of fungi are blended into a slush which is then mixed with a base where they grow filaments, called hypha, that interweave to form the structure… Read more »

If you google “pack rat”, the greater majority of hits are sites of extermination companies. Pack rats get a bad rap for being thieves, vandals and, not least, rodents. But they have a good side, too – several even. The treasures they amass in their nests – called ‘middens‘ – sometimes over periods of thousands… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, host Krista Hansen interviews Tara Alcantara, owner of Home Grown Mountain Bike Tours and Founding Officer of Tucson Off-Road Cyclists & Activists (TORCA). Tucson has some of the best backcountry trails and downhill riding in the Sonoran desert, and Alcantara has dedicated her work to maintaining these trails and making them… Read more »

In this episode of Pedaling the Pueblo, host Ryan Fagan interviews Sam Sanford, transportation planner with Pima Association of Governments, about PAG’s annual bicycle and pedestrian count. Every October, volunteers count people walking and biking at dozens of locations throughout the region, giving PAG and its member jurisdictions information important for understanding trends and planning… Read more »

Every once in a while a book crosses the Weekly Green desk that provides a counterpoint to the way we in our industrialized, consumption-based society experience and deal with the world we live in. Just about a year ago we reviewed “The Spell of the Sensuous” by David Abrams, which argues that we lost touch… Read more »