Stories - AZPM

UA graduate student in geosciences Becki Beadling on a research vessel in teh Southern Ocean, deploying robotic floats that gather information for the SOCCOM project.

Ocean & Space

Learn about UA scientists in the Southern Ocean measuring climate change; and celebrating the past and future of space exploration at Spacefest X.

Gerry & Darwin Hall, photographed by Jade Beall (detail).

"Wise Bodies, Beautiful Elders" - photographer Jade Beall confronts ageism in the raw.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The facts regarding mental illness and gun violence; and mushroom hunters go on a monsoon quest.

Harvey Girls at the lunch counter of the Harvey House in Winslow, Arizona circa 1910.

Arizona Spotlight for August 1st, 2019

Looking back at a 1979 radioactive contamination in Tucson, and citizens working together; exploring the history of Harvey Houses in Arizona; and a couple finds common ground with "One Small Step".

Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, is photographed collecting lunar samples at Station no. 1 during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity at the Descartes landing site. This picture, looking eastward, was taken by Astronaut John W. Young, commander. Duke is standing at the rim of Plum crater, which is 40 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep. The parked Lunar Roving Vehicle can be seen in the left background.

Geoff Notkin on the past - and future - of space exploration.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Mexican rock stars sing out about immigration; and a party to celebrate the "The Queen of the Night" at Tohono Chul.

Madonna Thunderhawk and her daughter, Marcy Gilbert, at Standing Rock 2017. The pair were featured in "Warrior Women," a film about the women of the American Indian Movement in the '60s and '70s.

Arizona Spotlight for July 18th, 2019

Flagstaff Red Screen Film Festival presents indigenous stories for all to see; Retired astronaut Mark Kelly reflects on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing; and a Spotlight Session from Heather Hardy & Alvin Blaine.

Some of the contemporary citizens of Bisbee, Arizona who participated in a dramatic re-enactment of the 1917 Bisbee Deportation for the film "Bisbee '17", directed by Robert Greene.

A town faces ghosts from its past in "Bisbee '17"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Looking for a new shelter arrangement for asylum seekers in Tucson; and Aurelie Sheehan talks about her new short story collection "Once Into the Night".

500 Gila Topminnows make a splash at The Mission Garden

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Author Kimi Eisele on "The Lightest Object in the Universe"; singer Natalie Douglas returns to Tucson with the songs of Nat King Cole; and "A Love Letter to the Library" about MegaMania.

Madeleine Erasto, who's family are refugees from the Congo, dances to the live music at the family fun fest of the World Refugee Day celebration at Catalina High School on Saturday, June 22, 2019, in Tucson.

World Refugee Day in Tucson

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The youth photography program, Parks in Focus. And The Southwest Fair Housing Council observes the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.

Archie is a big brown bat, and has been taken care of by Bob & Debbie Beucher since being rescued more than sixteen years ago.

Bat night at the Mission Garden

Also: A new facility in Nogales, Sonora to help migrants following the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy; and strangers find common ground with "One Small Step".

A small sample of the types of jewelry made by local artisans for the annual Tucson Juneteenth Celebration.

Tucson Juneteenth Celebration 2019

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A cross-cultural program inspires Native students in the UA College of Medicine; and, is it a piece of cake for the brain to interpret a metaphor?

Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, the original drummer for Creedence Clearwater Revival, keeps his rock 'n roll dreams alive in Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

Drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford and the final tour of Creedence Clearwater Revisited

Also: The latest on the trial of Scott Warren, and what it means for humanitarian aid on the U.S. / Mexico border; and two Hollywood versions of the story of Judge Roy Bean.

The view from the Oracle Ridge Trail looking north. The landscape would have been much the same as what Sara Lemmon saw on her journey up the mountain, except of course Biosphere II would not have been in the background.

Arizona Spotlight for May 30th, 2019

Also: Climbing Mt. Lemmon in the footsteps of Sara Plummer Lemmon; TIHAN celebrates 25 years of helping Tucson's HIV-positive community live better; and an artist who finds creative satisfaction in millions of tiny hand drawn lines.

Sara Plummer Lemmon, age 44, a few months before she climbed to the summit of the Santa Catalina Mountains. / Photo by Wynne Brown. Original at the University and Jepson Herbaria Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Walking in the footsteps of Sara Plummer Lemmon

The story of a botanist and artist who had a mountain named after her.

"New Mexico I-10 mile marker 16 Eastbound. A freshly painted shrine for Rafael and Luis, the Virgin watches me through the plexiglas from her post between the crosses marking the passage of these two travelers, the paint is so fresh the dirt is still blue. It’s good to know you are loved." - Jesse Sensibar

Signs of life and death along southwestern highways

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson restaurant history, becoming a goat, and looking back at Dr. Martin Luther King's visits to Tucson.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison during her 1992 mission as crew member on the space shuttle Endeavor.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison: "Living Deeply and Looking Up"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Artists wish UA students good luck during finals week; Exploring Persian fairy tales and women in mythology; Adiba Nelson on the challenges of being a mom.

1,100 backpacks represent the number of college students who died by suicide in 2018. This event was designed to raise awareness about mental health and encourage suicide prevention.

Can 1,000 Empty Backpacks Save Lives?

Also: How Pima County could pay for newly opened migrant shelters; Bridging cultural divides with the Persian language; Tucson author Janni Lee Simner reads from her new book.

More People and Places Stories