Stories - AZPM

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.

"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.

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.

Guatemalan father with his 5 year old daughter. It took father and daughter almost two weeks to get to the Arizona border. They are asylum seekers staying at a temporary shelter opened by the City of Tucson to relieve the overflow of migrants at Tucson shelters. (April 18, 2019)

The City of Tucson Offers Hope to Migrants in Need

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Go backstage at Tucson High Magnet School to preview "Our Border Town"; Tucson poet laureate TC Tolbert receives grant from the Academy of American Poets; And, what would you do with the blessing of extra time to be alive?

AZPM is partnering with StoryCorps for One Small Step to record conversations between strangers who hold different political beliefs.

Finding Common Ground with "One Small Step"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Free speech debate on campus; "I Dream in Widescreen Returns"; and thoughts on kindness from the Mission Garden.

Five additional rows of concertina wire added to border fence in Nogales, Arizona, by U.S. Army soldiers, Feb. 6, 2019.

Tucson Joins Nogales in Fight Over Concertina Wire on Border Fence

The City Council voted to back the small border town in its fight with the federal government.

"Hold On To Your Weaves" (2018) / photograph by Kennady Schneider

#Black - Exploring Identity with Photography

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A "Go Fund Me" campaign for the border wall; An author's journey in search of her Sephardic Jewish heritage; and the world debut of the play "The Hall of Final Ruin."

Protesters on a downtown Tucson corner denounce President Donald Trump's emergency declaration over border security, Feb. 18, 2019.

Tucson Protesters Decry Trump Emergency Declaration

The demonstration downtown was one of dozens around the country.

The cover from La Cerca's 2018 album "Night Bloom".

La Cerca goes Acoustic for a Spotlight Session

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Arizona 360" goes on the road to El Paso to talk border politics; the immigration story of a UA graduate from Mali and the bright future she has built.

Thomas Thwaites' documents his quest to take a break from being a human in his book "Goatman". Photograph by Tim Bowditch.

Becoming a Goat?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Trials begin for "No More Deaths" volunteers; How photographing Bears Ears National Monument became a passion for a retired astronomer; and remembering when Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Tucson.

Actor and playwright Jim Brochu portrays actor and artist Zero Mostel in "Zero Hour".

Exploring "Zero Hour", and the Rebellion of Zero Mostel

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A family separated for 6 years by the U.S. / Mexico border; Gary Paul Nabhan on "Food from the Radical Center"; and the Zoppè Family Circus legacy.

Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, March 2017.

TPD Chief Magnus Testifies Before Senate Committee

Tucson's police chief talked about community policing near the border.

Challenger Rep. Nicolas Pierson and incumbent Dem. Raul Grijalva await the start of their televised debate in the Congressional District 3 race, Wednesday, October 17, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.

CD3 Candidates See Separate Paths Forward on Immigration

One of 9 U.S. House districts that border Mexico, the topic looms large in Southwestern Arizona.

Nayla Altamirano, a lawyer, an activist, and a performance artist with Zapotec and Chilean roots, is one of dozens of artists participating in the 2018 Binational Encuentro, October 11 - 19, 2018.

Women Migrate Across More Than Borders

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Borderlands Theater explores"Sanctuary"; Pima County's Master Gardener program celebrates 35 years; and Tu Nidito presents an art show by youth coping with grief.

Candidates for the 2nd Congressional District, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, left, and Republican Lea Marquez Peterson, shake hands following a televised debate at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, Tucson, Arizona.

CD2 Candidates at Odds on Southern Arizona Issues

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Republican Lea Marquez Peterson vie to represent Pima and Cochise Counties district.

"Sanctuary" a new play by Tucson's Borderlands Theater (September 2018)

'Sanctuary' Play Revisits Tucson History

The theater company re-enacts the story of the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. Tucson religious leaders risked going to jail for their beliefs and actions.

More Border Tucson Stories