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Synthia L. Hardy as Billie Holiday in her play "Billie! Backstage with Lady Day".

"Billie! Backstage with Lady Day" at Invisible Theatre.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Revisiting a cookbook that represents Tucson's Black community; remembering the last of the Universal Monster performers, Ricou Browning; and a poem about what a kit a cat can be by Rick Wamer.
Gordon Clapp and Mimi Kennedy will star in the Arizona Theatre Company's world premiere of "Pru Payne."

"Pru Payne" stars Mimi Kennedy & Gordon Clapp on finding love in the shadow of memory loss.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: New water conservation plan finds opposition; meet the women who founded Borderlands Brewing Co.; and a cautionary tale from Stories that Soar!
An attendee stands in front of artwork depicting the Arizona Buffalo Soldiers at the African American Museum of Southern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 14 2023. The African American servicemen in the painting were allowed to join the U.S. Army in 1866.

The Buzz: Black History in Southern Arizona

New efforts are being made to bring contributions by the area's Black population to light.
Penn and Teller will be performing at the Fox Theatre Mar. 1st, as a part of the 2022-2023 Chasing Rainbows Series.

Penn & Teller visit the Fox Tucson Theatre. Listen to an interview with half of this magical duo -- but which one?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Dr. Pamela Mays McDonald on art-ivism and Black Panther culture; and Richard Zoglin writes about how Elvis transformed Las Vegas, and how Vegas transformed the King.
The Machida family as they waited for transportation to an internment camp in Hayward, California in May 1942.

"Citizen / Enemy" at the Tucson Desert Art Museum looks at the legacy of Japanese incarcerations during World War II.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Yume Japanese Garden is a dream come true for founder Patricia Deridder; and director Natalia Almada on the connections between humanity, technology & nature in her film "Users."

Children of the Holocaust: The survival story of Pawel Lichter.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: An upcoming benefit looks to bring peace back to Sonoran Desert skies; and a new song from Gabrielle Pietrangelo.
Yvonne Montoya

Stories about finding - and making - peace.

On Arizona Spotlight: Safos Dance Theatre premiers "Stories from Home"; harvesting citrus with the Iskashitaa Refugee Network; "What Peace Means to Me", an essay by Eri of Owl & Panther; and thoughts on making a peaceful place from Stories that Soar!
The Nogales Buffalo Soldiers tribute was held for the first time in 2022, when this photo was taken.

Honoring African American soldiers from last century

Descendants and others gather for 2nd Annual Nogales Buffalo Soldiers Salute
Soprano Susanna Phillips, a Metropolitan Opera favorite, sings selections from Mozart, and the world premiere of "Here I Am" by Jocelyn Hagen with True Concord Voices and Orchestra and the Tucson Girls Chorus, with performances January 27-29, 2023.

"Here I Am": Celebrating 100 years of powerful women in history.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How director Chanel Bragg is reinventing "The Glass Menagerie" on stage; and listen to the lyrics of non-speaking artists from the autism community on the album "Silently Loud."
Ida Kvartovskaya, age 14 (bottom row, second from right), in 1954. When her family fled from the Nazi invasion they lost all their possessions including family photos.

Children of the Holocaust: The story of a survivor from the former Soviet Union

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How Marcus Doe and his organization WeReconcile are hoping to reconnect adult children with their estranged fathers.
9-year-old Jody cuts the ribbon of the new African American Museum of Southern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. Jody sparked the idea of creating the museum when he found out there was not a spot in Tucson that shares Black history.

African American Museum of Southern Arizona opens

The museum officially opened on Saturday, Jan. 14 and is located at the University of Arizona.
Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Richard Thomas on what it means to be Atticus Finch.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Wiesenthal" brings a message of tolerance to the stage of the Invisible Theatre, and meet 2023 Tucson Jazz Festival star Matthew Whitaker.
Sierra Vista Public Library Manager Emily Duchon said that the goal was to make books more accessible.

Sierra Vista Library unveils vending machine location in shopping mall

The machine grants anyone with a library card access to its 125-book collection.

Sierra Vista residents aim to bring holiday cheer to ill people by decorating tree near hospital

The decorations are becoming a tradition that draws the efforts of people from around the community.
A male Elegant Trogon, as featured in Richard Cachor Taylor's 2022 book "Birds of Arizona".

The field guide "Birds of Arizona" was a labor of love for author Richard Cachor Taylor.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How the Pima County Library's Synapse Team is helping mental health community-wide; visit the El Jefe Cat Lounge; and remembering broadcasting legend Larry Schnebly.
Water levels in Lake Powell, seen here in May 2021, are dipping dangerously low. The federal government has proposed an unprecedented plan to cut back on water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California. The measure aims to keep water levels high enough to generate hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.

The Buzz: Looking back on 2022

Newsworthy interviews and topics that we addressed this year.

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