Cam Juárez joined the National Park Service in January 2016, serving as the Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer for Saguaro National Park where he serves on the park’s leadership team. Cam uses creativity and storytelling to engage nontraditional park attendees. He described how he first was introduced to Yosemite and how that planted a seed for his current career. He works to make the park more inclusive specifically for Latinos and representative of our local demographics for visitors and employees. He reminds us that not only do the parks preserve wi ..read more

Héctor Tobar and Lynn Wiese Sneyd talked about the 13th Annual Tucson Festival of Books. Last year’s festival was canceled due to the pandemic, but the festival has been reimagined virtually. Héctor Tobar discussed his latest novel “The Last Great Road Bum.” He will be in discussion with festival favorite Luis Alberto Urrea and moderator Ernesto Portillo, Jr. on Sunday, March 7 at 1 pm. Information on how you can sign up for sessions is at the bottom of this post. Hector Tobar – Copyright: Patrice NORMAND/Opale – Date: 20120706- Héctor Tobar is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist ..read more

Henry Barajas is a Latinx author from Tucson. He spoke about his pathway as a storyteller. He is best known for his graphic memoir about his great-grandfather titled La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo. It is based on the oral history of Ramon Jaurigue, an orphan and WWII veteran who co-founded the Mexican, American, Yaqui, and Others (M.A.Y.O.) organization, which successfully lobbied the Tucson City Council to improve living and working conditions for members of the Pascua Yaqui tribe—paving the way to their federal recognition. Meanwhile, Ramon’s home life suffered as his focus was pulled fr ..read more

Annie Sykes spoke about local Black organizations and events. She is a member of the Tucson Black Film Club and she spoke about their Tucson Black Film Festival in the time of COVID-19. Ms. Sykes is the Vice President of the NAACP Tucson and she is a member of the Black Women’s Task Force. People interested in the film festival are invited to watch the films at home and join the discussion via zoom. Ms. Sykes spoke about the animated short Hair Love and tied it into the Black Women’s Task Force’s efforts to initiate a CROWN act in the city of Tucson. CROWN is an acronym for Creating a Respectf ..read more

In Pima County and Arizona, diagnosed positive COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Emergency room and ICU beds are reaching capacity because of a rise of cases and healthcare workers are becoming overwhelmed. We spoke with Dr. Bradley Dreifuss who is on the front lines in Tucson medicine. He’s an emergency medicine physician and assistant professor in the colleges of medicine and public health at the University of Arizona. Dr. Bradley Dreifuss. Photography by Kathleen Dreier. He’s also the co-founder of HCW Hosted. HCW Hosted is a grassroots community-based organization mobilizing to meet healthca ..read more

30 Minutes spoke with Ashley La Russa, founder of Roux Events LLC and project lead for Blax Friday. Blax Friday is a Black business-focused organization that is proud to announce Holla–Day Shopping on Blax Friday, November 27th with promos, pop-ups, and partnerships across Arizona. Featuring an online Holla–Day shopping guide with Black businesses offering seasonal menus, products, services. On Blax Friday, November 27th there will be limited capacity pop-up events and promotions with community partners such as Why I Love Where I Live, Hotel Congress, & Gallery, Hotel M ..read more

30 Minutes features a conversation with Miranda Schubert, Leila Hudson, and Felise Tagaban. They are all members of the Coalition for Academic Justice at the University of Arizona or CAJUA. They discussed the issues that led them to join together with others in CAJUA. CAJUA is a coalition of students, staff, and faculty fighting for equity, transparency, and representation. They say that it is their love for and belief in the university that obliges them to imagine and create a compassionate, collaborative, and just University of Arizona. Furthering the work of CAJUA, on August 18, 2020, they ..read more

The Arizona Corporation Commission is known as the fourth part of the Arizona government.  It is the agency that deals with corporations as well as utility rates. Bill Mundell, one of the candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission, is interviewed about what he would do as a Commissioner. In addition, Vivian Harte, a member of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, describes the many ways you can research candidates to decide which ones to vote for. Make sure you VOTE! It is crucial in this election of November 3, 2020!! We invited all Arizona Corporation Commission ..read more

Redistricting is something we do every 10 years, based on the Census. In many states, the state legislature determines the district lines for both the United States Congress and the state legislature. This has resulted in legislators drawing lines that benefit themselves and making the districts less competitive. In Arizona, the Independent Redistricting Commission is empowered to make more neutral decisions. Created by citizen initiative, the Independent Redistricting Commission operated in 2001 and 2011. Its third round will begin in 2021. Kathy Aros, President of the League of Wom ..read more

The Pima County Treasurer‘s Office receives, manages, and disburses public funds, as well as collects, manages, and distributes property taxes levied by various units of local government. The Mission Statement of the Treasurer’s Office is: “To provide the most efficient and professional banking and tax collection services possible for Pima County, its political subdivisions and the taxpayers.” Our interviews today features Pima County Treasurer candidates Democrat Brian Bickel and Republican Beth Ford. KXCI Community Radio is pleased to partner with The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson ..read more