Sunday Spotlight: Catch up on what you missed

We gathered our entire staff last week for a team photo before our interns head home for winter break, and Arizona Sonoran News reporter Flo Tomasi was there to document the occasion and talk to us about our journey.

First off, photographing a staff made up of nine women is no easy task, so we appreciate Colton Allder for being up to the challenge. He was given plenty of direction and feedback during the shoot and took it like a champ, capturing some great photos in the process.

While Spotlight isn't an all-woman newsroom by design, it has made us something of a unicorn in Tucson and flies against the face of data.  Flo notes in her article that the Women's Media Center reports that women make up 41% of newsroom employees nationwide, but only 26% hold leadership roles.

We won't be all-women for long, with a trio of talented men joining our ranks in 2025 (more about that soon.) But we appreciate the sense of community it's allowed us to build in our early days, and we hope to provide more leadership opportunities for women as we grow our staff and subscriber base.

You've heard bits and pieces of our origin story, but Flo's article truly takes you behind the scenes and provides readers with a look inside the newsroom we created out of our love for truly local news, the desire to provide opportunities for new and diverse voices and the need to fill the void in Spanish-language coverage.

Please make sure to give it a read and share it with your news-loving friends, with whom you have hopefully already told about Spotlight. If each one of our subscribers forwards this email to five friends who also subscribe, we'll top 1,000 before we ring in 2025.

And if you've been reading for free and are a fan of our work, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription or making a tax-deductible donation. We are committed to paying all our reporters for their work, and our team is only getting bigger. We truly can't do this without the community's support, and are so grateful to those of you who are already financially supporting our work.

And now, onto the news.

Monday:

Spotlight reporter Angelina wrote about a University of Arizona professor leading the charge to address the lack of accurate and accessible flood maps for underserved communities. Beth Tellman, co-founder and chief science officer of Floodbase, has been working for years to spotlight the critical issue of outdated flood data—especially in vulnerable areas, where reliable flood maps are either outdated or completely missing. Read the full story here.

Spotlight intern Olivia profiled Tucsonan Joe Watson, a journalist turned prison reform advocate who shared his recent efforts to bring attention to Arizona's felony disenfranchisement laws. Watson spent seven years in prison before going to work for American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that aims to “challenge injustice and build conditions for lasting peace.” Now, Watson runs his own strategic communication agency for mission-driven organizations while fighting for criminal justice reform. Read the full story here.

Tuesday:

Spotlight intern Lauryn wrote about the Town of Marana's online dashboard aimed at keeping residents and developers updated on the community’s growth. The platform, which was created to address frequent questions from community members, provides real-time insights into public and private development projects, including permits, inspections, and planning updates and offers a clear and transparent view of Marana’s ongoing growth. Read the full story here.

Arizona Sonoran News' Cruz Ramirez-Ramos writes about efforts on the UA campus to roll out an anti-stigma campaign currently run by Pima Helpline in collaboration with the county's health department. The "It All Starts With You" campaign focuses on ending the stigma around substance abuse and encouraging people to reach out for help. At the UA, Campus Health Services is leading efforts with help from partner and campus club Team Awareness Combating Overdose, or UA TACO. Read the full story here.

Wednesday:

Spotlight reporter Angelina wrote about the Pima County Board of Supervisors vote to extend through June 2026 its Emergency Eviction Legal Services program, which was launched in 2021 and has supported 464 individuals, including 229 children. Through the program, the county provides free legal counsel, assists with court proceedings, and offers social services, including housing counseling, job assistance, and healthcare. It also operates a low-barrier shelter at the city-owned Craycroft Shelter, whose residents have had an extremely high success rate when it comes to securing permanent housing. Read the full story here.

Spotlight reporter Isabela attended a film screening and panel at the YWCA of Southern Arizona last weekend that focused on the challenges faced by children who have a parent that has spent time in prison or jail. The panel of local experts discussed the impact of incarceration on these families, following the screening of the mini-documentary The Forgotten Prisoner, which highlights the emotional and social struggles of children who are separated from their parents due to incarceration. Read the full story here.

Thursday:

Spotlight intern Abbie writes about the Reveille Men's Chorus, which despite its name is open to singers of all gender identities. The group will be performing its 30th annual Holiday Spectacular show at the Temple of Music and Art Saturday and Sunday, with tickets available to purchase online or at the door. The chorus is a tight-knit group, but committed to creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming space for members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Read the full story here.

Arizona Sonoran News' Nathaniel Levin and Aidan Alperstein wrote about local libraries' efforts to embrace a new role in the digital age as a study hub for young people to gather in and focus without distraction. Pima County and UA librarians say that some days, there are more people than books at various locations and usually, its older community members who are seeking hard copies of books. Read the full story here.

Friday:

Spotlight reporter Angelina launched her series looking back on 70 years of the Southern Arizona Research, Science, and Engineering Foundation's annual science and engineering fair. SARSEF is marking their upcoming 70th anniversary with a reunion celebration in February, but in the weeks leading up, SARSEF staffers, volunteers, participants and supporters will be sharing stories with Spotlight about why the annual science fair is so much more than its name implies. Up first, we look at the fair's impact on students. Read the full story here.

Spotlight editor Susan wrote about Derechos Humanos' celebration commemorating this week's International Migrants Day and explored the contributions of migrants and the ongoing challenges they face. Venezuelans have been fleeing their country for nearly a decade, following an economic collapse in 2014 and U.S. sanctions a few years later. Protests erupted over the state of the country and with protestors facing government persecution and violence, many have been forced to flee the country. Read the full story here.

• The 55th annual Winter Street Fair on Historic Fourth Avenue is wrapping up its run today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 300 artists and local merchants will be on site, with art, culture, entertainment, food and Santa. Admission to the all-ages event is free with easy access to the street car and parking available nearby. Find more information here.
• Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse (6541 E, Tanque Verde Rd.) is hosting dinner with Santa tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. The evening includes a ride on the Christmas Express train, photo ops, crafts and holiday fun. Adult tickets are $41.99 and include a choice of three entrees, four side dishes and a drink. Kids tickets are $19.99 each and include a choice of entrees, a single side, and a drink. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call (520) 296-0911. Learn more here.
• The Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium (1601 E. University Blvd.) is screening its popular Season of Light laser show starting Tuesday and running through the end of the year. The show follows holiday traditions across times and cultures and takes a look at light-hearted seasonal traditions from around the world. Attendees will also learn about Northern hemisphere winter constellations, find out why we have seasons and more. Tickets are $10 for kids or $14 for adults with discounts for seniors, military, EBT cardholders, and college students. Learn more and buy tickets here.
• The Center for Healthy Nonprofits at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is celebrating its 5th anniversary Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Community Foundation campus (5049 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 201) The center is dedicated to empowering and supporting local nonprofits, with the celebration also marking the retirement of founding Director Paula Van Ness. Refreshments will be provided and the event is free, but you need to RSVP in advance. Find details and RSVP here.
• Ballet Tucson’s The Nutcracker in partnership with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra is running Friday through Sunday at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall (260 S. Church Ave.) The award-winning production brings the enchanting story of The Nutcracker to life with dancing, lavish sets and costumes, and Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score performed by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s world-class musicians. Find showtimes and purchase tickets here.
• Join the Watershed Management Group's River Run Network Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon for an arundo removal event at Tanque Verde Creek. Arundo donax, or giant reed, is harmful because it drinks up to four times as much water as native desert plants, crowds out native species and habitat, and increases the risk of flooding and wildfire. The group will meet at 12050 Forty Niner Drive and carpool and caravan to the creek entrance. Tools will be provided and volunteers should bring a water bottle and wear close-toed shoes, long pants, a long sleeve shirt and sun protection. Find details and register here.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please support our work with a paid subscription.