News Features, Archive - AZPM News - Local, independent journalism from NPR 89.1.

A March 2018 photo of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

As immigration enforcement intensifies, Tucson families are separated

Apr 3, 2025 While the Trump administration is ramping up immigration enforcement, families of U.S. citizens in Tucson are among those being split, including one man separated from his wife and son, despite following all the steps to legally stay in the country.

Through the 4-day Sunrise Dance, Apache girls transition into womanhood

Apr 1, 2025 A significant and highly spiritual event for the young lady and the Apache community.

Student Alejandro Ceballos, and social workers Araceli Olivas and Annette Urbina, are big fans of the Badger Closet at Tucson High Magnet School.

School thrift store supplies free support and valuable hope

Mar 20, 2025 Badger Closet at Tucson High Magnet School began a couple of years ago.

A section of the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve on Coronado National Forest land on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. The preserve is co-managed by the Borderlands Restoration Network and Wildlife Corridors.

Conservation nonprofit in Southern Arizona faces $1.2 million federal funding freeze

Mar 18, 2025 Borderlands Restoration Network fights to keep critical wildlife corridors and watershed projects alive amid funding uncertainty.

Looking out of an EcoFlight plane over the Sky Islands in Southern Arizona on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.

BLM opens Environmental Assessment for Copper Creek Mine Project to public comment

Mar 7, 2025 Located in Arizona’s rugged Sky Islands, the proposed copper mine could impact ecosystem and water resources.

Rep.-elect Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., nominates Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.

Ciscomani says maintaining Medicaid and Pell Grants for "truly vulnerable population" among top priorities

Mar 5, 2025 Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani reiterated Tuesday that he does not support cuts to Medicaid for people such as disabled individuals or single moms, despite budget vote that could lead to significant cuts to social programs.

Pat Grenier poses for a portrait outside his transitional housing on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

Mental illness put Pat Grenier in crisis. The system put him in jail

Mar 3, 2025 Navigating inadequate public healthcare, court, and incarceration systems exposes Pima County's heavy reliance on punitive measures for individuals with mental illness, highlighting the systemic failure to provide proper care and support.

Volunteers with the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans pass out supplies to women and children at a migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Deportations down despite increased border enforcement in Trump's first month back in office

Mar 3, 2025 Despite personnel surges and resources mobilized to both sides of the border, deportation numbers have actually dropped during Donald Trump’s first month back in office.

Barbara Eiswerth, PhD, seen here with some of the produce that has been harvested or donated to Iskashitaa Refugee Network. The group moved to St. Mark's Presbyterian Church in Tucson several months ago.

Harvesting Fruit for Better Health, Understanding and Friendships

Feb 24, 2025 Iskashitaa Refugee Network volunteers glean grapefruit, oranges and other fruit from Tucson-area trees

Slack-day team roping at the Tucson Rodeo on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.

100 years of Rodeo: La Fiesta de los Vaqueros marks a century in Tucson

Feb 24, 2025 Step into the arena: an audio postcard from the centennial celebration.

Established in 1924, the Chiricahua National Monument is up for redesignation to national park status. The monument could become Arizona's fourth national park.

'It was the very beginning of my career': National Park Service layoffs impact Southern Arizona

Feb 19, 2025 National park job cuts spark concerns over conservation, tourism and the future of public lands.

Meet your feisty neighborhood felines in the Tucson area

Feb 17, 2025 Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are surviving and flourishing in urban settings, despite real challenges.

Boxes of uncounted early ballots are shown in this photo distributed by the Pima County Recorder's office on Oct. 16, 2020.

The debate over Tucson’s special springtime tax election

Feb 14, 2025 Proposition 414 seeks to raise city sales tax from 8.7% to 9.2% in July.

Dozens of gem, mineral and fossil shows are held in Tucson each year. They attract tens of thousands of vendors, buyers and tourists from all over world, who make a significant contribution to the region's economy each year.

Gems, Minerals, Fossils, Food, and Friends

Feb 13, 2025 International visitors flock to Tucson for the annual shiny shows.

Tucson's University High School seniors prepare their party platforms for the 47th annual AP U.S. Government classes' Mock Election Debate on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the UHS auditorium.

University High students debate real-world issues in annual mock election debate

Feb 11, 2025 AP U.S. Government seniors explore complex global issues and policy making.

Housing units are offered to Veterans experiencing homelessness at Esperanza En Escalante. While some choose to stay there long term, about 80% of the program's Veterans go on to find permanent housing of their own.

Group encourages sharing homes for mutual benefits

Feb 3, 2025 Supporters say it's an option to provide additional housing while reducing costs and loneliness.

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