Tucson News

A local nonprofit organization is getting national attention for the success of its students. A recent study shows Sin Puertas excels among other substance abuse clinics across the country.

The Pima Prevention Partnership is the parent organization for the group and was included in a study that showed youths with severe substance-related problems dropped from 9% to 1.5%. That’s compared to 6.3% in other programs.

Tucson Electric Power said Tuesday that it plans to add solar power to a coal- and natural-gas-fired plant in Tucson, Ariz. The Sundt Solar Boost Project, slated to begin operating early next year, will use solar steam generators from Areva Solar to produce as much as 5 megawatts of power during times of peak demand.

A suspect is charged with numerous felonies after leading police on a chase and nearly hitting two police cars.

It began just after 1 a.m. Tuesday, near Alvernon and Ft. Lowell, Tucson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Matt Ronstadt said. More >

This past week, I had the distinction of becoming one of a select list of authors banned by the Tucson United School District. Now this is no small feat. More >

Saturday, thousands of visitors will descend on Tucson for the start of the 2012 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. The show seems to grow each year and with that more pressure is on the city to put on a good show for vendors and visitors.

The city is pulling out all the stops to make it a success. Gem show vendors are still setting up their space for the big rush in two days. “A lot of dealers work very hard in getting more people here every year we have we’ve been doing it for a long time but we have about I would say about a 10% increase a year,” said Jay Gehring with Village Originals.

What started as a single date in New York turned into an unwanted long-term relationship for a Tucson woman who was stalked through six states over about 18 years. Moses Antonio Shepard, 47, after a federal trial in Tucson, was found guilty last week of two counts of interstate stalking.

Shepard is due to be sentenced in early April and could face as many as 10 years in prison, although he has been in jail since he was arrested in April 2010.

On a bittersweet day for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the outgoing congresswoman spent her final hours in Tucson as the city’s U.S. representative, finishing the meeting she started on the morning she was shot and bidding farewell to constituents who supported her through a long recovery. More >

Outgoing Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords spent her last hours as Tucson’s U.S. representative finishing the meeting she started on the morning she was shot and bidding farewell to constituents who have supported her through her recovery.

But it may not be the end. The woman whose improbable recovery has captivated the nation promised, “I will return.”

On one of her final days as a Congresswoman, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords met Monday with survivors of the shooting that took place at her town hall in January 2011, completing the meet-and-greet that was interrupted when an assassin tried to end her life.

Bill Badger, who was shot in the head and then helped hold the gunman down at the town hall shooting last year, said Giffords met individually with survivors at her Tucson office.