The airwaves of Tucson are home to a special kind of volunteer, one who is passionate about reading, and equally passionate about helping those who cannot. Sun Sounds of Arizona is a radio station that provides audio access to print information, such as newspapers and short stories, to peopl…

Last year, I challenged the readers of the Explorer and Marana News to make a positive difference in someone else’s life during the month of October. Little did I know so many of you would answer the call.

Almost 20 years ago, the Town of Marana leased 2,400 acres of pristine desert from the Arizona State Land Department.

As a child, Cecelia Padilla spent her afternoons dumpster diving around the Northern Arizona University campus. She collected discarded notebooks, pencils and paper. 

Fans of running and roller skating are invited to compete in Mangled Mountain’s third-annual Saguaro Sunrise Skate and 5K Run, happening on various roads and trails in Tucson and Oro Valley this Sunday, Oct. 20.

Celebrate Marana’s agricultural roots—and enjoy a carnival ride or two—this Saturday at the Marana Fall Festival.

Welcome to the ninth week of the high school football regular season, with the state playoffs coming into focus across the state. 

The Flowing Wells Unified School District is the only school system in Southern Arizona to have a teacher rank as a finalist for the 2020 Arizona Educational Foundation “Teacher of the Year” award. But there isn’t only one Flowing Wells teacher in the final five, there are two. 

At the September groundbreaking for the University of Arizona Center for Innovation at Oro Valley, UA President Bobby Robbins spoke about the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution—a global economic transformation driven by the fusion of the physical, biological and digital economies. Ther…

1. Don’t miss the Chasing Rainbows Gala featuring Grammy winning internationally acclaimed singer LeAnn Rimes. Details: 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20; Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.; $45-$300; foxtucson.com.

The most wonderful portion of the high school football schedule is upon us, as postseason dreams lie in the balance every Friday night. 

Oro Valley can apply for a vacant position on one of the town’s various boards or commissions. 

Research shows that taking your exercise outdoors compared to working out in a gym offers unique benefits for physical, cognitive, and emotional health. There’s even a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, or forest therapy, that encourages people to enhance their health and happiness by sp…

Welcome to the ninth week of the high school football season, with the state playoffs looming on the horizon. 

Calling all animal lovers, three local agencies are teaming up to host a “mega adoption event” this week.

Welcome to the ninth week of the high school football season, with the state playoffs in the distance. 

College football’s most famous walk-on, Rudy Reuttiger, was on hand this week to celebrate the continued success of Tucson’s own bowl game.

The work of Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly is coming to Tucson after The University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography acquired the archive of his work.

The Oro Valley Town Council debated late into the night last Wednesday, Oct. 2, and came away with a 6-1 vote to keep the town-owned community center and two 18-hole golf courses. 

On March 18, 2017, Mei Hu embarked on a trip from which she would never return. The 35-year-old Chinese native, in Tucson on a business trip, checked into the DoubleTree hotel across from Reid Park around 8:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., she video-chatted with her husband and two children back in China.…

Oro Valley’s mayor and council decided last week to retain all of its golf courses, and moved to lease the Pusch Ridge facilities to HSL Properties, the owners of El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort.

The town of Marana is developing a new community outdoor space in the form of the Honea Heights Neighborhood Park, scheduled to break ground this week.

After traveling to more than 120 countries on seven continents and visiting all 50 states, Clark Norton has narrowed the focus of his award-winning travel writing to the strangeness of the Tucson area with his newest guidebook, “Secret Tucson: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.”

Tucson polka band The Bouncing Czechs is coming to Oro Valley this week to celebrate Oktoberfest at the Oro Valley Marketplace, and the whole town’s invited.

Friday night is fast approaching, with a full slate of tantalizing contests that are sure to warrant your attention. 

At Marana Police Department, culture is key to serving our community with unparalleled service and unwavering protection. Whether it’s conducting traffic stops, making public appearances or leading our Citizen’s Police Academy, public safety starts with a sincere desire to help people and ma…

Saturday, Oct. 12 marks 100 years since the formation of the American Legion veterans’ organization, and to celebrate the date, the Oro Valley American Legion Post 132 is offering the public the opportunity to not only discuss history, but meet those who helped form it. 

REAL HEROES

October in Tucson means it’s time for one of the most beloved—not to mention tasty—events of the year: the Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival. Every year, Tucson Meet Yourself focuses on bringing the community together through folklife traditions, such as cultural dances, art, music and food. 

We’ve reached the final month of the high school football regular season, with the state playoffs bearing down on players and coaches alike. 

Drivers along Interstate 10 should avoid using the Marana Road exit for the next few hours, according to the Marana Police Department, after a semi-truck collided with a guard rail on the exit ramp.

Welcome to week eight of the high school football season, better known as the home stretch of the regular season. 

Two people died after the pickup truck they were in was struck by a train on the westbound Frontage Road near Avra Valley Road and Interstate 10 in Marana, according to the Marana Police Department.

The seventh week of high school football in Southern Arizona is upon us, with several tantalizing matchups on the gridiron on Friday night. 

Wednesday night, the Oro Valley Town Council voted to keep the town-owned community center and two 18-hole golf courses in a decision that has—for the most part—ended more than a year of uncertainty regarding the facilities’ future.

A whirlwind of Sedona red and black swept across the freshly painted ice at the Tucson Arena on a recent Tuesday afternoon. 

The Oro Valley Marketplace, a once-envisioned community hub for the town, has coped with vacant storefronts for years. Now, the development’s luck may be changing.

Sometimes, it just takes a few retirees to get the ball rolling on a community benefit project.

Courtney Weber considers her grandmother a legendary teacher, and remembers spending summers as a child listening to stories about the profession.

Two of the northwest’s hottest girls volleyball teams engaged in a five-set instant classic on Tuesday night in Oro Valley. 

One of the most prolific running backs in Southern Arizona will make his long-awaited season debut on Friday night. 

October in Oro Valley is filled with fun, frights and festivities.