Support literacy in our community
As we look forward to the 16th annual Tucson Festival of Books in March, we thank our 2025 Presenting Sponsor, Tucson Medical Center (TMC Health). TMC’s renewed financial commitment reflects its dedication to a healthy Tucson, and the recognition that literacy is an important element of our community’s well-being.
One of the largest book festivals in the U.S. with 130,000 attendees, TFOB was recognized by Conde Nast Traveler as one of nine best in the world. TFOB offers 2 full – and free! – days of author presentations and panels, exhibitors, STEM activities and workshops. Net proceeds support local literacy groups – $2.3 million to date.
We hope you join us on the UA campus March 15-16. We can’t think of a better way to thank TMC, our other corporate sponsors and individual donors than by enjoying two beautiful spring days filled with books, authors, food, music, poetry, family fun and a love of reading, all to support literacy and our community.
People are also reading…
Lauren Hagan Lynn Snyder
Midtown
The crowd mills around the tents and booths along the Mall at the University of Arizona for the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books.
Regarding Why Trump
I am a Christian who follows Jesus to the best of my human ability. I find it interesting that the letter writer quoted from the Bible that you can know who is Christian by the fruit they bear. What I am seeing from the religious right is the opposite of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Christians should be a light to the world instead of treating those who don’t believe as we do as if they were the enemy.
You say you believe God put Trump in office. Why do you believe it and why are your beliefs more important than mine or anyone else’s? I believe in freedom and equal rights. I don’t believe I should have more rights than anyone else, and they shouldn’t have more than me. The religious right believe they should. Trump believes in himself, money, and power.
Arletta Lewis
East side
Why you Dogg, you !
The Snoop Dogg AZ Bowl was interesting but unfortunately only one team could win. The announcers mentioned more than once that Brett Gabbert, the 24-year-old Miami (OH), quarterback is a 6th year player. I always thought that college was four years? Apparently injuries early in the season can allow a player to red-shirt allowing him to play more years? Apparently Brett is now a graduate student or seeking a Masters degree? This should be his last game today, but maybe he will come back and play another year as a professor? Maybe he should just graduate and get a real job! His team did win today beating Colorado State, handily, but he wasn’t the MVP. That went to maybe the shortest teammate of his who scored a couple of touchdowns. Snoop gave him the trophy. The Snoop Cam (small box) on TV screen was too much!
Kenneth Unwin
East side
Two very different men
It is more than a little ironic that Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day fall on the same date. On a day when we honor a man who fought for social justice, voting rights, and a better life for all, we will be swearing in the 47th President who believes in none of these things. When Trump puts his hand on the Bible (hopefully, not a $59.95 Trump Bible printed in China) and swears to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, we better hold him to it.
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
“Should AI resurrect extinct species like Neanderthals?”
I read this opinion piece twice. Not because I didn’t understand it, but because I didn’t believe researching Neanderthals was important to today’s scientists.
Apparently it is not only important, but now a consideration to fast-track this research by involving AI is on the table.
The writer does concede that if we do resurrect Neanderthals we would need to establish rules and guidelines to protect their rights as well as ours.
Oh goody. Yeah- we’re in great shape as a species so why not bring in yet another group which most certainly will be needing separate bathrooms?
Karen Papagapitos
Northwest side
Falsely accusing movies
Another letter rehashing the old view that violence in this country is due to movies and television. I’ve been in many European countries, they see same movies and play the same games. They don’t have the consistent violence that occurs here. The Bible has more violence than most entertainment. Income disparity, poor education, and lack of mental health treatment are among the real causes. It’s easier to blame entertainment than address the real causes.
Craig Miller
Northwest side
Hefty Renew plastic recycling
In an article in the January 3 Star, Charles Borla states that a free starter kit for the orange ReNew bags from the Hefty company can be requested on their website. He should check his facts. The free kits are only available for certain zip codes and mine, 85745, is not one of them.
Holly Parsons Brauer
Finstrom
West side
Trump’s protection racket
As the inauguration approaches, donations to it have exceeded $150 million. The rich and large companies know that Trump can be vindictive, so they’re giving big. The beauty of these donations is that there is no accounting for them. No one knows where the leftover money goes. In 2016 Trump raised $117 million, which was more than twice the amount for Obama’s inauguration, which was the highest amount up to that time. Obama’s parties lasted 5 days, with 10 balls. Trump’s lasted 3 days with 3 balls. That’s a lot of leftover money. This year’s inauguration will have even more. I’m willing to bet that most of it will wind up in Trump’s pockets.
Al Westerfield
Southwest side
Letters to the editor
I find many of your “Letters to the Editor” offensive, blasphemous and derogatory. Are the the majority of the letters you receive negative in nature. I see many of the same names spewing the same old garbage. I enjoy reading back and forth views of events, but name calling, name bashing letters are coming from ignorant, uninformed, and basically negative people. For the most part, these pages are just trash. My opinion, of course.
Louise Nath
Benson
Trump as president
The author of a recent letter to the editor stated Trump achieved the unthinkable by winning the popular vote. Indeed, Trump did achieve the unthinkable; he convinced a nation to elect him, a 34-count felon, president of the United States. Now that’s unthinkable.
Robert Bishop
East side
Christy knows gaslighting
Re: The Jan. 2 op-ed “More immigration gaslighting by local officials.”
Steve Christy knows gaslighting, having used the technique himself.
The Republican Pima County supervisor voted twice against certifying the general election canvasses, in 2020 and 2022, citing possible election fraud without evidence. That’s gaslighting by his definition: “… telling you not to believe what you are seeing.”
Christy in 2022 ignored a factual report from the county elections director that issues inconsequential to primary election results were being fixed. Instead, he made it seem that they weren’t, saying, “It’s imperative that these issues be taken seriously and addressed.” That’s gaslighting.
In July 2023, Christy voted against seeking an expedited state report on Tucson’s water supply, saying, “Everything I’ve been led to believe is that water resources are under control.” Despite most everyone saying we have a water crisis, he chose to gaslight.
Michael A. Chihak
West side
Jan. 6 Anniversary
We are told that January 6, 2021 is a day that will live in infamy. The narrative begins as a peaceful and patriotic ‘Save America’ rally, then reported as a mob of Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol building, virtually unprotected thanks to Nancy Pelosi, later popularized as a riot and now as a full-blown insurrection, our American experiment is about to collapse.
Unbelievably the stupid insurrectionists forgot to bring their firearms, perhaps a reenactment the 1773 Boston Tea Party. The Capitol Police had the guns and Ashli Babbitt was killed while climbing through a broken window. There was no serious investigation of the officer-involved shooting but 1,560+ people have been federally charged and 900+ individuals have been convicted of criminal acts and sentenced to long prison terms.
Conservatives disagree with lame-duck Biden’s wholesale pardoning/commuting of sentences. Trump will do the same and progressives will scream.
Let’s lower the political temperature saying it’s tit-for-tat.
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Air pollution
After all the evidence and proof of the billions of gallons of water to be wasted, and the additional polluting the air, and destruction of the Santa Rita Mountains, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued a permit to Hudbay Minerals -Copper World to continue the devastation of this sanctuary. It is hard to believe that the people who making these decisions are aware of the consequences that will follow. There must be other reasons that they are allowing this to happen. The world needs copper, but Arizona desperately needs to preserve its water and clean air.
Ted Crisboi
Southwest side
What’s up, doc?
Last month two letters asked the Star to reject “anti-Trump” letters and to focus on local issues. Another recent letter claimed, “God put Donald Trump in office” and that he supports Christian values like “kindness, goodness.” Did Trump support these values when he directed hate at Haitian refugees by falsely claiming they butchered people’s pets or by saying his incoming administration will focus on un-Christian retribution and revenge? It requires little effort to be holier than Trump.
Apparently, we are expected to display a huge portrait of “Dear Leader” and curtsy to it daily. Is this America? Americans used to be known for being skeptical and irreverent towards authority and sacred cows in the spirit of Bugs Bunny cartoons. If he encountered Trump spouting his usual nonsense, Bugs would flippantly ask, “What’s up with all that, doc?” In this time of ignorant, conceited, strutting bullies like Trump and Elon Musk, where is Bugs Bunny when we need him?
Ronald Pelech
Midtown
A costly choice
To my astonishment, closing out 2024 I agreed partially with Loyal. If you are going to execute someone there are humane ways to do it — as in assisted suicide. If revenge is a part of the equation — then keep up what we’re doing now.
I don’t agree with the death penalty. It is ancient and costly (think appeals) and has never served as a deterrent. Life ends for all of us, and for the convicted there just might be value in not taking that life earlier but keeping them behind bars.
Ted Morrison
Midtown
