Arizona Illustrated

January 8th – Ten Years: January 8th, 2011 is a day seared into the memory of most southern Arizonans. On that day, ten years ago, nineteen people were shot, including U.S. representative Gabrielle Giffords. Six of them were killed. Arizona Illustrated host Tom McNamara sits down with a survivor, witnesses, and a surgeon who treated the wounded to discuss the tragedy’s impact and legacy. The Highland Games: 2020 was eventful in almost every way, not the least of which were the gatherings and events that didn’t happen, one of them being the annual Celtic Festival and Highland Games that have been celebrated in Tucson for more than three decades. The festival and games are scheduled to return November 2021. We look back at the 2019 Highland Games and some of the athletes who competed,in their own words. Flor de Nopal: The electronic musician, Bea Velazquez, draws on deep familial ties to the desert, a traditional musical upbringing and discovery of identity to produce serious and often sad songs that make you want to dance. Music that could only come from this time and place and often defies expectations…This is Flor de Nopal.