Have you ever wanted to be an artist? There’s a local painter named Joe Pagac who has many murals around Tucson. Pagac has painted murals in such far away places as India, too!

Pagac has made hundreds of murals over the years. He comes from a long line of artists. He attended Sam Hughes Elementary and eventually the University of Arizona. He began painting when he was about 16 when he painted a mural in his bedroom. During college, art professor Sheila Pitt inspired him to pursue painting. After college, Pagac began working as a painter.

At Easter, I like munching on a chocolate bunny. Last Easter, I also helped take care of the Earth. It’s almost like I was celebrating Easter and Earth Day at the same time last year.

Since they have vitamins to help plants grow big and strong, I reused the egg shells from eggs that had been cracked open. I did that by breaking the shells into tiny bits to make them into egg shell fertilizer instead of throwing them into the trash. Then I mixed the bits into the soil around my privet plant.

Have you been to Reid Park Zoo lately and noticed the mama elephant is pregnant? Well, if you like elephants and their cool adaptations, then read on!

 “The mother elephant (Samba) will give birth any day now,” says zookeeper Cassandra Dodds. The zookeepers know when the mother will give birth by doing urine tests. Elephants have the longest pregnancies. They are pregnant for 22 months!

Did you know there are three types of formations of rocks? They are metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous. In my opinion rocks are a good thing to collect. If you are bored and looking for something to do, then you should go to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

This year, two schools from the Tucson area were nominated for the National Blue Ribbon, a prestigious award given to schools from around the country. The schools were Senita Valley Elementary School and Sunrise Drive Elementary School, which I attended. I am very proud of my former elementary school winning such a distinguished award, so I decided to interview the Sunrise Drive principal, Andrea Davidson. Principal Davidson has been in the Catalina Foothills School District for 37 years and is delighted that the school has been chosen.

After being around for almost 50 years, Bookmans is a staple of Arizona. When you think about our humble state, you think of Bookmans. And between the huge array of items, helpful staff, and year-round events, it’s not hard to see why. That’s why it was an obvious decision to open a new location (4841 N. Stone) off Stone and River. The grand opening of the new Bookmans was Nov. 10, and it lived up to the word “grand.”

Temperatures in Phoenix have finally been dropping, persuading more people to get outside and exercise, especially on popular walking trails like the Murphy’s Bridle Path in north Phoenix. “The Bridle Path is a reminder that I have to get moving every day at my age,” says Adam Day, a Phoenix resident who was out walking on Murphy’s Bridle Path in the early evening in late October. Day said he tries to get out and walk on the popular trail often. “I need to do this about 5 days a week,” Day says.

Did you know that over 150 million people worldwide are homeless? In addition to this somber fact, according to the United Nations, up to 1.6 billion people also have inadequate housing. Not only is this a growing problem, but many of these people lack bedding, appropriate clothes for the seasons and need more food. However, many organizations are working to help alleviate this ongoing issue.

Have you ever wondered what Phoenix is doing to conserve water, or to reduce food waste? Did you know that Phoenix has more solar on city buildings than any other city in the country? I discovered the answers to those questions when I interviewed Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego.

In March of this year, four firefighters from the Tempe Fire Department, Station 2 came to visit us at our day program. They showed us their fire truck and all of their gear.

I had the chance to interview one of them. Firefighter Tony said they prioritize their career, family and friends by helping family first. He said that the fire department’s primary role is protecting the city. He said that it is their responsibility when there isn’t an emergency is to make sure the city is safe. He said his favorite part of being a firefighter is helping people.