Just picked up Vol. 1 Issue 2 of Tucson Happenings at the Joel D. Valdez Main library. Never did see issue 1, which must have debuted on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. This issue 2 is dated February 21 and covers a weekly calendar from Thursday to Wednesday.

They say they are a free “weekly reference guide to what’s going on in Tucson and Southern Arizona”, website is www.tucsonhappenings.com. The Founders/Publishers are David and Carrie Francis, business address is 3961 E. Speedway, Suite 410, Tucson 85712.

Issue 2 has interesting articles about Crystalline Treasures of China, artist Nikki Bellio, the 31st Annual Peace Fair, Arizona Animal Fair, The Benefits of Thermal Imaging in Monitoring Heart Health, Alamos Torrontes (Argentinean wine), plus more. There even is a very detailed daily event calendar for the week’s happenings. The magazine is divided into these categories: Art & Culture, Events, Calendar, Health, Faith & Spirituality, Food & Beverage, Home & Garden.

From their website:

Think where to go and what to do is reserved for the weekends? Think again. Monday through Friday are now prime-time for your customers to plan where to go and what to do. Tucson Happenings will be your customers “Go-to-Guide” for arts and entertainment in the greater Tucson area. Tucson Happenings is like a “TV Guide” of local events for all of southern Arizona. Readers of all ages will be picking-up Tucson Happenings to plan their day, week or weekend. Your customers will eagerly go back for the guide they simply cannot live without. More readership means your business or non-profit stays top-of-mind.

So if you want to submit events, send them to events@tucsonhappenings.com, or an article about your special event to Carrie@tucsonhappenings.com. Call 520-620-9100 for more information.

Check out this new weekly Tucson Happenings, wherever you find it in town.

New Voices. New Stories. New Focus.

The new AZ Illustrated debuts February 4th

at 6:30 p.m. on PBS 6

Tucson, Arizona – – Arizona Illustrated, Southern Arizona’s weeknight news magazine series for over 30 years, and the flagship local TV production for Arizona Public Media (AZPM,) has undergone a make-over. The new AZ Illustrated (pronounced A-Z-Illustrated) debuts in its regular weeknight time slot at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2013. The new AZ Illustrated features different hosts and topics each night – Metro, Science, Nature, Arts and Politics – offering insight and discussion relevant to Southern Arizona audiences. Tapping into the wealth of talent and experience of AZPM’s award-winning producers, reporters, and production team, while introducing new specialists from the community, the series will feature new voices, new stories and a new focus.

AZ Illustrated METRO

Mondays cover education, business, government, and the policies that affect our daily lives.

The host for AZ Illustrated Metro is Maria Parham, the newly appointed Editorial Page Editor of the Arizona Daily Star. A new face on television, but a long-time veteran of print journalism in the Tucson community, Maria has experience and insight on education, business, and government in Southern Arizona. Produced by AZPM’s Andrea Kelly, Metro will provide a deeper look at many of the decisions and developments that affect the community. Andrea will work with a host of other AZPM reporters to ensure the content on Mondays is current and that it keeps the audience informed about the economy and public affairs.

Arizona Illustrated SCIENCE

Tuesdays explore issues and advances in health, science, and technology.

Jane Poynter, the new host of AZ Illustrated Science, is no stranger to the Southern Arizona science community. A scientist, author, entrepreneur, and expert on sustainable development, Jane will provide perspective and context for the health, science and technological advancements that continue to change our world. The show will explore the broad range of science in the community and ask the larger questions about what that science and technology means and how it actually affects people’s daily life experiences. Producer Georgia Davis, a journalist, documentary producer and former network news director, brings her wealth of experience to the Science segment.

Arizona Illustrated NATURE

Wednesdays dive into the environmental news and issues unique to our desert landscape.

Host Georgia Davis steps from behind the scenes to the front of the camera to host AZ Illustrated Nature. The show’s mission is to raise awareness and understanding about the area’s many ecological treasures while addressing pertinent local and national subjects such as solar energy, recycling, development, hydrology and water conservation, ecotourism, and other topics. The show will tap into the abundant professional resources from the University of Arizona and community for their perspectives, concerns, and possible solutions to different challenges. The producer for Nature is AZPM veteran journalist, producer, and former Arizona Illustrated host, Tony Paniagua.

Arizona Illustrated ARTS

Thursdays embrace the vibrant cultural community that is distinctly Southern Arizona.

Providing a unique perspective on arts and culture, host Elizabeth Burden, an artist and journalist, brings her passion to showcase the multi-faceted arts and cultural community that embodies Southern Arizona. Program features will include music, spoken word, in-studio performance, stories, and guest interviews, enlightening the audience on the power of art to enrich lives and change minds. AZ Illustrated Arts producer, Mark McLemore, is a seasoned radio producer and host, having created over 300 episodes of Arizona Spotlight, which airs weekly on NPR 89.1. Arizona Spotlight has given Mark a deep appreciation of Southern Arizona’s arts and cultural assets.

Arizona Illustrated POLITICS

Fridays provides in-depth analysis of the week’s political news.

Jim Nintzel, host and producer of Politics, continues in his role as host of the political night for AZ Illustrated. The title of the program has changed, but the in-depth political coverage will continue to provide viewers with cutting-edge interviews with politicians and their views in a new setting.

Each AZ Illustrated show will begin with a two-minute summary of the top local and state news events of the day, anchored by AZPM’s Christopher Conover. Many stories will cross platforms to radio, NPR 89.1, and online. Frequently, stories that originate online or on radio will be further explored on AZ Illustrated.

About the new studio:

The new AZ Illustrated will provide Southern Arizona viewers with a 360° perspective of their community. The series will be broadcast from a custom-designed, versatile, 360° studio which will accommodate one-on-one interviews, round-table discussions, demonstrations, and live performances. The studio, designed by local Tucson architect Rick Joy (Rick Joy Architects) features a spectacular circular photographic backdrop of the Tucson skyline and its iconic mountain ranges. The backdrop photograph was taken by Jeff Dey. The new studio design will provide a welcoming environment to guests – a meeting place for community dialogue and discussion. Visit azpm.org for more information.

Lugo Charities Inc. is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the 4th Annual Bike-In-A-Box Christmas event on Sunday, December 16, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at St. Augustine Cathedral Church court yard that is located at 192 South Stone Avenue.

A special invitation to 500 under-privileged children from youth organizations, schools, churches, and children-support agencies in the Greater Tucson area will be attending this special day of giving.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 11:00 am to greet the children. Each child that has pre-selected will receive one of five-hundred (500) bicycles that we are planning to give away, along with a bike safety helmet provided by Tucson Medical Center of the Children’s Miracle Network.

The bicycles will remain in the box so that the parents or guardians can, together with the child, assemble the bicycle in promoting the true Christmas spirit and teaching the children the basic assembly and adjustments to their new bike.

There are many children in Tucson that may not enjoy the special occasion that Christmas should bring to all. Christmas should be remembered as a time of giving to help those in need.

Lugo Charities Inc. dba Bike-In-A-Box is a 501(C) (3) non-profit organization which assist underprivileged children, so your contribution is tax deductible. Please click on the donation link as we would appreciate your support to make this a successful event to many children in need.

Merry Christmas! Jesse Lugo

You can donate online at http://www.lugocharities.com/, or by calling in to the John C. Scott radio show tomorrow between 4 and 5 p.m. KVOI 1030 AM on the radio. I reported about this 2 years ago with a photo (click here) and last year (click here). Host Scott, and guests Jesse Lugo and District 4 Supervisor Ray Carroll raised $10,770 today on the radio show.

$45 purchases one bike, so please help by donating online, or calling 520-790-2040 on the radio show, as they need to raise money for 500 bikes. You can also mail checks to:
Bike In A Box
P.O. Box 26363
Tucson, AZ 85726

12/3/12 Update: Lugo reported on the John C. Scott show today that $22,195 has been raised to date. Please continue to send donations by mail, or online.

12/4/12 Update: $23,705 raised to date, so hopefully the goal of $25,000 will be reached shortly. Thanks to all who have donated so far. Go online if you haven’t, or mail a check to the address above.

12/5/12 Update: John C. Scott just reported on his radio show that $25,510 has been raised, so their goal has been reached. Thank you Tucson.

12/6/12 Update: $26,710 raised according to radio host John C. Scott. Drop by on Dec. 16 to see the kids get their bikes, 11 a.m.