Choir recording 9/11 oratorio

Tucson Chamber Artists, conducted by Eric Holtan, will record a CD of works that are world premieres.

Resorts need educated workers

"As the economy improves, some places have difficulty finding qualified workers," says Brent DeRaad, president of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau. Above, a guest relaxes at the Starr Pass Resort & Spa

Salute today for retiring superfan

Cavaleri became best-known for his appearances and stripping down at UA basketball games.

Founders' Day connects town to its rural heritage

Cowboy activities are central to Founders' Day. One activity in 2011 was the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Competition. Above, rider Kenneth Basham, from Goodyear, hits one of the target balloons. Saturday's event will be run by the Marana Heritage Conservancy.

How to make the most of the book festival

So many books. So many authors to meet. So many presentations. The book festival calls for a strategy to maximize your experience.

Music notes

Gabe Sullivan & Taraf de Tucson will play Club Congress to raise cash to attend South by Southwest in Austin.

Chamber Artists to stage Britten cantata

Tucson Chamber Artists, fronted in a concert last year by the Kingfisher String Quartet, is teaming up this year with Artifact Dance and the University of Arizona Choir for a performance of Britten and Bach this weekend.

Latest AZ tourist guide set for release in coming days

Docent John Carhuff, left, uses a pointer to show interior features at Mission San Xavier del Bac, a popular historical destination included in the state travel guide.

Doppelgängers to rule stages

Mötley Crüe rocks Tucson - just kidding. Members of the Tucson band The Distortionists made themselves into the heavy metal artists before last year's Great Cover-up. This year you can catch near-facsimiles of Katy Perry, David Bowie, the Dixie Chicks, Outkast, Queen, Paul McCartney and others.

Jury selection starts Tues. in trial over imam's death

Glen Francis is charged with murder in the stabbing death of Tucson imam Rashad Khalifa in 1990.

Miller's cookbook Has all the right BlendS

Coach Sean Miller hugs Kevin Parrom after Parrom's return from being shot last season. Parrom, a New Yorker, is one of four scholarship players from the East Coast on this year's roster. Miller frequently flies to both coasts during recruiting periods.

Landscape designer to share secrets for enjoying your patio in any season

A desert willow, with its upright habit, is a good choice for patios and yards, says landscape designer Shelly Ann Abbott.

Floats, masks, face paint honor the dead

The grassroots All Souls Procession attracts tens of thousands of people who bring festive floats, masks and paint their faces to remember their loved ones.

In next week's Caliente A shorter All Souls Procession

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Pro choir seeks to expand audience

Music director and founder Eric Holtan and Tucson Chamber Artists added concerts in Oro Valley and SaddleBrooke to expand the choir's presence in the community's northwest area.

South-side call center plans to hire hundreds

When C3 held a job fair in 2011, hundreds of applicants showed up, hoping to snag one of the 320 positions that were open. The call-center company is now planning a new hiring surge.

Sergio Mendoza

Fourth Ave. merchants want street vendors out

Eclectic Fourth Avenue has changed over the years, with trees and bike racks now lining the street. This view looks north from Pancho Villa's Grill at Fourth Avenue and Fifth Street.

AZ banks continued recovery in 1st quarter

The percentage of "recommended" banks in Arizona rose slightly to 25.8 percent, according to the latest rating report issued by Bauer Financial, a Florida-based firm.

As temperatures rise, donations drop at ICS

Volunteers move donated stock at the Interfaith Community Services Food Bank on West Ina Road.

Bourque Industries CEO may face prison

John Bourque, founder and CEO of Bourque Industries, displays a body armor insert plate, right, and his company's Kryron aluminum alloy.

Pima softball: Pima goal: Win national title, or 5 of them

Aztecs coach Armando Quiroz has asked his players to approach each game this week as if it's the national championship game.

Cookbook author to offer talk, samples

Carolyn Niethammer makes a mesquite coffee cake in her kitchen. The author is an avid forager and cook of desert plants.

'Vespers' closes pro choir's season

Eric Holtan conducted the Tucson Chamber Artists in three concerts last weekend of Rachmaninoff's "Vespers."

Test your knowledge, then enjoy book fest

This is one of our authors, left, speaking in the UA Student Union Ballroom at the book festival last March 12. Who is she? Sorry, we won't tell you, but see Name that Author, question No. 2.

Tucson, book fest: 'It's a great fit'

Grammar guru Roy Peter Clark likes to use music in his presentations on writing - so he may strum a few tunes on the ukulele.

Food trends we love

Tucsonans muddled through summer with cocktails such as the mint-infused tequila mixture above, served at Starr Pass Resort.

Food truck roundup

Planet of the Crepes, owned by Jessica Fraus, above, is among the 13 trucks participating in the Bookmans Food Truck Fridays.

Food trucks rounding up at RV park

Jane's Rolling Wok joins the April 10 Tucson Food Truck Roundup.

In bruised West, Tucson faring worse than most

Job fairs in Tucson, like this one in July, often attract hundreds of applicants. While the western U.S. saw a modest increase in employment in the third quarter, the housing collapse continued to limit job growth in Arizona.