Have you ever read Roald Dahl’s story “Matilda”? Saguaro City Music Theatre is bringing Matilda to life this holiday season Dec. 22 to Jan. 7. I got to interview Miriam Howell, who is playing the title role of Matilda. She is a Tucson native and is part of a theater family. I feel lucky to be a cast member of Matilda, too!

 Doink! Everyone has heard that sound before and gone rushing to the nearest window only to find an injured bird lying on the ground outside of the glass. This is called a bird window strike. Sometimes the inside of your home looks like a warm haven to an unlucky bird, and sometimes their reflection looks like another bird and they try to attack it. Other times the surrounding environment reflects off of the glass, making it look like somewhere they can fly.

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.

 “Our Hidden Powers: Working Together for a Planet in Balance” is a story where we learn about different forms of renewable energy through the lens of five characters. The characters, Windy, Sunny, Terry, Kai, and Ignis, represent wind, sun, earth, water, and fire. They learn that they work together to make renewable, sustainable energy.

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.”