Volume 13 • Number 2
The Voice of the Catalina Foothills
January 25, 2023
www.tucsonlocalmedia.com
INSIDE Fine art festival gathers artists in enchanting outdoor setting BY BRIDGETTE REDMAN
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Tucson Local Media Contributor
Hobbs talks education and water protection | Page 6
Southern Arizona flavors invite sampling at festival | Page 13
Athlete of the Week: Asiel Colon-Torres | Page 15
here is something enchanting about strolling through a garden, surrounded by artists and their work, slowly absorbing all that there is to see. It’s what has made the La Encantada Fine Art Festival a hit among art festivalgoers for the past 10 years. The festival is returning to the open-air shopping center of La Encantada from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. “It’s an experience of enjoying a weekend grabbing a hot or cold beverage from AJ’s and getting to spend your time slowly experiencing art,” said Kate Marquez, executive director of Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), which organizes the event. “In bigger festivals or much See LA ENCANTADA Page 5
Jacqueline Chanda is an oil painter and part of the La Encantada Fine Art Festival. (Southern Arizona
Arts & Cultural Alliance/Submitted)
UA student parlays scouting knowledge into prestigious job BY LAURA LATZKO
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Tucson Local Media Contributor
ndrew Pongratz was always interested in law, how it regulates society, and its impact. Inspired by the staff at BASIS Tucson North, the now-UA student applied for and landed a clerk position in the U.S. attorney’s office’s civil division. He landed the job as a senior at BASIS Tucson North, and the position was a natural fit for him.
“I have always been interested in the law, how it regulates society, the impact it has,” Pongratz said. As a clerk, he assists paralegals and attorneys, organizes evidence for trials, and edits legal briefs. He networks with federal government employees, too. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet different people, meet federal judges, meet court administrators,” Pongratz said. “That’s been really nice. My colleagues in the office, too. I’m in the civil division,
so we are a smaller division, but I talk with the folks in the criminal unit.” The UA freshman is majoring in philosophy, politics, economics and law. Aspiring to be a lawyer, Pongratz has been involved with the UA’s pre-law fraternity. He’s an Eagle Scout, which taught him the leadership skills he needed to obtain the clerk job. As a scout, he was part of Boy Scouts of America’s Troop 007, durSee PONGRATZ Page 4