Gabrielle Giffords Returns to Tucson

Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is visiting Tucson on the year anniversary of a deadly shooting spree that nearly took her life as well.

Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, made the announcement Dec. 31. Both Giffords and her husband will attend an evening VIGIL on Jan. 8 on the University of Arizona Mall to remember victims and to comfort the families who lost loved ones in the shooting.

It was a year ago, Jan. 8, 2011, when a gunman started shooting people standing in line to meet Giffords at her “Congress on Your Corner” event in front of a Tucson Safeway. The congresswoman was shot in the face, but was miraculously saved by her quickacting intern and amazing emergency care. Six people died in the shooting, the youngest was Mesa Verde Elementary student Christina-Taylor Green, who wanted to meet Giffords to learn more about government.

Several ceremonies in remembrance of Christina and that tragic day have already taken place. Christina was honored during the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on Jan. 2. To promote kindness and to remember Christina, students at Tucson Country Day created 900 friendship bracelets for their Champions Day on Jan. 3. And several more ceremonies happen on Jan. 8. The vigil on the UofA Mall happens at 6:30 p.m.

Giffords husband, who will speak at the vigil, says he and Giffords expect it to be a very tough and extremely diffi cult weekend. Giffords plans on meeting some of the survivors and with surviving family members of those who died.

Students Share Their 2012 Goals

With 2011 behind us, kids are taking aim at the new year with a RESOLUTION to better themselves.

For many young people, 2011 turned out just fi ne.

“I think it was a good year,” says Young Reporter Thomas Abshire, a 13-year-old homeschooler who likes science and math. “Pretty much everyone I know had fun including me. Also, I got a pet—a bearded dragon.”

Reporter Kaylee Wong, 11, was promoted to middle school in 2011. “I think it was a good year, because I got to go to middle school. Yeah, it’s lots of work and stuff, and I had to adjust to switching classes, but I ended up liking it.”

“In some ways (2011) was good, but in other ways it was bad,” refl ects Young Reporter Trevor Andresen, an 11-yearold at Rattlesnake Ridge.

Topping his bad list are the two big news stories of 2011. “Obviously the tragedies that happened in Japan—the earthquake and tsunami—and here the tragedy in Tucson involving all the shootings, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,” Trevor explains.

On the upside, Trevor feels the economy picked up a bit and fewer people were losing their jobs. A big sports fan, Trevor also liked that the NFL and NBA ended their player lockouts.

Thomas has kept his resolutions for the new year straightforward. “My goal is to have a lot of fun this year and to make the best out of it,” he says. He’d also like to learn how to scuba dive. “I like how you can dive really deep down and see the fi sh you wouldn’t ordinarily see up at the surface,” he adds.

Thomas also wants to do well in physics, pre-calculus and in the robotics competitions he’s involved with.

Kaylee is in the gifted program at Alice Vail Middle School. “I plan on keeping on doing well at school and becoming a better writer,” she says. As a reporter, she wants to cover a greater variety of news stories. An avid reader, she’d like to interview Rick Riordan, who writes the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

After interviewing Arizona Wildcats star guard Kyle Fogg in 2011, Trevor would love to interview a professional basketball or hockey player. At the top of his list would be Suns small forward Jared Dudley.