UA students who rent houses or apartments in town say they're angry that they may have to pay a 2 percent renters' tax that would help the City of Tucson balance an estimated $1 billion budget.

The Tucson City Council and the city manager will meet tonight at a public forum to discuss the possible renters' tax, which would help the city pay for new services by taxing the roofs over renters' heads. [Read article]

30 UA students among thousands in D.C. for abortion rights event

WASHINGTON - Thirty UA students joined hundreds of thousands of activists yesterday to show their support at the March for Women's Lives pro-choice rally held at the nation's capital.

Members of Students for Choice, the Women's Studies Honorary, UA Medical Students for Choice and Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona attended the rally on the National Mall to support reproductive freedom, sex education and women's rights. [Read article]

Almost 350 residents of Coronado and Arizona-Sonora residence halls turned out Saturday afternoon for the first "Battle of the Towers" Olympics between the halls.

The competition, held on the volleyball courts behind Park Student Union, was established between the two towering residence halls to determine the campus giant.

The contest featured events like the Chubby Bunny competition, where residents stuffed large marshmallows in their mouths as teammates cheered them on. [Read article]

More than one year after the UA announced a comprehensive action plan to recruit a more diverse faculty, administrators say they have increased faculty diversity, though some faculty say they've seen little change.

"There is a diversity agenda, and that is to reflect the population in all areas of the university," said Edith Auslander, senior associate to the president.

Juan Garcia, vice provost for academic affairs, said an executive search team has been put together to make sure the university recruits more women and minority faculty. [Read article]

Recording the wind or the sounds of a brutal murder are typical assignments in Melissa Marquis' sound design class.

Marquis, who has been teaching introductory and advanced classes in sound design for four years, also designs the sound effects for productions in Marroney Theatre, and she often gets her students to help her.

Last semester, Marquis borrowed ideas from her students to create the sounds emitted by the ghosts during the UA's production of Hamlet. [Read article]

A UA student was found dead Thursday afternoon on a couch in her apartment, according to a Tucson Police Department report.

Shannon Hungerford, a sociology junior, was pronounced dead at 12:35 p.m. from a drug overdose.

She was 21 years old.

The Tucson Fire Department arrived at her University House at Star Pass apartment, 2525 W. Anklam Road, after a male roommate called the police, the report stated. [Read article]

Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jim Kolbe spoke Friday about using new technology similar to that being developed at the UA to increase security at the Arizona-Mexico border.

"We cannot tell the American people we are winning the war on terrorism unless we prove our borders are secure," said McCain, R-Ariz., at a brief press conference outside Old Main.

Earlier this month, McCain and Kolbe, R-Ariz., introduced similar border security bills in both the House and Senate that would increase aerial and ground surveillance of the border in order to catch illegal immigration and drug smuggling from Mexico. [Read article]

Pre-pharmacy freshman likes all things that are shiny, wants to be a princess

Wildcat: I'm Claire from the Daily Wildcat and you're on the spot. If you can guess what number I'm thinking of, I'll let you have what's in my hand.

Rodarte: All right. Umm ... 5? 10? 200?

Wildcat: No, sorry. I was thinking of the number cheese. Are you familiar with cheese?

Rodarte: (no response) [Read article]

Things you always never wanted to know

Today

1954 - U.S. representatives meet in Geneva. The Geneva Conference marks a turning point in the United States' involvement in Vietnam.

1986 - The world's worst nuclear power plant accident occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the former Soviet Union. An estimated 5,000 Soviet citizens die from cancer and other radiation-induced illnesses, and millions more are afflicted.

Tomorrow [Read article]