Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller's top 5 columns of 2021

Linda Mendibles was a stalwart survivor on the streets south of Tucson's downtown. That she was killed in the spot where she often slept shocks and puzzles the people who knew her. 

The GOP has increasingly turned against the principle of majority rule and yearned for an America as it used to be. No wonder the party denied an election result so painful as Biden winning Arizona. 

Kelly Walker, who operates Viva Coffee Shop in Tucson, portrays himself as a masculine protector of the persecuted, but he has thrived on above-the-law intimidation over pandemic policies, columnist writes.

As hard as it is for anyone to live in Tucson's record heat wave, it's harder for people who live outside. Though the city and other entities are offering cooling stations, few are using them. 

In Tucson, we have plenty of water to maintain green landscapes, and we've done so eagerly in the pandemic. But in the surrounding desert and mountains, the water is quickly disappearing, threatening plants and animals.