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In today’s newsletter:
⚖️ Families sued to stop a vote to move ASDB’s Tucson campus to Oro Valley — and a judge has now ruled the board can proceed Thursday, escalating a fight over services for blind and visually impaired students.
🏛️ Pima County supervisors voted to draft ordinances blocking ICE use of county property and banning masked federal agents after emotional public testimony Tuesday. Read more.
🚨 Investigators found signs of forced entry and evidence of a nighttime kidnapping at a Catalina Foothills home as the search continues for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of former Tucsonan and “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. Learn more.
Featured stories
ASDB board vote can proceed Thursday, judge says
The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind board vote on Thursday can proceed, Pima County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey T. Bergin said Wednesday morning after he declined […]
ASDB parents sue to halt vote on moving Tucson campus
Eleven families of students at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind have filed a complaint in Pima County Superior Court seeking to prevent a board vote […]
Supervisors move to block ICE use of county property, ban federal agents wearing masks
After more than an hour of emotional testimony from residents invoking history and civil rights, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 Tuesday to draft ordinances aimed at limiting […]
Signs of forced entry at Catalina Foothills home of Nancy Guthrie
TUCSON — Investigators found signs of forced entry at the Arizona home of former Tucsonan and “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, a person familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, […]
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Plans for a new passenger rail network in México could reshape travel and tourism in Southern Arizona. At a Jan. 29 meeting of the Pima Association of Governments, officials discussed Mexico’s ongoing construction of over 3,300 kilometers of rail, including a future link from México City to Nogales. Meanwhile, Arizona’s rail plans would connect Phoenix and Tucson, leaving a 60-mile gap to the border. Local leaders, including Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, raised concerns that Tucson could be left out of opportunities for economic growth. Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz called for a regional effort to ensure Tucson is included in future planning. The Port of Guaymas expansion in Sonora adds urgency, as it could shift trade routes. Watch the meeting replay.
The University of Arizona plans to lease 600 acres of land near Oracle and SaddleBrooke for a long-term solar energy project. The land, located at the Oracle Agricultural Center off State Route 77, is next to the Page-Trowbridge Ranch Landfill and near Willow Springs Ranch, a popular mountain biking area. Under the proposed agreement, the university would enter into a ground lease of up to 55 years with Vesper Energy Finance, a national solar and energy storage developer. The site will be used for solar energy generation and transmission facilities, with potential for agrivoltaic uses such as crop growth and livestock grazing beneath and around the solar arrays. The project also offers opportunities for renewable energy research. The proposal requires approval from the Arizona Board of Regents. See details from a Feb. 5 regents committee meeting.
Visit Tucson has launched a Sonoran Dog Trail — a self-guided, bacon-wrapped journey through the city’s finest franks, from neighborhood carts to James Beard-approved joints. Get the dogs.
The No Desert Data lawsuit filed against Pima County will have its first court hearing at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6 in Courtroom 680. The suit alleges that county staff failed to give adequate public notice of how far along planning for the Project Blue data center was when the county land came up for a rezoning vote.
Beads, Bands and Beer Festival, a free, family-friendly festival celebrating children and families coping with serious illness takes place Saturday, Feb. 7, from 1-7 p.m. at the Beads of Courage Forever Home, 3301 N. First Ave. Live music, local beer and bead art experiences. Festival passes available for $35.
Register for the Southern Arizona Heat Summit, planned for Feb. 7 at the University of Arizona.
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