Hola,
Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week, especially on Father’s Day. We are always grateful to hear from you.
🎉 We’re celebrating some wins made possible by your support this week! Chelsea Curtis won INN’s Breaking Barriers award, and Carolina Cuellar was a finalist in the same category. The team was also a finalist for INN’s Investigative award for “A Long Way Home.” And Chelsea just won the Indigenous Journalists Association’s Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism — send your double congrats to Chelsea!
In today’s newsletter:
🚨 The federal government wants to nearly triple bed capacity at the proposed Marana ICE detention center, to as many as 1,300 — and housing could start before construction is done. Read more.
🎓 Pima Community College’s Governing Board approved a $347 million budget that adds a $10-per-credit dual enrollment fee, hitting about 7,000 Southern Arizona high schoolers starting in 2027-28. Read more.
🗳️ Four candidates are running for Arizona superintendent of public instruction, with ESAs at the center of the race ahead of the July 21 primary — see where they stand. Read more. | Lee en español.
đź«“ Mayra Esquivel convirtiĂł las necesidades de salud de sus padres en una lĂnea de tortillas nutritivas, y ahora se prepara para lanzar su negocio con el apoyo de Fuerza Local. Lee más.
Featured stories
Federal government aims to nearly triple Marana ICE detention capacity, new document shows
The federal government aims to nearly triple the capacity of a former prison in Marana slated to become an immigration detention center, moving the building to 1,300-bed capacity from 513 […]
New dual enrollment fee, more student service cuts included in Pima Community College budget
A $10-per-credit fee is on tap for about 7,000 high school students throughout Southern Arizona who take dual enrollment courses through Pima Community College. The courses, offered at 43 Southern […]
Your 2026 Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction primary voter guide: Where candidates stand on the issues
PHOENIX — Voters will soon decide who will lead the Arizona Department of Education and elect the superintendent of public instruction. Overseeing the Arizona Department of Education has become a […]
GuĂa de las elecciones primarias 2026 para superintendente de Arizona: quĂ© opinan candidatos sobre temas clave
PHOENIX — Los votantes pronto decidirán quién dirigirá el Departamento de Educación de Arizona y ocupará el cargo de superintendente de instrucción pública. Supervisar el Departamento de Educación de Arizona […]
“Y las tortillas”: Un negocio en Tucson que cuida la salud sin renunciar al sabor
Mayra Esquivel habĂa preparado una cena especial para celebrar su graduaciĂłn en arte culinario del Colegio Pima: pollo relleno, purĂ© de papa con salsa de ajo y verduras en reducciĂłn […]
Flickers 🕯️
Please fill out this quick submission form to suggest a future Flicker.
Get ready to vote in the primary election. The last day to update your voter registration is Monday, June 22. Register, update, or check your voter status.
Empower and support youth and adults with an interactive bullying awareness workshop. The session aims to address bullying and cyberbullying, promotes online safety and supports mental health on June 24 from 4:15-5 p.m. Call 520-232-8684 for more information.
Keep your mind healthy (and hang in the air conditioning) with a free crafting class for adults and children on June 24 from 10 a.m. to noon. Connect, create and learn together at the Southwest Family Resource Center. Call 520-908-3980 to register.
Do you have an opinion on the unmet transportation needs in Southern Arizona? Let the Arizona Department of Transportation know at an in-person meeting on Thursday, June 25. The meeting, set to take place from 9-11 a.m. at SALC, 1760 E River Road, Suite 280, is part of a statewide listening tour the agency is undertaking to develop a shared vision for the state’s transportation system. The tour has included about 60 in-person meetings around the state so far.
Avoid floods this monsoon season with free sandbags from Pima County. Thirteen sites opened this week for county residents. Bring a shovel and gloves to fill up to 20 sandbags per vehicle. And because monsoon and wildfire and season are here. Sign up for MyAlerts, Pima County’s mass notification system, which will push important info to your device. Sign up here.
Fantasizing about rain? The University of Arizona’s Arizona Institute for Resilience has launched its annual Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts game, inviting people to predict seasonal rainfall totals in five Southwestern cities and compete for points. New this year is a 13-week tournament that uses head-to-head matchups and rankings, while researchers also hope to learn more about how participants use weather information to make their forecasts.
Pima County and its largest employee union have reached a tentative labor agreement — but not without a fight. AFSCME Local 449 and county management agreed on most terms of a proposed one-year contract, including new rules limiting how AI can be used in employee performance reviews and discipline. But the union came up empty on several other priorities, including downtown parking subsidies, expanded leave benefits and a pay equity clause. County Administrator Jan Lesher also moved to strip two provisions the union had negotiated — paid time off to attend new-hire orientations and labor-management meetings — after the Pima County Attorney’s Office said they may violate the Arizona Constitution. AFSCME is challenging that legal opinion and wants the Board of Supervisors to weigh in. The board has final say on the contract.
Thank you Sunday
Shoutout to Caryn P., David Y. and Jill N. for becoming members of Arizona Luminaria!
Our reporting exists because readers step up to support it. Member contributions are one of the most important ways our nonprofit newsroom stays independent.
If this newsletter is part of your routine, please consider becoming a member today.
This email was sent to *|EMAIL|*
Unsubscribe from this newsletter — Opt out of all emails from *|LIST:COMPANY|*
*|LIST_ADDRESSLINE_TEXT|**|IF:REWARDS|*
*|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
