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In today’s newsletter:
✂️ The Tucson Unified School District board voted unanimously Tuesday on nearly $10 million in budget cuts touching 40 departments, from fine arts to school safety. A 12-day public comment period drew about 950 responses, including from 60 students. Read more.
⚖️ A ProPublica analysis found the Justice Department closed more than 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of the Trump administration — including fraud, terrorism and drug investigations — as it redirected resources toward immigration enforcement. Read the full investigation.
🏥 A UA medical program that started in 1979 with one clinic has grown into 12 student-run free clinics serving Tucson’s uninsured and unhoused residents — with more than 90% of med students participating within their first two years. Learn more about it.
🚴 Ethan Pesch and his dad Scott set off from Seattle last week on a 9,600-mile cycling journey to every Major League Baseball ballpark — a six-month trek the UA marketing grad has been planning since eighth grade. Read their story.
Featured stories
TUSD board votes to cut $10 million after students and families weigh in
The Tucson Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously Tuesday night on nearly $10 million in budget cuts for the coming fiscal year targeting programs across the district from transportation […]
Trump’s Justice Department dropped 23,000 criminal investigations in shift to immigration
This story was originally published by ProPublica. In the first days after Pam Bondi was appointed attorney general last year, the Department of Justice began shutting down pending criminal cases […]
UA program offers free health care to Tucson residents
A University of Arizona medical program that started in 1979 with a single clinic serving Central American refugees has grown into 12 student-run free clinics serving Tucson’s most vulnerable residents.
“The idea of doing this is crazy!” UA grad and his dad begin 9,600-mile cycling journey
As a bartender at Empire Pizza in Downtown Tucson last fall, Ethan Pesch told anyone who would listen about his post graduation plans: He was going to ride a bike, […]
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Gather in community to watch the first Tucson screening of our new documentary produced with AZPM highlighting resident fights for stability and unity in Tucson’s mobile home parks. The screening will take place today! April 2, 7 p.m. at the Historic Y. The event is free but please RSVP.
The Arizona Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning request for the Solace Energy Center, a standalone battery energy storage project proposed by Mission Clean Energy near South Wilmot Road. The project had already received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission in January. Construction isn’t expected until around 2029.
Great Horned Owls have been nesting above the entrance to the Lodge at Ventana Canyon for more than 37 years. The Club, in collaboration with Tucson Bird Alliance, has installed a nest camera inside the lobby looking through the window to the nesting ledge. You can watch as the owlet grows and the mother brings it food at night.
Matthew 25:34 Tucson, a mutual aid group, has launched a second mobile distribution team to expand outreach to unhoused residents. The new Friday evening effort in the 4th Avenue and downtown area will complement existing Tuesday morning distributions, increasing the group’s ability to provide food, clothing and supplies twice a week. Donate supplies from their Walmart wish list.
Capture wildlife digitally in your backyard with a two-part class at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Use your motion-activated camera to check out animals in your yard and contribute to wildlife conservation efforts. First class is April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon. The second class is May 2. Classes are sponsored by Sky Island Alliance and the Gardens. Classes are $60 for non-members and $48 for a Tucson Botanical Gardens member. Bring your own camera or borrow one from the Gardens.
Pima Community College’s Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery opens its 2026 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition on April 6, featuring 53 works selected from more than 200 entries by students across PCC’s five campuses. The show runs through May 8, with a reception on April 15 from 3-5 p.m. and an award ceremony at 4 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public at the Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Learn more.
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