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Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week. We are always grateful to hear from you.
In today’s newsletter:
📚 Charter schools City High and Paulo Freire say they will unionize, with a vote planned next year, making them the second charter network in Arizona to organize. BASIS was the first. Read more.
📖 Tucson is opening the door for community ideas on how to reinvent the Valdez library building after decades as the county’s main branch. Read more.
🏥 A new story by Conecta Arizona shows how hospitals quietly deport seriously ill patients — including cases tied to Arizona — leaving families to fight for care across borders and systems meant to protect them. Read it here.
Featured stories
Tucson wants community help to reimagine future of Valdez library building
Do you have a creative idea for how the Valdez library building should be used when the county moves out? Tucson wants to know. The city will put out a […]
Charter schools City High, Paulo Freire say they will unionize, vote coming next year
The black and white UNITY mural greets students, staff and visitors at City High School in downtown Tucson. Forming that complete whole is foundational to what City High, a public […]
Deported from the hospital: How a hidden crisis puts seriously ill patients at risk
This project was undertaken as a USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship Fund Grantee for Conecta Arizona. When Junior visits his wife, he sprays on the perfume she always loved, […]
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Pop Cycle’s Christmas Eve Winter Clothing Drive is underway. Drop off new or gently used jackets, scarves, gloves, socks, backpacks, toiletries and sleeping bags at the shop during regular hours by Monday, Dec. 23. Volunteers distribute the items and lunches on the 24th. Details.
Attend “Triumph in Tragedy” a statewide exhibition series honoring Holocaust survivors at the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center from late November 2025 through August 2026. The exhibit, featuring the stories of Andrew Schot and Margot Frank, invites visitors to explore portraits, artifacts, and testimonies that illuminate courage, connection, and resilience.
The Tucson Holiday Ice skating rink is now open after an equipment failure delay. The outdoor rink pop-up will run through Jan. 4 at 260 S. Church in front of the Tucson Convention Center. Cost is $22 for 90 minutes. Children under 12 are $15. Skates are included in admission, socks are required and gloves are recommended. No bags are allowed on the ice. Get tickets here. Tickets for dates impacted by the delay will be refunded. Call 520-791-4101, option one for information.
Mark your calendar for festivals in January.
• Tucson Jazz Festival, Jan. 16-24
• Tucson Fringe Festival, Jan. 8-11
• Yuma AGFest, Jan. 24
• Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, dates vary with many shows starting in January
• Arizona Balloon Classic, Jan. 16-18 in Chandler
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