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In today’s newsletter:
🗳️ Start with our guide to the ballot propositions: eight statewide measures, from voter ID to traffic cameras, plus local questions on Pima County ballots. Then see where the candidates stand for attorney general, Congressional District 7 and the Corporation Commission, which sets rates for TEP and other utilities. That rounds up our 2026 guides. Find them all here.
🔒 The private prison company set to run an immigration detention center in Marana has applied for a town business license, one of the last hurdles before the former prison could reopen, possibly within 60 days. Opponents point to MTC’s record, but the town says there will be no public review. Read more.
Featured stories
2026 Arizona propositions: What’s on the ballot in Pima County
Tucson-area voters will see a lot of questions on their ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, with decisions ranging from how we vote to how we fund our zoo. […]
Arizona attorney general voter guide: Where Mayes, Petersen stand
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes is facing Republican challenger Warren Petersen in a race that has drawn an endorsement from President Donald Trump and the attention of local homeowners […]
Arizona District 7 voter guide: Where Grijalva and Butierez stand
As the Trump administration continues to focus on increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement, two congressional candidates are set for a rematch to represent a district that stretches across Southern Arizona’s U.S.-México […]
ACC voter guide: Arizonans will vote to fill two seats on state commission that regulates utility rates
Arizona voters in November will decide two of five seats on the commission that regulates hundreds of utilities statewide, including setting rates that affect how much people pay for vital […]
Opponents cite MTC’s record as company seeks license to run Marana detention center
The private prison operator slated to run an immigration detention center in Marana has applied for a business license with the town, moving toward clearing one of the final bureaucratic […]
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Upward Bound is back. Pima Community College is receiving federal money for its five Upward Bound programs, which serve roughly 320 students at Tucson-area high schools, after a Sept. 30 settlement of a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, Vice Chancellor Aubrey Conover told the Governing Board on Wednesday. The programs have no staff left, and hiring could take up to three months. The college has asked for a 12-month extension to spend the money but has no assurance it will get one.
Arizona Daily Star journalists announced Thursday that they are forming a union with The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America and asking new owner USA Today Co. to voluntarily recognize it, after 95% of eligible journalists signed union cards. The unit would cover 20 reporters, copy editors and photographers.
Finalists for County Administrator: The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday chose three finalists to replace retiring County Administrator Jan Lesher in January: Carmine DeBonis Jr., a Pima County deputy county administrator; Leonard Hernandez, Thurston County, Washington, county manager; and Leah Rhineheimer, Gilbert assistant town manager. The public can meet them from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 in the courtyard of the Pima County Historic Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave., and leave online feedback for the board. Supervisors interview the finalists Oct. 20 and could pick a winner that night or at their Oct. 27 meeting. Learn more about the meet and greet.
Pima County residents can share their thoughts on changes to the county’s Zoning Code governing new data center development in a survey through Oct. 21. The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved a 120-day data center moratorium in late September while the county creates new zoning regulations for large-scale data centers. The Pima County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to review proposed changes at its Oct. 28 meeting.
A Tucson man was charged over threat to bomb the White House. Federal prosecutors say Jacob Aaron Hicks, 46, emailed a Tucson news station on Sept. 23 claiming a bomb strike on the White House and other Washington, D.C., locations was imminent. Hicks was arrested Oct. 7 on a criminal complaint charging him with making an interstate threat to injure, and made his first federal court appearance Oct. 8. According to the complaint, investigators also found unsent drafts of similar threats addressed to other news organizations. Read more from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Living Streets Alliance is hosting a beer release party 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at Slow Body Brewing Co., 831 E. 17th St. Guests can taste an exclusive Cyclovia beer made by Slow Body and Pueblo Vida Brewing Co., which will be sold at the Oct. 25 Cyclovia Tucson beer garden. The party also celebrates the launch of Friends of Cyclovia. Learn more. Arizona Luminaria is a proud local media sponsor of Cyclovia.
Catalina State Park history program: Learn how Catalina State Park came to be at “Past, Present, Future,” a program at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19 at the park, 11570 N. Oracle Road. Participants will explore the area’s history from the 1850s to today and hear about park operations and planned upgrades. Meet at the Trailhead Picnic Area. Learn more.
Cam Solorio Juárez, community engagement and accessibility coordinator at Saguaro National Park, will discuss how public lands work as historical and cultural archives in a free talk, 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21 on Zoom. He will cover the Parks for All project, cultural resource interpretation and efforts to bring music and poetry to the park. Register to attend.
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