Hola,
Thanks for making us part of your week. In this edition, a young Tohono O’odham artist reframes life on the reservation, mobile home residents organize for survival in Arizona’s deadly summer heat and a new alert law prompts tough questions about who gets help — and who doesn’t:
📸 From foster care and uncertainty to his first solo art exhibit, 23-year-old Tohono O’odham photographer Ryan Moreno Si’al is telling stories of the reservation through striking images of beauty and isolation. His work is now on view at the Amerind Museum. See his story →
🌡️ In Pima County, where nearly one-third of indoor heat deaths occur in mobile homes, community leaders and local partners are distributing power outage preparation flyers and building “good neighbor” networks to protect the most vulnerable during Arizona’s deadly summer heat. How they’re doing it →
📛 At a recent bill signing, officials acknowledged that the newly passed Emily’s Law — aimed at improving missing alerts for Indigenous people — wouldn’t have applied to Emily Pike’s own case. The law’s shortcomings have reignited debate about how runaway labels can delay life-saving responses. What’s changing →
❤️ Support journalism that supports your community. During our spring membership campaign, 15 readers have become new sustaining members. Can you help us get to 20? Join us →
Featured stories
Neighbors saving neighbors: Emergency power plans help Arizona mobile home residents
In the 29 hours that Kath Noble’s mobile home park in Mesa was without power in July of 2023, she saw the many ways her neighbors were vulnerable. The heat […]
Runaway label concerns raised at bill signing ceremony for alert law named to honor Emily Pike
During Gov. Katie Hobbs’ ceremonial signing of “Emily’s Law” on Wednesday, an Arizona Department of Public Safety official confirmed the new Turquoise Alert will not cover runaways. That excludes children […]
Tohono O’odham visual artist examines creation and destruction on tribal lands
To change his life, Ryan Moreno Si’al picked up a camera. Then he headed toward his past on the Tohono O’odham Nation. There, he reframed his previous life. Ryan, now […]
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🎒 Preschool program lifeline: The City of Tucson will fund a portion of the low-income preschool program known as PEEPs for another year so families who already applied for classes funded by Tucson this spring won’t be left hanging, city council members decided at Tuesday’s meeting. That money will come, in part, from $250,000 initially allocated to help fund child care access for public safety workers as well as remaining COVID relief dollars from individual ward budgets. Last school year, Tucson supported several preschool programs in the Amphitheater and Sunnyside districts. Pima County will continue to fund the preschool school programs it had committed to next year through the library’s special taxing district. Mayor Regina Romero sent a memo to the county suggesting that Pima County increase the amount collected by the library taxing district to help meet the ongoing needs of programs like PEEPs.
💸 Arizona Luminaria receives CORE grant: The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona awarded grants to 61 Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations — including Arizona Luminaria. In total the CORE Grants program distributed $1.35 million this year.
📚 Summer reading for kids: Keep your kid reading this summer with the Arizona Educational Foundation’s summer reading programs. Register here.
⚡ Tucson’s power debate heats up: Amid rising costs and rising heat, Tucson has been weighing several options for its electricity future: converting the current electricity provider into a public utility, providing the power alongside Tucson Electric Power’s delivery services, or renewing its agreement with TEP. Tucson Democratic Socialists of America have led the campaign for a public power option and brought a group to speak at public comment at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Meanwhile, the city of Tucson also said it was developing a proposed Energy Collaboration Agreement with TEP, which could go to voters in November 2025 or be deferred to make space for ongoing discussion. Tucson voters rejected an effort to renew the city’s agreement with TEP in May 2023.
🧑🎓 New Pima County Youth Center opens June 4: Wednesday, June 4 marks the opening of the new center at 175 W. Irvington Road. An open house and resource fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. Find a new job, grab a snack and check out the other resources.
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