Hola,
Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week. After a busy Tuesday with primary elections, this week’s newsletter is full of interesting stories to peruse. We are always grateful to hear from you.
In today’s newsletter:
🏫 A state investigation found ASDB violated federal disability law in moving the Tucson campus. “They just ignored us. They ignored the community, they ignored our families, and they just kept doing what they were gonna do, knowing they were violating the law,” says one dad Read more.
🗳️ Arizona’s primary results are in: Kimberly Yee unseated incumbent Republican Tom Horne for school superintendent. Yee will face former teacher Teresa Leyba Ruiz in the general. Read more | Lee en español.
🧱 A newly built stretch of Arizona’s border wall in the San Rafael Valley turned up bent and cracked months before construction was even finished, and the contractor won’t say how. Read more from High Country News.
👮 Tucson police plan to build a list of the 50 people most often convicted of low-level offenses like trespassing and loitering, offering them services but threatening harsher penalties if they refuse. Read more | Lee en español
⚖️ A judge is weighing whether a former UA employee’s whistleblower lawsuit, alleging she was fired for flagging her department’s labor violations and overspending before the university’s $177 million budget crisis, can go to trial. Read more | Lee en español.
🎒 TUSD is expanding its free back-to-school giveaway from one site to four, aiming to hand out backpacks and supplies to families across the district this weekend. Read more.
Featured stories
Displacement of ASDB students, school evaluations violate federal law, state says
The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal disability law last spring when it restricted placement options for students and predetermined where they should attend, the […]
Arizona primary results: Live updates on statewide, local races
In primary voting Tuesday, Arizona Republican voters chose Andy Biggs to face incumbent Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs in the general election while unofficial results showed Republican Tom Horne — running for […]
Resultados de elección primaria de Arizona: actualización de contiendas estatales y locales
En la votación de las primarias del martes, los votantes republicanos de Arizona eligieron a Andy Biggs para enfrentar a la actual gobernadora demócrata Katie Hobbs en la elección general, […]
New Tucson police program would target 50 people most often convicted of low-level crimes
A new pilot program run by Tucson Police Department will create a list of the 50 people most often convicted of trespassing, loitering and being caught with drug paraphernalia to […]
Nuevo programa de policía de Tucson es dirigido a 50 reincidentes con condenas menores
Un nuevo programa piloto del Departamento de Policía de Tucson creará una lista de las 50 personas que con mayor frecuencia han sido condenadas por allanamiento, merodeo y posesión de […]
Judge to decide whether UA whistleblower’s case goes to jury trial
A Pima County Superior Court judge is expected to rule soon about whether a lawsuit brought by a former University of Arizona employee can proceed to trial, leaving unresolved for […]
Juez decidirá si el caso de denunciante de la UA se somete a juicio con jurado
Se espera que un juez del Tribunal Superior del Condado de Pima decida pronto sobre si una demanda presentada por un ex empleado de la Universidad de Arizona puede ir […]
TUSD expands free back-to-school giveaways
The black and white checkerboard backpack sits next to a pale pink and purple floral print, while a solid turquoise nylon pack with a gray zipper leans against both. The […]
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The Watershed Management Group is running its first “I Spy Fireflies!” event, a two-part community science effort to map where fireflies live along local creeks and rivers. The first evening, a community celebration at Danny Lopez Park along the Santa Cruz River, is Friday, Aug. 1 from 7-10 p.m.; the second, a community count with survey leads at river sites, is Friday, Aug. 8 from 7-10 p.m. Register here.
The Pima County supervisors are expected to pick a treasurer and discuss preschool waitlists at their meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. Supervisors may finish up the stalled appointment of a new county treasurer — an item held over from July 14 that has drawn dozens of public comment letters — along with discussing the process for hiring the next county administrator, options for shrinking the waitlist for the Pima Early Education Program, and a $15.3 million contract for mental health services in the county jail. See the agenda or watch on YouTube.
The University of Arizona has expanded its partnership with Kazakhstan after President Suresh Garimella led a delegation that signed a memorandum of understanding naming the university the country’s flagship strategic partner in higher education and joint research. The visit coincided with the graduation of the first 31 students in the University of Arizona’s dual-degree program with North Kazakhstan University. University officials said the agreement will broaden collaboration in areas like agriculture, water resources and sustainable development, with additional dual-degree programs planned.
Ballet Tucson will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a 2026–2027 season featuring a mix of returning favorites, local premieres and two world premieres. The lineup includes the return of Spirit Garden and The Nutcracker with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, as well as Ballet Tucson premieres of works by Justin Peck, George Balanchine and Andrea Schermoly. The season will also feature the world premiere of Carmen by Chieko Imada and a new work by Ballet Tucson dancer and choreographer Brooke Amundrud. Season subscriptions are now on sale and include exclusive discounts and benefits. Single and group tickets will be available beginning Aug. 1. More information and ticket purchases are available through Ballet Tucson. Tickets can also be purchased by calling (520) 903-1445 or emailing tickets@ballettucson.org.
Pima County is drafting an amendment to its zoning code that would regulate data centers, modeled after a similar ordinance in the city of Tucson, where the Planning Commission voted 6-2 on June 17 to send the measure to the mayor and City Council for a public hearing Wednesday, Aug. 5. The county’s draft is expected to address conditional use permits, water-conserving cooling systems, noise limits, landscaping buffers and decommissioning requirements for closed facilities, with final approval anticipated by the end of the year, County Administrator Jan Lesher said in a memo. The proposal needs public input and hearings before the county Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors before taking effect.
Project Cobalt? EVelution Energy‘s planned $450 million cobalt processing facility near Wellton, about 30 miles east of Yuma, is advancing, with Arizona nominating the site for Opportunity Zone 2.0 rural tax status on July 14 as part of a project expected to create more than 6,200 jobs. The solar-powered plant would process cobalt hydroxide imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo into battery-grade cobalt sulfate, using an estimated 74 million gallons of groundwater monthly, about 70% of which the company says will be recycled. At the Yuma County Board of Supervisors‘ June 1 meeting, farmer Velma Limmeroth raised concerns about inconsistent water-use figures for the project — reporting has cited both 74 million gallons a month and 100 acre-feet a year — and noted the local irrigation district contributed roughly $95,000 toward well drilling to assess the water supply. A public meeting about the project is planned for Nov. 5 in Wellton.
The African American History Museum on the University of Arizona campus will be closed through Aug. 5. As the Memorial Student Union undergoes construction this summer, the museum space will offer scheduled tours for large groups of 15 to 30 only. Contact 520-621-2600 or aamuseumofsouthernaz@gmail.com to schedule, or experience the museum virtually. Browse this list of other University of Arizona museums, for summer explorations of art, culture, science and more (and in air conditioning!)
About one-third of Arizona women ages 18 to 49 reported needing but not receiving at least one reproductive health service in the past year, while 9% said they delayed or had trouble obtaining their preferred birth control method, according to new survey data from the Urban Institute. The report found cost, insurance and logistical barriers were the most common obstacles to care, and Arizona respondents were slightly more likely than the national average to report difficulty accessing both birth control and reproductive health services.
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