Proactive, not reactive

Hola,

A huge thank you to those of you who came out for our NewsMatch kickoff and happy hour Thursday night. We loved getting to chat and share some great food and drink in community with you. And here is a (second) virtual hug for all of you who stepped up to donate as we announced a TRIPLE match for your support.

In today’s newsletter:

🚓 Immigration observers say their run-ins with Tucson police have grown tense, including one on Nov. 5 when a retired professor was handcuffed and detained. Read more.

💧 The Air Force is taking public comment through Nov. 20 on a plan to clean up PFAS “forever chemicals” in groundwater near Tucson International Airport. Read more.

📚 One quarter into Palo Verde High’s four-day school week pilot, more than half of its students have come in on their free Fridays for tutoring and credit recovery. Read more.

☕ Have coffee with our team from 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul. Guests get a tour of the ancient Lochiel cottonwood cuttings and free park admission afterward. No need to RSVP, just join us.

Featured stories

Immigration observers report tense run-ins with Tucson police

On Thursday Nov. 5, rapid response observer Steven Davis got an alert while he was eating dinner: a report of several agents, possibly federal immigration agents, about six blocks from […]

Air Force seeks public input on groundwater cleanup near Tucson airport

Community members have until Nov. 20 to weigh in on a proposed multimillion-dollar cleanup of groundwater contaminated with PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” at Air Force Plant 44 near […]

One quarter in, Palo Verde High students use “off” Fridays to work and catch up

Saul Soto wakes up at 6 a.m. Fridays, checks the stock market and maybe makes some trades. Then it’s breakfast and school work in his room with multiple computer monitors […]

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The Tucson Unified School District will hold a public hearing on the realignment of Southern Arizona’s largest school district at Sahuaro High School, 545 N. Camino Seco at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The hearing will discuss the closure and merger of 14 schools in the district. A Governing Board vote on the realignment plan is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8 at Palo Verde High School.

Nonprofit Connect brings local nonprofit leaders together 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the Arizona Youth Partnership’s Tucson office, 2210 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 201. The event starts with an hour of networking and light refreshments, followed by presentations from four local nonprofits. RSVP by Nov. 16.

Family caregivers will talk about their experiences with hospice and palliative care during a free Zoom panel from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. Panelists will discuss how hospice helped both patients and caregivers, the challenges they ran into and what they wish they had known before starting. The session is open to current and future caregivers, healthcare workers and anyone supporting someone with a serious illness. Register here.

Child Care Provider Resource Fair is 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 at the YWCA of Southern Arizona, 525 N. Bonita Ave. The Community Investment Corp. will gather groups offering business help, financing and training for people running a childcare business. The free event is part of the state’s Bright Futures AZ initiative. Register.

Route 66 goes interstellar. Cruise the Mother Road with Lowell Observatory historian Kevin Schindler during a virtual road trip, 10:15-11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Marana Visitor Information Center. The free Arizona Humanities talk, in honor of the highway’s centennial, stops at Moon-bound astronaut training grounds, a famous UFO sighting site and what organizers call the best-preserved asteroid impact site in the world. Learn more.

Air Force PFAS cleanup comments: The U.S. Air Force is taking public comments through Nov. 20 on its plan to add treatment for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the groundwater treatment system at Air Force Plant 44 in Tucson. The Air Force says the plan would keep the chemicals, linked to past firefighting foam, from moving toward drinking water supplies, and estimates the cost at $19.5 million to $22.8 million over 30 years. Read the plan and learn how to comment.