Hola,
Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week. We are always grateful to hear from you.
In today’s newsletter:
đź“š De cruzar la frontera con una caja de trastes a liderar el currĂculo multicultural en Tucson, Rosalinda Rodriguez compartirá su historia de esperanza y persistencia en una sesiĂłn del Festival del Libro de Tucson. Lee más. From crossing the border with a box of dishes to leading multicultural education in Tucson, Rosalinda Rodriguez will share her story of hope and persistence in a session at the Tucson Festival of Books. Read more.
⚖️ Inside a Tucson Safe City deployment where police are making low-level arrests to offer connections to services and on-site court hearings. Read more.
🧾 Nearly three years after Arizona’s $2.5B Medicaid fraud scandal, Indigenous communities say exploitation continues — and oversight gaps remain. Read the story from AZCIR.
Featured stories
Tucson’s Safe City initiative aims to link people to help. Arrests still drive the strategy.
Officer Frank Oviedo pulled up next to the parking lot of a Speedy Cash on the corner of Grant and Alvernon. Five people sat cross-legged on the asphalt, the youngest […]
Cruzar la frontera con una caja de trastes, una camioneta morada y una gran persistencia
Rosalinda Rodriguez conserva un viejo comal de fierro que le regaló su suegra. Sobre él prepara tortillas de harina en la cocina de su casa al oeste de Tucson. “Es […]
Crossing the border with a box of dishes, a purple pickup truck and abundant persistence
Rosalinda Rodriguez keeps an old iron griddle that her mother-in-law gave her. On it, she makes flour tortillas in the kitchen of her home on Tucson’s west side. “It’s made […]
Medicaid fraud targeting Indigenous communities continues despite AHCCCS reforms
This story was originally published by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Nearly three years after Arizona uncovered an unprecedented $2.5 billion Medicaid fraud scandal that targeted Indigenous communities, sober living program […]
Flickers 🕯️
Please fill out this quick submission form to suggest a future Flicker.
Check out the launch of Pima County’s new “Votemobile” at a ribbon‑cutting ceremony 9 a.m. on March 2 at Tohono Plaza in Sells. The Mobile Voting Unit will begin operating immediately after the ceremony as a Ballot Replacement Site for the March 10 RTA Next election. Created to bring secure and accessible voting to communities facing geographic or transportation barriers, the unit includes three private booths, accessible equipment and bipartisan staff. It’s scheduled between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to serve the following locations:
• March 4 at the Salazar‑Ajo Library
• March 5 at Sahuarita’s La Villita Community Center
• March 9 at the Nanini Library
Return your mail-in ballot by Tuesday, March 3. See Arizona Luminaria’s voter guide to the RTA Next election.
The federal government has posted a notice announcing it will award a contract for the Marana detention center to be turned into an immigration facility run by Management & Training Corporation. “DHS/ICE needs to increase bed capacity to meet the administration’s interior enforcement and border decompression goals,” the notice reads. The newsletter Project Salt Box shared the news Thursday. Marana town officials had been in touch with MTC officials since May 2025. The town told Project Salt Box they had no other immediate plans for public engagement.
The Chiricahua National Park Act passed the House Natural Resources Committee and next goes to the full House for consideration. Introduced by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, the bill proposes to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument as a national park.
The number of foster homes available for Arizona children and youth in foster care has declined significantly since 2019, according to newly released data compiled and analyzed by The Imprint. Arizona has 1,918 licensed foster homes, down from 4,074 in 2019. The decline mirrors a nationwide trend. Read more.
See “Road to 250,” a free traveling museum exhibit that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary through interactive displays, short films and a replica of the Liberty Bell. The exhibit stops in Marana on March 5 and at Fort Lowell in Tucson on March 8. More info.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson will host its 13th Annual Issues & Eggs Breakfast Forum on Friday, March 6. This year’s event, titled Truth and Trust in Media, features a guest panel of journalists, including Arizona Luminaria’s Chelsea Curtis, discussing the role of news in today’s information landscape. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., with the program running from 8-10:30 a.m. Register.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
