We’ve got good news to celebrate together — Arizona Luminaria just won Community News Outlet of the Year! 🕯️ Our team also brought home top honors for political reporting and Journalist of the Year. We couldn’t do this without you, our readers and supporters — so thank you!
Find out more here in English or leer más en español
More in today’s newsletter:
🎙️ Students at Pueblo High School are finding their voices through 98.7 The Block, Southern Arizona’s only student-run high school radio station. Find out more.
🎶 From choir director to Pima Community College’s new provost, Ian Roark’s path to leadership is anything but traditional — and he’s still drumming. Read more here.
🗳️ El senador Rubén Gallego se reunió con líderes de Tucson para discutir recortes federales a la educación y los altos costos de vida, y prometió volver para seguir con el diálogo. Más detalles por Conecta Arizona.
Featured stories
Arizona Luminaria wins Community News Outlet of the Year at Press Club Awards
Arizona Luminaria has been named Community News Outlet of the Year by the Arizona Press Club, capping a banner year of recognition that also includes awards for political reporting excellence […]
Arizona Luminaria gana el premio Medio de Noticias Comunitario del Año por Arizona Press Club
Arizona Luminaria ha sido nombrado Medio de Noticias Comunitario del Año por Arizona Press Club, coronando un año destacado de reconocimientos que también incluye premios a la excelencia en la […]
The Block don’t stop: Inside Pueblo High’s student-run radio station
Alone in the radio production studio, Jassiel enjoys the quiet. He can think here — green egg-crate foam on the walls, a Mac desktop computer in front of him — […]
From leading choirs to leading Pima Community College: Ian Roark hits a new note as provost
Before becoming Pima Community College’s new provost and executive vice chancellor this week, Ian Roark was a music teacher who later taught social studies — a winding path that shaped […]
Rubén Gallego escucha a líderes de Tucson: educación y costos de vida
Este artículo fue publicado originalmente por Conecta Arizona. El senador por Arizona, Rubén Gallego, visitó Tucson para participar en una mesa redonda con líderes empresariales y comunitarios del sur de Arizona. […]
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A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient from Yuma is home with an ankle monitor after spending almost a month in immigration detention. His case is a marker of the changing landscape for undocumented youth brought to the U.S. as children. Jose Valdovinos was pulled over in August while driving with his wife, Jitzell Flores. She says there was no clear reason for the stop, and it’s made her an advocate for the experience of DACA recipients. “This isn’t just about him,” said Flores. “Families are being torn apart.” Valdovinos is one of 19,810 DACA recipients in Arizona as of March 2025, according to federal government data, who are now eligible for deportation in a way they were not before. “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for any number of reasons,” said Fernando X. Burgos Ortiz, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Southwest region. Nearly 20 people previously granted relief from deportation under the DACA program have been arrested by immigration authorities under the Trump administration, according to data collected by a national coalition of immigrant rights groups.
🐢 Time is running out to weigh in on the future of the endangered Sonoyta mud turtle with public comments on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft recovery plan due by Sept. 29. In the U.S., the rare freshwater turtles live in the wild only at Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and have been listed as endangered since 2017. The draft plan details steps, costs and timeline needed to help conserve the turtles through habitat protection, monitoring and captive breeding. Public comments can be mailed to the Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue, Suite C3, Phoenix, AZ 8505, or emailed to incomingAZcorr@fws.gov.
Roi Lusk was selected by Tucson city council as the new city attorney. “He is innovative, bringing a profound understanding of the law, and is the right person to protect the residents of Tucson at a time when cities across the country are increasingly becoming targets of federal overreach,” said mayor Regina Romero in a statement. Lusk has worked with the Tucson City Attorney’s Office in a range of positions since 2007.
🦟 West Nile death: The Pima County Health Department announced an older adult with underlying health conditions died from West Nile virus. It was the second confirmed case of West Nile virus in Pima County this year. West Nile virus is typically spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most people infected don’t show symptoms, but about one in five may develop a flu-like illness.
🌵 Who will speak for the cacti? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments on the draft recovery plan for the endangered Fickeisen plains cactus and Peebles Navajo cactus, two closely related Northern Arizona plants. The recovery plan’s goal is to recover the cacti so they no longer need protection under the Endangered Species Act. Comment by Oct. 25.
Chicanos Vibez Fest 2025 will be held at Tucson’s MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento, Sept. 27-28. The two-day family friendly festival will include music, food, and a car show. Find more info and get tickets here.
📦 Help our most vulnerable by assembling care packages with the Multidisciplinary Outreach Team through the City of Tucson. Sign up to volunteer on the following Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. — Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 15, and Dec. 13. The team distributes care packages year-round to our most vulnerable neighbors.
❈ The Parks in Focus art exhibit at the Joel Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. will run through Sept. 30. The exhibit displays photographs taken by young people and aims to connect youth to public lands. The Parks in Focus program has encouraged exploration since 1999.
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