Uprooted - AZ Luminaria

Hola,

Tom Horne’s 30-year run on the ballot just ended, preschool funding is getting tighter, and a border grove is losing its trees — plus some new reads for your Tucson summer. Gracias for making Arizona Luminaria part of your week. We are always grateful to hear from you.

In today’s newsletter:

🎓 Tom Horne is off the ballot for the first time in 30 years, setting up a Nov. 3 rematch between Terry Leyba Ruiz and Kimberly Yee for state superintendent. Read more | Lee en español

👶 Pima County’s preschool scholarship program is losing pandemic-era funding just as demand climbs, and officials are still working out a longer-term way to pay for it. Read more

🌳 Border wall crews are bulldozing trees in a historic cottonwood grove in Lochiel, long considered the heart of the small ranching community. AZPM story republished by Arizona Luminaria.

🏫 Alma Mejia-Garcia steps in as interim principal at Pueblo while a culture and climate review continues at TUSD’s second-largest high school. Read more | Lee en español

🚗 The Greater Yuma Port Authority is studying whether the commercial-only San Luis II crossing could someday take everyday car traffic, as officials also eye hundreds of acres nearby for warehousing. Read more | Lee en español

🗳️ More Pima County voters are opting to show ID when dropping off mail ballots, a new process officials say sped up primary results — though the recorder says it still needs some kinks worked out before November. (From Votebeat) Read more.

📚 Four books — from a UA history to a queer-detective mystery to Barbara Kingsolver’s classic “The Bean Trees” — offer different ways into Tucson’s story. Read more | Lee en español

Featured stories

Tom Horne’s AZ superintendent era casts long shadow as Terry Leyba Ruiz, Kimberly Yee now try to stand out

It was a quiet election night at home last Tuesday for Republican Kimberly Yee and her family. But 24 hours later, the excitement took hold, Yee said, when she got […]

La era sombría de la superintendencia de Tom Horne busca un cambio con Terry Leyba Ruiz y Kimberly Yee

La noche de las elecciones del martes pasado transcurrió tranquilamente en casa para la republicana Kimberly Yee y su familia. Pero 24 horas después llegó la emoción, dijo Yee, cuando […]

With 600+ preschoolers on a waitlist, Pima County looks for ways to save PEEPs

Getting a child into a free or low-cost preschool seat in Pima County is becoming harder, even as more families need help. Pima Early Education Program Scholarships, or PEEPs, saw […]

New interim principal named at Pueblo High as leadership review continues

Alma Mejia-Garcia adjusted her collar and clipped on a mic as a spotlight shone on her face. The 25-year educator was ready to talk about her new job as interim […]

Hay nueva directora interina en Pueblo High mientras continúa revisión del liderazgo

Alma Mejía-García se acomodó el cuello y se colocó un micrófono mientras un reflector iluminaba su rostro. La educadora, con 25 años de experiencia, estaba lista para hablar sobre su […]

Amid border investment, Yuma studies how to ease traffic at San Luis

The Greater Yuma Port Authority is eyeing hundreds of acres of undeveloped land near the San Luis border crossing and has set aside $400,000 to study whether the commercial port […]

More Pima County voters choose new option to speed up mail ballot processing

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Arizona’s free newsletter here. When Arizonans went to […]

Four books to discover Tucson through history, mystery and fiction

Tucson can be told in many ways: through the history of its university, a detective who returns to solve a disappearance while confronting her past, a young woman who finds […]

Cuatro libros para descubrir Tucson desde la historia, el misterio y la ficción

Tucson puede contarse de muchas formas: a través de la historia de su universidad, de una detective que regresa para resolver una desaparición mientras enfrenta su pasado, de una joven […]

Historic Lochiel cottonwood trees torn down for border wall construction in Santa Cruz County

This article originally appeared on Arizona Public Media, Southern Arizona’s PBS and NPR station. Contractors uprooted three cottonwood trees in rural Santa Cruz County Monday morning to make way for […]

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A Senate committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that would create Chiricahua National Park, replacing the wilderness area’s current national monument designation. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved an amended version of the bill, sponsored by Arizona’s Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. A companion bill, sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, is pending in the House.

Reports of a Tucson mom detained by immigration authorities Tuesday outside a Pima County courthouse are raising questions about whether the arrest violated a county board resolution limiting where immigrant agents can act on county property, reports the Arizona Daily Star. Rep. Adelita Grijalva said in a statement that the arrest was a troubling pattern. “When people fear they may be detained for showing up to court, seeking medical care, or taking their children to school, everyone is less safe,” Grijalva said.

The Arizona Diaper Bank is reporting critically low supplies of adult incontinence products as demand rises among seniors, adults with disabilities, veterans and caregivers during the summer. The nonprofit is seeking donations of adult briefs, protective underwear, bladder control pads, disposable underpads and monetary contributions to replenish inventory and meet growing statewide needs. Get info.

A state audit found the Crane Elementary School District in Yuma improperly spent more than $164,000 on unauthorized employee fringe benefits and food and beverages, and ran catering services without legal authority to do so. The Arizona Auditor General’s report also found the district failed to monitor 2012 solar energy contracts that may have cost it more than $400,000 in excess electricity costs since 2018, plus deficiencies in purchasing cards, cash handling, IT security and school bus maintenance. Auditors identified a seventh, confidential finding on school safety practices that was withheld from the public report due to its sensitive nature. The school district will implement the recommendations from the audit, and auditors will follow up in six months.

The No Desert Data Center Coalition is holding a protest across from the Project Blue construction site as part of the national day of action against AI data centers. The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. at Brekke and Houghton. The No Desert Data Center Coalition organizing, started in response to the first public reports of the Project Blue data center one year ago, has become among the more active local groups in Pima County.

MegaMania 2026, the all-ages free summer festival of gaming, cosplay. Crafts, local artists, authors and cosplay is Saturday, Aug. 1 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Pima Community College Downtown Campus. Play Dungeons and Dragons, video games, tabletop games, create a dino hat, go into an Escape room and party mega K-Pop style. Escape room registration is from noon to 12:15 p.m. on Saturday and allows six people per team for a 20 minute game.

Tucson’s youth are invited to “Back to School: Climate Conversations with Youth” where they’ll get a chance to talk with Rep. Adelita Grijalva and Council Member Selina Barajas about climate change and environmental issues. The event is from noon to 1 p.m. on Aug. 4, at El Pueblo Community Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, Bldg. 9. The Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter is partnering with the two government leaders and with several local organizations to host the conversation. Grijalva and Barajas will share some of the work they are doing to promote environmental justice and address climate change. Learn more and RSVP for the event here.

Arizona Forward will host a breakfast to discuss policies, partnerships, and innovations shaping the state’s water future. The program, titled “Water: Rising to the Challenge,” is 7:30-9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Phoenix Zoo’s Stone House Pavilion. The panel discussion includes Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources; Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project; Leslie Meyers, associate general manager and chief water executive with the Salt River Project; and Chris Kuzdas, Arizona Water Program director with the Environmental Defense Fund. Buy tickets here.

Tucson journalist John Washington has a new book out: “How to Close a Camp Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention.” Get the book and meet John at a book launch party at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Slow Body in Tucson or 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at Changing Hands in Tempe. Details and RSVP.

Watershed Management Group and Western National Parks are hosting a screening of “Hoppers” Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Western National Parks Association, 12880 N. Vistoso Village Drive. The event will include kids activities where they can learn about how beavers shape waterways, support the ecosystem and reduce the impact of wildfires. The event is free but reservations are required. Get your tickets here.