🏛️ Government
Attorney General Mayes Challenges Detention Center Plan in Surprise. Attorney General Kris Mayes has requested Department of Homeland Security provide details by Tuesday regarding a potential immigration detention center in Surprise, indicating possible legal challenges under public nuisance law. The move marks Mayes' early intervention in a controversial federal immigration facility proposal affecting the region.
AZPM
Colorado River Basin States Miss Critical Deadline for Water-Sharing Agreement. Arizona and western states missed a key deadline for the second time since November to agree on new water-sharing rules for the Colorado River. The failure heightens pressure as federal proposals loom that could slash Arizona's water deliveries by up to 77% through the Central Arizona Project, directly impacting Tucson and Phoenix water supplies.
AZPM, Arizona Daily Star
Arizona GOP Proposes Sweeping Election Overhaul, Sparks Intraparty Tensions. Republican legislators introduced mirror resolutions that would amend the state constitution to eliminate mail-in ballot drop-offs at polls on Election Day and the Friday prior, require voters to request ballots for each election instead of automatic mailing, and impose identity verification requirements. The Senate's amended version removed a voter ID requirement, creating tensions with House sponsors who called the requirement "non-negotiable."
Arizona Mirror
Hobbs, GOP Lawmaker Craft Competing Disclosure Laws on Political Donations. Governor Katie Hobbs unveiled a plan to disclose links between businesses and money they provide to elected officials, countering Republican proposals and addressing ongoing investigations into "pay-to-play" allegations. The competing disclosure approaches reflect disagreement on how to increase transparency in state politics.
Arizona Daily Star
🚨 Public Safety
Nancy Guthrie Search Expands Using Genetic Genealogy; DNA Shows No Database Match. The search for Nancy Guthrie continues more than two weeks after her abduction from her Catalina Foothills home. DNA from gloves found two miles away did not match anyone in the FBI database, but investigators are exploring genetic genealogy services like GEDmatch and Ancestry.com to build family trees and identify the suspect. Pima County Sheriff's Department reports over 28,000 calls from the public in 16 days and the FBI has received 18,000+ tips as about 400 officers from multiple agencies work the case.
KGUN 9, AZPM
🏗️ Development & Business
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Celebrates Casino Del Sol Vahi Taa'am Dome Lighting. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe lit up the 40-foot copper dome at their new Casino Del Sol Vahi Taa'am (meaning "three suns" in Yoeme language) at Grant Road and Fairview Avenue on February 9, marking a major milestone in the 163,000-square-foot gaming facility. The $2.67 billion third casino for the tribe will include slots, table games, restaurants, and sports betting when it opens in November, bringing hundreds of construction jobs and anticipated casino employment while generating tribal revenue for healthcare and education expansion.
Arizona Luminaria
Tucson Electric Power Rate Case Heats Up as AG Mayes Challenges Proposal. Attorney General Kris Mayes filed expert testimony with the Arizona Corporation Commission claiming she could reduce TEP's proposed 14% rate hike to 4%, setting up a high-stakes regulatory showdown. The dispute over utility rates directly impacts Tucson-area households and businesses.
Tucson Agenda, AZPM
Arizona Lawmakers Advance Compromise Plan to Regulate Short-Term Rentals. Efforts to allow Arizona cities and towns to limit new Airbnbs and other short-term rentals have faced stiff industry opposition but a compromise plan is advancing through the Legislature, addressing local concerns about neighborhood disruption and housing availability.
Arizona Daily Star
🎓 Education
ASDB Outlines Relocation Plan; Tucson Board Member Resigns in Protest. The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind detailed plans to close its dormitories, mainstream visually impaired students at local schools, and relocate the Tucson campus to Oro Valley next summer due to a $3 million deficit and declining enrollment. ASDB Governing Board member Bill Koehler, a former ASDB assistant superintendent and lone Tucson voice, resigned February 10 after the board voted 5-2 to shutter the campus and lay off approximately 60 Tucson staff members. Koehler filed an open meeting law report in protest. Families of visually-impaired students express stress over the vague implementation details and uncertainty.
Arizona Luminaria, AZPM
Arizona Teachers Face Strike Ban and Union Restrictions Under GOP Bills. Republican-backed legislation would prohibit teachers from striking against their districts under threat of state funding cuts and restrict union activity at public schools, preventing use of school resources for union organizing or meetings. The Arizona Education Association, representing 22,000+ public school employees, lambasted the proposals as government overreach and political retaliation, noting they attack teachers while the state faces an ongoing exodus of over 1,000 teachers annually due to low pay and poor working conditions.
Arizona Mirror
Proposition 123 School Funding Renewal Stalls on Republican Conditions. Republicans want to overhaul Proposition 123—the $300 million annual public school funding source that expired last year—restricting money to teacher raises for full-time teachers meeting performance benchmarks while excluding support staff. Education advocates warn the new proposal with yearly legislative approval will worsen teacher retention by creating annual salary uncertainty.
Arizona Mirror
🏫 Community & Events
Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher Retiring; Search Underway for Successor. Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher, described as "the most powerful person in county government you didn't vote for," is retiring, triggering a quiet but consequential search for her replacement. Lesher has shaped county policy and operations for years.
Tucson Agenda
PJTED Foundation Awards $250K to Partner Districts for High School Trade Programs. The Pima Joint Technical Education District Foundation granted $250,000 to five partner districts in Southern Arizona to fund industrial trade programs for high schoolers, backed by private donor funding.
AZPM
⛈️ Weather — Catalina
No active alerts for Pima County.
Today: Mostly sunny with a chance of rain showers after 2 p.m. High near 62 degrees. Southwest winds 14–23 mph, gusting to 32 mph. Chance of precipitation 40%.
Tonight: Chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41 degrees. Southwest winds 6–18 mph. Chance of precipitation 40%.
Tomorrow (Thursday): Slight chance of rain showers before 8 a.m., then mostly sunny. High near 58 degrees. Southwest winds 6–12 mph. Chance of precipitation 20%.
Outlook: Conditions improve significantly through the week. Friday highs near 58 degrees with decreasing precipitation chances. Weekend brings warming trend with Saturday highs near 68 degrees and Sunday reaching 74 degrees under mostly sunny skies. Early next week temperatures climb to near 80 degrees with light winds and minimal precipitation.
NWS Tucson Forecast API