🚨 Public Safety
Hello Kitty sticker leads Tucson police to road rage shooting suspect. A 29-year-old man, David Anthony Cedeno, was arrested after Tucson Police linked him to a road rage shooting near Golf Links and Kolb that wounded two teenage girls. Investigators used the suspect's distinctive personalized plate and a Hello Kitty sticker on the rear window — later removed by a passenger — to trace the car to a home less than a mile from the scene. Cedeno faces 10 charges including five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; his bond is set at $75,000. A woman in the car at the time of the shooting, Heather Allen, was found leaving the residence and admitted removing the identifying items.
Woman, 24, killed in Tucson crash after being thrown from passenger seat. A 24-year-old woman died Thursday afternoon after being ejected from the passenger seat of a Ford Bronco during a crash, according to Tucson Police. No further details on location or cause were available in the initial report.
🏛️ Government
Arizona GOP "preborn child" legislation advances despite 2024 voter mandate on abortion. Republican lawmakers are pushing a slate of bills using "unborn" and "preborn child" language that reproductive rights advocates warn is a deliberate strategy to build a legal foundation for restricting or banning abortion access in Arizona. Voters in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right under Proposition 139, which passed in every legislative district with 61% of the vote. Advocates from the Center for Reproductive Rights say the language is designed to establish fetal personhood incrementally through repeated legislative codification.
🏗️ Development & Business
Marana Town Council weighing comprehensive fee schedule changes. The Marana Town Council is reviewing proposed changes to the town's comprehensive fee schedule and utility rates, as presented at the March 3 council meeting by Purchasing Director Yiannis Kalaitzidis. Specific fee categories and amounts were not detailed in the initial report; no vote has yet been taken.
Tucson Local Media / Explorer News
Oro Valley to install traffic signal at Naranja Park north entrance. The Town of Oro Valley is proceeding with installation of a traffic control light at the north entrance to Naranja Park. The decision follows community input around park access and vehicle safety at the busy recreational facility.
Tucson Local Media / Explorer News
Tucson's AI and defense-tech sector entering a new growth phase. Tucson's technology economy — long anchored in defense, space and optical sciences — is being reshaped by the rise of artificial intelligence, according to a survey of local industry trends. Local employers are expanding AI integration across multiple sectors, and observers say the pace of change in Tucson's tech landscape is accelerating compared with prior cycles.
🎉 Community & Events
Tucson Festival of Books opens today at UA with new clear-bag policy and marquee authors. The 17th annual Tucson Festival of Books runs March 14–15 on the University of Arizona campus, drawing authors including ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, who told a Tucson audience Friday that "the biggest lie is that there is no truth." For the first time in the festival's history, attendees entering author panel sessions must use clear tote bags. Daytime soap legend Susan Lucci will present Sunday at the UA Student Union North Ballroom at 4 p.m. before a book signing.
Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Daily Star, KGUN 9
No. 2 Arizona Wildcats advance to Big 12 championship game on Jaden Bradley buzzer-beater. Conference Player of the Year Jaden Bradley hit a fall-away jumper at the final buzzer Friday night to send second-ranked Arizona past No. 7 Iowa State 82-80 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in Kansas City. Anthony Dell'Orso scored 26 points with six 3-pointers; Ivan Kharchenkov added 17. The Wildcats (31–2), the tournament's top seed, face either No. 14 Kansas or No. 5 Houston in tonight's championship game.
Avra Valley wildlife corridor officially named for UA professor who identified it. A significant wildlife corridor through Avra Valley — northwest of Tucson — has been formally named for University of Arizona professor William Shaw, who first identified the passage four decades ago. The corridor connects mountain ranges critical to wildlife movement in the Sonoran Desert.
Tucson Local Media / Explorer News
⛈️ Weather — Tucson
⚠️ **Extreme Heat Watch issued for Southeast Arizona (Tucson area valleys and deserts) — in effect Thursday, March 19 through Sunday, March 22.** NWS Tucson forecasters are anticipating temperatures 20–25°F above normal the second half of next week, with the hottest days expected Friday and Saturday, March 20–21. Moderate to major HeatRisk levels are possible across SE Arizona. No active warnings or advisories are in effect for today.
Today: Mostly sunny. High near 89°F. Southwest wind 2–14 mph. 0% chance of precipitation.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low around 52°F. South wind 5–10 mph.
Tomorrow (Sunday): Sunny. High near 87°F. West-southwest wind 2–12 mph. 0% chance of precipitation.
Outlook: Temperatures remain 10–15°F above normal through this weekend, with a brief slight cooling Sunday–Monday as a weak Pacific shortwave passes through the Four Corners. Near-critical fire weather conditions are possible this weekend in areas east and northeast of Tucson, where breezy winds (gusts 25–35 mph) and minimum relative humidity in the single digits to teens will coincide Sunday afternoon — though NWS says conditions are not expected to be widespread enough to warrant formal fire weather products. Heat builds dramatically next week, with a potentially record-strength heat event expected Thursday through the following Sunday.
NWS Tucson Forecast API