Daily Brief
June 24, 2026
Wednesday
# 🌵 Tucson Daily Brief — Wednesday, June 24, 2026
## ☀️ Weather
Today: High 108°F — Mostly sunny. W wind 2–12 mph. Heat index up to 104°F. Precip: 3%. Tonight: Low 78°F — Mostly clear. SSW wind 3–22 mph. Heat index up to 103°F. Thursday: High 108°F — Sunny. SSW wind 1–14 mph. Heat index up to 105°F. Friday: High 107°F — Sunny. SSW wind 5–17 mph, gusts to 28 mph. Weekend: Sat 105°F / Sun 103°F — Sunny. Slow cooling trend continues. Next week: Mon–Tue near 102°F — Sunny. Low 72°F.
> 🚨 EXTREME HEAT WARNING in effect for the Tucson Metro Area (incl. Green Valley, Marana, Vail) through 8 PM MST Thursday, June 25. Afternoon temps of 107–111°F expected. Localized Major Heat Risk. Avoid outdoor exertion during peak hours; reschedule strenuous activity to early morning or evening. Heat stroke is an emergency — call 911. *(Source: NWS Tucson)*
## 🏙️ Local — Tucson & Southern Arizona
- Pima County primary ballots mailed today. Mail-in ballots for the July 21 primary are going out today to voters on the active early voting list, per the Pima County Recorder's Office. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Marana data center town hall Saturday. Marana for the People will host a data center town hall from 1–3 PM on Saturday, June 27, at Coyote Trails Elementary School, 8000 N. Silverbell Rd. The event offers a chance to meet Greg Johnsen and ask questions about the proposed project. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- ICE detention dispute at Marana prison. Management Training Corporation pushed back on a recent DHS public notice regarding the proposed use of the existing Marana prison as an ICE detention facility, saying the notice was incorrect about capacity figures. The town of Marana said it is aware of community questions on the matter. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Marana incumbents face July 21 voters. Mail-in ballots for Marana's town council race dropped June 22. Four council seats and the mayor position are up for grabs. Challengers held a forum at the Highlands at Dove Mountain on June 18. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Oro Valley warned to prepare for 20% CAP water cut. Oro Valley water utility officials have been "told to prepare for a 20% cut" in its Central Arizona Project allocation beginning January 1, Director Peter Abraham told the Town Council on June 3. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Oro Valley water rates rise 3.6% on July 4. Base rates for most Oro Valley water customers increase on the Fourth of July. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Ripple Fiber expands into Pima County. Ripple Fiber plans to invest more than $80 million to bring 100% fiber-optic internet to 50,000+ homes and businesses across Pima County — the company's first expansion into Arizona. *(Inside Tucson Business)*
- Southern Arizona building next-gen defense ecosystem. A new feature examines how the region's defense economy — anchored by Raytheon, Davis-Monthan AFB, and Fort Huachuca — is evolving toward next-generation aerospace, intelligence, and missile systems development. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Tucson turns World Cup setback into opportunity. When Iran's national soccer team moved its FIFA World Cup training base from Tucson to Tijuana, Pima County lost a planned economic opportunity — but officials say they're leveraging the experience to pursue future international sports hosting. *(Inside Tucson Business)*
- Planetary Science Institute under new leadership. Tucson-based PSI is entering a new era under Director and CEO Amanda Hendrix, who took over in May 2025 after nearly two decades of previous leadership. *(Inside Tucson Business)*
- Fox Tucson Theatre: literacy and poetry for youth. The Fox is hosting a Monsoon Literacy Celebration and a new "Golden Hour: A Showcase of Youth Poetry" event to encourage young people to engage with reading and writing. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Tucson teens learn construction trades. About a dozen high school girls who took part in Camp NAWIC got a hands-on experience with Sunland Asphalt & Construction — Arizona's longest-standing asphalt company — on June 17. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- Oro Valley CVAP saved town $500K in 2025. The Citizens Volunteer Assistants Program, which assists the Oro Valley Police Department with fingerprinting and other non-enforcement tasks, saved the town an estimated $500,000 last year. *(Tucson Local Media)*
- New charcuterie franchise opens. Graze Craze, offering upscale charcuterie boards and boxes, has opened in Tucson under owners Jamin and Sarai Solomon. *(Tucson Local Media)*
## 🏛️ Arizona Politics & State
- Hobbs vetoes small modular nuclear reactor fast-track bill. Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed SB1418, which would have allowed utilities to build small nuclear reactors co-located with data centers without environmental review or public hearings, and stripped most counties of regulatory authority. Hobbs said the "catch-all approach for an emerging technology is irresponsible" but signaled openness to future engagement. The bill from Sen. Frank Carroll (R) was the second such attempt in as many sessions. *(Arizona Mirror)*
- 9th Circuit freezes DOJ's AZ voter rolls appeal. A federal appeals court paused the DOJ's appeal of a ruling that the Trump administration has no right to Arizona's voter registration database, pending the same court's decisions in similar California and Oregon cases. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who prevailed at the trial level before Trump-appointed Judge Susan Brnovich (who dismissed the case with prejudice), agreed to the stay. *(Arizona Mirror)*
- AZ CD1 Democratic primary debate. Front-runners Amish Shah (ER physician, former state legislator) and Marlene Galán-Woods (former TV anchor) faced off in an AZ Clean Elections debate in Scottsdale on June 23, joined by businessmen Rick McCartney and Jonathan Treble. Galán-Woods prioritized tariff relief; Shah called for Trump's impeachment; McCartney called for defunding ICE; Treble pushed Medicare-for-all. The race is among the most competitive in the country for November. Early voting in the July 21 primary begins today. *(Arizona Mirror)*
- Arizona recidivism reduction program underway. Gov. Hobbs last year signed an executive order implementing a program to address high recidivism rates in Arizona; a new report reviews its early progress. *(Tucson Local Media)*
## ⚖️ Federal & National (Arizona Impact)
- Appeals court greenlights Trump's interior fast-track deportations. In a 2–1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit cleared the Trump administration to use expedited removal across the country's interior — not just at the Southern border — allowing deportations without an immigration judge hearing. The decision vacates lower court rulings blocking the policy on due process grounds. The ruling has significant implications for Arizona's large immigrant communities. *(Arizona Mirror / States Newsroom)*
- SCOTUS nearing ruling on TPS for 350,000 Haitians. A Supreme Court decision on Temporary Protected Status for nearly 350,000 Haitians is expected soon; a ruling ending those protections could affect residents in Arizona. *(Arizona Mirror / Medill News Service)*
## 📅 On the Calendar
- Today: Primary mail ballots drop (Pima County); early voting opens for AZ CD1 Democratic primary - Saturday, June 27: Marana data center town hall, 1–3 PM, Coyote Trails Elementary - July 1: Oro Valley FY2026 budget ($130M) takes effect - July 4: Oro Valley water rates increase 3.6% - July 21: Primary election day
*Sources: NWS Tucson, Tucson Local Media, Arizona Mirror, Inside Tucson Business* *Generated: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 — 6:00 AM MST*