Daily Brief
October 31, 2026
Saturday
⛈️ Weather — Tucson
⚠️ FLOOD WATCH: The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the Tucson metro area and much of Southeast Arizona. It begins at 11 p.m. tonight, Saturday, Oct. 31, and runs through 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Flooding from excessive rainfall is possible in rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone areas. The watch also covers the Catalina and Rincon Mountains, the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Baboquivari Mountains and the Upper Santa Cruz River Valley/Altar Valley.
Today: A slight chance of rain showers before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, so trick-or-treaters may see rain. Cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 74 and temperatures falling to around 67 in the afternoon. South wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Outlook: Showers and thunderstorms continue Sunday night, with a low around 58, gusts up to 28 mph and an 80% chance of rain. Monday brings a 50% chance of showers before 5 p.m. and a high near 72, followed by a mostly clear night with a low around 50. Tuesday turns sunny, with a high near 77.
NWS Tucson Forecast API
🚨 Public Safety
Jury convicts driver in 2024 crash that killed John McLean. A jury on Friday found Michael Martin Creel, 27, guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated DUI and criminal damage, in the Nov. 15, 2024, crash that killed Arizona politician John McLean, 68. Prosecutors said Creel was speeding and ran a stop sign on Broadway Boulevard just east of Houghton Road, then struck the passenger side of McLean's vehicle.
Tucson federal judge orders officials to appear over deported Phoenix man. U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker has ordered Homeland Security and State Department officials to appear in person in his Tucson courtroom Monday, Nov. 2, unless they can prove that Ahmed Soliman will be put on a plane home, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The judge found that Soliman, a Phoenix man, was "unlawfully" deported to Equatorial Guinea. Hinderaker's Oct. 29 order also raised the possibility of contempt proceedings. Soliman, 31, and his attorneys say he has been imprisoned and abused in Equatorial Guinea since he was deported there in April without due process.
🏛️ Government
Election Day is Tuesday; all 126 Pima County Vote Centers open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can cast ballots on Nov. 3 at any Vote Center in the county, regardless of where they live, the county said in a release. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Voting information and results are available at pima.vote.
Supervisors adopt 2026–29 economic development plan. The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the 2026–2029 Economic Development Strategic Plan at its Oct. 27 meeting. According to the county, the plan includes 31 recommendations, 15 of them new initiatives. KVOA reported that the vote was unanimous and that the strategy targets seven priority sectors, including aerospace and defense, health innovation, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and logistics.
Tucson Daily Brief Pima County KVOA News 4
Old Tucson operator won't renew lease; county weighs next steps. American Heritage Railways, which has operated the county-owned Old Tucson Studios at 201 S. Kinney Rd. since 2022, notified Pima County on Sept. 14 that it will not renew its lease, according to the Tucson Sentinel. The lease expires April 4, 2027. Diane Frisch, director of the county's Attractions and Tourism Department, told the Sentinel it is not yet clear how the site might change.
City seeks input on Tucson's first Bus Rapid Transit line. The city is planning a 15-mile Bus Rapid Transit corridor that would eventually link the Tohono Tadai Transit Center and Tucson Mall to Tucson International Airport, according to KVOA. The north segment would run along Stone Avenue to the downtown Ronstadt Transit Center, while the south segment is still being evaluated. An in-person open house is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9, and an online open house runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 9.
Saguaros cleared for second border wall in Organ Pipe. New footage shows contractors removing saguaros and other vegetation in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, southwest of Tucson, to make way for a second 30-foot steel bollard wall, KJZZ reported. Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity said he filmed the video on Sept. 23. Thousands of saguaros were removed in 2020 for the first wall, and most of those transplanted did not survive.
🎓 Schools
TUSD sets Nov. 17 public hearing on school closures. As we reported this week, Tucson Unified has proposed closing or consolidating schools. The governing board will now hold a public hearing on the plan Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. at Sahuaro High School, KGUN reported. The station said seven schools, mostly on the east side, are on the proposed list, with changes planned over the next two school years.
🏗️ Development & Business
Downtown Links completion and Sixth Street Underpass dedication. The city announced a ribbon-cutting celebration marking the completion of the Downtown Links Phase III West-End project, along with the dedication of the Sixth Street Underpass. The project is part of the 2006 voter-approved Regional Transportation Authority plan. In the release, Mayor Regina Romero said the project achieves the goal of diverting traffic from the downtown core.
County puts $1 million into "See YOU Downtown." Pima County said it is investing more than $1 million in a new See YOU Downtown initiative, which supervisors approved Oct. 13. The money will fund resources for the Downtown Tucson Partnership, support small businesses and the Purple Ambassadors, and improve county-owned downtown parking facilities. The county said the goal is to make parking and getting around downtown easier and more affordable.
Tucson Daily Brief Pima County
🎉 Community & Events
Congress Street closes to cars tonight for Halloween. Congress Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from Toole Avenue to Scott Avenue from 5 p.m. today until 3 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, the city announced. Sun Link streetcars will serve all stops from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and the city urged pedestrians on Congress to watch for streetcars.
All Souls Procession returns Nov. 6–8. Tucson's 37th annual All Souls Procession, a community event marking Día de los Muertos and honoring loved ones who have died, runs Nov. 6–8. The nonprofit Many Mouths One Stomach hosts the event.
📢 What Your Officials Are Saying
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-CD6, U.S. representative). Ciscomani said in an official release that he highlighted a $2 million investment in University of Arizona space innovation at an inaugural forum. In the competitive CD6 race, neither Ciscomani's campaign nor that of Democrat JoAnna Mendoza posted this week.
Paul Cunningham (Ward 2 council member). Cunningham's newsletter leads with school closures. He told constituents he will miss the regular session of the next council meeting to attend a special neighborhood association meeting about a school on the possible closure list.
Kevin Dahl (Ward 3 council member). Dahl's weekly newsletter describes a tour in which council members and ward staff walked underground through Tucson Water's largest water main, a 96-inch pipe.
Katie Hobbs (D, governor candidate — campaign). The Hobbs campaign posted an MS NOW article headlined "How an Andy Biggs Victory Could Create a Certification Crisis for Arizona's 2028 Election."
Andy Biggs (R, governor candidate — campaign). The Biggs/Kerr campaign said in a release that it closed out the week with a Latinos event in Tucson.
📍 Around Town
Taco Bell #43600 — New Food Establishment Permit. Taco Bell #43600 holds a newly listed Pima County food-establishment permit at 9535 E Golf Links Rd, Tucson AZ 85730.
Circle K Store #2709601 — Series 9 Liquor Store (Location Transfer). Circle K Store #2709601, represented by agent Maria Danielle Burgess, has applied for a location transfer of a Series 9 liquor license to 7630 S.
Safeway #1986 — Series 9 Liquor Store (Location Transfer). Safeway #1986, represented by agent Ryan Witner Anderson, has applied for a location transfer of a Series 9 liquor license to 9050 E.
Stone Easy — Series 6 Bar (Person and Location Transfer). Stone Easy, represented by agent Thomas Robert Aguilera, has applied for a person and location transfer of a Series 6 liquor license to 123 S.
4535 W INA - VARIANCE. Phil and Tom Toole have proposed a zoning variance for the property at 4535 W.
Brake Masters. A new Brake Masters auto service location is proposed at 9455 W.
Marana Cardominium CUP. Applicant Joh Grenier has proposed the Marana Cardominium project (CUP2610-001) for 5355 W.
🌵 The Desert Today
Heat: Oct. 29 high 85° (normal 82°, record 94°), low 57°. 77 days at or above 100° so far this year. Water: Lake Mead 1,038.5 ft on Oct. 29, down 19.1 ft in a year. Sky: air quality 36 (good), highest reading fine particles. UV index 4. Power: TEP demand peaked at 1,786 MW on Oct. 28, solar peak 535 MW.
Weather & Water: the season against prior years, and the long record
This brief was generated automatically by Claude Opus 5.5 from a review of 22 of 48 local sources fetched, at 6:03 AM MST on October 31, 2026, and published without human review. Every item links to its source. Read more about how this is made.
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