Daily Brief
November 13, 2026
Friday
🚨 Public Safety
Nine-vehicle crash on I-10 near Twin Peaks injures 12. A nine-vehicle collision involving a commercial vehicle injured at least 12 people around 7:43 a.m. Thursday on eastbound Interstate 10 west of Twin Peaks Road, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Two people were taken to hospitals, one with serious injuries. Police said the commercial vehicle's driver was cited for failure to control the vehicle to avoid a collision.
Sentencing set today in 2008 cold-case killing. Rafael Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to KVOA. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit manslaughter in the death of James Noriega, who was 20 when he was shot and killed at a southside house party on Nov. 2, 2008.
🏛️ Government
Emergency panel wants responder study, battery data for AI data center near Cochise. The Cochise County Local Emergency Planning Committee on Thursday, Nov. 12, recommended that county planners require a study of local first responders and battery data for a proposed AI data center near Cochise.
Sahuarita adopts e-scooter rules as Hundal joins council. The Sahuarita Town Council voted unanimously Monday to approve an ordinance regulating e-scooters and other electronic and motorized transportation devices on the town's streets, sidewalks, trails and paths. At the same meeting, former Vice Mayor Kara Egbert left the council after service that began with her first election in 2009, and Hundal was sworn in.
Green Valley News, Green Valley News
Air Force takes comment through Nov. 20 on PFAS cleanup near Tucson airport. The U.S. Air Force is considering two methods to remove PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," from groundwater at the Fire Engine Wash Outfall near Air Force Plant 44. The site is within the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund site. Plant 44 is operated by Raytheon for the Air Force. According to the Air Force's engineering evaluation, firefighting foam carried on the facility's fire trucks from 2007 to 2015 was a likely source of the contamination. Residents have until Nov. 20 to comment before a cleanup method is chosen, Arizona Luminaria reported.
🏗️ Development & Business
SpaceX puts roughly $50 billion price tag on Cochise County campus. As we reported Nov. 7, SpaceX is behind a proposed 6-gigawatt data center near Willcox. The company said Thursday it plans to invest more than $74 billion in two supercomputing campuses, including roughly $50 billion on a proposed Arizona campus in Cochise County and more than $24 billion at its Starbase site in Texas. SpaceX said the Arizona campus, which needs Cochise County approval, would create about 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.
Nurses picket St. Mary's and St. Joseph's over staffing, contract talks. Union registered nurses picketed outside St. Mary's and St. Joseph's hospitals on Friday, Nov. 6, according to Tucson Spotlight. They accused Tenet Healthcare of understaffing units and stalling contract negotiations, which have run six months. The talks cover patient safety and nurse breaks.
🎉 Community & Events
Reid Park Zoo opens Pathway to Asia today. The zoo's 4.5-acre Pathway to Asia expansion opens Friday, Nov. 13, after two and a half years of construction. It adds about 30 species, including Malayan tigers Maya and Berani, Komodo dragons and Asian small-clawed otters. It also includes the Robert H. Hamilton Tropical Discovery Center, the zoo's first reptile house. The expansion was built on former zoo and Edith Ball Adaptive Center parking lots and is the zoo's largest addition since Expedition Tanzania in 2012. Red pandas and lar gibbons will arrive later.
Hope in the Park resource fair at Freedom Park today. The city's twice-yearly resource event for unsheltered people runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Freedom Park, 5000 E. 29th St., the city announced. Planned services include health screenings, hot meals, haircuts, pet care and warrant quashing.
AI video at All Souls finale draws mixed reactions. The 37th All Souls Procession on Sunday incorporated a looping AI-generated video into its closing "Burning of the Urn" ceremony, according to the Tucson Sentinel. The images included people walking through the desert and a cactus blooming from a worn shoe. The video drew mixed reactions in the days that followed.
📢 State and Federal Officials
Gov. Katie Hobbs (governor). Hobbs announced a chief of staff transition and appointed her chief legal officer, Kori Lorick, as chief of staff.
Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego (U.S. senators). The senators wrote to US Foods CEO David Flitman and Area President Michelle King about allegations of anti-union activity and retaliation against Arizona workers organizing with Teamsters Local Union 104. They called on the company to address the allegations and cooperate with any investigation.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, Sen. Mark Kelly
Sen. Mark Kelly (U.S. senator). Kelly, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and 11 other senators introduced the New PACT for Iran Veterans Act. Kelly's office said the bill would extend PACT Act coverage to Iran veterans exposed to toxic substances.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-CD6, U.S. representative). Ciscomani's office issued a release applauding the House's passage of the Richard Star Act.
📍 Around Town
Taco Bell #43598 — New Food Establishment Permit. Taco Bell #43598 holds a newly listed Pima County food-establishment permit at 13440 E Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Vail AZ 85641.
What sold in Pima County, Aug. 17–Aug. 23, 2026: 220 homes, median $365,000. 220 arm's-length home sales were recorded countywide the week of Aug.
What sold in Pima County, Sept. 21–Sept. 27, 2026: 219 homes, median $365,000. 219 arm's-length home sales were recorded countywide the week of Sept.
🌵 The Desert Today
Heat: Nov. 11 high 80° (normal 77°, record 92°), low 53°. 77 days at or above 100° so far this year. Water: Lake Mead 1,040.5 ft on Nov. 11, down 16.7 ft in a year. Sky: air quality 33 (good), highest reading ozone. UV index 5. Power: TEP demand peaked at 1,698 MW on Nov. 10, solar peak 532 MW.
Weather & Water: the season against prior years, and the long record
⛈️ Weather — Tucson
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., then showers and thunderstorms likely from 2 to 5 p.m. Otherwise mostly sunny. The high will be near 75, with temperatures falling to around 64 in the afternoon. South-southeast wind 6 to 10 mph, gusting to 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., then partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Southwest wind 5 to 12 mph.
Outlook: Saturday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 50. Sunday turns sunny with a high near 72 and a low around 51. Monday stays sunny and warms to near 77.
NWS Tucson Forecast API
This brief was generated automatically by Claude Opus 5.5 from a review of 27 of 53 local sources fetched, at 6:02 AM MST on November 13, 2026, and published without human review. Every item links to its source. Read more about how this is made.
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