Radios, lunch runs and a pickup truck: Walapai 100.9 is the heartbeat of the community - AZ Luminaria

PEACH SPRINGS, Ariz. — “Do we have the radios?” Rachael DeFord asks. Four girls, all members of Walapai Media’s youth radio club, have piled into a blue Chevy Silverado. They plan to loop around Peach Springs, an enclave of 1,100 people and the largest town on Hualapai Tribal land in northwest Arizona. They cross Hualapai […]

azluminaria.org

With 600+ preschoolers on a waitlist, Pima County looks for ways to save PEEPs - AZ Luminaria

Getting a child into a free or low-cost preschool seat in Pima County is becoming harder, even as more families need help.  Pima Early Education Program Scholarships, or PEEPs, saw a drop in the number of children it served in its fourth year, along with a decline in participating preschool providers, as funding tightened, according […]

azluminaria.org

New interim principal named at Pueblo High as leadership review continues - AZ Luminaria

Alma Mejia-Garcia adjusted her collar and clipped on a mic as a spotlight shone on her face. The 25-year educator was ready to talk about her new job as interim principal at Pueblo High School, after she was named at Tuesday night’s Governing Board meeting. One of the Warriors’ assistant principals last year, Mejia-Garcia takes […]

azluminaria.org

Tom Horne’s AZ superintendent era casts long shadow as Terry Leyba Ruiz, Kimberly Yee now try to stand out - AZ Luminaria

It was a quiet election night at home last Tuesday for Republican Kimberly Yee and her family. But 24 hours later, the excitement took hold, Yee said, when she got the news she won the primary for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Yee’s victory sets up a Nov. 3 general election race against Democrat Terry […]

azluminaria.org

Tucson’s new homeless survey asks who’s at most risk of dying - AZ Luminaria

Tucson’s homelessness outreach workers spent a decade using a national questionnaire to decide who gets housing resources. This summer they’re using a homegrown one instead that is centered around a n...

azluminaria.org

Amid border investment, Yuma studies how to ease traffic at San Luis - AZ Luminaria

The Greater Yuma Port Authority is eyeing hundreds of acres of undeveloped land near the San Luis border crossing and has set aside $400,000 to study whether the commercial port could someday open to everyday car traffic. San Luis processed $4.1 billion in commercial trade in 2025, with agriculture accounting for 72% of that volume, […]

azluminaria.org

Displacement of ASDB students, school evaluations violate federal law, state says - AZ Luminaria

The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal disability law last spring when it restricted placement options for students and predetermined where they should attend, the Arizona State Department of Education says. As it prepared to shut its west-side Tucson campus and move 15 miles away to Oro Valley, ASDB told […]

azluminaria.org

Judge to decide whether UA whistleblower's case goes to jury trial - AZ Luminaria

A Pima County Superior Court judge is expected to rule soon about whether a lawsuit brought by a former University of Arizona employee can proceed to trial, leaving unresolved for the moment a legal dispute that offers a window into dysfunction inside the UA’s College of Education in the months before the university’s financial crisis […]

ow.ly

Arizona primary results: Live updates on statewide, local races - AZ Luminaria

Find live Arizona primary election results for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, plus local races in Marana and South Tucson

azluminaria.org

Nuevo programa de policía de Tucson es dirigido a 50 reincidentes con condenas menores - AZ Luminaria

Un nuevo programa piloto del Departamento de Policía de Tucson creará una lista de las 50 personas que con mayor frecuencia han sido condenadas por allanamiento, merodeo y posesión de parafernalia relacionada con drogas, con el fin de ofrecerles servicios adicionales. Pero si se niegan a recibir ayuda o reinciden, podrían enfrentar sanciones penales más […]

azluminaria.org

New Tucson police program would target 50 people most often convicted of low-level crimes - AZ Luminaria

A new pilot program run by Tucson Police Department will create a list of the 50 people most often convicted of trespassing, loitering and being caught with drug paraphernalia to offer them additional services. But if they refuse or reoffend, it could mean harsher criminal penalties.  The program is the latest in Tucson’s ongoing effort […]

azluminaria.org

TUSD expands free back-to-school giveaways - AZ Luminaria

The black and white checkerboard backpack sits next to a pale pink and purple floral print, while a solid turquoise nylon pack with a gray zipper leans against both. The packs are stacked on desks, shelves and the floor and ready to be filled with school supplies including highlighters, pencils, notebooks, folders and more. Those […]

azluminaria.org

Arizona primary results: Live updates on statewide, local races - AZ Luminaria

Find live Arizona primary election results for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, plus local races in Marana and South Tucson

azluminaria.org

Por amor al fútbol: Habitantes de Tucson viven juntos la Copa del Mundo - AZ Luminaria

Aficionados de todo el mundo llenan ciudades, estadios, bares, restaurantes, hogares y espacios comunitarios este verano para disfrutar de uno de los eventos deportivos y culturales más populares del mundo. La 23.ª Copa Mundial masculina de la FIFA, que se celebra este verano, es la primera en contar con 48 selecciones y tres países anfitriones: […]

azluminaria.org

For the love and the game: What it means for Tucsonans to watch the World Cup together - AZ Luminaria

Fans from across the world are filling cities, stadiums, bars, restaurants, homes and community spaces this summer to see one of the most popular sporting and cultural events in the world. The 23rd FIFA men’s World Cup soccer tournament this summer is the first to feature 48 teams in three host countries: Canada, Mexico and […]

ow.ly

Jail data, water use, market shutdown, border wall: 4 takeaways from supervisors meeting - AZ Luminaria

New Pima County data suggests jail-based treatment programs are helping curb overdose deaths — even as a county official’s word choice raised eyebrows at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. The board also heard about a food-access program at risk of disappearing under federal cuts, a sudden spike in water use and supervisors waded into […]

azluminaria.org

“A feeling of finality and finesse:” Youth poet pens award-winning works - AZ Luminaria

New to Tucson from South Korea in 2008, Kyung Sun Park found community at the Pima County Public Library. By 2009, her infant son, Trent, accompanied her to read, ask questions, practice English and lug home books.  Those library visits laid the foundation for a love of reading, sure. The trips also opened up opportunities […]

ow.ly

She survived domestic violence and the incarceration of her children. Now she helps others. - AZ Luminaria

Eight years may seem like just a number. For Sylvia Arana, they were not. She turned them into days. One by one. She counted 2,920 days of beatings, fear, silence and domestic violence. Only then did she feel the number reflected the true magnitude of what she had lived through. That is how the title […]

ow.ly

Salt lakes and queer identity anchor this Tucson writer’s new book - AZ Luminaria

The Great Salt Lake that gave Salt Lake City its name, or the Salton Sea, might seem far away from the Sonoran swathes of Tucson. But Tucson author and Arizona Luminaria contributor Caroline Tracey says they can teach us about the region we live in, and about ourselves.  That’s the driving idea behind Tracey’s new […]

ow.ly

The last show: Behind Tucson's final Fourth of July fireworks on 'A' Mountain - AZ Luminaria

While people spend the afternoon gathering for Fourth of July celebrations, Kevin Luckenbill and his team of pyrotechnicians are up at the top of “A” Mountain, also known as Sentinel Peak, setting up nearly 1,000 aerial shells. Luckenbill is a head pyrotechnician with Fireworks Production of Arizona, licensed by the Tucson Fire Department to run […]

azluminaria.org

The last show: Behind Tucson's final Fourth of July fireworks on 'A' Mountain - AZ Luminaria

While people spend the afternoon gathering for Fourth of July celebrations, Kevin Luckenbill and his team of pyrotechnicians are up at the top of “A” Mountain, also known as Sentinel Peak, setting up nearly 1,000 aerial shells. Luckenbill is a head pyrotechnician with Fireworks Production of Arizona, licensed by the Tucson Fire Department to run […]

azluminaria.org

Tucson celebra renovación de 1.7 millones de dólares y reapertura de Armory Park - AZ Luminaria

Mientras el sol se oculta y las luces del parque se encienden la tarde del jueves, decenas de personas comienzan a llegar para la celebración de la reapertura de Armory Park. Familias y pequeños grupos acomodan cobijas y sillas plegables sobre el césped. Otros toman asiento en las mesas y sillas instaladas en la nueva […]

azluminaria.org

Tucson celebrates $1.7 million renovation and reopening of historic Armory Park - AZ Luminaria

Tucson celebrates $1.7 million renovation and reopening of historic Armory Park. Families gathered to enjoy festivities and new facilities, including a plaza, pavilion and dog park. Proposition 407, a $225 million bond package for community capital improvements approved by voters in 2018, funded the renovation.

ow.ly

Antes indocumentada, directora de Scholarships A-Z guía a beneficiarios de DACA en tiempo de incertidumbre - AZ Luminaria

Cuando Carolina Silva se convirtió en la primera empleada de tiempo completo de la organización sin fines de lucro Scholarships A-Z, con sede en Arizona, en 2020, había un gran entusiasmo en torno a los esfuerzos comunitarios para apoyar a los jóvenes indocumentados de Arizona en su camino hacia la educación superior. Durante más de […]

ow.ly

Once undocumented herself, Scholarships A-Z director guides DACA holders through uncertain moment - AZ Luminaria

When Carolina Silva became the first-ever full-time staff member at the Arizona nonprofit Scholarships A-Z in 2020, the energy was high on community efforts to support undocumented youth in Arizona on their journey to higher education.  During more than a decade of organizing to win access to in-state tuition for undocumented students, and supplement the […]

azluminaria.org

Court inquiry denounces “disturbing pattern” of violations at Arizona’s largest sheriff’s office - AZ Luminaria

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Arizona Luminaria. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Arizona’s largest sheriff’s department is losing ground in its effort to comply with court-mandated reforms tied to a long-running racial profiling lawsuit and settlement, a monitor has found. […]

ow.ly

Guía electoral para fiscal general de Arizona: Posiciones de Glassman y Petersen - AZ Luminaria

Read in English En su papel como la principal autoridad encargada de hacer cumplir la ley en el estado de Arizona, la fiscal general Kris Mayes ha emprendido acciones contra propietarios de parques de casas móviles, ha respaldado a comunidades que se organizan contra industrias contaminantes y se ha sumado a numerosas demandas nacionales contra […]

ow.ly

Your AZ attorney general voter guide: Where Glassman, Petersen stand - AZ Luminaria

In her role as the chief law enforcement officer in the state of Arizona, Attorney General Kris Mayes has challenged mobile home landlords, stood with communities organizing against polluting industries and joined numerous national lawsuits against the Trump administration.  Now she is up for reelection, and the Republican challengers running in the primary this summer […]

azluminaria.org

Condado de Pima aprueba presupuesto de 1,800 millones con bono de 1,000 dólares para empleados - AZ Luminaria

La Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Pima aprobó el presupuesto para el Año Fiscal 2026-2027, que asciende a 1.800 millones de dólares y que servirá como la hoja de ruta financiera del condado para el próximo año. El plan presupuestario está alineado con el Plan Estratégico del Condado de Pima, así como con las […]

ow.ly