Tucson Sentinel @TucsonSentinel@mastodon.tucsonsentinel.com

Tucson Mayor Romero joins Biden administration officials to tout local impact of federal dollars https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022424_tucson_federal_dollars/tucson-mayor-romero-joins-biden-administration-officials-tout-local-impact-federal-dollars/
As the incumbent president builds up his reelection campaign, the Biden administration is sending in reinforcements to fortify the local war on buffelgrass.
#Tucson #Arizona

Looking for an exit: Tucson jamming RTA over claimed $600 million 'shortfall' https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022324_tucson_rta_op/looking-exit-tucson-jamming-rta-over-claimed-600-million-shortfall/
I can see both sides' point as a political logjam threatens $2 billion worth of investment in the Tucson area's transportation system. There are off-ramps a-plenty if either side is willing to lay off the horn and take the exit.
#Tucson #Arizona

Mexico's lawsuit vs. Arizona gun dealers faces challenge during hearing in Tucson https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_gun_lawsuit_hearing/mexicos-lawsuit-vs-arizona-gun-dealers-faces-challenge-during-hearing-tucson/
Following a two-hour hearing Thursday, a federal judge in Tucson will consider whether a lawsuit launched by the Mexican government against five Arizona gun dealers will move forward.
#Tucson #Arizona

Az GOP measure would harshly punish businesses for hiring undocumented workers https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_undocumented_workers/az-gop-measure-would-harshly-punish-businesses-hiring-undocumented-workers/
Arizona voters might get the chance to decide whether to expand the use of E-Verify to keep undocumented immigrants out of the construction industry and away from public assistance programs, under a Republican-backed proposal approved in the state House.
#Tucson #Arizona

Arizona Republicans vote to ban guaranteed basic income programs https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_basic_income_ban/arizona-republicans-vote-ban-guaranteed-basic-income-programs/
A Republican-led measure that would prohibit the state from enacting any guaranteed basic income programs received unanimous approval from Arizona House Republicans.
#Tucson #Arizona

Az bill to spur ‘starter home’ construction passes amid concerns it strips too much control from cities https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_starter_home_bill/az-bill-spur-starter-home-construction-passes-amid-concerns-it-strips-too-much-control-from-cities/
A measure that would bar cities and towns from forcing a homeowner into an HOA and prohibit any city larger than 70,000 people from regulating the size of lots for single-family homes passed out of the Arizona House of Representatives with bipartisan backing.
#Tucson #Arizona

Early ballots mailed out in Arizona's presidential preference election https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_ballots_mailed/early-ballots-mailed-out-arizonas-presidential-preference-election/
Voters signed up on the early voting list were sent ballots in Arizona's presidential preference election this week. The March 19 contest, which determines delegates sent to the Democratic and Republican national conventions to pick presidential candidates, is open to only registered members of those parties.
#Tucson #Arizona

How Dartmouth College’s unionization case could impact athletes at University of Arizona, ASU https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/sports/report/022324_college_unionization/how-dartmouth-colleges-unionization-case-could-impact-athletes-university-arizona-asu/
The recent vote that could make Dartmouth men’s basketball the first unionized collegiate sports program in the country could potentially impact athletes across the country, including those in Arizona.
#Tucson #Arizona

Arizona in critical need of blood donations for sickle cell disease patients https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_sickle_cell/arizona-critical-need-blood-donations-sickle-cell-disease-patients/
Arizona currently has a one- to two-day supply of donated blood, barely half of the standard supply, a critical shortage for Arizonans who need frequent blood transfusions because they have sickle cell disease.
#Tucson #Arizona

Cash-strapped University of Arizona says climate action can wait https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022324_ua_climate_action/cash-strapped-university-arizona-says-climate-action-can-wait/
The University of Arizona this week delayed implementation of its climate action plan citing a $177 million budget deficit, and despite rising revenues, it is now unclear when or if those proposals will be put into action.
#Tucson #Arizona

Tucson Democratic candidate moves to challenge Az Sen. Justine Wadsack https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022124_ld17_challenger/tucson-democratic-candidate-moves-challenge-az-sen-justine-wadsack/
Tucson-area Democrats have found a challenger for the LD 17 Arizona Senate seat now held by controversial lawmaker Justine Wadsack.
#Tucson #Arizona

Az Senate votes to make it a crime to enter U.S. between official border crossings https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022224_illegal_arizona/az-senate-votes-make-it-crime-enter-us-between-official-border-crossings/
The Arizona Senate voted to make it a crime to illegally enter the state by crossing the border between ports of entry – a proposal that Democratic opponents called both racially motivated and unconstitutional.
#Tucson #Arizona

FAFSA website meltdown: How to avoid additional frustration with financial aid applications https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022224_fafsa_meltdown_op/fafsa-website-meltdown-how-avoid-additional-frustration-with-financial-aid-applications/
While the new federal student aid form – known as the FAFSA – is much shorter and requires less manual entry of tax information, there are glitches and delays. To better understand the situation and what might come next, it helps to know how the government and schools work together.
#Tucson #Arizona

Mayes sues IRS over decision to tax 2023 tax rebates for Az parents https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022124_mayes_irs_lawsuit/mayes-sues-irs-over-decision-tax-2023-tax-rebates-az-parents/
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service to block the federal government from taxing an income tax rebate given to many Arizona parents last year.
#Tucson #Arizona

Asylum-seeking moms claim they were expelled to Mexico a day after giving birth https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/022124_migrant_mom_expulsion/asylum-seeking-moms-claim-they-were-expelled-mexico-day-after-giving-birth/
A federal lawsuit alleges U.S. Border Patrol agents drove infants as young as one day old and their asylum-seeking mothers from a San Diego County hospital to the U.S.-Mexico border and forcefully expelled them to Tijuana in 2020.
#Tucson #Arizona

No fare! Free bus rides raise questions of fairness, viability https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/022224_free_rides/no-fare-free-bus-rides-raise-questions-fairness-viability/
It’s not surprising that free rides can juice ridership numbers for systems struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shift to at-home work. The question is whether such policies are financially sustainable — or fair, given that higher-income riders benefit too.
#Tucson #Arizona

Az leaders take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for sustainability projects https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022224_inflation_incentives/az-leaders-take-advantage-inflation-reduction-act-tax-credits-sustainability-projects/
Leaders of Arizona’s public, private and nonprofit sectors discussed financial incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, explaining how they will use available federal funds for conservation efforts and renewable energy projects.
#Tucson #Arizona

Biden unveils latest round of student loan cancellation to aid 153,000 borrowers https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/022224_student_loan_cancellation/biden-unveils-latest-round-student-loan-cancellation-aid-153000-borrowers/
The latest round of student debt forgiveness includes nearly 153,000 borrowers and a total of $1.2 billion in debt, part of President Biden's campaign promise to address the “broken” system, bringing the total loan cancellation by the Biden admin to $138 billion for nearly 3.9 million people.
#Tucson #Arizona

Ak-Chin Indian Community showcases its farming & water infrastructure https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/022224_ak_chin_infrastructure/ak-chin-indian-community-showcases-its-farming-water-infrastructure/
Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland and White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez visited the Ak-Chin Indian Community as part of the Biden administration’s tour to highlight how it makes historic investments in Indigenous communities.
#Tucson #Arizona

For 150 years, Black journalists have known what Confederate monuments really stood for https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022124_black_monuments_op/for-150-years-black-journalists-have-known-what-confederate-monuments-really-stood-for/
Since the end of the Civil War, journalists at Black newspapers have said Confederate monuments were built to enshrine the myth of the “Lost Cause,” the false claim that white Southerners nobly fought for states’ rights – and not to preserve slavery.
#Tucson #Arizona