Good afternoon. It will be sunny Wednesday with a high near 84°. On Thursday it will be mostly cloudy with a high near 80°. Expect some possible showers in the morning.
🌵 Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson is resigning.
The 77-year-old Democrat tripped over her cat on Nov. 5 and broke three ribs. First elected in 1996, she is the longest-serving supervisor in Pima County history. The remaining four supervisors — three democrats and one republican — will appoint someone to serve out her term, until voters choose a replacement during the 2024 general election.
🌵 Payments from the Arizona Families Tax Rebate are arriving in bank accounts.
The payments were approved as part of the state’s 2023 budget deal. Eligible families will receive $250 for each dependent under 17, and $100 for each dependent over 17, up to a maximum of three dependents. (No word on dependents exactly the age of 17.) Governor Katie Hobbs says nearly 750,000 Arizona families will receive a payment.
- Arizona Families Tax Rebate FAQs
- Check your status: 2023 Arizona Families Tax Rebate (The website will be down for maintenance Tuesday evening.)
🌵 Arizona Republicans introduced a plan to raise teacher salaries, but not everyone is convinced it will work.
Proposition 123, which provides education funding from the state’s general fund and land trust fund, was narrowly approved by voters in 2016 and expires in 2025. Republicans want to put a new version on the ballot that directly gives teachers a raise. Some education advocates are worried about further stretching the state’s land trust fund, and say that the legislature could exploit loopholes later and alter the terms of the deal.
🌵 U of A officials are still scrambling to explain the school’s budget crisis.
A campus-wide email from President Robert Robbins said the university used a financial modeling tool that “did not account for the collective accelerations in spending.” Also under scrutiny is the school’s acquisition and transformation of for-profit Ashford University into the UArizona Global Campus, which was finalized this summer at a cost of $265 million. The U.S. Department of Education canceled $72 million in Ashford student loans after a court ruled the school misled students about accreditation, the time required to graduate, and costs. The department is now looking to recoup that cost through U of A.
🌵 Lastly, check out some pictures of desert animals doing desert animal things.
After Coronado National Forest officials found a deer carcass near the Sabino Canyon helipad, they set up a wildlife camera to see if the culprits would return. Sure enough, two teenage-equivalent mountain lions — possibly siblings — returned to the scene. A pair of coyotes also dropped by to clean up what was left.