Thursday Microburst: Javelina nabs Happy Meal, border crisis continues, citizen scientists spot asteroid

📢 We’re on Facebook! Follow us at facebook.com/microburstnews

Good afternoon. It will be sunny and mild for the next three days. Expect highs of 70° on Friday, 66° on Saturday, and 68° on Sunday.

🌵 Mexican officials are trying to help with the border crisis by guiding migrants to shelters in Sonora.

Immigration advocates say there isn’t enough space in the shelters, where migrants face possible violence and extortion. In one shelter, asylum seekers said they were charged $1,000 to move up a list that Mexican authorities maintained to determine who is allowed to approach the border. Migrants continue to cross into the U.S. at a rate of about 1,000 people per day, and must wait outdoors to be processed.

🌵 The iconic Chicago Music Store building is getting a Starbucks.

The new downtown location will be pickup only; customers must order through the company’s mobile app. Starbucks will occupy only a portion of the first floor of the building, which was built in 1918. A Downtown Tucson Partnership official said they believe the arrival of Starbucks will inspire other businesses to move into the area.

🌵 Citizen scientists spotted a near-Earth asteroid using data collected by a telescope on Mount Lemmon.

The asteroid comes within 375,000 miles of Earth’s orbit around the Sun, but is in no danger of impacting our planet. It was spotted by participants in the Catalina Sky Survey’s Daily Minor Planet project, which allows volunteers to search images collected by a telescope on Mount Lemmon. The asteroid spans 164 feet, similar in size to the one that produced Meteor Crater east of Flagstaff.

🌵 The Fourth Avenue Winter Street Fair is this weekend. 

The 54th annual event runs from Friday through Sunday and features more than 400 booths of merchants, food vendors, and artists. The fair is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Fourth Avenue will be closed from University Blvd. to Eighth Street, with the exception of Sixth Street. Many side streets in the area will also be closed.

🌵 Lastly, watch a javelina score a fresh McDonald’s Happy Meal.

The pilfering peccary wandered onto an Oro Valley homeowner’s porch, where it found some McDonald’s that had been delivered moments earlier by Doordash. The javelina can be seen nosing through the bag before selecting a Happy Meal.