Good afternoon. Steady sunshine is back for the next few days. Expect a high of 68° on Wednesday, and a high of 74° on Thursday.
🌵 Arizona lawmakers signed a bill to head off a potential election calendar crisis.
A bipartisan bill signed into law by Governor Hobbs fixed a number of problems with Arizona’s upcoming election cycle. One important consideration was making sure automatic recounts would not delay the state from sending its presidential electors to Washington D.C. on time. As part of the fix, Arizona’s primary election date has been moved from Aug. 6 to July 30.
🌵 The University of Arizona outlined a plan to make $30 million in budget cuts.
In a report sent to the governor, the university and Board of Regents presented a plan to eliminate vacant departmental positions and 13 high-level roles. The plan would also defer non-essential projects and centralize duplicate IT, marketing, and communications departments.
🌵 Tucson has the country’s fourth-worst drivers, according to Forbes.
A new analysis compares metrics that reflect dangerous driving behavior, using averages per 100,000 residents. Tucson ranks highly in total crashes, the number of people killed in crashes, and fatalities involving a drunk driver, distracted driver, or speeding driver.
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🌵 Arizona Republicans want to squash hopes for a commuter rail between Tucson and Phoenix.
New provisions added to a bill that reauthorizes the Arizona Department of Transportation would prevent the agency from accepting any funding to operate or maintain a commuter rail. “This is something out there that the people do not want,” said Sen. Jake Hoffman of Queen Creek, which is located southeast of Phoenix. A representative for Governor Hobbs called the bill a “non-starter.”
- Arizona Daily Star: Arizona GOP lawmakers move to derail chance for Tucson-to-Phoenix commuter train
🌵 Lastly, check out a vintage video of the University of Arizona marching band performing at the very first Super Bowl.
The 1967 matchup featured the Chiefs and Packers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The UA marching band performed the halftime show with Grambling State University. Unlike the outcome of Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs did not win Super Bowl I.
