Good morning, Tucson. There will be no Microburst on Tuesday while Jason settles into a new job. Here’s your news roundup for June 21, 2024.
Fri ⛅ 106° • Sat ⛅ 103° • Sun ⛅ 104°
NWS Midtown forecast
🌵 Haze, dust, and some rain visited Tucson on Thursday.
The dust was pushed into southern Arizona by a New Mexico haboob, a dust storm caused by high winds rushing out of a thunderstorm. Satellite imagery captured it rolling into town at sunrise. The dust is taking longer than usual to disperse due to a layer of warm air above the ground, known as a temperature inversion. Afternoon rain briefly cooled some sections of town.
- AZ Central: Why is it hazy in Phoenix and Tucson? Here’s what is causing it and why it may continue
- Arizona Daily Star: Blame haboob in New Mexico for Tucson’s hazy day
🌵 A dust storm warning system on I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix is taking longer than anticipated to become fully operational.
The $6.5 million system uses sensors and radar measurements to warn motorists of dust storms and lower the speed limit when visibility drops. The radar system is working, but not funneling data to the National Weather Service due to delays in securing intergovernmental agreements. Officials say the system should be fully operational soon.
🌵 The mayor and city council canceled a special election that would have sought a tax increase.
Funding from the privilege tax (essentially a sales tax imposed on sellers) would have been used to support unspecified community investments. Proposal details were never established, and the mayor and council unanimously voted to cancel the special election.
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🌵 Governor Hobbs signed three water bills and vetoed five others.
Hobbs’ action offers a mixed bag for developers and environmentalists. The signed bills will make it easier for private companies to transport water to developments where it is scarce. One of the vetoed bills nixes a longstanding proposal to convert farmland into housing, a measure Hobbs supports while saying the legislation needs more work.
🌵 Lastly, Tucson police have arrested four teens in connection with a drive-by shooting that killed a University of Arizona student.
Erin Jones was killed and three others were injured on April 28 by gunfire at a house party on Fifth Street just east of Country Club Road. After six weeks of interviews and evidence collection, police arrested four people for first-degree murder. Officials said the shooting was not directed at Jones or the other UA students at the party.