Good afternoon. It will be partly sunny with a high of 80° on Friday. This weekend, expect possible showers on Saturday and a mild, sunny Sunday with a high of 72°.
🌵 As Microburst goes to press, a public meeting at the U of A is underway that will likely touch on the school’s financial crisis.
The Arizona Board of Regents, which governs the state’s three public universities, is holding its November meeting at the U of A. The public session is scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will be livestreamed. UA President Robert Robbins is expected to speak.
🌵 Tucson businesses are getting better about harvesting rainwater for landscaping.
An ordinance passed in 2008 requires new businesses to use rainwater for half of their landscaping needs. But a 2018 study showed that out of a sample of twelve businesses, nine were noncompliant and had not been cited for violations. The city hired three new staffers to help review landscape plans and enforce the ordinance, and says compliance has drastically risen.
🌵 The Border Patrol’s Tucson sector is still seeing a surge of migrants.
The Tucson sector led the southern border in October 2023 with 55,224 encounters, defined as apprehensions, denied entries, and expulsions. This is a 140% increase from last year. More than half of the encounters were people from Mexico. Human rights groups say migrants are fleeing cartel violence along Sonora’s major highways and have no choice but to head north.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Southwest Land Border Encounters
- Tucson Sentinel: Tucson Sector sees 140% spike in migrants at border, despite overall national decrease
🌵 Proposition 413 appears headed for a recount.
With 100% of precincts reporting, the measure to increase salaries for the mayor and city council members was barely passing, with 50.15% yes votes and 49.85% no votes. State law calls for a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%. Election results are scheduled to be finalized on Nov. 21, at which point the recount would be triggered.
- Pima County Recorder: 2023 Consolidated Election
- AZ Luminaria: Latest vote tally for Prop 413 likely to trigger recount
🌵 Lastly, El Tour de Tucson is this Saturday.
Bikers will take to the streets on three routes that start and end at the Tucson Convention Center. The routes generally send participants south, avoiding midtown. The longest route spans 100 miles and goes as far as Green Valley.