Good afternoon. Today’s windy and rainy weather will lead to a hard freeze tonight, with lows down to 24°. Friday should be mostly sunny with highs up to 56°, and Saturday should be mostly sunny with highs up to 64°.
🌵 Former University of Arizona CFO Lisa Rulney is still employed and earning a $500,000 salary.
Rulney was at the center of the university’s financial crisis, caused by a $240 million deficit that led to hiring freezes and other cuts. During a December meeting, UA President Robert Robbins said that Rulney had resigned, but he has since asked her to retain an advisory role as the school transitions through the crisis, while maintaining her $500,000 CFO salary.
- AZPM: Former UA CFO retains $500,000 salary in new role amid fiscal challenges
- Arizona Daily Star: Ex-CFO Rulney still works at U of A for $500K salary amid financial crisis
🌵 The U of A settled a potential lawsuit with the family of slain professor Thomas Meixner.
Meixner’s family was preparing to sue the university for failing to act on violent threats made by former student Murad Dervish, the alleged shooter. The $2.5 million settlement includes money for the family, an endowed professorship in Meixner’s name, ongoing mental health treatment for faculty, staff, and students, and tuition waivers to affected students. Dervish is currently being evaluated for a “guilty except insane” plea ahead of his May trial.
- Tucson Sentinel: Family of slain UA Prof. Meixner settles lawsuit vs. university
- AZPM: Family of slain UA professor reaches settlement with university and ABOR
🌵 The Pima Animal Care Center is overwhelmed after receiving 24 dogs and 48 cats from separate hoarding cases.
The county shelter is asking for adoptions and fosters of its existing pets so that it can make room for the new arrivals. The animals from both impounds require evaluation and significant treatment before they can be made available for adoption.
🌵 Tucson will receive $21 million in state funds for housing programs.
Three affordable housing developments will receive funds, including Tucson House, which serves elderly populations. Funding also went to three homeless assistance organizations: Old Pueblo Community Services, Pima County Community and Workforce Development, and Sister José Women’s Center.
🌵 Lastly, the producers of a musical about John McCain and Donald Trump are considering whether to raise funds for production.
In “The Ghost of John McCain,” the former senator awakes in the afterlife as a prisoner inside Trump’s head. To escape, he must debate Trump on “life, legacy, and American values.” The show is produced by one of McCain’s former aides, and an Arizona PR consultant. The producers are in New York for a reading as they weigh whether to take the show into production.