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Good afternoon. We’re in for some more mild weather. Wednesday should be sunny with a high of 71°, and Thursday should be sunny with a high of 74°.
🌵 Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega is stepping down.
Ortega has served for more than eight years in the city’s top non-elected position, making him the second-longest-serving city manager in Tucson history. He plans to stay on through the city’s current budget planning cycle, which lasts through June.
🌵 New state budget projections predict a $1.7 billion shortfall through fiscal year 2025.
The projections follow news that the state legislature must address a current-year $400 million deficit. The main driver of the shortfalls is declining revenues following the implementation of former governor Doug Ducey’s flat tax. State income tax collections are down nearly 28%.
🌵 Tucsonans marched in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., who was born 95 years ago yesterday.
The march began at MLK Jr. Way and 36th Street, crossed over the 22nd Street bridge, and ended with a community celebration at Reid Park. “We have made a lot of progress since Dr. King’s day,” said Pastor Grady Scott, the event organizer. “Dr. King’s America was a different America than the America we have today. But it’s not yet achieved the dream; the dream of total racial equality where skin color is not a factor; where we see each other as equals.”
- Arizona Daily Star: Photos: Tucsonans celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day with a march and celebration
- KGUN9: Tucsonans look back–and forward on Martin Luther King Day
🌵 Funny messages on Arizona’s electronic highways signs are going away.
New rules set by the Federal Highway Administration ban pop culture references and messages that are intended to be funny. Previous messages seen on Arizona highways include “Drive like the person your dog thinks you are,” and “Focused driving is the way of the Jedi.” The FHA says these messages can be confusing or distracting.
- KVOA: Fun highway signs could soon be getting the boot
- AZCentral: Feds are banning humorous electronic messages on highways
🌵 Lastly, Arizona Wildcats football coach Jedd Fisch is leaving for Washington.
Under Fisch’s tenure, the Wildcats improved from 1-11 in 2021 to 10-3 in 2023. This season, they won the Alamo Bowl and finished at No. 11 in the AP Top 25 College Football poll. Fisch is reportedly signing a 7-year contract worth $7.75 million a year, topping the $5.1 million per year the UA was said to have offered.