Tucson skate park project breaks ground after 10 years
Construction has begun on Tucson's Cushing Street Skate Park, which will become Arizona's first shaded skate park beneath an Interstate 10 overpass after nearly a decade of community advocacy.
News about Pima County, Tucson, South Tucson, Oro Valley and Marana.
Construction has begun on Tucson's Cushing Street Skate Park, which will become Arizona's first shaded skate park beneath an Interstate 10 overpass after nearly a decade of community advocacy.
Tucson's Rio Nuevo district is spending from its $21 million reserve for the first time in years after a projected 25% revenue drop.
Sun Tran avoided a strike after its contract expired June 30 without a deal, as Tucson moves forward with a $2.15 million transit safety plan funded by the voter-approved RTA Next measure.
Marana adopted a $560.2 million budget driven by capital projects, while Oro Valley passed a leaner $128 million budget and narrowly approved a new 2.5% use tax on local businesses.
Pima County SNAP households have been cut nearly in half since July 2025, as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act strips food and health care eligibility from veterans, children and thousands of other residents.
Pima County's proposed 2026-27 budget would increase spending by $58 million, directing most of the boost toward public safety and infrastructure, as supervisors debate employee raises and rural road funding.
South Tucson's City Council voted to direct a $1 million Pascua Yaqui Tribe donation toward police operations and crime prevention programs, as community members pushed the city to invest in prevention alongside enforcement.
Tucson violent crime rose nearly 18% during the hottest months of 2025, according to Tucson Police Department data, as researchers and local death records point to a consistent link between rising temperatures and increased aggression.
Arizona lawmakers dropped a plan to redirect $19 million from Tucson's Rio Nuevo district, instead adding accountability language requiring 80% of district spending to go toward sales-tax-generating projects.