Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: These Tucson-Area Schools Are Among Arizona's Best For 2026-27: U.S. News

Coming up: Mighty Mystic on the Tucson Patch calendar

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Wednesday August 19th Patch AM
Wednesday August 19th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Coffee in hand, Tucson? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • See which Tucson high schools made Arizona's top 25 list
  • Historic Tucson motels reborn as award-winning affordable senior housing
  • How Tucson's streetcar is changing after last year's downtown crash

Also on today's calendar: Fort Lowell Park Walking Tour-Apr 19 and 7 more events.

Today's riddle: What do evil hens lay? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: A t-storm around in the p.m., with a high of 101 and low of 79 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Thursday: Partly sunny and hot, temps: high: 103, low: 78.
  • Friday: A t-storm around in the p.m., with a high of 106 and low of 78 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. These Tucson-Area Schools Are Among Arizona's Best For 2026-27: U.S. News (patch.com) — Tucson families can celebrate as five local high schools rank among Arizona's top 25 in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 Best High Schools list, led by University High School and BASIS Tucson North. The rankings highlight strong graduation rates and college-readiness scores, and also note nearby BASIS Oro Valley as the state's top-ranked public high school.
   

2. Tucson Affordable Housing Project Wins Statewide Design Award (patch.com) — Tucson's Milagro on Oracle affordable housing community has earned a statewide design award for transforming two historic Oracle Road motels into homes for low-income and formerly unhoused seniors. The project, part of the city's broader affordable housing and neighborhood reinvestment strategy, preserves historic character while adding modern amenities and has spurred additional developments like Tucson House and Sugar Hill on Stone.
   

3. Streetcar back in service more than year after accident in downtown Tucson (kold.com) — Streetcar 105 is running again in downtown Tucson, restoring more frequent Sun Link service just as University of Arizona students return. After a year-long outage and detailed safety reviews following its crash with Streetcar 103, officials say new procedures and inspections are in place to reduce human error and reassure riders across the system.
   

4. $22.9 Billion boost for Tucson's Raytheon (kgun9.com) — Raytheon's Tucson factory just landed a massive $22.9 billion Pentagon contract to build 7,000 Tomahawk missiles, potentially channeling significant money and stability into the local economy. With about 13,000 workers already in the area, the deal could reinforce Tucson's role in national defense manufacturing while responding to rising missile demand tied to the Iran War.
   

5. Meet Southern Arizona's 2026 40 Under 40 honorees (tucson.com) — One of Southern Arizona's 2026 40 Under 40 honorees, Jazlín Ladriere, grew up in Tucson, graduated from Pueblo High, and now works on Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva's team. After Peace Corps service, she returned home to serve in Tucson's City Manager's Office and Pima County, driven by a passion for inclusive, community-centered public policy.
   

📸 Around Tucson

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Tucson

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

    Friday August 21
  • Mighty Mystic →
    The Sea of Glass — Center for the Arts, 330 E 7th St, Tucson
    7:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Tucson Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

    Wednesday August 19
  • Bilingual Babytime! / ¡Tiempo para los Bebes! Bilingüe
    Mission Branch Library 3770 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
    10:30 am
  • Visit the Bookbike at Santa Rosa Rec Center
    Mission Branch Library 3770 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
    10:30 am
  • Come and read with our Friend Apollo
    Mission Branch Library 3770 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
    3:00 pm
  • Interested in Learning English?|¿Le interesa aprender inglés?
    Mission Branch Library 3770 South Mission Road, Tucson, AZ 85713
    3:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Rainbow over my paradise!
    I am SO SO happy! Finally beginning to move on in my life, learning to enjoy what I DO have. Much love to all, never give up, never surrender! (Nextdoor Avondale)
  • Be aware of yet another scam.
    I received a very official looking email from (they claimed) Verizon. It had the Verizon logo and looked very official. It told me that my… (Nextdoor Dietz)
  • Partners Personnel posted a job opening for Janitor (ID #518994) in Tucson. Apply here.
  • Savers Value Village posted a job opening for Retail Warehouse & Production Associates in Tucson. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Tucson here.

Ok Tucson! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Deviled eggs (Thank you Karla H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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