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An O'odham demonstrator stands in front of a pickup truck trying to break through a highway blockade the morning of Oct. 5, 2020.

O'odham-led demonstration blocks highway north of Arizona-Sonora border crossing

Oct 5, 2020 Demonstrations against border wall construction on ancestral Indigenous land continue despite Quitobaquito closure.
The sun sets over Tucson in July 2020, which was the hottest July on record.

Much of US Southwest left parched after monsoon season

Oct 2, 2020 Weather forecasters say the upcoming winter likely won't make up for the precipitation deficit.
The bright sun sets behind some trees near Soleng Tom Elementary School on Tucson's east side.

News roundup: Quitobaquito road access closed, Pima County breaks early ballot record

Sep 30, 2020 Recent coverage impacting Southern Arizona, Sept. 30.
Tribal members and supporters gather in front of the construction line to wave down O'odham runners coming from Sonora ahead of a cross-border ceremony at Quitobaquito Springs on Sept. 27, 2020.

NPS closes route to Quitobaquito Springs

Sep 29, 2020 Closure comes a day after O'odham leaders held a cross-border ceremony at the spring.
Water in the Rillito River following a monsoon storm. July 23, 2020

After Clean Water Act change, uncertainty reigns over water protections

Sep 28, 2020 The Trump administration's revision of which waterways are protected creates regulatory uncertainty, especially in arid places.
Demonstrators struggle as National Park Service officers and Border Patrol agents try to pull people from a fallen human chain during a demonstration at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 21, 2020.

Stand off with Border Patrol, National Park Service ends in scuffle with Indigenous-led demonstrators

Sep 22, 2020 O'odham organizers and their supporters stopped construction for over five hours at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado, on Sept. 15, 2018.

Climate change likely to keep hammering Colorado River's biggest reservoirs, model shows

Sep 17, 2020 Projections show an increasing likelihood of official shortage declaration before 2026.
A Hia-Ced O'odham protester sits inside a vehicle to block construction on a stretch of border wall going up in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 9, 2020.

Indigenous activists arrested in demonstration against border wall construction near Quitobaquito Springs

Sep 10, 2020 Two O'odham protesters were arrested for impeding construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The sun shines harshly behind a saguaro cactus.

The risks of severe heat

Sep 4, 2020 The hottest summer in the city’s history came during a global health crisis, leaving many residents at risk for heat-related issues.
Barbara Tobiasson pictured at her home at the Swan Lake Estates mobile home park on Aug. 31, 2020.

'Feels like the end of the world': Tucson grapples with record heat during pandemic

Sep 3, 2020 The desert community has faced both soaring temperatures and life under the coronavirus, as some work to mitigate the impact of a warmer future.
Rain clouds near Tubac, July 2019.

Lots of heat, little rain in Tucson

Aug 18, 2020 Less than an inch of rain when we usually have nearly four inches.
Kim Beach-Moschetti, an area resident and Arizona House of Representatives candidate, speaks at a border wall protest at the San Pedro River on Aug. 14, 2020.

'Hands tied behind our back': Protesters decry border wall construction at San Pedro River

Aug 15, 2020 A few dozen people gathered Friday to protest new border wall going up along Arizona's last free-flowing river.
One of the spring-fed ponds at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in October 2019, which sits up against the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border wall groundwater pumping threatens to push endangered species to 'brink of extinction'

Aug 11, 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials worry water pumping will deplete the San Bernardino Valley springs and aquifer.
The Rio Sonora flows through the town of Baviácora, Sonora, July 30, 2019.

6 years after Rio Sonora mining spill, contamination continues

Aug 6, 2020 Residents impacted by the spill say neither the mining company nor the government have followed through with promises.
Sonoran desert tortoise.

Tortoise regains some protections, as agency agrees to revisit endangered status

Aug 3, 2020 The action resulted from a lawsuit filed last year by conservation groups.
Jason Graham, director of wastewater plant operations with the city of Fort Collins, pulls a plastic jug from a sampling machine at the Drake Water Reclamation facility.

In Colorado, your stool is a tool in the fight against coronavirus

Jul 31, 2020 To track the next coronavirus outbreak, Western states look to the sewers.

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