It's been one of those weeks where Tucson reminded you it's not playing around. The extreme heat warning that opened August — highs pushing 111, overnight lows stuck in the 80s — gave way to afternoon monsoon storms that put washes under flash-flood warnings and sent cleanup crews into city parks. By the time the week ended, the heat was still sitting on us like a lid, with another weekend of triple digits ahead. If you found a shaded patio or a well-aimed ceiling fan this week, you earned it.

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What's worth knowing

The federal government released its long-anticipated blueprint for the Colorado River's future, and the news for Arizona isn't great. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's final environmental impact statement for post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead would spare the upper basin states from mandatory cuts — for now — while Arizona, California and Nevada absorb the reductions — with Arizona's share potentially cut by as much as 77%, according to the Arizona Mirror. For Tucson, city officials struck a carefully measured tone, saying Tucson Water is reviewing the document and that the city's supply "remains resilient." Farmers were less sanguine. It's a story that will take years to fully play out, but the document, released July 31, sets the terms.

Six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her Catalina Foothills home, the Pima County Sheriff's Department made public the two ransom notes connected to her disappearance, saying the writer's wording and "unique linguistic style" could be crucial to identifying a suspect; one note claims Guthrie died shortly after being abducted. The case drew fresh attention this week as Sheriff Chris Nanos and her daughter, NBC's Savannah Guthrie, issued separate statements marking the six-month mark. Meanwhile, three people who were detained earlier in the investigation — a Rio Rico man and two family members — filed notices of claim seeking a combined $3.25 million from the sheriff's department, alleging wrongful detention and shoddy investigative work.

The man accused in last month's downtown mass shooting that wounded nine people along East Congress Street entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment Friday. David Leroy French, 21, now faces 29 counts and is being held without bond ahead of an Aug. 11 bond hearing. The shooting happened around 2 a.m. on July 19 in the downtown entertainment district and prompted a gun violence prevention panel this week that included former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords alongside Tucson and Pima County officials.

Salad and Go is gone. The Gilbert-founded drive-thru chain filed for bankruptcy and closed every location, including seven in the Tucson area, with final service on August 5. If the closures stung, there's a footnote: court filings reviewed by local stations indicate a company tied to Dutch Bros Coffee agreed to purchase the Arizona and Nevada sites. What those locations become next isn't settled, but the Salad and Go chapter is closed.

What changed around town

The Tucson City Council made Tucson one of the first cities in Arizona to formally regulate large-scale data centers, passing a new zoning ordinance 6-1 on Wednesday. The rules define large-scale facilities as anything over 25,000 square feet or consuming more than 20 megawatts of power — and ban them from locating within a half mile of any residential zone. Every proposal would require a full rezoning process including public hearings and a council vote, meaning nothing gets built quietly. Council Member Nikki Lee cast the lone dissenting vote, saying she wanted more time to hear from the public. The vote doesn't end the conversation: the council also directed city staff to study a potential outright ban, though the city attorney warned that an outright prohibition carries legal risk under a state initiative that limits local governments from restricting property uses.

On the same night, the council cleared the way for an Aldi grocery store at 4137 N. 1st Ave., at the corner of Limberlost Drive, a currently vacant site surrounded by apartment buildings. The 7-0 rezoning vote was a relatively quiet item on a long agenda, but for the neighborhood it means a new grocery option on a site that's been sitting empty. The council also forwarded a liquor license application for Tortillas Chiwas at 914 N. Grande Ave. to the state board with a recommendation of denial, citing planning compliance issues at the location.

Out in Marana, the town council certified the results of its July primary and amended its wastewater infrastructure plan, shifting about $1.6 million between two sewer projects to reroute and enlarge a main that will serve development east of Interstate 10 — without raising impact fees. The practical effect is that new construction can connect without tearing up recently finished roads later. The town also reported 124 single-family residential permits issued in July, more than double the 51 from July 2025.

What's opening

Two names worth knowing from the licensing pipeline: Masa Madre Bakery & Market, at 2025 W. Grant Rd., and Catrina's, at 5754 E. 22nd St., both took new restaurant liquor-license applications before the mayor and council in late July — early paperwork rather than open doors, but keep an eye on both as potential neighborhood additions. Out in Vail, Taco Giro Mexican Grill & Seafood has applied for a restaurant license at 13160 E. Colossal Cave Road, with the county taking up that application this week.

On the development front, Project Uptown — the long-anticipated redevelopment of the old Foothills Mall site on Tucson's north side — is nearing the end of its first phase, with a Tempo by Hilton hotel on track for a January 2027 opening, according to KGUN 9. And the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's new west-side casino is targeting a November opening, per the Arizona Daily Star. Both projects have been in the works long enough that they'll feel sudden when they actually arrive.

The week also brought a closing worth noting: Select Specialty Hospital Tucson East, a long-term acute care facility, has shut down and is no longer admitting new patients, KVOA reported.

One thing to watch

The Pima County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday, August 11, at 5:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors' Hearing Room, and the agenda is worth your attention. The biggest item is the hiring process for a new County Administrator — the top unelected executive who runs day-to-day county operations — with supervisors expected to give direction on the search and vote to schedule a special October closed-session meeting for candidate interviews. The board will also formally designate in-person vote centers for the November 3 general election, a decision that directly affects how easy or hard it is to vote across a sprawling county. Add to that a vote on the county's three-year economic development plan and a contentious cell tower appeal from residents near a West Side ranch road, and it's a full night.

The Tucson Mini

This week's crossword is ready when you are — play it here. It's a 5x5, built for a Sunday morning, and shouldn't take you longer than your first cup of coffee.

Thanks for spending part of your Sunday morning here. Stay cool out there — and if the storms roll in this afternoon, enjoy the smell of wet creosote while it lasts.