Monsoon season officially arrived this week — June 15 is the traditional start date — and Tucson made the most of the occasion, sending a handful of storms rolling through earlier than most of us expected. There were power outages in Marana on Sunday night, a woman swept away in the Santa Cruz River on Wednesday, and temperatures that stubbornly refused to drop below triple digits. It was, in other words, a very Tucson week. The kind where big things happen quietly, and the heat makes everything feel a little more urgent.

What's worth knowing

The Arizona Legislature wrapped up its 2026 session this week, and Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the $18.3 billion state budget into law on Saturday. The bipartisan deal conforms Arizona's tax code with the federal "One Big Beautiful Bill," a change projected to reduce state revenue by $1.4 billion over three years. Democrats secured a first-in-the-nation moratorium on new data center tax incentives and kept most state agency cuts to 2.5% rather than the 5% Republicans originally proposed. But there were losses too: a push to extend Prop. 123 school funding failed, universities absorbed a $16 million cut, and Republicans used the final sleepless hours of the session to send a wave of conservative ballot measures — on voter ID, school vouchers, photo radar, and more — directly to November voters, bypassing the governor's desk entirely. Tucson Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez publicly criticized her own caucus for letting that happen.

The Pima Animal Care Center had a rough week that deserves your attention if you've adopted or fostered a dog recently. The shelter suspended all adoptions after a distemper outbreak infected at least eight dogs and killed one. The shelter's population is approaching 500 animals, and intake restrictions are expected to last at least through July 2. Distemper is serious — it kills roughly half of infected adult dogs and up to 80% of puppies. If you've brought a PACC dog home in the last three weeks, keep an eye on them and call your vet if anything seems off. County officials are also asking residents to hold onto found strays rather than bringing them to the shelter right now.

A story that's been building all week: Pima County Attorney Brad Miller's office released a report finding that prior county leadership failed to investigate harassment allegations against then-Sheriff Mark Lamb back in 2020. The claims — involving unsolicited explicit messages — were made publicly at the time, and nothing happened. The report is drawing renewed attention to how the county handles misconduct allegations against elected officials, and it lands during a period when Pima County is already navigating a treasurer vacancy after Brian Johnson resigned effective June 15.

The week also brought a genuinely heartbreaking story from south Tucson. New Spirit Lutheran Church on the Eastside reported record demand at its monthly Saturday Blessings program — the same week that brought news of recent SNAP benefit cuts affecting thousands of Tucsonans. The program provides homemade meals, food pantry access, free clothing, haircuts, and housing referrals to anyone who shows up. Church leaders put it plainly: the help available is shrinking at the exact moment more people are arriving.

What changed around town

Oro Valley had a busy council week. The town voted 4-3 to reapprove a 2.5% local use tax set to take effect July 1, after a state agency error voided the council's original January vote. Chief Financial Officer David Gephart told the council that pavement preservation costs have risen 316% over recent years while gas tax revenues grew only 20% — a roughly $1.7 million gap that the use tax is meant to help close. Three council members voted no, with Council Member Mary Murphy arguing the town should complete an operational efficiency audit before adding any new tax. Separately, and in the same meeting, the council unanimously adopted a $127.99 million final budget for the coming fiscal year.

Water is the story that won't let go. Oro Valley's water utility director told the town council this month that the town has been told to prepare for a 20% cut in its Central Arizona Project allocation beginning January 1. CAP water is the backbone of how the greater Tucson region keeps the taps running, and a 20% reduction is not a small adjustment. The town is also raising base water rates 3.6% starting July 4 — a rate hike that now lands in a very different context.

Tucson's Mayor and Council have a full plate when they meet Monday evening. Among the items: formally setting property tax rates for the coming fiscal year, deciding whether to make the Commission on Equitable Housing and Development a permanent city body, and considering a term limit exemption for members of the civilian police oversight board. There are also amendments to Regional Transportation Authority funding agreements covering road improvements along the Silverbell and Houghton corridors.

What's opening

The most interesting food-and-drink news this week isn't a grand opening — it's Kneller's Delicatessen doing something clever with the summer slowdown. Owner Jeremy Kneller-Hernandez has lined up four collaborative pop-up events over the next two months, starting Sunday, June 14, with a five-course wine pairing dinner at Vertigo Wines downtown. Future events include a local flea market on June 28, a Sonoran-Jewish fusion dinner with Chef Angela from Chulas Cocina on July 9, and a soul food-Jewish fusion dinner with Chef Cort on July 19. Tickets for the wine dinner were $89; check with the restaurant for future event details.

On the horizon: Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers has applied for a restaurant liquor license at 5950 E. Broadway Blvd., with the Tucson Mayor and Council set to consider the application at their June 23 meeting. Sacred Hand Beer Co. has also applied for a microbrewery license in Ward 3 — same meeting. And there's a new wrinkle for Taqueria Wild West, which applied for a license at 2023 S. Craycroft Rd. but has been flagged as out of compliance because there are no approved plans on file for a change of use to a restaurant. The council has until July 5 to act on that one.

Worth a separate mention: Union Public House at 4340 N. Campbell Avenue has an ownership control application before the Pima County Board of Supervisors on June 23, suggesting a change in who's running the place.

One thing to watch

The Tucson Mayor and Council meet Monday, June 23, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda. The meeting is a relatively lean summer agenda, but the standout item is the formal setting of Tucson's primary and secondary property tax rates for fiscal year 2027 — the one item scheduled for full council discussion and public comment, meaning it's also the one where residents can show up and speak. You can watch live on Tucson12 or stream at tucsonaz.gov.

The Tucson Mini

A new mini crossword is waiting for you — it's a good one for a Sunday morning when the heat hasn't quite kicked in yet. Play this week's mini here.

Stay cool out there, and keep an eye on the sky — that monsoon moisture is real and it's only getting started. See you next Sunday.