"Rainy Start to Week, City Budget Talks, and Tucson Sports Highlights | Tucson Local Pulse"

Good morning, this is Tucson Local Pulse for Monday, November 24, 2025. We wake up after a weekend of heavy rain, with scattered showers sweeping through Tucson last night and into the early hours. Water pooled along Grant and Speedway, and some side streets near the University of Arizona are still slick this morning, so give yourself extra time if you’re heading out. The National Weather Service expects more isolated showers through midday, but by afternoon we’re looking at mostly cloudy skies and high temperatures near the low 60s. Turning to city news, Pima County leaders are weighing small tax cuts as part of their new fiscal budgets for the upcoming year. Tucson’s City Hall is looking at infrastructure projects to help with stormwater management, especially after these recent rains. The mayor’s office reminds us that sandbag pickup sites remain open countywide in preparation for the winter weather. On the jobs front, new postings popped up last week in tech and education, with about 80 positions open, notably at Raytheon and Amphitheater Public Schools. Raytheon’s expansion near Valencia Road means steady job growth, while the school district is looking to fill a board seat after a recent vacancy. In real estate, the local market is holding steady. The median home price in central Tucson sits just above $320,000 this week, about the same as last month. Several new condos opened on Broadway near El Con Mall, drawing interest from young professionals and retirees alike. Local realtors are optimistic heading into the holiday season. For business activity, a new farm-to-table restaurant opened over the weekend at 4th Avenue, focusing on Sonoran-inspired small plates and sustainable sourcing. Meanwhile, longtime favorite Bookmans on Speedway celebrates its 40th anniversary this week with in-store events. There’s also news of a popular coffee shop on Campbell Avenue closing its doors, citing rising costs. In community happenings, Saguaro National Park researchers recently confirmed that local mycorrhizal fungi are helping area cacti weather changing climate conditions; a reminder that Tucson’s desert is thriving in ways we often overlook. The Pima County Public Library has chosen poet and DJ Logan Phillips as writer-in-residence again, offering free creative writing workshops this week. School sports saw Amphitheater High’s soccer team clinch a win last Friday, while a citywide spelling bee drew dozens of students to Tucson High over the weekend. The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team is riding a five-game winning streak and hosts the Denver Pioneers tonight at McKale Memorial Center. Expect an enthusiastic atmosphere as the Wildcats look to keep their perfect start. On Tuesday, our Wildcats women’s basketball team welcomes the Northern Colorado Bears, themselves coming off a buzzer-beater win and a hot streak. As for public safety, police responded yesterday to a vehicle break-in near North Oracle Road and a domestic disturbance in th This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.