Parece que va a ser un verano de buceo

El pronóstico para este verano: húmedo, con probabilidad de clavados.

Political notebook: Intervention is divine, or at least Irish, for political fixture Egan

Scott Egan has been a fixture in local politics for more than 20 years.

City sets goal of new manager by May 1

Tucson could have a permanent city manager in place by May 1.

Tucson city workers could get 1% raise

For the first time in five years, city employees have a shot at cost-of-living pay raises, albeit small ones.

Fix or close TCC, City Council warned

The Tucson Convention Center is so run down interim City Manager Richard Miranda says the city needs to at least replace the bleachers, or shut it down for safety's sake - a step he says the city should try to avoid.

Looks like it'll be a dive-in summer

Forecast for summer: wet, with a scattered chance of diving.

City pitches its case: Recycling can be a plus for local business

Could drinking more be better for the environment?

Political notebook: Mayor's hat; Beckham's donated shirt

It didn't escape notice that new Mayor Jonathan Rothschild went to the rodeo parade sans a cowboy hat.

Best of Sunday: Outsized water bills hit local users hard

Last March, Joseph Kane opened his water bill to see that he owed Tucson Water $3,364 and some cents. He had used, the water department said, some 222,904 gallons of water. His normal usage is somewhere around 8,000 gallons.

Neighbors band to block high-rises west of UA

University-area neighborhood activists have taken out referendum petitions to try to overturn a City Council-approved zoning option that will vastly increase density along the streetcar route.

Connie, Shaba leave longtime home for Calif.

Longtime Reid Park Zoo residents Connie and Shaba left their decades-old home Wednesday morning for the San Diego Zoo.

Connie and Shaba arrive safely at San Diego Zoo

Crews shipping Tucson elephants to California today

Longtime Reid Park Zoo residents Connie and Shaba are officially on their way to the San Diego Zoo.

Council OKs $20 yearly fee for alarms

Owners of security alarms will have to pay $20 a year to register with the city of Tucson or face higher false-alarm fees.

City stares into fiscal sinkhole in its battle to maintain roads

Tweaking the city budget to squeeze out inefficiencies isn't going to get the roads fixed.

Reid Park Zoo welcomes first of new breeding herd

The Reid Park Zoo is now home to two new elephants, even as it prepares to bid goodbye to its longtime resident elephants, Connie and Shaba.

Ownership spat could derail streetcar

Tucson's modern streetcar could be stopped in its tracks if Tucson and the Regional Transportation Authority can't agree on which of them should be at the throttle.

Political notebook: Politicos on left, right renew tea-party spat

The ongoing feud between the Tucson Tea Party and Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers continued Wednesday at the Rick Santorum event.

Sunday's top story: 2 big events pulling out of TCC

While Tucson and Rio Nuevo haggle over which of them should pay to fix up the aging Tucson Convention Center, two longtime cultural staples are fleeing the downtown facility for nicer digs at the new Casino Del Sol resort and concert center.

Texting ban active on April 1; no fooling

Come April 1, texting while driving is going to be illegal in the city of Tucson.

Proposed downtown district hinges on boundaries

Today the City Council will discuss a map that could transform the heart of downtown into a new central business district, with the intention of boosting development.

Extreme water bills targeted

Tucson had to write off about $1 million in often-unexplained one-time extreme water bills last year - an amount that could double under a policy now being considered to smooth out those sudden surges.

City lacks fix-it funds if streetcar hits bump

As construction on the modern streetcar begins, the city of Tucson has not yet secured funding to pay for unexpected issues that may come up.

Political notebook: Walkup's new inner circle armed, aiming for clay pigeons

Was a time you could gauge the Tucson power set by the cut of their suits, the brand of their shoes and the make of their cars.

Streetcar tracks heighten accident concerns here

In addition to figuring out how to engineer, build and operate a $200 million new modern streetcar through the heart of town, Tucson faces an additional challenge: how to prevent accidents with cars and bicycles.

Mayor wrecks car provided by city

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild wrecked his city car Thursday afternoon in an accident in which no one was injured.

Naked garbage is a yucky thing to see - and it's really smelly, too

Tucson would like us all to just bag it. Our trash, that is. The city code says residents are supposed to bag and tie their trash before throwing it in the bin - but that's not happening.

Tucson mayor wrecks city Prius in non-injury crash

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild wrecked his city car Thursday afternoon in an accident in which no one was injured.

Council votes to publicize talk details

A week after the Rio Nuevo Board narrowly killed a proposal to make public its negotiations with the city of Tucson, the City Council Wednesday moved to try to do just that.

Mayor: County areas must be annexed for economic survival

Like several of his predecessors, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild believes in "mountain-to-mountain annexation." He just doesn't believe Tucson has to be the one doing all the annexing.

Political notebook: Local tea party leaders pass on advocacy torch

The public face of the Tucson Tea Party is changing, with co-founders Trent and Jennifer Humphries stepping down.

Rio Nuevo wants talks with Tucson kept secret

The public nearly got a chance to learn more about the terms that are on the table in the mediation between the Rio Nuevo board and the city of Tucson.

Bill to limit bonds meets resistance

Pima County started ramping up the pressure Wednesday to get state lawmakers to back off on a plan that would give satellite jurisdictions veto power over county borrowing for roads and other projects.

No layoffs, pay cuts expected to balance city's next budget

The city won't have to lay employees off, cut their salaries or impose more furloughs to meet the fiscal year 2013 budget.

Long minidorm dispute could end with proposal

New-home construction, or change of use, will cap the number of unrelated residents who can live there at four under a proposed compromise to end years of wrangling over the proliferation of minidorms in the city's neighborhoods.

Political notebook: Melvin does a good job alienating all

State Sen. Al Melvin is doing his best to forge bipartisan agreement these days - by showing both Democrats and Republicans that he can stick in their craws equally well, thank you.

As fixer-upper, historic Marist College has upsides

One of Tucson's most endangered and remarkable historic buildings could be plucked from neglect and given new life. It will take some vision - and a hefty bankroll - to resurrect the historic Marist College.

Equipment failing 'all throughout' city's five garages

Tucson shelled out a quarter of a million dollars for new equipment at the Depot Plaza garage about 18 months ago. But city staffers say they've had so many problems with equipment at all city garages they may have to replace all of it.

Dem party chair for Arizona resigns

State Democratic Party chairman Andrei Cherny resigned from his party position Monday.

Westerman considers bid for Arizona House seat

Former Pima County Republican chairman Bob Westerman announced he’s exploring a bid for the state House in the proposed new Legislative District 11.

Neighborhoods still awaiting promised ParkWise surpluses

Back when the city significantly bumped rates for the residential parking program, it threw in a sweetener to the neighborhoods.

Political notebook: Rothschild, for a brief moment, taps into his inner Superman

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's friends tease him for being a bit boring. His daughter said that's a bad rap. You just have to get to know him. Then he loosens up.

Mayor: Negative perception of Tucson 'has to end'

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild held two roundtables Friday promoting his plan to make Tucson more business-friendly.

Longtime businesswoman now questions her belief in downtown

Margo Susco has long been a believer in downtown Tucson.

Mayor: Negative business perception of Tucson 'has to end'

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild held two roundtables Friday promoting his plan to make Tucson more business-friendly.

Council seeks strict oversight of streetcar construction costs

The Tucson City Council agreed Tuesday that it wants more strict oversight of the modern streetcar contract as the most expensive construction project in the city's history begins to gel.

Planned 'business district' may grow sizably

Now that the Tucson City Council has agreed in concept to encourage development by abating property taxes in a "central business district," it needs to decide on the district's boundaries.

Giffords to resign, forcing 2 elections almost at once

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' decision to step down this week instead of finishing her term means many of the voters in what's now Congressional District 8 will see two rounds of primary and general elections this year.

Streetcar budget mostly spoken for

Before any streets are ripped up or any tracks are laid, Tucson has committed $84 million to preconstruction costs for the modern streetcar that will connect the University of Arizona to downtown.