PIMA COUNTY, July 19, 2024 – The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) is issuing a ground-level Ozone Action Day for the Tucson metropolitan area today. Individuals who are especially sensitive to ozone air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing, and breathing discomfort.  If you are especially sensitive to ozone, you may want to limit your level of exertion outside between noon and sunset when elevated levels of ozone pollution are more likely to occur. Intense physical outdoor activity causes heavier breathing, which allows ozone to penetrate deeper in the lungs. Those who are most likely to be sensitive to ozone include children, adults who are active outdoors, people with respiratory diseases, and certain individuals who have an unusual sensitivity to this particular pollutant. Those people who are feeling symptoms should seek medical attention, if necessary. There are many types of emissions that generate ground-level ozone. Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial and power plant emissions, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents, as well as natural sources, emit oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) that form ozone in the presence of intense sunlight and heat.  Actions to reduce the production of ground level ozone:

• Reduce driving – combine errands into one trip.
• Ride the bus, walk, bike, or share a ride with friends and family.
• Avoid idling your vehicle’s engine.
• Re-fuel your car after dark or during cooler evening hours when vapors are less likely to form ozone.
• While re-fueling, always stop at the click.
• Make sure your gas cap is tightly sealed after re-fueling.
• Avoid using gas-powered lawn and gardening equipment.
• Check your tire pressure monthly and keep tires properly inflated for peak performance.
• Conserve electricity to reduce emissions from power plants.
• Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers and ensure that they are sealed properly.

PDEQ’s Clean Air Program educates Pima County residents about the potential health effects associated with elevated levels of air pollution and promotes actions to reduce air pollution. PDEQ monitors air pollution in our region at 16 air quality monitoring sites. Real-time air pollution levels are available online at the PDEQ website . To receive Air Pollution Action Day advisories, sign up here .

Milwaukee, WI – As the Republican National Convention continues this week, a cohort of organizations, including United We Dream Action, Living United for Change in Arizona, America’s Voice, Voces de la Frontera Action, SEIU, Community Change Action, Make the Road Action, Chirla Action Fund, CASA in Action PAC, released a series of bilingual billboards around the RNC site to send a clear message to voters: Together, we must reject Trump’s violent and extremist playbook.  The organization’s main digital billboard is located at the prime entrance to downtown Milwaukee, just south of the Marquette Interchange, and aimed at Milwaukee residents targeted by mis- and disinformation from the RNC. Meanwhile, mobile billboards in Spanish and English were seen throughout Milwaukee neighborhoods, including during the March Against the RNC on July 15, around the convention site, and in other high-traffic areas. Alejandra Gomez, Executive Director of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA): “The last few days, we’ve heard loud and clear the existential threat Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies pose to Democracy and our civil rights. At the RNC we heard from MAGA extremists carve out a narrow vision for a “new America” that is exclusive to white America and those willing to bend the knee. The message is clear, if you are black, brown, or an immigrant, you have no place in their version of America. Under Project 2025 Donald Trump will become a dictator on day one, he will weaponize the executive and the justice department to roll back climate change policies, roll back voting rights, persecute his “political enemies”, institute a nationwide abortion ban, and conduct the largest mass deportation in the history of this country. Ripping tens of millions of immigrants right from their communities and families. The good news is that LUCHA is well on its way to knock on over 1 million doors. If our communities show up on election day we defeat hate and extremism. With Latino voters in Arizona representing 25% of the electorate, Arizona will have the power to be the difference-maker in this election. 

PHOENIX – The State Board of Transportation has approved a contract with Nesbitt Contracting for a project that will restore limited access to 5 miles of State Route 88 (Apache Trail) that was damaged by flooding in 2019. Work is expected to begin later this month as part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $4 million plan to restore the unpaved highway between mileposts 222-227 to a condition that can accommodate high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles as well as utility terrain vehicles. The construction will focus on a segment of SR 88 east of Phoenix near Fish Creek Hill, which is to the east of Tortilla Flat. The construction will include:

• Removing boulders on Fish Creek Hill
• Mitigating rockfall as needed between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Fish Creek (mileposts 222-223.5)
• Installing new signage
• Cleaning and potentially replacing damaged drainage culverts
• Completing other steps to safely reopen the highway for high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles and utility terrain vehicles

ADOT anticipates opening the segment of SR 88 to limited public access when work is completed this September. Meanwhile, ADOT continues seeking federal funding for more extensive upgrades , estimated to cost $33.7 million, that would make the highway accessible to other vehicles and more resilient to storms. In preparation for the construction project scheduled to get underway later this month, ADOT maintenance crews began work in February to remove vegetation, fill in eroded roadway sections and clean out culverts. Work in the project area requires U.S. Forest Service reviewing and approving any activity, as SR 88 follows an easement through federal land. The project also must meet all applicable state and federal environmental requirements. These 5 miles of SR 88 have been closed between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and the Reavis Trailhead since the 2019 flooding, which was made worse in areas by runoff from the Woodbury Fire scar. The original closure point on the east side was at Apache Lake Marina at milepost 229, but ADOT reopened 1.7 miles west to the popular Reavis Trailhead in 2022.  While the area between mileposts 222-227 previously had been open to hikers, bicyclists and equestrians, no public access is allowed during the ongoing project.  Traveling between the East Valley and Roosevelt Lake, Apache Trail was built during construction of Theodore Roosevelt Dam, which was completed in 1911. Prior to closing in 2019, the stretch between Tortilla Flat and Apache Lake was used by an average of 232 vehicles daily.  ADOT has performed extensive work since 2019 to restore access to and improve other damaged sections of SR 88 and made regular repairs when flooding has damaged areas that are open to traffic. In 2022, ADOT reopened 1.7 miles west from Apache Lake to restore access to the Reavis Trailhead at milepost 227. Motorists can safely access Canyon Lake, Tortilla Flat and other points on the west side of the closure.  For more information on the SR 88, please visit azdot.gov/SR88ApacheTrail .

PHOENIX – Sections of Interstate 10 near Sky Harbor Airport and Loop 101 in the East Valley will be closed while southbound I-17 will be reduced to one lane in north Phoenix this weekend (July 19-22) for improvement projects, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Drivers should allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes while the following weekend closures or lane restrictions are in place:

• Westbound I-10 closed between US 60 (Superstition Freeway) and I-17 (Split interchange) near Sky Harbor Airport from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday (July 22) for work on the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project. Broadway Road also closed near I-10. Allow extra travel time. Detours: Consider using eastbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) or eastbound US 60 to northbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) to reach Sky Harbor Airport or downtown Phoenix. Drivers in the southeast Valley also can consider using westbound/northbound Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) to reach I-10 near 59th Avenue in the West Valley. Note: Westbound I-10 on-ramps from Elliot Road to 32nd Street and westbound US 60 on-ramps at McClintock Drive, Rural Road and Mill Avenue will close at 8 p.m. Friday. For more information visit: i10BroadwayCurve.com. Note: The westbound I-10 off-ramp at Broadway Road and westbound on-ramp at 32nd Street will be closed for several weeks starting at 8 p.m. Friday (July 19).  

• Southbound I-17 narrowed to one lane between SR 74/Carefree Highway and Dixileta Drive in north Phoenix from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (July 22) for pavement improvement project. Southbound I-17 on-ramp at Loop 303 closed. Allow extra travel time. Traffic is typically lighter during early morning or nighttime hours. Avoid detouring on streets east of I-17 that are designed for local traffic. Note: Southbound I-17 on-ramp from SR 74 closed from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights (July 19-20). The southbound I-17 loop on-ramp from westbound SR 74 will be open.
• Southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) closed between Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) and US 60 (Superstition Freeway) in Tempe from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (July 22) for lane striping and other pavement marking work. Allow extra travel time. Detours: Consider exiting ahead of the closure and using alternate routes including southbound Hayden Road/McClintock Drive.
• Northbound Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) closed between Raintree Drive and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in north Scottsdale from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (July 22) for bridge work. Northbound Loop 101 on-ramps at Shea Boulevard and Cactus Road also closed. Allow extra travel time. Detour: Traffic exiting at Raintree Drive will be the frontage road and enter northbound/westbound Loop 101 at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.

Schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements in the Phoenix area as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. Most projects are funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov , the az511 app or by calling 511.

Washington, D.C. – Today, BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, announced its endorsement of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.  “President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have delivered for the Latino community and CHC BOLD PAC is proud to endorse them for re-election. From historic investments in our infrastructure system to expanding access to affordable health care, they have championed policies that lifted up our families and communities,” said BOLD PAC Chairwoman Linda Sánchez. “This administration has led with working families in mind and shown an unwavering commitment to Latinos. There is so much work left to do and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Another Trump presidency would be disastrous to the Latino community across the country. Make no mistake, Latinos nationwide will bear the brunt of the consequences of a second Trump presidency and BOLD PAC will remain laser focused on doing what it takes to ensure that he remains a one-term president. “It is clear that Latino voters will decide the margin of victory in competitive races up and down the ballot this cycle, from California and New Mexico to Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Nebraska. BOLD PAC’s mission centers on electing Latinos to Congress and mobilizing the Latino community across the country to win in battleground states and districts. We will continue to focus on ensuring that the Latino community understands the stakes in this election – our rights, our freedoms, and our very democracy are on the line. BOLD PAC is investing in targeted outreach and strategic campaigns so that Latino voters mobilize for Democrats up and down the ballot this cycle and power President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to victory. We look forward to mobilizing our community to support their re-election and to build on the accomplishments of the past four years. Pa’lante!”

PHOENIX – The northbound Loop 101 on-ramp at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard is scheduled to be closed for approximately 60 days, starting early Tuesday, July 23, for reconstruction work as part of the ongoing freeway widening project in north Scottsdale. Drivers who normally would use the closed ramp can use the northbound frontage road north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and enter northbound Loop 101 at the Pima Road/Princess Drive interchange, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. ADOT asks freeway drivers in the area to allow extra travel time, slow down and to continue to provide room for traffic entering the freeway while progress is made on the widening project. The $108 million Loop 101 Improvement Project between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive/Pima Road started in January. The northbound Loop 101 off-ramp at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, which closed in late May, is scheduled to reopen in late July. Over the course of the two-year Loop 101 project, on- and off-ramps between Shea Boulevard and Pima Road/Princess Drive will be rebuilt to fit with the wider freeway. The entire project is scheduled for completion in early 2026. The project is adding one lane in each direction along 4.5 miles of the Pima Freeway north of Shea Boulevard. Other improvements include converting the Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard interchange to a diamond configuration and installing new signs, traffic signals and lighting. The Loop 101 widening project is funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The project is scheduled under the Regional Transportation Plan managed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, which serves as the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Phoenix region. Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov , the az511 app or by calling 511.

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema announced that $36,000,000 will be invested in airport terminal upgrades at Phoenix Sky Harbor from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly.  Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport will receive $36 million through the Airport Terminal Program —a program created by Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law to provide grants for airport terminal development projects.  “Our historic bipartisan infrastructure law continues to deliver for Arizona communities,” said Kelly. “This investment allows for crucial renovations to Phoenix Sky Harbor, upgrading one of our most important economic drivers and ensuring Arizonans have access to safe and reliable travel.”   “Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re delivering $36 million to improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility at Phoenix Sky Harbor–allowing Arizonans to safely travel with ease and peace of mind,” said Sinema.  Phoenix Sky Harbor will use the $36 million grant to replace equipment used for cooling Terminal 4’s main building, eight concourses and connector bridges, among other crucial modernization projects.  The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $25 billion in additional investments for aviation infrastructure. The bipartisan law provides $15 billion in priority projects at every airport in the United States, $5 billion in competitive grants for terminal development and other landslide projects, and $5 billion in grants for strengthening Air Traffic Control towers and infrastructure.  Sinema led bipartisan Senate negotiations with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that included Kelly and senators from both parties.  The bipartisan infrastructure law was supported by groups including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, The National Association of Manufacturers, The AFL-CIO, The National Retail Federation, The Bipartisan Policy Center, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Outdoor Industry Association, The American Hotel and Lodging Association, The National Education Association, as well as hundreds of mayors across all 50 states. 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) released new data showcasing the impact of the agency’s actions in response to sober living fraud within Arizona’s Medicaid program.  “While there is still work to be done, this data reflects that our efforts to combat fraud are working,” said Carmen Heredia, cabinet executive officer of AHCCCS. “We have transformed AHCCCS into a new agency that puts our members first and always strives to get them the help they need. We will continue our work to address this issue and prevent future fraud schemes with appropriate and necessary actions.”  The newly published American Indian Health Program (AIHP) utilization graphs illustrate the combined effects of all of the interventions undertaken by AHCCCS that has resulted in a significant drop in AIHP utilization and demonstrates a return to a historical trend in current utilization levels.