A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty in a Tucson federal court Friday for his role in coordinating smuggling efforts in Nogales, part of a years-long investigation launched by federal officials to clamp down on the movement of people across the Arizona-Mexico border. Read more»

Pima County supervisors are expected to approve starting each meeting by acknowledging the people who called our valley home before European settlement. Plus more local government action in the Tucson agenda. Read more» 1

The Department of Homeland Security began requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination over the weekend for essential as well as nonessential travel across the U.S.-Mexico border - a requirement expected since last fall, but one that raises concerns among officials in border towns. Read more»

Pima County supervisors just had their coronavirus update. The Tucson City Council and Amphitheater Public Schools Governing Board will get theirs on Jan. 11. What direction they give their staffs are up to them. Read more»

Arizona accounts for more than 9% of drugs that cross the land border into the U.S. from Mexico each year, and technology does some of the dirty work of stemming the flow as Mexican cartels work to stay steps ahead of them. Read more»

The Pima County Supervisors will hold their last meeting before unvaccinated employees are set to be fired. A citizen-inspired agenda item in Oro Valley hits the sweet spot of fewer regulations and more environmental protections. Read more» 1

Some of the best photos published by the Tucson Sentinel in 2021. Read more»

Tucson rang in 2021 much as we left the previous year, but with a few new twists: an attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in the grip of a pandemic that has become a political issue, more immigration and asylum issues, a growing climate crisis. Read more»

Customs and Border Protection officers made the largest seizure of meth in the Tucson Field's Office's history Wednesday when they found nearly 3,300 pounds worth asbout $7.7 million stashed in a shipment of auto parts. Read more»

As entry restrictions lifted on Monday in a welcomed reopening of the land U.S. border crossings to some tourists from Mexico, the Biden administration is continuing to deny entry to asylum-seekers from Mexico and Central America under a Trump-era emergency public health rule. Read more»

​​Después de 19 meses, Nogales, Arizona, una ciudad fronteriza, reabrió el lunes 8 de noviembre para los viajeros no esenciales de México, dando esperanzas a sus 20,000 residentes y los negocios podrán regresar a la pre pandemia normal. Read more»

After 19 months, Nogales reopened Monday to fully vaccinated, nonessential travelers from Mexico, giving its 20,000 residents hope that business – and life – may return to pre-pandemic normal and just in time for the holidays, normally a booming time of year for merchants. Read more»

Aunque la marihuana ha sido la fuente de ingresos más rentable para los cárteles mexicanos, la legalización del cannabis en los estados de EE. UU., a provocado un cambio de rumbo: el fentanilo es más rentable, con un gramo que cuesta entre $150 y $200 en la calle, en comparación con aproximadamente $15 por gramo de marihuana. Read more»

Although marijuana has been one of the most profitable cash cows for Mexican cartels, legalization of cannabis in the U.S. has prompted a change - fentanyl is more profitable, with a gram going for $150 to $200 on the street, compared with about $15 for a gram of weed. Read more»

Pandemic restrictions at the Mexican and Canadian borders will be lifted in November for travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, allowing travel by tourists and separated family members who've been unable to cross since March 2020. Read more»