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An aerial photo of Rosemont's new effort to dump tailings and other rock waste into dry streams along the west-side of the Santa Rita Mountains.

In a win for environmental groups and three Native American tribes,, a federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that halted the long-controversial Rosemont open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains about 30 miles southeast of Tucson. Read more»

An aerial photo of Rosemont's new effort to dump tailings and other rock waste into dry streams along the west-side of the Santa Rita Mountains.

Rosemont Copper's move to expand its operations in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson faces a new challenge after the Tohono O'odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Hopi Tribe asked a federal court to block the company from grading the slopes and dumping fill material in dry washes. Read more»

An aerial photo of Rosemont's new effort to dump tailings and other rock waste into dry streams along the west-side of the Santa Rita Mountains.

Led by Center for Biological Diversity, environmental groups filed a notice of intent—a prelude to a federal lawsuit—against Rosemont Copper, arguing the company violated federal law. Read more»

An endangered jaguar captured by a remote camera in southeastern Arizona. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified 764,207 acres of critical habitat in the region for the endangered animal and recently rejected a request by developers of the planned Rosemont copper mine to eliminate 50,000 acres that would overlap with the mine.

Federal regulators on Friday rejected a mining company’s request to reduce critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the Santa Rita Mountains on land that overlaps the footprint of the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine. Read more»

Bartram's stonecrop

A "striking" succulent is one of several rare species that may yet derail the Rosemont copper mine after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the plant should receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. Read more»

Army Corps of Engineers contractors pour foundations for new sections of border fence near Otay Mesa, California, in March 2019. The Department of Homeland Security said it will waive contracting and other regulations along the southern brder to speed wall construction.

The Trump administration took another step toward expediting construction of a border wall Tuesday, announcing it is waiving federal contracting regulations to fast track construction in four states, including Arizona. Read more»

Opponents of the Rosemont Copper mine, which would be situated here in the Santa Rita Mountans, said studies on the mine have overlooked its environmental impacts.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Forest Service "improperly evaluated and misapplied" federal law, leading to "an inherently flawed" approval of a long-controversial open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. Read more»

An engineer gives a tour at the Rosemont Mine site in 2013.

Hudbay Minerals said Thursday that it has received the approved Mine Plan of Operations for the proposed Rosemont mine project, the final step in the permitting process. Read more»

Opponents of the Rosemont Copper mine, which would be situated here in the Santa Rita Mountans, said studies on the mine have overlooked its environmental impacts.

A proposal for a massive open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson will be back in court this month as opponents challenge permits for the project, the latest twist in the battle over the Rosemont Mine. Read more»

A still frame from the jaguar video released Thursday.

Video of a endangered wild jaguar released Thursday shows a big cat that was first photographed by a trail camera late last year. Dubbed "Sombra" by Tucson schoolkids, the jaguar was captured on tape in the Chiricahua Mountains. Later in the day, officials announced the cat is a male. Read more»

A male jaguar, 'El Jefe,' photographed by motion-detection wildlife cameras in the Santa Rita Mountains on June 4, 2015, as part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Department of Homeland Security-funded jaguar survey conducted by University of Arizona. This is the same jaguar that has been repeatedly photographed in the Santa Rita Mountains.

El Jefe, Tucson’s lone male jaguar, caught the attention of Arizonans while residing in a tree in Southeastern Arizona. But it’s been a year since trail cameras caught footage of the wandering jaguar. Read more»

A male jaguar photographed by motion-detection wildlife cameras in the Santa Rita Mountains on June 4, 2015, as part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Department of Homeland Security-funded jaguar survey conducted by University of Arizona. This is the same jaguar that has been repeatedly photographed in the Santa Rita Mountains.

The only wild jaguar known to live in the United States prowls the mountains just south of Tucson, and local middle school students have given the big cat a name: "El Jefe." Read more» 1

The Monday Political Face-off featured John Munger and Vince Rabago. Also, it's the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. We talked with Randy Serraglio of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Plus, Keith Rosenblum, Buckmaster contributor on Mexico. Read more»

Rick Grinnell of the Southern Arizona Business Coalition and Randy Serraglio of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity debate the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. Also, Dr. Danielle Babski of the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson, pllus historian Ken Scoville has a preview of this Saturday's Barrio Viejo Home Tour. Read more»

An interview with Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, plus Marana Mayor Ed Honea, and Randy Serraglio of Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Read more»

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