Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How Tucson teachers are rethinking math as scores lag countywide
Coming up: Mainly Murals Walking Tour-Jan 3rd on the Tucson Patch calendar
Hello again Tucson! We’re bringing you the latest town highlights. Don’t miss out, keep going! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How Tucson teachers are rethinking math as scores lag countywide
- Tucson family seeks answers after deadly southside park shooting
- How will Tucson’s I-10 and I-19 construction change your commute?
Also on today's calendar: Mainly Murals Walking Tour-Jan 3rd and 9 more events.
Find out what's happening in Tucsonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Tucsonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Wednesday: Cloudy, with a high of 68 and low of 55 degrees.
- Thursday: Mostly cloudy with showers, temps: high: 68, low: 50.
- Friday: A couple of morning showers, with a high of 69 and low of 48 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Tucson math teachers learn new methods as proficiency rates lag (kold.com) — With most Pima County eighth graders not proficient in math, Tucson-area teachers are turning to new, research-based methods taught through free University of Arizona workshops. Local educators say this is the toughest math-teaching climate in decades, but report that students of teachers who attend multiple sessions are showing stronger performance and confidence heading into high school. 
2. Tucson community mourns 20-year-old killed in southside park shooting (kvoa.com) — A Tucson family is grieving 20-year-old Joshua Mariscal, who was shot and killed alongside a 17-year-old at a southside park near Kino Parkway and Ajo Way last weekend. Loved ones, including coworkers from his Tucson Marketplace Whataburger job, gathered for a vigil as police continue searching for suspects and the family raises funds for funeral costs.
3. ADOT's I-10 project to boost Tucson traffic flow and safety (kvoa.com) — If you drive I-10 or I-19 in Tucson, expect major construction and new interchanges starting in 2026 that aim to ease congestion and improve safety. ADOT is widening key stretches of I-10, rebuilding the Kino Parkway and Country Club interchanges, and upgrading the Irvington Road interchange on I-19 while trying to keep two lanes open during peak hours.
4. Arizona women's basketball heads to Boulder for key matchup (kvoa.com) — Tucson fans will see their Wildcats women’s basketball team hit the road to Boulder tonight for a New Year’s Eve showdown with Colorado, tipping at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and 1400 AM. Coming off a one-point loss to Utah, Arizona looks to rebound under first-year coach Becky Burke, whose squad is 9-3 and among the nation’s most efficient shooting teams.
5. Raytheon Awarded Potential $885M Navy Contract for ESSM, NATO SeaSparrow Engineering Support (govconwire.com) — A major Navy engineering contract for Evolved SeaSparrow Missile support will be carried out primarily in Tucson, reinforcing the city’s role in national defense work. Raytheon’s local operations will handle much of the technical and design support through at least 2026, with options extending to 2030, tying Tucson’s high-tech workforce to a long-term, nearly $885 million program.
📸 Around Tucson
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🗓 Upcoming Events in Tucson
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
- Community Meeting: Gourd Club Play Day
Flowing Wells , 1730 W. Wetmore Rd. , Tucson
10:00 am - The Drawing Studio Presents: Color Mediums!
Valencia Branch Library , 202 West Valencia Road , Tucson
2:30 pm - Mainly Murals Walking Tour-Jan 3rd
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón Museum , 196 N Court Ave , Tucson
10:00 am - Toddler Storytime
Flowing Wells , 1730 W. Wetmore Rd. , Tucson
10:15 am - Preschool Storytime
Flowing Wells , 1730 W. Wetmore Rd. , Tucson
11:15 am - Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings
La Rosa , 800 N Country Club Rd , Tucson
8:30 pm - Trades, Skills, Arts, and Crafts of the Historic Southwest Living History
Tucson Presidio Museum, 196 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
10:00 am - Lucy/Lucille
The Historic Y , 738 N 5th Ave , Tucson
2:00 pm - Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons
Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral , 160 S Scott Ave , Tucson
6:30 pm - Lucy/Lucille
The Historic Y , 738 N 5th Ave , Tucson
8:30 pm - Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings
Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral , 160 S Scott Ave , Tucson
8:30 pm - Candle Making Workshop
Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón Museum , 196 N Court Ave , Tucson
10:00 am
Friday January 2
Saturday January 3
Tuesday January 6
Friday January 9
Saturday January 10
Sunday January 11
📣 Tucson Shout Outs!
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Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Tucson PatchAM possible:
- Junk King Tucson — (520) 549-5865
The Greenest, Cleanest Junk Removal in the Desert! - Sunrise Roofers LLC — (520) 668-6638
Roofing Contractor in Tucson, Arizona. - Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Sweet Nutella is wondering why she's not adopted yet!
If interested in meeting Nutella please apply online littleangelsdogrescue.org/applications Adoption fee:$350 (Nextdoor Tortolitas) - Two Oracle Rescue kittens ready for adoption!
Meet Bingo, a male blue and white and Bluey, a female blue. They were both rescued from a feral colony and have been completely tamed. They both love… (Nextdoor SaddleBrooke)
- Curious to know what projects ADOT has in store for Southern Arizona in 2026? The Tucson area will see the completion of an I-10 widening project,... (X: ArizonaDOT)
- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is inviting the Tucson community to a town hall at the YWCA of Southern Arizona on Jan. 13 to discuss potential... (X: KVOA)
- MaidPro, Inc. posted a job opening for Pro House Cleaner in Tucson. Apply here.
- PSG Global Solutions posted a job opening for Retail Merchandise Stocker in Tucson. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Tucson here.
Ok Tucson! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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