Cover Story
Presenting: The Tucson Weedly’s Cannabis Bowl 2020 Winners
And the winners are…
Look Snazzy Through the Pandemic in a Limited Edition Tucson Weekly T-Shirt!
You can ditch the suit-and-tie look while working from home, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still dress in stylish T-shirts. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we are teaming up with Arizona Uniform in the TUCSON2GETHER program to offer a new T-shirt that allows you to look good in your next Zoom meeting…
Claytoonz: Sniffy Is Squishy
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Wednesday, April 22: What We Covered Today
Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day! Listen to some awesome music for free and read the stories we covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 5,459 as of Wednesday, April 22, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Hospitals and outpatient surgical centers in…
COVID-19 in Arizona: 13 residents dead, 28 infected at assisted living facility in Chandler
PHOENIX – COVID-19 has swept through an assisted living facility in Chandler, where 13 residents have died due to complications from the disease and 28 others have tested positive, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday evening. “Our condolences and hearts go to the families of these residents. We are grieving each one as we have cared for…
Arizona Hospitals Can Resume Elective Surgeries May 1 if Prepared for Patient Surge
Hospitals and outpatient surgical centers in Arizona may resume elective surgeries for patients if they can prove they are prepared for any potential influx of COVID-19 cases beginning May 1, according to Gov. Doug Ducey. The governor suspended elective surgeries March 19. Ducey considers the healthcare change his first step in “increasing the energy” of…
Arizona Theatre Company Announces Online Broadcast Series
As part of their online library during quarantine downtime, Arizona Theatre Company will be hosting the first in a series of weekly Facebook Live broadcasts at 4 p.m. Friday, April 24. Hosted by ATC artistic director Sean Daniels, the broadcast will feature guests from multiple artistic mediums: Lucky Yates, who is a voice actor on…
Marianne Dissard Gets Political on Stunning Phil Ochs Cover
Tucson’s favorite Chanteuse Marianne Dissard is back with a stunning cover of Phil Ochs’s late-60s protest song, The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns, repurposed to protest the recent firing of USS Theodore Roosevelt Capt. Brett Crozier. Crozier was relieved from duty for sending a letter to other naval personnel stating “sailors would needlessly die” if…
Dating From Home: How to Find or Keep Love Alive in the Time of Coronavirus
PHOENIX – Whether speed-dating on Zoom or making plans for a virtual movie night, couples are getting creative in making and maintaining romantic connections during these times of social distancing. Even those already in long-distance relationships and accustomed to communicating virtually are finding the forced quarantines and physical separation challenging. Mireya Treviño, a senior at…
More Questions Than Answers to Trump Threat of Immigration Suspension
PHOENIX – Immigration experts and advocates aren’t sure how to assess President Donald Trump’s Monday evening tweet announcing his intention to temporarily suspend immigration, but they reject the idea that immigrants will compete with thousands of Americans thrown out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they suggest his administration concentrate on making more…
SBA Not Accepting New Paycheck Protection Loan Applications Ahead of Tomorrow’s House of Representatives Vote To Replenish the Program
The Small Business Administration says it will not accept new Payment Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications yet, even though the U.S. Senate yesterday passed a new $480 billion package that would replenish the program after funding ran out last week. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the plan tomorrow. For…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, April 22: Confirmed Cases Rise to over 5,400 in State; Virus Has Killed 229 Arizonans; Ducey Reviewing Conditions for Lifting Stay-at-Home Order; US Senate OKs New Aid for Biz, Hospitals
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 5,459 as of Wednesday, April 22, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 973 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 229 people statewide, including 68 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa County, the number of…
Claytoonz: The Potbellied Small-Business Killah
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OSIRIS-REx Captures Close-Up Asteroid Images
The Weekly’s favorite space probe, the University of Arizona’s OSIRIS-REx, is getting ever-closer to a key moment in its mission of gathering cosmic dust and pebbles from the surface of the asteroid Bennu. On Tuesday, April 14, the NASA spacecraft captured the closest-ever images of the asteroid Bennu during a sample collection rehearsal. The images,…
Hotel Congress’ David Slutes: “Yep, We Miss You Dearly”
My name is David Slutes. I’ve been a part of Hotel Congress for, oh, 24 years or so. I’ve taken on various roles—Cyber Café manager (remember cyber cafes?), Hotel Manager, self-appointed sommelier, and for the last 16 years, Entertainment Director. But even prior to my employment, I spent a great deal of my life here…
Medical Staffing Companies Cut Doctors’ Pay While Spending Millions on Political Ads
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Private equity-backed medical staffing companies that have cut doctors’ pay are continuing to spend millions on political ads, according to Federal Communications Commission disclosures. The ads amount to $2.2 million since Health and…
NABI Cancellation Means Much More to Native American Community Than Just Loss of Basketball
PHOENIX – The cancellation of the 2020 Native American Basketball Invitational means more to that community than simply taking a summer off from playing ball. Its loss could have a major impact on the lives of many young native people. A major purpose of the event is to help players attend college, whether as a…
Guest Opinion: It’s Time To Protect the LGBT Community from Discrimination
I spent a large part of my life denying what I knew from the age of 5, that I was transgender. Growing up as a young boy in the 1950s, there were no words to describe what I was experiencing. I had no one to talk to, and I tried my best to make the…
Arizona DES Will Provide Meals to 600,000 Children
Nearly 600,000 K-12 students in Arizona receive free or reduced-price meals at their schools every day. But when the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools across the state, those children were in danger of going hungry. In the days after the closures began, many school districts stepped up to provide to-go meals to their students. Now, about…
Dairy Farmers Forced to Adjust Their Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic
Shocking videos of dairy farmers dumping thousands of gallons of milk have been circulating on the internet, as the coronavirus outbreak has forced dairy farmers across the country to dump their excess milk supply to offset their losses and keep prices stable. Arizona dairy farmers have taken part in this dumping process to help stay…
Arizona Researchers Intend to Play Key Roles in Defeating COVID-19
PHOENIX – Arizona researchers have come together to gain insight into COVID-19, which has killed tens of thousands around the globe. The Translational Genomics Research Institute on April 8 announced the formation of the Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union, dedicated to understanding the evolution and spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease. They…
ICE Has Access to DACA Recipients’ Personal Information Despite Promises Suggesting Otherwise, Internal Emails Show
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. When undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors applied for deportation protections and work permits, the forms included a promise: The information would not be shared with immigration enforcement agents. The…
Local First Arizona Earth Day Arizona: Celebrating 50 Years with Calexico’s Joey Burns
Local First Arizona is hosting a free Virtual Earth Day Arizona Celebration with a special guest appearance from Calexico’s Joey Burns of Calexico from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. At this online celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, Local First will explore how to build environmental and community resilience against a global pandemic and…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Update: Confirmed Cases Now top 5,200; Virus Has Killed 208; Protestors Gather at State Capitol, Insist Ducey Reopen the State
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 5,251 as of Tuesday, April 21, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 963 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 208 people statewide, including 65 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa County, the number of…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Monday, April 20: What We Covered Today
Today is 4/20, and this is the news we’ve covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had topped 5,000 as of Monday, April 20, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Here’s what America’s Governors need not ignore as they open their states. This Friday, April 24,…
United Way Delivers Books to Families Across Tucson
Parents picking up homework for their young children at 14 schools across Tucson were recently handed a dozen brand new books to help get through the summer slump. The literary surprise was the most recent installment of the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s My Summer Library Program. United Way Worldwide is an international…
Earth Day 2020: Moving Into a More Sustainable Future Post COVID-19
April 22 has been known for the past 50 years as Earth Day. There are a lot of ways to celebrate the Earth, even though at the moment most of us are quarantined inside our homes. But something peculiar has been happening while we all hunker down. If there has been any type of silver…
Reid Park Zoo Welcomes Five Meerkat Pups
In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 9, the staff at the Reid Park Zoo performing rounds discovered three adult meerkats huddled around squirming legs—the excited gesticulations of five newborn pups. The meerkats are the first-ever of the species born at the zoo and came only three days after the zoo announced the birth…
Whipple Observatory Hosting Livestream ‘Star Party’
This Friday, April 24, Southern Arizona’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory will be hosting a livestream “star party,” where viewers can watch the night sky as it appears in multiple locations throughout the county, and interact with astronomers. As part of International Dark Sky Week, the star party features live presentations and hosts from multiple time…
Coronavirus Advice From Abroad: 7 Lessons America’s Governors Should Not Ignore as They Reopen Their Economies
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Memo to America’s Governors: From: ProPublica Subject: Restarting the Economy After insisting that he had absolute power to decide when to reopen the American economy, President Donald Trump has turned over to all…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Update: Confirmed Cases Top 5,000: 187 Now Dead From Virus; Protestors Oppose Ducey’s Stay-at-Home Order
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had topped 5,000 as of Monday, April 20, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 941 of the state’s 5,064 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 187 people statewide, including 58 in Pima County, according to the report. In…
Claytoonz: Name Shame
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Claytoonz: Total Authority
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Saturday, April 18: 4,719 Confirmed Cases in AZ; 177 Now Dead; UA Furloughing Employees; Tucson Using Hotels To House Homeless; Drive-Thru Testing Now Available at Walgreenzs.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona hit 4,719 as of Saturday, April 18, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 856 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 177 people statewide, including 56 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa…
Claytoonz: Hissy Fit Over Fauci Facts
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Friday, April 17: What We Covered Today
Here are the stories we covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona hit 4,507 as of Friday, April 17, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. There’s a virtual prom tonight being hosted by John Krasinski over YouTube. Local business owners have been left stranded after the…
Cox Media Offers Free Television Advertising to Local Restaurants
Times are tough, money is tight, and local restaurants could use help more now than ever—especially when it comes to advertising themselves to the public on a dime. Although there are orders from the governor limiting service to takeout and delivery, there are still plenty of restaurants open and ready to serve your dining needs…
Drive-Thru COVID Testing Available At Walgreens
As of Friday, April 17, Walgreens is offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at their 10315 E. Broadway Blvd. location. In order to to be eligible for the testing, you have to fill out an online health questionnaire at walgreens.com/coronavirus. An appointment will be based off the results of the questionnaire. Testing will be available at no…
Marana High thespian performs in National Shakespeare Competition
When Marana High School senior Matthew Glasshoff looked through a collection of monologues for this year’s Shakespeare competition, he was searching for a role he’d never before played. He found that part in 20 lines from a scene in Titus Andronicus, a play involving the eponymous Roman general, the queen of the goths, their children…
City of Tucson and Hotels Are Teaming To Help Homeless Threatened by COVID-19 Outbreak
The City of Tucson rolled out its new program using local hotels to provide shelter and isolation for the homeless population exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or who are at high risk for contracting the disease. The program currently has a total of 315 rooms split between two hotels. One hotel will have 115 rooms dedicated to…
UA Will Furlough All Employees and Cut Pay to Highest Earners in May
In response to the financial impact of COVID-19, the University of Arizona will furlough most of their nearly 15,000 employees beginning May 11 until June 30. The university is expecting millions of revenue to be lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If out-of-state students do not return to campus in the fall, the loss in…
Local Business Owners Suffer As PPP Loans Runs Dry
Local business owners have been left stranded after the Small Business Administration announced their rescue loan program ran out of money on Thursday, April 16. The SBA’s $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a part of the $2.2 trillion CARES act approved by Congress in late March to help businesses affected by the COVID-19…
High School Seniors Have a Chance at Virtual Prom with John Krasinski
Class of 2020 has had a bad go of it, haven’t they? They’re missing out on the last vestiges of high school life and socialization, they won’t get to walk in their graduations, and they’re missing their proms. At least, physically they are. Virtually, there are a plethora of things to do. For school, they…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, April 17: State’s Confirmed Cases Top 4,500; Virus Has Now Killed 169
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona hit 4,507 as of Friday, April 17, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 819 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 169 people statewide, including 51 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa…
Claytoonz: Reopening-The-Country Task Force
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Thursday, April 16: What We Covered Today
Here are the different stories we covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had topped 4,200 as of Thursday, April 16, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. An internal memorandum written by U.S. officials and addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns that cutting funding…
Jack in the Box in Marana opens to Welcoming Community
A lot of businesses are struggling with the closures for COVID-19 precautions. But, that didn’t stop one business from opening after months of planning and construction. The brand new Jack in the Box in Marana opened this week to throngs of hungry visitors. Marana Chamber of Commerce posted the announcement on Facebook saying, “Good news.…
Raytheon awarded $13.72 million Navy Contract
Raytheon employees in Tucson will lead the way on work for the United States Navy’s Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile system after a $13.7 million contract modification was awarded to the company on Wednesday. More than 90 percent of the work will be done in Tucson, according to a press release announcing the decision. Work will…
Postal Workers Say USPS Isn’t Telling Them When Colleagues Test Positive for COVID-19, Despite Promising To
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The U.S. Postal Service appears to be continuing its checkered response to the coronavirus. Workers across the country say they’re not being informed when colleagues have tested positive for COVID-19, despite a Postal…
Claytoonz: Cheer Up, Sparkles
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There’s Been a Spike in People Dying at Home in Several Cities. That Suggests Coronavirus Deaths Are Higher Than Reported.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. In recent weeks, residents outside Boston have died at home much more often than usual. In Detroit, authorities are responding to nearly four times the number of reports of dead bodies. And in…
Hospitals near ‘financial extinction’ from limits to prep for COVID-19
WASHINGTON – Arizona hospitals are facing “dire financial consequences” and furloughing staff, as cutbacks meant to prepare for COVID-19 cases have instead cost them as much as $575 million a month, about 30-40% of normal revenues statewide. The cancellation of elective procedures meant to free up beds for potential coronavirus patients, combined with a drop…
Trump Administration Officials Warned Against Halting Funding to WHO, Leaked Memo Shows
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. An internal memorandum written by U.S. officials and addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns that cutting funding to the World Health Organization, as President Donald Trump said he would do Tuesday,…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, April 16: State’s Confirmed Cases Top 4K; 160 Now Dead; Local Governments Bracing for Budget Hit
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had topped 4,200 as of Thursday, April 16, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 760 of the state’s 4,234 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 160 people statewide, including 37 in Pima County, according to the report.…
Danehy
Donald Trump as Wartime President: A Sick Joke in Our Sick Nation
High Praise: Cannabis Reviews
Some products to consider for your medicinal experience
State of the Arts
As arts organizations are crushed by the COVID-19 epidemic, relief funds are going fast
MMJ: Cannabis Fever
While it’s not the cannapocalypse, patients are definitely stocking up on their medicine.
Currents: Help Wanted
As the COVID-19 outbreak forces the economy to a grinding halt, more and more people across the country are losing their jobs.
Music: Stay At Home Playlist
What’s your soundtrack to the end of the world as we know it? The Weekly wants to know what you’re listening to while you’re under orders to stay at home.
Editor’s Note: Happy 4/20
You may have noticed the Weekly has gotten a bit thinner these days as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. While our print edition has lost some weight, our news team is bringing you more stories than ever online at TucsonWeekly.com. In fact, because we don’t have nearly enough room for all the stories that…
