Learn Who’s Running for Three Empty Seats on the TUSD Board at this Candidate Forum
A local watchdog group that critically monitors the Tucson Unified School District will hold a forum with the seven candidates running for three open seats on the district’s school board at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Oct. 8. CARE (Coalition for Accountability, Respect and Excellence,) a group that aims to hold TUSD board members accountable, will…
CDC Report: Sustained Mandates for Masks, Physical Distancing Reduced COVID Infections In Arizona
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examines how effective Arizona’s mitigation measures were on stopping the increase of COVID-19. The report, which tracked case numbers from Jan. 22 to Aug. 7, shows a clear correlation in reduced virus cases after face masks and social distancing were mandated. In Arizona, the…
UA Licenses Out ‘Alternative Solar Energy System’
A new solar technology developed by a University of Arizona researcher has been licensed to the startup company Gen3 Solar, with the goal of manufacturing the technology for commercial and industrial use. Whereas traditional photovoltaic systems use flat solar panels, this new technology, developed by optical sciences professor Roger Angel, uses mirrors to focus sunlight…
TUSD Delays Return to In-Person Instruction Until November (at the Soonest), Unveils New Hybrid Plan
The Tucson Unified School District’s governing board approved a new hybrid learning model for returning to classes but delayed voting on when to implement it. In a 4-1 vote, the board approved the new model but put off deciding on a return date until the next TUSD board meeting Oct. 27. Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo…
You Can Now Vote in the Nov. 3 Election
Early birds wait before 8 a.m. for Early Voting downtown at 240 N. Stone. Vote in person. #FirstWeekVoters pic.twitter.com/IWcFNnkzMV — Pima County Recorder (@Pima_Co_Record) October 7, 2020 Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election is underway in Pima County! Some county residents are so eager to cast their ballots that they were in line…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Oct. 7: TUSD Delays the Start of In-Class Instruction until November; Total AZ Cases Top 222K
With 604 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 222,538 as of Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 26,052 of the state’s 222,538 confirmed cases. With 20 new deaths today, a total of 5,733 Arizonans had died after…
McSally, Kelly clash over issues ranging from COVID-19 to border security in Senate debate
PHOENIX – Republican Sen. Martha McSally and Democratic challenger Mark Kelly, two military veterans battling for a congressional seat in Arizona that is drawing the attention of the nation, debated over the country’s COVID-19 response, jobs and immigration and President Trump’s attacks on Arizona Sen. John McCain. Kelly and McSally wielded the usual disdain of…
Advocates rush to register voters after judge extends deadline 18 days
WASHINGTON – Arizona nonprofits are working “nonstop” to register voters before opponents can overturn a federal judge’s ruling that extended the state’s voter registration deadline from Monday to Oct. 23. U.S. District Judge Steven Logan agreed with voter advocacy groups that COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state earlier this year may have cost “possibly tens…
O’Halleran, Democrats Keep Campaign Focus on Health Care Issues
The healthcare advocacy organization Protect Our Care took a “virtual bus stop” in Arizona on Tuesday to advocate for protecting the Affordable Care Act and to bring awareness to Republican-led efforts to dismantle it. The group usually tours the nation on a physical bus, but this year, they’re hosting virtual meetings with elected leaders and…
Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More.
After a pause for the pandemic, debt buyers are back in the courts, suing debtors by the thousands. Earlier this year, the pandemic swept across the country, killing 100,000 Americans by the spring, shuttering businesses and schools, and forcing people into their homes. It was a great time to be a debt collector. In August,…
UArizona and partners work to increase colorectal cancer screenings among American Indians
PHOENIX – Colorectal cancer has received a great deal of attention since actor Chadwick Boseman lost his four-year battle to the disease in August. It’s the second-leading cause of cancer death among Native Americans, prompting calls for increased screenings to improve detection and treatment of colorectal disease. Donald Haverkamp, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for…
Swipe right on 2020 election: Groups vie for young Arizona voters in new ways
PHOENIX – Activists who believe young voters in Arizona have the power to swing the state are working to mobilize this often inconsistent and underrepresented group by engaging with them across all platforms – including Bumble and Tinder. Roughly 35% of eligible Arizonans did not vote in 2016, spurring advocacy groups on both sides to galvanize…
Ahead of Tonight’s TUSD Board Meeting, Teachers Protest Schools Reopening
After school hours on Monday, Oct. 6, dozens of members of the Tucson Unified School District gathered in front of the district headquarters to protest planned school reopenings. In a meeting last month, the school board voted to move forward with a hybrid learning model beginning Monday, Oct. 19. However several teachers and staff are…
McSally and Kelly Square Off in Debate Tonight
Senator @KyrstenSinema knows that Arizonans need an independent voice representing them in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/quSlnyMAj5 — Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) October 3, 2020 Tonight is the first big showdown between appointed U.S. Sen. Martha McSally and her Democratic opponent, Mark Kelly, the former NASA astronaut who is leading in the polls. McSally and Kelly will…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Oct. 6: Campus Cases Trending Downward; UA Football Coach Tests Positive; Trump out of Hospital; Total AZ Close in on 222K
With 864 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 222,000 as of Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 26,052 of the state’s 221,934 confirmed cases. With six new deaths today, a total of 5,713 Arizonans had died after…
McSally begins Spanish-language ads in Senate race, well behind Kelly
WASHINGTON – Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, bought $110,350 worth of ads on Spanish-language TV stations this week and last – just a quarter of what her Democratic challenger has spent over the past two months. McSally’s buys on Univision and Telemundo stations in Arizona are her first Spanish-language broadcast ads in this campaign, according to…
McSally and Kelly discuss climate change, public land management in online forums
Senate candidates Martha McSally and Mark Kelly laid out their visions of public land management for Arizona on Friday in two separate online forums hosted by the Arizona Trail Association. The online forums took place ahead of their only scheduled debate on Tuesday and today’s voter registration deadline. Climate change starkly contrasted the candidates, McSally…
Supreme Court to review Arizona voting laws overturned as discriminatory
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear Arizona’s defense of two election laws, on ballot-collecting and out-of-precinct voting, that were struck down by a lower court earlier this year as racially discriminatory. The controversial voting restrictions are still in effect, as the lower court’s ruling was put on hold for a…
UA Head Football Coach Tests Positive for COVID-19
University of Arizona head football coach Kevin Sumlin is in self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus, according to university officials. The announcement comes days after UA announced the team’s delayed 2020 Pac-12 football schedule on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Wildcats plan to start pre-season practice on Friday, Oct. 9. “My positive test result, while a…
UA Cases on Decline, Campus Will Move to Reentry Phase 2 Next Week if Trend Continues
This week, the University of Arizona will remain in phase one of their staged plan for reopening but anticipates moving into phase two of the plan next week, UA President Dr. Robert C. Robbins said in a news conference this morning. Phase one allows students to attend essential in-person classes only, but the university plans…
Judge blocks ‘unlawful’ plan to end Census Monday; Arizona still lags
WASHINGTON – A federal judge reiterated her order Thursday that the Census Bureau continue its count until Oct. 31, saying plans to end earlier were “erroneous … unlawful” and they undermined the credibility of the count. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Lucy H Koh came just five days before the bureau said it planned to…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Oct. 5: Trump Remains Hospitalized with Coronavirus, No Tucson Visit Today; Total AZ Cases Top 221K; Local Test Sites Open
With 316 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 221,000 as of Monday, Oct. 5, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 25,980 of the state’s 221,070 confirmed cases. With 1 new death today, a total of 5,707 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19,…
Nationwide airline layoffs hit hundreds of workers in Arizona
WASHINGTON – To American Airlines flight attendant Robyn Walters, her co-workers are like family. That made it all the more difficult last weekend when she had to say goodbye to colleagues who were working their last flights before being furloughed. “It’s been absolutely heartbreaking,” Walters said. “They’re being separated from a career they’ve grown to…
Trump COVID-19 diagnosis scrambles Arizona events; Biden still to visit
WASHINGTON – News that President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 led to well-wishes from Arizona lawmakers Friday, a scrambling of the president’s planned visits to the state next week – and some grumbling about the lack of safeguards at previous Trump rallies. The White House announced Friday morning that Trump and first lady Melania…
Now Stream This: This Week’s Movie Offerings at The Loft
Every Friday, The Loft Cinema adds a new selection of streaming films to their already robust standing list. These are the films that would normally be playing on their screens at this time rather than in your living room. First run, all new movies for you to view on your personal big screen. The Open…
The Shots Are Free, But The Public Is Staying Home
The Pima County Health Department opened a free flu shot clinic late last September in an effort to get Tucsonans vaccinated ahead of flu season. The problem: The public isn’t coming in. Registered nurse Heather Webber said she typically sees fewer than 10 patents a day during an eight-hour shift at Passport Health Clinic, located…
Tucson filmmakers highlight the history, importance of voting in new documentary
The struggle to expand the electorate to all Americans and restrictions of who is allowed to cast their ballot are two competing stories at the center of the latest and perhaps last documentary by Tucsonan Steve Waxman of ShadowWave Media, Vote Here: A film for the people by the people. “I just felt that voting…
Judge halts fee hike that would have nearly doubled cost of citizenship
WASHINGTON – A federal judge late Tuesday blocked a steep increase in application fees set to take effect Friday for people seeking U.S. citizenship, an increase that advocates feared would have locked many immigrants out. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not follow proper procedures when it ordered…
The Best of Gaslight Fall Revue Is Full of Funny Moments You Can Enjoy from Your Car
Moments of carefree, silly joy are more valuable than toilet paper, these days. The Best of Gaslight Fall Revue is chock full of them. While the folks at the Gaslight haven’t been able to hold a show in their indoor theater venue on Broadway Boulevard since March, their drive-up porch concerts throughout the summer were…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Oct 2: Trump Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Making Tucson Visit Unlikely; Total AZ Cases Close in on 220K; State Hits Benchmarks for Moderate Spread in All Counties; Local Test Sites Open
With 551 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 220,000 as of Friday, Oct. 2, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 25,784 of the state’s 219,793 confirmed cases. With 19 new deaths today, a total of 5,693 Arizonans had died after…
State passes COVID-19 milestone, as final county meets reopening mark
WASHINGTON – Arizona officials hailed a COVID-19 milestone Thursday, when the final county in the state crossed a coronavirus transmission threshold that lets some shuttered businesses begin the process of reopening. The Arizona Department of Health Services said Graham County moved from the “substantial” to “moderate” transmission category, in which businesses such as restaurants, waterparks…
No ‘proud’ moment: Reaction to Trump gaffe goes from dismay to distress
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his debate comments on the right-wing extremists known as the Proud Boys, but reaction from officials in Arizona ranged from dismissal to dismay. The furor began Tuesday night during the nationally televised debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, when Trump was asked to condemn violent groups…
How Dry We Are: Monsoon 2020 Second Worst in the Record Books
You’re not wrong if you felt this year’s monsoon was lacking, but the National Weather Service recently announced exactly how dry monsoon 2020 was. The average monsoon brings Tucson just over 6 inches of rain from June 15 through September. In 2020, we received only 1.62 inches. This makes 2020 the second driest monsoon since…
Arizona’s lack of mental health care providers comes into focus as COVID-19 increases depression, anxiety
PHOENIX – Arizona ranks close to last in the nation when it comes to available mental health care providers – a problem that’s been underscored during a pandemic that is increasing anxiety and depression. Heather Ross, a clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University who advises Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on health policy issues, said…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Oct. 1: Total Cases Top 219K; Get a Flu shot; County Test Sites Open
With 705 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases reached 219,212 as of Thursday, Oct. 1, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 25,706 confirmed cases. With 24 new deaths today, a total of 5,674 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 620 deaths in…
Two in One
There’s a visible symbol of the differences between the candidates for the District 1 seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors: face masks. Republican Steve Spain thinks the idea of wearing a “rag” on your face is “stupid,” while Democrat Rex Scott sees them as a necessary tool to combat the spread of COVID-19,…
Danehy
It’s hard to believe, but early voting starts next week. Mail-in ballots will be sent out and people can vote in person at early-voting sites. I ran into one of my neighbors at the mailboxes the other day. She told me that she was going to vote on the first day possible. When I asked…
Hope Atop Hell’s Backbone
BOULDER, Utah – Atop Hell’s Backbone Road, a spectacular mountain road to pretty much nowhere, two of America’s better angels see hope for an awakened America with a clear sense of what “great” means. Up here in crisp piney air, Blake Spaulding and her friend, Jen Castle, show what is possible. But after nearly four…
Boom and Bust
The dispensary side of the medicinal cannabis industry has flourished during the pandemic, but what about those docs who provide the recommendations that allow people to get a license to use marijuana? These certification clinics have weathered the coronavirus but face a challenging future now that patients only have to review their cards every two…
Sampler plate
Sonoran Restaurant Week returns this Friday at more than two dozen establishments and features a wide variety of cuisine from the best culinary minds our city has to offer. This year’s event has teamed up with the Tucson City of Gastronomy to feature the organization’s certified restaurants such as Boca Tacos y Tequila, Hacienda Del…
Editor’s Note: Comings and Goings
It’s time for another goodbye here at Tucson Weekly. I’m sad to note that staff reporter Kathleen B. Kunz is leaving us to explore a possible career in the legal field. Kathleen came on board with us while she was still a senior at the UA School of Journalism after we were impressed with the…
