Medical schools face calls for more change as states declare racism a threat to public health
PHOENIX – Amid moves by some states to declare racism a public health issue, experts are looking to medical schools to identify strategies to improve care for people of color and eliminate disparities related to a patient’s race or ethnicity. Dr. David Acosta, chief diversity and inclusion officer with the Association of American Medical Colleges,…
Banner Leader Warns Arizona is On Track to Surpass 18,500 COVID-19 Deaths by May
Despite last week’s announcement that COVID-19 cases had decreased and that some elective surgeries would resume, Arizona’s largest hospital system is still treating a record number of coronavirus patients. Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel estimated that 45% to 50% of the COVID-19 patients in the state—369,281 as of Wednesday—are being treated by Banner. “We…
Pascua Yaqui win water funds, first of $150 million for Arizona projects
WASHINGTON – Pascua Yaqui Council members called it “a blessing.” They were talking about $900,000 in federal funds that will be used to bring water to the tribe’s lands for irrigation, the first fruits of a successful effort last year by members of the state’s congressional delegation to win $150 million in federal funding for…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Jan. 27: Pima County awaits more vaccine from state; Hospitals see slight decrease in patients but Arizona still has nation’s highest transmission rate; 195 new deaths today pushes total toll past 12,500
With 5,918 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed 738,000 as of Wednesday, Jan 27, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 709 new cases today, has seen 98,743 of the state’s 738,561 confirmed cases. A total of 12,643 Arizonans have died after…
Dreamers in Arizona have mixed feelings about Biden’s immigration plan
PHOENIX – On his first day in office, President Joe Biden sent to Congress his plan to reform the U.S. immigration system. The bill includes preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and outlines a path to permanent residence and citizenship for its recipients. That includes Reyna Montoya, an activist in Phoenix…
Pima County’s Total Vaccine Allocation Rivals that of Two State PODs
As Pima County continues administering COVID-19 vaccines to a select group of individuals, they’re continuing to advocate to the state for more doses to provide immunization to a much larger portion of the population. Yesterday, Tucson Medical Center had completed the most vaccinations at 31,908, while Banner North stood in second with 17,921, according to…
UA Hosting Virtual Panel Discussion on Voting Rights
After last week’s inauguration of the first female vice president, the University of Arizona is hosting a virtual discussion about voting history and voting rights on Thursday, Jan. 28. The discussion includes a panel of local women in the industry: Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly; assistant professor of government and public policy Lisa M. Sanchez;…
Pima Public Library Celebrates 1 Million ebook and Audiobook Checkouts in 2020
The numbers are in, and Pima County Public Library has announced a record-breaking year, with locals checking out more than 1 million ebooks and audiobooks in 2020. These numbers were no doubt heightened by stay-at-home orders, but PCPL says ebook and audiobook rentals have seen increased use for multiple years. PCPL offers 24/7 access to…
Arizona Sees Slight Reprieve in COVID-19 Cases, But Still Breaks Records for Spread of the Virus
While the spread of COVID-19 is still considered substantial across the state, it appears numbers have slightly decreased within the last few weeks. According to the latest report by Dr. Joe Gerald, a University of Arizona professor who creates weekly coronavirus epidemiology reports based on Arizona Department of Health Services data, the week ending Jan.…
Play ball? Cactus League asks MLB to delay start of spring training
PHOENIX – The Cactus League has asked Major League Baseball (MLB) to delay the start of spring training in Arizona due to high COVID-19 infection rates in Maricopa County. The request came in a letter addressed to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “In view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County – with…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Jan. 26: Pima County Awaits More Vaccine Supply; Hospitals See Slight Decrease in Patients but Pressure Remains High; 209 New Deaths Today Brings Total Toll to Nearly 12,500
With 4,748 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed 732,000 as of Tuesday, Jan 26, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 560 new cases today, has seen 98,034 of the state’s 732,643 confirmed cases. A total of 12,448 Arizonans have died after…
A year after first case in Arizona, COVID-19 is now a leading killer
WASHINGTON – COVID-19 is on the verge of becoming the leading cause of death in Arizona, surpassing cancer and closing in on heart disease, according to the latest data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The COVID-19 death toll through Sunday was 12,239, according to numbers reported by the state Monday, a year after the…
UA Continues to Deliver a Limited Supply of COVID-19 Vaccines to Educators
The University of Arizona is Pima County’s vaccine distribution point for educators, and according to the university’s President Dr. Robert C. Robbins, it delivered 1,296 doses through Friday, Jan. 22. On Friday, 150 individuals were vaccinated at the university’s drive-thru location, and 198 at its walk-up location, according to Robbins. On Monday, Robbins said university…
Vaccine Shortage Hampers Pima County’s Ability To Deliver Shots
As Pima County continues to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations at five different distribution sites, it needs a lot more vaccine to adequately immunize the population. The county usually receives about 12,500 doses per week but has been expecting larger allocations from the state to keep up with demand. At a press conference Friday, Pima County…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Jan. 25: Hospitals See Slight Decrease in Patients but Pressure Remains High; Marana Returning to Hybrid Instruction Today; Amphi Delays Classroom Return to Feb. 15
With nearly 20,000 new cases reported since Friday, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 728,000 as of Monday, Jan 25, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 736 new cases today, has seen 97,474 of the state’s 727,895 confirmed cases. A total of 12,239…
Border wall foes hail order halting project, but say it’s only first step
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden made good on a campaign promise within hours of his swearing-in this week, ordering a pause in construction of the border wall and a plan for how to redirect wall funding. Opponents of the wall called the executive order “a huge win.” But they also said it is not the…
Movie Roundup: Movies Continue to Stream and Play Outdoors at The Loft; a Stunning, Heartbreaking Film Starring Dakota Johnson and Case Affleck Screens at Harkins and Roadhouse Cinemas
The big movie event in Tucson this week would be The Loft Cinema Sundance Film Festival event featuring Open Air Cinema presentations of this year’s festival qualifiers. For more details on that event, go ahead and click right here. In addition to the festival, The Loft Cinema has their usual weekly offerings of streaming films,…
Banner Leader: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Decreasing, But Don’t Let Your Guard Down
Banner’s top clinical leader began a press conference Friday with a message Arizonans haven’t heard in a long time. “Positive COVID-19 cases are on the decline nationally and locally here in Arizona,” said Dr. Marjorie Bessel, the chief clinical officer of the state’s largest hospital system. “The positivity rate in Arizona, though still very high,…
Nutty State Rep. Mark Finchem Quits Twitter, Adopts Honey Badger as His Spirit Totem
State lawmaker and weird-uncle-you-desperately-avoid-at-family-gatherings Mark Finchem has always been one of the nuttier lawmakers at the Capitol since his election to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2014, what with his bills to make gold legal tender, his links to far-right organizations like the Oath Keepers and the Coalition of Western States, and his peculiar…
‘No surprise to me’: Ex-Wildcat Ayton expects to dominate for Suns
[image-1] PHOENIX – In the midst of a week in which three of his team’s games were postponed in accordance with the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton overheard a statistic from coach Monty Williams that particularly unsettled him. “Coach made a valid point that I think we were last in…
Recreational Weed Now on Sale in Tucson
Harvest Dispensary became the first Tucson-area dispensary to start selling recreational marijuana yesterday, with long lines forming outside the midtown outlet at 2734 E. Grant Road. Harvest’s opening came after the Arizona Department of Health Services gave the go-ahead last week for recreational cannabis sales to begin, letting dispensary owners know adult-use recreational sales can…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Jan. 21: AZ Surpasses 12K Coronavirus Deaths; 8K New Cases Today Pushes State Total Past 708K Cases; Most School Districts Delaying Return to the Classroom; Hospital Pressure Remains High
With more than 8,000 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed 708,000 as of Friday, Jan 22, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 858 new cases today, has seen 94,697 of the state’s 708,041 confirmed cases. A total of 12,001 Arizonans have…
Trump pardons former AZ Rep. Rick Renzi for fraud, extortion convictions
WASHINGTON – In one of his last acts as president, Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned two Arizonans, including former Rep. Rick Renzi who was convicted of extortion, racketeering and other charges while representing the 1st District in Congress. The pardons – including one for Scott Connor Crosby, a one-time bank robber who supporters say has…
“Stolen Election” is Not a Just a Lie, It’s a Racist Dogwhistle
We know that the allegation that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen somehow is a massive fraud and a lie. But many of those who say it, also know it is a lie. They do not mean to convince anyone, they are sending a message to those who believe as they do. They are sending…
Most Local School Districts Delay Returning to In-Person Instruction
As the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County continues to reach dangerous levels, most public school districts in the Tucson area are pushing back previously set dates to resume in-person hybrid instruction. The Arizona Department of Health Services is recommending all counties commit to virtual learning for students with online classes and some onsite support…
Guest Opinion: COVID-19: To Rebuild the Economy and the Community, We Must Have Safe Workplaces
As Arizona health officials scramble to speed up rollout of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine, the deadly virus is still spreading rapidly. Over 12,500 Arizonans have died, and we are seeing more than 9,000 new infections daily. The outbreak in Arizona is the worst in the nation, with one in every 147 residents being infected as…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Jan. 21: State Has Seen Nearly 700K COVID Cases; 244 New Deaths Reported Today; Bars Win Round in Court Against Pima County Curfew; Hospital Pressure Remains High
With more than 9,300 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases nearly hit 700,000 as of Thursday, Jan 21, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,320 new cases today, has seen 93,839 of the state’s 699,942 confirmed cases. A total of 11,772 Arizonans…
Biden’s path to citizenship for immigrants could face an uphill battle
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden unveiled a sweeping immigration reform bill Wednesday that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, preserve DACA and end the ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries, among other changes. The proposal, released on the first day of his presidency, is a sharp reversal from former President…
Impeachment, Again: House indicts Trump for inciting violence, trying to subvert election
Even though Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration was just a week away, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232-197 on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time following his incitement of a mob that overran the U.S. Capitol in early January. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed in the…
Calling the Shots: Pima County leads state in distributing COVID, but demand far outstrips supply
Between the time Pima County’s COVID-19 vaccine registration site went live last Thursday, Jan. 14, and Monday, Jan. 18, nearly 80,000 qualifying residents registered for an appointment. However, Pima County doesn’t have enough vaccines to administer to all registrants, according to Pima County Communications Director Mark Evans. Although demand for vaccines is outstripping the supply…
Editor’s Note: A New Day
As I write this, it’s the final day of the Trump administration. There’s no doubt in my mind that Trump has been the worst president of my lifetime and I’m overjoyed to see him go. By the time you read this, Democrat Joe Biden will have been sworn into office and Trump will be just…
The Skinny: Ducey stumbles into another fight with public school advocates
Gov. Doug Ducey launched his State of the State address with a condemnation of the storming of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month and a call for collaboration between the political parties. Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Ducey said: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to…
Still Booming: Arizonans bought nearly 106 tons of medical marijuana in 2020, setting a record
Arizona medical marijuana sales ended 2020 on a powerful high, even as voters legalized recreational use in November—and elected a president who has vowed to decriminalize pot. Whether it was inspired by patients being shut-in during a global COVID pandemic, or getting in some practice for the rush of legal recreational weed that should be…
Congressman Explains Why He Voted to Impeach Trump
As Congressman Tom O’Halleran conferred with his colleges before the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s electoral college win, he heard the unsettling discord of gunshots, windows breaking and insurrectionists banging on the Capitol doors in attempts to upend the historically peaceful transfer of power and embodiment of democracy in the United States. The Democrat representing…
Serving as a ‘Satellite Screen’ for Sundance is The Loft’s Latest Venture to Survive COVID
Those familiar with the Loft Cinema might know of a certain gong that gets struck when the audience deems a homemade film sufficiently unbearable. And while that gong hasn’t rang out in nearly a year, it continues to symbolize the arthouse cinema’s connection, both to the local film community and to thinking outside the box.…
Danehy: Teachers shouldn’t be forced to return to the classroom until it’s safe to do so
A wise old owl emailed me the other day and asked, “It’s really something when Ducey has to deliver an address in an isolated location because he doesn’t think the Legislature is safe but he’s telling teachers to get back to work, eh?” In the original Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi told Daniel, “You walk on…
