Cover Stories
High Profile Prohibition: Bill Would Prevent Dispensaries From Sponsoring Concerts, Sporting Events
While some of the most odious legislative bills introduced at the Arizona Legislature this year aimed at the new recreational cannabis industry have been pulled or failed, another that would continue to stigmatize legitimate cannabis businesses is House Bill 2809. The legislation would limit advertising and would not allow your local dispensary to publicly sponsor…
Love You Live: Local Venues Find A Variety Of Ways To Celebrate Music While Staying Safe
With COVID cases continuing their three-month decline, vaccines flowing and artists with a year of material ready to perform, the coming months are shaping up to be great times to attend live music in Tucson. Of course, many local venues are not quite ready to host indoor concerts. Those with patios are utilizing their outdoor…
Athletes saying ‘no’ to autograph seekers symbolic of COVID-19 era
PHOENIX – For some sports fans, the interaction with an athlete during an autograph session is the best feeling in the world. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has taken some of the excitement out of autograph seeking. Before the pandemic, fans hoping to get an autograph from a favorite player could show up before games, especially during spring…
Court backs asylum, says woman’s feminism would endanger her in Mexico
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court Monday backed the asylum claim of an undocumented immigrant in Phoenix who said her feminist political beliefs would put her in danger if she was returned to Mexico. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the abuse that woman suffered at the hands of…
UA Fires Men’s Basketball Head Coach Sean Miller
The University of Arizona is giving men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller his walking papers after 12 seasons with the program and an overall record of 302-109. The team’s associate head coach, Jack Murphy, will take over as interim head coach as the university searches for candidates. “We appreciate Sean’s commitment to our basketball program and…
Cathy Rivers Named Rialto Theatre’s New Executive Director
KXCI Community Radio executive director Cathy Rivers won’t have to move far for her new role: executive director of the Rialto Theatre. Well known to the downtown music scene, Rivers will assume the new role starting June 1. According to the Rialto, Rivers was selected due to her talent and proven skill as a local…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, April 7; AZ deaths top 17K; UA vax POD opening new appointments daily; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 750 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 17,000 as of Wednesday, April 7, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 82 new cases today, has seen 113,253 of the state’s 846,230 confirmed cases. With 27 new deaths reported this morning, a…
UA POD To Open Additional Appointments Daily; Guests Allowed at UA Commencement Ceremonies
The University of Arizona vaccine point of distribution is opening appointments daily, based on cancellations and capacity, university officials announced Tuesday morning. “The real limitation was we couldn’t get enough vaccines. So we didn’t want to have a lot of people standing around, so we only increased our volunteers and our staffing commensurate with the…
It’s Arizona Gives Day!
It’s been a rough year for many nonprofits thanks to a COVID outbreak that not only prevented them from hosting their usual galas and fundraisers but also increased demands on their services, as Tucson Weekly staff writer Christina Duran outlined in this story. So with today’s Arizona Gives Day, you might consider giving to a…
City of Tucson to open more pool, splash pad locations
The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation department will open three more extended-season pools and all splash pads on Monday, April 19. For more information on pools, go to the City of Tucson website. City splashpads are: Catalina Park Splash Pad, 925 N. Fourth Ave. Clements Splash Pad, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive Naida Jane Baker…
Here’s How This Year’s Tucson City Council Races Are Shaping Up
The landscape for this year’s Tucson City Council came into focus yesterday as the deadline to turn in nominating petitions arrived and eight candidates filed to run for office in the three wards up for grabs. No Republican candidates filed to run this year, but two independent candidates did turn in their petitions ahead of…
Movie Roundup: A Couple of Weird One Hit Tucson Screens
Two weird movies are now playing at local theaters. One of them is an arthouse offering that takes some bizarre twists, while another is as big as movies get on the dollars scale. Both…pretty damn weird. MOVIE REVIEW: GODZILLA VS. KONG Now Playing at Roadhouse Cinemas and Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18 (also streaming on HBO…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, April 6: State deaths near 17K; Pima County opening new vaccination center at Kino Event Center; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 570 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases reached 845,480 cases as of Tuesday, April 6, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 69 new cases today, has seen 113,171 confirmed cases. With six new deaths reported this morning, a total of 16,996…
In the NCAA Women’s Tournament, those who spend big win big (only Arizona defies odds)
PHOENIX – Just like any sports franchise, the NCAA is a business, but does a correlation exist between how much money a collegiate athletic department spends on a team and how far it goes in the postseason? In the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, the answer this season is “yes.” According to data collected…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, April 5: Pima County opens vaccination to anyone 16 and older; Cases bump upward as variant strains spread; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 608 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases neared 845,000 as of Monday, April 5, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 72 new cases today, has seen 113,102 of the state’s 844,910 confirmed cases. With no new deaths reported this morning, a…
A place at the table: Latinas in Arizona strive for representation in politics
In 2020, Lea Márquez Peterson and Anna Tovar became the first Latinas elected to statewide office in Arizona. They serve on the Arizona Corporation Commission. PHOENIX – Esme Franco Ruiz is passionate about her work in politics – even though she despises politics. “I don’t like politics because it tends to be very, very shady,”…
Roughly 1500 Vaccine Appointments Available for UA POD Today
If you’re free this afternoon and haven’t had luck scheduling an appointment for your COVID vaccine, the University of Arizona’s state COVID-19 vaccination POD has about 1,500 appointments open today between 2-6 p.m. People must register for an appointment online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or call 602-542-1000 or 844-542-8201 for help in both Spanish and English.
War is (Not) Over: The Alarm’s Mike Peters Talks a World in Crisis, Hope, Charity and a New Album About it All
Mike Peters believes there is no time like the present to take on unprecedented battles as a rock ’n’ roll frontman. Yes, that sentence contains both “battles” and “rock ’n’ roll.” See, it’s like the founder-frontman of the Welsh post-punks The Alarm is still a kid at home with Dylan, P.F. Sloan and Clash sides,…
Pima County Expands Vaccine Eligibility to 16 and Older Starting Monday
Pima County has opened eligibility for anyone 16 and older starting Monday, April 5, county officials announced Friday morning. The county’s move brings it in line with the state, which opened eligibility to those 16 and over on March 24. In response, Pima County opened eligibility before to those 16 and older with high-risk medical…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, April 2: Appointments at state vax PODs open at 11 a.m. today; TUSD OKs proms, graduation; How to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 940 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 843,000 as of Friday, April 2, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 139 new cases today, has seen 112,846 of the state’s 843,132 confirmed cases. With 12 new deaths reported this morning, a…
With Arizona Gives Day on the horizon, nonprofits pivot and rebound after a tough year
Assistance League of Tucson, a volunteer organization whose mission is “Volunteers working in the Tucson community to help those in need,” faced some grim moments at the outset of the pandemic last year. The nonprofit saw a dramatic drop in the number of volunteers who are vital to the organization’s operations. But the organization reacted…
TUSD Greenlights Prom, Graduation for Class of 2021
Tucson Unified School District announced Wednesday they have authorized senior prom and graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021. Graduation ceremonies will be held outside each high school stadium and will follow safety protocols, including masks and physical distancing of 3 to 6 feet apart per CDC guidelines, Each graduate has a limit of four…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, April 1: Deaths approach 17K; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 381 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 842,000 as of Thursday, April 1, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 30 new cases today, has seen 112,707 of the state’s 842,192 confirmed cases. With 10 new deaths reported this morning, a…
The Skinny: After Denying FEMA Vax Sites, Ducey Says County Can Work With Feds—Maybe
Late last week, Gov. Doug Ducey reluctantly gave permission for Pima County to work with FEMA to set up vaccination centers in minority and low-income neighborhoods. Why Ducey decided to pick this particular fight remains a mystery. In an effort to get more minority and poor people vaccinated, FEMA has been working with some local…
Danehy: Gov. Ducey is lifting restrictions just as Arizona was getting a handle on COVID and his decision will prolong this misery
News on the COVID front: In the classic Talking Heads song, “Girlfriend Is Better,” David Byrne sings “…get closer to be far away…” That’s what’s happening now in Arizona as people are dropping their guard, gathering in unsafe numbers, and taking off their masks just because Dumbass Doug Ducey caved to political pressure and prematurely…
Quick Bites
Easter Brunch at Cup Cafe To make up for missing last year’s Easter holiday, Hotel Congress’ Cup Cafe is teaming up with Maynards Market to bring you a brunch so delicious it will resurrect your tastebuds. Chef Brian Smith and Executive Chef Carlos Mendoza have developed a spectacular prix-fixe menu featuring entrées like braised short…
Editor’s Note: Now Hear This
It’s been way too quiet in this town over the last year as our music venues have shut down because it’s too dangerous to squeeze a bunch of people into a small enclosed space for several hours. But as more people get vaccinated and cases decline, we are starting to see musicians return to some…
Market Forces: Flora’s Market Run Is Opening In The Legendary Rincon Market Space
This is no April Fools joke. The highly anticipated Flora’s Market Run, located in the former Rincon Market building at Sixth Street and Tucson Boulevard, will be hosting a soft opening to the Sam Hughes neighborhood residents on Thursday, April 1, and to the general public in the near future. While the nearly 100-year-old market…
WWII vet celebrates his 98th birthday after beating COVID
Col. Richard Bushong celebrated his 98th birthday at the 390th Memorial Museum, where he has been volunteering for 29 years. Bushong turned 98 on March 21 and was surprised at the size of the celebration at the 390th Memorial Museum on Thursday afternoon. “I’d thought they had a birthday cake, but they can’t put 98…
Arizona’s Senseless Restrictions Compromised My Access to Care
My husband and I were delighted to learn we were expecting twins just three weeks after our wedding at my “advanced maternal age” of 37. Our joy abruptly dissipated when we discovered that our son had a critical heart defect that was causing blood to pump into his lungs. Continuing to carry him to term…
