Here’s Where You Can Find a Tucson Weekly
It’s Thursday, so a new edition of Tucson Weekly is on newsstands now! But with many of our distribution points closed under the stay-at-home order, you may be wondering where you can still find a copy of our latest issue. Good news: There are still plenty of places to pick us up. Here’s a list of our current distribution…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Wednesday, April 15: What We Covered Today
Here are the stories that we covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,962 as of Wednesday, April 15, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner was unable to determine how Picture Rocks resident Sara Galloway died,…
No Cause of Death Determined for Picture Rocks Resident Sara Galloway
The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner was unable to determine how Picture Rocks resident Sara Galloway died, according to a report filed Tuesday. Galloway, 39, who had Down syndrome, was last seen more than a year ago, on March 21, 2019, in the 10600 block of West Massingale Road. Her remains were found…
Unidas Offers Micro Grants to Organizations Helping with COVID-19 Relief
Before the COVID-19 emergency reached our community, a group of young women in the Unidas after-school program were working hard to provide grant money for a local organization that aims to improve quality of life for women and girls in Southern Arizona. The group, made up of high school students and led by the Women’s…
Oro Valley principal connects with families using daily video series
Innovation Academy Principal Michael McConnell is used to seeing hundreds of excited children in the halls of his Oro Valley school—and the empty campus is an unwelcome sight. Considering the anxiety kids are experiencing while they sit at home for the remainder of the school year, McConnell gave himself a task: Make sure students start…
UA Braces for Impending Financial Impact of COVID-19
Facing large projected losses in revenue due to COVID-19, the University of Arizona is taking steps to trim their budget. The university—one of Arizona’s largest employers—has put a pause on hiring new employees and has halted all job changes for current employees, such as transfers between departments, promotions and compensation increases. “Over the next 15 months…
Millions of Americans Might Not Get Stimulus Checks. Some Might Be Tricked Into Paying TurboTax to Get Theirs.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Congress has approved billions of dollars of checks for Americans hard hit by the biggest round of layoffs in U.S. history. But millions of Americans will have to wait months for that money…
UA, State of Arizona Developing COVID-19 Antibody Tests
The University of Arizona will begin testing 250,000 of Arizona’s health care workers and first responders for COVID-19, as part of a new partnership with state government. As part of the partnership, UA will receive $3.5 million in funding to produce blood tests to detect COVID-19 antibodies for the Arizona’s “front-line workforce.” “Determining whether a…
City of Tucson Planning for Big Hit to Tax Revenue Thanks to Outbreak
The Tucson City Council discussed an expected significant collapse in city sales tax and other revenue str eams during the COVID-19 pandemic at yesterday’s study session, but they won’t know how bad the situation is until summer. “We know there’s an iceberg ahead, but won’t know how large until probably mid-June,” said Ward 6 Councilmember…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup: Confirmed Cases Rise To 3,962 in State; 142 Now Dead; UA Teaming Up with State for Antibody Tests; Financial Picture Grim for City of Tucson
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,962 as of Wednesday, April 15, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 700 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 142 people statewide, including 34 in Pima County, according to the state and…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Roundup for Tuesday, April 14: What We Covered Today
Here are the stories that we covered today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,806 as of Tuesday, April 14, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The Loft Cinema’s latest service during their COVID-19 closure is Loft Streaming Selects, which invites you to fill out…
What Is the New Deadline to File Taxes? A Coronavirus Update.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. As the COVID-19 outbreak rages in the United States, businesses and schools have closed and events have been canceled, leaving employees and business owners without work and at a loss for income. Even…
On-Again, Off-Again Evictions Now Off Again for the Most Part
At the end of March, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey delivered an executive order that temporarily stopped residential evictions under specific circumstances related to the COVID-19 outbreak. After hearing news of this executive order, the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court postponed all their eviction hearings. According to a news release, they’ve been instructed not to do…
Gun Sales Rose to Record Levels in March, as COVID-19 Fears Climbed
PHOENIX – Arizona processed a record 82,771 background checks on would-be gun buyers in March, as fears of the coronavirus drove people to gun shops in what one shop owner called “panic time.” It was twice as high as any March in the state since FBI background checks began in 1998 and almost one-quarter of…
Let The Loft’s Staff Pick Which Movie You Should Stream
The Loft Cinema’s latest service during their COVID-19 closure is Loft Streaming Selects, which invites you to fill out an online application to receive a curated list of films that best fit your taste. The Loft Streaming Selects application has you select which movie genres you enjoy (such as thriller, documentary, experimental, musical or animated),…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, April 14: 3,806 Confirmed Cases in Arizona; 131 Now Dead; State Facing Major Budget Crisis; UA Bracing for Major Financial Hit; Trump Claims “Total” Authority To Reopen Country
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,806 as of Tuesday, April 14, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 685 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 131 people statewide, including 32 in Pima County, according to the state health…
Coronavirus Tests Are Being Fast-Tracked by the FDA, but It’s Unclear How Accurate They Are
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Kendra Boroff believes she contracted the coronavirus on her 71st birthday, Feb. 20, when her family went out for a celebratory dinner, perhaps from their waiter, who was coughing into his elbow. Four…
Businesses Running Out of Time, as Delays Plague Week-Old Loan Program
WASHINGTON – While Congress and the White House are promising to add billions to the Paycheck Protection Program, some small businesses say they are just trying to hang on long enough to get the money there now. Advocates say overwhelming demand and confusion have delayed disbursement of the $349 billion in loans made available last…
Good News: MVD is Updating its Computers. Bad News: MVD Has to Shut Down to Update
The MVD is finally moving into the 21st century and updating its obsolete computer system. All offices, third party services, and ServiceArizona.com will be affected by this change, and though it’s a welcome one, it doesn’t come without drawbacks. Everything related to MVD will be non-operational for about four days while the update takes place,…
Border Officials Use COVID-19 Fear to Turn Away 6,306 at Southern Border
PHOENIX – Border agents turned away 6,306 migrants at the southern border in just 10 days after President Donald Trump authorized the immediate return of immigrants and asylum seekers under a 1944 law to check communicable diseases like COVID-19. Critics charge that the spread of coronavirus was merely a pretext to the administration’s real goal…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, April 13: Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus Reach 3,702 in State; 122 Now Dead
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona had reached 3,702 as of Monday, April 13, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 668 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 122 people statewide, including 29 in Pima County, according to the state and…
New Pima County Supervisor Betty Villegas: ‘We’re All Feeling So Vulnerable.’
Newly minted Pima County Supervisor Betty Villegas describes her first day on the job as bittersweet as she enters the office of her former colleague and friend, Democrat Richard Elias, who died of a heart attack in late March after nearly two decades representing District 5. The Pima County Board of Supervisors appointed Villegas to…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Sunday, April 12: Number of Confirmed Cases Rises to 3,539 in AZ; Recoveries in the U.S. top 32K
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,539 as of Sunday, April 12, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 622 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 115 people statewide, including 29 in Pima County, according to the state health…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Saturday, April 11: Deaths Top 100, Number of Confirmed Cases Rises to Nearly 3400
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,393 as of Saturday, April 10, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 591 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 108 people statewide, including 29 in Pima County, according to the state and…
Your Southern AZ Coronavirus PM Roundup for Friday, April 10: The Good, The Bad, The Unfortunate
It’s been a week, huh? We hope you’re staying safe out there. In case you missed anything, here are some of the stories we covered today: We started the day with the morning report of AZDHS updated statistics in Arizona, with 3,112 positive cases now being reported in the state, and 97 deaths overall. 543…
UA President Robert Robbins: “Until There’s a Vaccine, We’re Never Going To Be Completely Risk Free”
UA President Robert Robbins warned this week that a return to normal life could be months away—or longer. “The facts are that until there’s a vaccine, we’re never going to be completely risk free,” Robbins said in a teleconference on Wednesday evening. “That’s probably a year at least before we would have a vaccine. We’ve…
Make Way for Books opens the door to early childhood literacy
With libraries and schools closed there are families across Pima County without reliable access to free or low-cost books, but adventures are available in the palm of your hand thanks to Make Way for Books’ smartphone app. The literacy nonprofit works with families with young children ages 0 to 5 in order to empower them…
We Still Don’t Know How Many People Are in the Hospital With COVID-19
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Late last month, Vice President Mike Pence sent a letter to administrators of the nation’s 6,000 hospitals requesting a favor. He asked them to complete a form each day with data on the…
Yet Another Reason For Us to Love eegee’s: Watermelon Delivered to First Responders, Food Bank
As if we didn’t already have enough of a reason to love eegee’s, now they’ve come through on a request to support those who are helping our city through these trying times. After an appeal from Mayor Romero, eegee’s will bring a special delivery of Watermelon to Tucson Fire and Police members, as well as…
Trump Removed the Head of the Coronavirus Bailout Oversight Board. Its Members Could Be Next.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. In the wake of President Trump’s move to push aside the official who was supposed to lead the coronavirus bailout watchdog group, four other members are just as vulnerable. Trump was able to…
Food-stamp purchases could soon go online under SNAP pilot program
PHOENIX – Arizona food-stamp recipients may soon be able to buy their groceries online, after the federal government’s swift approval this week of the state’s request in the face of coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders. Wednesday’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture came less than a week after Arizona asked to be part of a pilot…
Your Southern AZ Coronavirus AM Roundup for Friday, April 10: State’s Confirmed Cases Now at 3,112; 97 Now Dead
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,112 as of Friday, April 10, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 543 of the state’s confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 97 people statewide, including 26 in Pima County. In Maricopa County, the number…
State, national jobless claims continue surge, experts see no end
PHOENIX – Another 129,215 Arizonans filed for unemployment last week, boosting the number of new jobless in the state above a quarter million since March 1, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Economic Security. The Arizona numbers are part of a growing coronavirus-driven loss of jobs that saw more than 16 million…
Chinese American Group Donates Face Masks to Local Healthcare Facilities
When it became clear that local healthcare facilities would face a shortage of critical supplies in the coming weeks, a group of more than 300 Chinese Americans from across Arizona came together to answer the call. Among them is Oro Valley resident Fang Fung, who pulled up to the loading docks of Oro Valley Hospital…
Round 2: Downtown Tucson Partnership Announces More Gift Cards for Local Businesses
After a successful gift card program last week, the Downtown Tucson Partnership recently announced their second DTP Gift Card Incentive Program, with sales beginning 6 a.m. Friday, April 10. With the program, Tucson residents can buy a $25 gift card from the Downtown Tucson Partnership for use at downtown business and receive a free $10…
McSally Has Telephone Town Hall Today with Larry Kudlow, One of the Most Wrong People in America
TOMORROW: I’m hosting a telephone town hall with special guest Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic advisor, to provide an update on the economic resources available to Arizonans during the COVID-19 outbreak. Call 855-962-1520 to join us and ask us a question! pic.twitter.com/Lap3A4VZkV — Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) April 8, 2020 Appointed Sen. Martha McSally has…
Startup Tucson Unveils Digital Marketplace for Local Businesses
Startup Tucson, Vantage West and the University of Arizona’s Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing are teaming up to create “Tucson Shops Tucson,” an online marketplace to host and support local businesses in a new digital economy. While the online shop is aiding those local businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Startup Tucson hopes…
Report: Migrant workers faced dangerous conditions even before COVID-19
WASHINGTON – Migrant farmworkers are in “serious danger” of contracting coronavirus because of ongoing poor conditions like overcrowded housing, buses and lack of access to healthcare, according to a new report. The report by the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante group surveyed 100 migrant workers from Mexico with temporary H-2A visas from September 2019…
Cinema: Stream of Consciousness
What to stream online
Editor’s Note: Gimme Shelter
It took longer than it should have, but Gov. Doug Ducey finally narrowed his list of businesses that were allowed to remain open under his statewide stay-at-home order.
Shifting Gears
Local businesses in Southern Arizona are pitching in and switching production to help the healthcare industry as well as the public amid shortages of food, medical supplies and lodging during the coronavirus pandemic.
Music: The Power of Three
Miss Olivia & The Interlopers introduce debut EP
Music: Driving Grooves
The County Line release debut EP
520 Cannabis
As Arizona officially goes into lockdown, cannabis dispensaries continue to operate, having found a rhythm amidst the outbreak.
Outdoors During the Outbreak
Tucsonans can’t go to a concert, a gym or a movie, but those who want to get out of the house while maintaining “social distancing” can still enjoy the myriad trails in the region. But don’t expect to hang out under a ramada or let the kids climb on a playground. With so few other…
Behind Closed Doors
What if home isn’t the safest place for you?
Chow: Meal Ticket
Help restaurants survive the pandemic by ordering takeout or delivery at least once a week.
City Week
Things to do during the week
