Cover Story
Tucson Salvage: Song of David: Anything That’s Rock ’n’ Roll
I pull up to his house, rounding the gravel half-moon drive, and David LaRussa is sitting cross-legged on the back flap of his gray Toyota pickup, all Buddha-like in carport shade. It is how I remember the guy from years ago, only now his natural Sicilian ‘fro is smoothed back into a tidy salt and…
City of Tucson’s waste collection, shredding events resume Saturday
Tucson’s Environmental and General Services Department is bringing back their monthly household hazardous waste collection events, providing an opportunity for residents to drop off their hazardous waste, electronic waste and paper documents for shredding at no charge. The next event will be from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 9, at Jacobs Park, 3300 N.…
‘Little victims everywhere’: Child sexual abuse ravages Native communities
The convicted child rapist emerged from the tree line without warning, walked quickly past the elders who feared him and entered the Navajo home, where his 15-year-old daughter was feeding her pet rabbits. A short while later, the 6-foot-3-inch man known for being violent emerged with the girl, promising to return in half an hour.…
Republican lawmakers launch ballot measure for voter ID on early ballots
Prompted in part by concerns that voters lack trust in elections after nearly a year of baseless fraud claims promoted by former President Donald Trump and his allies, several Republican lawmakers and a conservative advocacy group want to give voters an opportunity to impose a new identification requirement for early ballots. The Arizonans for Voter…
Decreased Hospital Capacity from Both COVID and Non-COVID Patients Troubles Hospitals
Banner Health is reporting a troubling increase in hospitalizations of COVID-19, coupled with a higher-than-average number of non-COVID patients. Last week, the number of ICU patients in Arizona, for both COVID and non-COVID patients, reached the peak numbers of those seen in the summer 2020 surge, said Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel at a…
‘Audit’ team will provide draft report to Senate this week
The team that conducted the troubled review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County will present a draft report of its findings to Senate President Karen Fann by Friday. Randy Pullen, a spokesman for the self-styled audit, said the team will submit its report to the Senate by the end of the week. The Senate…
Pima County: Immunocompromised people should get COVID booster shot
Following advice from the Centers for Disease Control, the Pima County Health Department announced Tuesday that immunocompromised people should get a COVID booster shot. Qualifying people, such as those taking an immune-suppressing medication, can get the third shot 28 days after completing the initial Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines. People who are not deemed immunocompromised…
PACC in ‘urgent need’ of adopters and fosters
Pima Animal Care Center officials say they are out of space for incoming dogs. “We‘ve been at capacity since June and we are now critical again,” said Monica Dangler, director of Animal Services. “PACC needs your help. We need to clear space for 60 large dogs immediately.” PACC has more than 700 animals, including 570 dogs,…
How Congress will attempt the biggest expansion of U.S. social programs since FDR
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate last week passed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill and an even larger budget blueprint that would pave the way for historic changes in U.S. health, education, climate and tax policies. The two measures are roped to each other, reflecting Democrats’ strategy to pass what could be bipartisan with Republicans—and to…
Catalina Foothills, Amphi School Districts Will Require Masks Indoors & Other COVID Updates
The Catalina Foothills and Amphitheater school districts will require universal use of masks indoors effective Tuesday. The district informed families and staff in a Monday email that it would require masking indoors, regardless of vaccination status, because of the ruling in the case against Phoenix Union High School District’s mask mandate. Maricopa County Superior Court…
Fox, Rialto, Congress, Others Will Require Proof of Vax or Negative COVID Test To Attend a Show
A number of local music venues will be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend shows starting next month. The Rialto Theatre, Club Congress, 191 Toole and the Fox Theatre announced Monday that they were part of a group of Arizona venues that would take the step by Sept. 20. All…
Grijalva on the Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan: “The Policies of Four Different Presidential Administrations Have Utterly Failed the Afghan People”
Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ03) reacted today to the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul: Twenty years of war, billions of dollars spent, and the policies of four different presidential administrations have utterly failed the Afghan people. It is abundantly clear today that a hyperfocus on military might with negligible diplomatic efforts…
Guest opinion: Congress must act to make contraceptives more accessible
Accessing contraceptives is a health necessity for many women. Contraceptives help prevent unwanted pregnancy while reducing the risk of diseases including endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. However, finding and obtaining the right contraceptive method often places an undue financial burden on women, particularly low-income women. One of the many achievements for patients in the Affordable Care…
A poor measure of need: Researchers urge update to decades-old federal poverty line
Timothy Smeeding began his research career in public affairs and economics by sitting across from the woman who created the official poverty measure of the United States – a standard he’s worked most of his career to change. The stakes are high. The poverty line directs tens of billions of dollars annually in aid to…
Arizona Education Association Files Lawsuit Against the State’s K-12 Mask Ban
The Arizona Education Association and a coalition of education organizations and supporters filed a lawsuit against the state over the constitutionality of the ban on K-12 mask mandates on Thursday. The Arizona Education Association, the largest professional association for public school employees in Arizona, argues the provisions included in the K-12 budget bill, prohibiting school…
Guest opinion: Ducey, Arizona legislature must repeal anti-science, anti-mask law now — or cause more deaths
Arizona is going through “Groundhog Day” with the COVID-19 pandemic: People are getting sick, again. Arizona is once more in a COVID surge, just like a year ago — but with two notable differences. Last summer, schools reopened in the setting of slowly declining COVID rates; right now, COVID cases and hospitalization rates are continuing…
Incumbents have edge, but redistricting scrambles House race outlooks
WASHINGTON – Arizona’s congressional incumbents have the advantage of name recognition and massive fundraising leads – but analysts say they might need both as congressional redistricting has “put us all in a state of limbo” for the 2022 House races. There are other variables for next year as well, including an open seat in District…
Communal Consumption: Harambe Café offers safe space for cannabis users
A space named after a famous gorilla, with a monkey-themed décor left over from a previous incarnation, is looking to become a local Mecca for cannabis users seeking a place to gather. The Harambe Café & Social Club on Tucson’s east side is gearing up for a post-COVID run as a pot social spot. Owner…
City Week: Weekly Picks
The Standby Lear. We love a good meta-story here. This show at Live Theatre Workshop is about a cast putting on the play King Lear. But, at the last minute, the actor playing King Lear falls ill, leaving the understudy, Augie, to step up. This is, like, the role of a lifetime, and to get…
Checks and Balances: Eviction moratorium extended but aid dollars still tied up with county, state and agencies
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva demanded the State of Arizona release emergency rental assistance funds to Arizona renters in a press briefing Friday morning. This comes as the federal government released the second round of emergency rental assistance from the American Rescue Plan. Pima County and the City of Tucson received a little over $15 million…
Bad Guys, Bad-Ass Flick: James Gunn breathes new life into The Suicide Squad
It was a good day when Disney got uppity and fired James Gunn from the Marvel Universe for those crazy Tweets he did years ago. He’s since been rehired and is hard at work on Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but that interruption in his schedule provided Warner Bros. with the chance to swoop in…
Three Cheers: How a Trio of Downtown Galleries Are Keeping Art Alive
“I have a Motherwell in my window,” says Athena A. Roesler, proprietor of the Gallery 2 Sun in the Warehouse Arts District. The work, by the famous Robert Motherwell, is a collage in black and tan, with a fragment of sheet music that suggests a violin. But the window also features paintings by living local…
The Skinny: No Surprise: Kozachik wins Ward 6 primary; Dahl wins in Ward 3
There were no surprises in last week’s primary election. Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik easily dispatched his two Democatic primary challengers in midtown Ward 6, while Kevin Dahl beat Juan Padres in the race for an open seat in north-central Ward 3. Kozachik had more than 57% of the vote, while Miranda Schubert had 27%…
The Delta Spread: Variant driving new wave of COVID cases in AZ
With more than 2,000 COVID cases reported daily in Arizona in recent weeks, health officials are predicting an outbreak similar to at least the last summer and potentially as serious as the wave of winter 2021. In his latest weekly COVID-19 forecast released Friday, Aug 6, Dr. Joe Gerald, an epidemiologist with the UA Zuckerman…
Editor’s Note: Surfing the Airwaves
Tucson Salvage Columnist Brian Smith is back on the cover this week with a profile of David LaRussa, whose voice may be familiar with longtime Tucsonans. LaRussa has been a presence on local radio stations, starting with KWFM in its independent glory days in the late ’70s and continuing with stints at KLPX and KUAZ-FM.…
