Omicron Arrives in Pima County as Hospitals Are Full of Delta Patients
Omicron is in Pima County. Local health officials announced a positive test of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Thursday, Dec. 16. According to a Pima County Health Department press release, the individual who contracted the variant tested positive for COVID in early December. Genetic sequencing later revealed it was the Omicron variant and its…
Banner Hospitals Hitting Capacity as Health Officials Urge People To Get Vaxxed, Boosted
Banner Health, Arizona’s largest healthcare system, reported hospital inpatient numbers are at the highest level since the start of the pandemic during a Dec. 14 press conference. Banner Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel begged the public to get vaccinated ahead of the holiday season during Tuesday’s press conference. Bessel said some Banner hospitals…
Omicron found in Arizona as health officials again urge people to get vaccinated
The Arizona Department of Health Services and Yavapai County Community Health Services confirmed Arizona’s first known case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on Dec. 8. Although some initial data from the South African Medical Research Council indicates the Omicron variant may have less severe symptoms than previous mutations, health officials advise the public to receive…
Tucson chief approved – barely – to lead Customs and Border Protection
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted by the slimmest of margins this week to make Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus the next commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, confirming his appointment almost eight months after he was first nominated by President Joe Biden. The 50-47 vote Tuesday came with just one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine,…
Sonoran Salvation: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines art, conservation in new book
Part museum, part zoo, part art studio, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has brought Tucson residents closer to desert wildlife for more than 60 years. Beyond an appreciation for the beauty of our surrounding landscape, the Desert Museum aims to help visitors understand and connect with nature through live animal demonstrations, classes and community events. “Treasured…
Visions of Sugar Plum Fairies The Nutcracker is back!
It was a sad pandemic Christmas last year, Nutcracker-wise (and otherwise, of course). The Nutcracker’s adorable Clara didn’t see her family’s Christmas tree soar up to the sky, or marvel at the dancing of the Sugar Plum Fairy or hear the strains of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent music. The Nutcracker prince, the snow ballerinas and the Spanish…
No ‘Lunatic’ Upsahl explores breakup on new album
Taylor Upsahl is living her best life. She lent her pen to a variety of eventual hits like Dua Lipa’s Grammy Award-winning “Good in Bed,” and “Happy Endings” by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Iann Dior, which went Top 10 at alt radio. In addition, Upsahl covered Dominic Fike’s “3 Nights” for Amazon’s “Original”…
‘Jingle All The Way’ Director Speaks at 25th Anniversary Screening
Jingle All the Way is a movie that defies expectations. For example, as the movie opens on a hulking Arnold Schwarzenegger playing an all-American dad named Howard Langston, you might expect there to be a brief acknowledgement of or explanation forwhy this massive bodybuilder with an Austrian accent is working in an office job in…
2021 Giving Guide: Putting an end-of-the-year spotlight on local nonprofits
The pandemic has been especially hard on our local nonprofits: At the same time that demand spiked for many of their services, they lost many of their traditional fundraising opportunities, such as luncheons, house parties and other gatherings. As 2021 draws to a close, Tucson Local Media has assembled this special focus on local nonprofits.…
2021 Giving Guide: Guest Commentary: Support Your Favorite Nonprofit This Holiday Season
This holiday season, the need for services provided by area non-profits is as great as it’s ever been. As they tirelessly work to provide critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, our local nonprofits need our support to continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable members of our community. The cumulative impact of the COVID-19…
Playing in harmony: Tucson nonprofit Lead Guitar teaches music to students in need
One musician’s efforts to support a group of students is now a nationwide nonprofit that teaches guitar at underserved schools coast to coast. The Tucson-based nonprofit Lead Guitar fosters discipline and a love of art through guitar ensemble classes, partnering with dozens of schools in six states. Lead Guitar was founded in 2007, but the…
2021 Giving Guide: Safe Space: Abuse prevention agency creating shelter concept in pandemic’s wake
The Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse needs community help to receive the final $1 million donation promised by an anonymous donor for shelter expansion. Emerge is beginning to expand its communal shelter facility for families and victims of domestic abuse. Emerge plans to expand its 13 communal living spaces into 28 family units. The Pima…
No room at the ICU: Hospital beds fill as COVID remains widespread
Pima County intensive care unit beds are shrinking in availability as COVID hospitalizations remain high. Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen reported that only eight ICU beds were available countywide during a Dec. 1 press conference. “We’ve had less than 5% ICU bed availability for the past 42 days,” Cullen said. Epidemiologist Dr.…
Guest commentary: Sen. Mark Kelly is keeping his promises to veterans
It’s hard to imagine what can happen in a year, and the last one went by in the blink of an eye. Only a year ago, Sen. Mark Kelly took his oath of office to fill the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s term, and even with his short time in Congress, the former…
Editor’s Note: Hearts Will Be Glowing
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—and if the spirit of generosity is alive in your heart, you might consider a donation to a local nonprofit before the end of the year. It will do your soul good—and maybe even your wallet, since there are still tax advantages to making a contribution to many…
High Anxiety: ADHS moves forward with social equity program after court win
The Arizona Department of Health Services will continue taking applications for 26 social equity licenses through Dec. 14, after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge declined to issue an injunction to stop the process. Last Wednesday, Dec. 1, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner heard arguments from two groups attempting to force ADHS to…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Editor’s Note: While we are delighted to see Tucsonans once again gathering for fun events, we are also aware that the Delta variant is in widespread circulation. Please consider getting vaccinated against COVID if you haven’t yet Sim Shalom, Grant Peace. The Arizona Repertory Singers are back to treating us to holiday cheer in the…
XOXO: Mark your calendars
Where the miseries of everyday life are cast aside. This week Robert Cray, Tito Puente Jr., UPSAHL, Mary Lattimore, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Koleżanka, Mariachi Sol de México, Diluvio, Nekromantix, An Irish Christmas and more festivities can be found. Read on. Mark your calendars… Thursday, Dec. 9 “A conversation with the gods,” is the meaning of…
Grape expectations: Treat yourself to a Daou wine dinner at the Flying V
With parents who honored the communal nature of the evening meal, Tyler Lapotosky and his siblings cherished the nightly family dinner tradition as kids growing up in northwestern Vermont. Decades later, that tradition continues in the way Chef Lapotosky will connect his guests at a wine dinner on December 12. “We had dinner as a…
