Judge Halts Pima County’s Mandatory Curfew in Tucson Bar Lawsuit
Pima County’s mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew has been temporarily halted after a group of Tucson bars were granted a preliminary injunction barring the county from enforcing the curfew. Owners of Cobra Arcade Bar, HighWire Lounge and The Maverick filed a joint lawsuit on Jan. 5 contending the county overextended their legal authority…
Board of Supervisors Renews Huckelberry’s Contract with $10,000 Pay Cut
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 yesterday to renew County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry’s contract for another four years and reduce his salary. With only District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy opposing, the board voted along party lines to extend Huckelberry’s contract to Jan. 7, 2025, and cut his yearly pay to $292,000. The discussion…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Jan. 20: 262 New Deaths Pushes Total Toll Past 11,500; Nearly 5K New Cases Pushes State’s Total Past 690K; Teachers Can Get Vaccinated at UA; Hospital Pressure Remains High
With more than 4,800 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 690,000 as of Wednesday, Jan 20, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 779 new cases today, has seen 92,519 of the state’s 690,544 confirmed cases. A total of 11,528 Arizonans have died…
Distant but devoted, Arizona’s Biden supporters gear up for virtual inauguration
WASHINGTON – In any other year, Ak-Chin Chairman Robert Miguel would have headed to Washington to be part of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. But Miguel will instead be watching the swearing-in from home, one of the thousands who would normally have flooded Washington this week but were told…
Listen to Doxy Lamine’s new EP ‘Small, Small Town’
Though not explicitly about Tucson, Doxy Lamine’s new EP features many of the elements that make our town distinct. Doxy Lamine is a side project of local rock band Infinite Beauties, led by guitarist and singer Adam Lopez. At under 25 minutes, the new EP is clean, energetic and to-the-point — and it certainly has…
UA Begins COVID Vaccine Administration; On-Campus Students Must Be Tested Twice a Week
The University of Arizona—one of six designated points of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Pima County—began administering vaccines to qualifying individuals Tuesday, according to UA President Dr. Robert Robbins. “[Pima County] asked us to be a point of delivery to vaccinate not just our 15,000 family members that are on the faculty and staff at the…
Spring Street Fair Canceled Due to COVID-19
The Fourth Avenue Merchants Association has canceled the 2021 Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair citing the high number of COVID-19 cases in Pima County and abroad. The merchant’s association made the announcement on Tuesday morning in a news release: Without obtaining the proper permitting, we are unable to produce the 2021 Fourth Avenue Spring Street…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Jan. 19: Arizona’s rate of transmission ‘appallingly bad’; Pima County on track for worst month; vaccination rollout continues; cases top 685K; hospital pressure remains high
With more than 6,400 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 685,000 of Tuesday, Jan 19, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 975 new cases today, has seen 91,740 of the state’s 685,699 confirmed cases. A total of 11,266 Arizonans have died after…
‘Kill the Indian, save the man’: Stories of Indian boarding schools still echo
WASHINGTON – About 180 white tombstones – each belonging to a child who died while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School – stand row-by-row in the dewy grass of central Pennsylvania, bearing the names of those who died while being forced to learn the white man’s way. From 1,500 to 1,800 Native American students from…
January on Track to Exceed December COVID-19 Deaths, Cases; Experts Estimate 700+ Weekly Deaths
Halfway through January, Pima County is already on track to exceed the total COVID-19 case and death count of December. With 17,932 cases reported Jan. 1-15, the first month of 2021 will likely exceed the 29,663 coronavirus cases reported in December, according to a memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. The first two weeks of…
Republicans’ Election Lies Are Causing Political Violence
Qui tacet consentit. The ancient legal adage expresses a deep wisdom about the nature of law and politics: silence is consent. Remaining silent in response to an assertion is to accept that assertion This is why the absurd lie that the Presidential election was stolen has become so powerfully established among Republican voters. Half of Republicans…
Demand for vaccine continues to outstrip supply in Pima County
Since Pima County’s COVID-19 vaccine registration site went live Thursday morning, nearly 80,000 qualifying residents have registered. However, Pima County doesn’t have enough vaccines to administer to all registrants, said Pima County Communications Director Mark Evans. Although demand for vaccines is outstripping the supply, Evans said more appointments will be added as the county receives…
Zoom Records Releases Pete Ronstadt Single for Charity
Tucson-based Zoom Records had released a never-before-issued single by Pete Ronstadt and The Nightbeats, more than 60 years after it was recorded, and all proceeds support Youth On Their Own charity. Pete Ronstadt (you may have heard of his sister, Linda) and The Nightbeats were a group of seniors at Catalina High School in 1959.…
Politico: AZ GOP Has “Run Aground” in Support of Trump
Politico looks at how the presidency of Donald Trump has damaged the Republican Party’s fortunes in Arizona: The Trump era did more damage to the Republican Party in Arizona than almost anywhere else. Over the past two years, Republicans lost both Senate seats. In November, the state flipped Democratic in a presidential race for the…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Jan. 18: Pima County opens new vaccination site at Kino Stadium; Pima County on track for worst month yet; Total number of cases statewide jumps by 21K during weekend; Hospital pressure remains high
With 5,400 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 679,000 as of Monday, Jan 18, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 681 new cases today, now has 90,765 of the state’s 679,282 confirmed cases. A total of 11,265 Arizonans have died after contracting…
Officials prep for possible inauguration protests at Arizona Capitol
WASHINGTON – The Arizona Capitol is surrounded by two rows of chain-link fence and police presence has been increased, as authorities brace for possible violence in response to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The preparations come amid reports that the FBI has warned of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitals, on the heels…
Movie Roundup: MLK Documentary a Highlight of The Loft Cinema’s Open Air Cinema Series
It’s a relatively quiet week in the land of Tucson cinema, but things are afoot—to be described in future posts)—that might bolster your desire to see some new cinema in the outdoors. On the cinema news front, Legendary and Warner Bros. have settled their spat, resulting in Kong vs. Godzilla coming to theaters and HBO…
DJ Jahmar parties through the pandemic on ‘Zona Riddim’
DJ Jahmar is one of the busiest DJs in town, and it will take more than a pandemic to stop him. When he’s not working with the non-profit Deejays Against Hunger, he’s filling local clubs with authentic, rhythmic reggae. But even during COVID downtime, Jahmar is keeping active with livestreams and recording new music. Jahmar’s…
Tom Danehy Pays Tribute to the Late PCC Baseball Coach Rich Alday
In his sports column in Explorer and Marana News, longtime TW columnist Tom Danehy pays tribute to the late Rich Alday, who coached baseball at Pima Community College and softball at Ironwood Hills High School. An excerpt: It is said that a good coach can coach anything. The story is told of Vince Lombardi, fresh…
Let’s Listen to Marianne Dissard Reinvent Ritchie Valens With Her Latest Cover
French/Tucson singer Marianne Dissard has released the latest in her cover series, a complete re-working of Ritchie Valens’ “Come On Let’s Go!” with a music video to boot. Dissard and producer Raphael Mann deconstruct the rock ‘n’ roll classic, upping the sensuality in a way only a French singer like her can. What was originally…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Jan. 15: Pima County Vaccination Appointments Fill up in Two Hours; 11K+ New Cases Pushes AZ Past 658K; Death Toll Tops 11K; Hospitals Warn They Remain on Edge as Pressure Grows
With more than 11,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 658,000 as of Friday, Jan 15, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,342 new cases today, has seen 87,687 of the state’s 658,186 confirmed cases. A total of 11,040 Arizonans have died…
“No one took us seriously”: Black cops warned about racist Capitol Police officers for years
When Kim Dine took over as the new chief of the U.S. Capitol Police in 2012, he knew he had a serious problem. Since 2001, hundreds of Black officers had sued the department for racial discrimination. They alleged that white officers called Black colleagues slurs like the N-word and that one officer found a hangman’s…
More than 20,000 Register for Vaccines in Two Hours; All Appointments Full
Registration opened for priority groups in phase 1B of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts today, but according to the Pima County Health Department, all available appointments aimed at the 75+ population at the two Banner-operated vaccination sites and Tucson Medical Center have been “accounted for through the registration process,” according to a press release from the health…
Arizona’s Top Hospital Officials Provide Alarming News on State of COVID-19
Leaders from five Arizona hospital systems provided distressing news on the continuously worsening presence of COVID-19 in the state at a press briefing yesterday. For weeks, Arizona has topped the charts for the highest coronavirus infection rate in the nation. Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer of Banner Health, said nearly 1 in 10 Arizonans…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Jan. 14: Nearly 1 in 10 Arizonans Now Has COVID; Pima County Unveils Vaccination Plan; AZ Total Number of Cases Closes in on 650K; Hospital Strain Continues To Grow; Tucson Jazz Fest Canceled
With more than 7,300 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 649,000 as of Thursday, Jan 14, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,089 new cases today, has seen 86,345 of the state’s 649,040 confirmed cases. A total of 10,855 Arizonans have died…
Salvage: Death, loss and Lawrence Zubia
My 1-year-old daughter is hunkered down, collecting gravel and dropping the pieces into one of many handmade luminaria bags. She does not understand how the bag is suffused with import, the pretty star and moon cutouts tender astral nods to our fallen friend. Suddenly his mournful refrain rises over her, an almost biblical chorus, “And…
Word for the Birds: Reid Park Zoo Collaborates on International Flamingo Conservation
As scientists warn that some South American flamingos could be threatened with extinction, the Reid Park Zoo is taking steps to help the aquatic birds. Along with fostering 26 flamingos in its own lagoon, the zoo recently partnered with the Zoo Conservation Outreach Group and Association of Zoos & Aquariums to lead the Saving Animals…
Sonoran Scratchboarding: Desert Museum’s Ongoing Exhibit Showcases Pieces in Striking, but Relatively Unknown, Medium
When I first heard about the Desert Museum exhibit hosted by the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, I thought immediately of the artboards I used to play with when I was a kid: Use a sharp point to scratch the ink off of a black board and reveal a rainbow of color underneath. “I think…
Object Lesson: Tom Keifer Creates Art From Migrant Possessions Tossed in the Border Patrol Trash
When artist Tom Kiefer first started working as a part-time janitor at the Border Patrol station in Ajo back in 2003, he was shocked by the agency’s practice of throwing out perfectly good canned foods they took away from captured migrants. The boss, he says, told the agents they were not to waste time worrying…
Zoppé Family Circus Still Swinging During COVID
After 177 years of performing, the Zoppé Family Circus knows it will take more than a pandemic to keep them out of the spotlight. The Italian circus annually performs in Tucson at the Mercado District, and will continue that tradition this month, albeit with new precautions. Their new “drive-in” circus, in town from Friday, Jan.…
Workplace Weed: Now that recreational marijuana is legal in Arizona, users should know their reefer rights while on the job
As scores of Arizona voters rejoiced after hearing Proposition 207 passed last November, just as many questioned whether they still needed to renew their medical marijuana card— at a cost around $250—when their favorite dispensary would soon be selling a consumer-grade product. On the other hand, employers across the great Grand Canyon State heard this…
Desert Detour: Keith Robinson Band Digs Beneath Roots Music on ‘Homecoming’
On their debut album, Homecoming, the Keith Robinson Band aimed to create a record that was true to Southern Arizona—but avoided sounding “local.” In many ways they succeeded. While never straying far from a folk/rock template, much of the album’s singularity can be attributed to frontman Keith Robinson’s lyrics jumping between genre conventions and more…
Editor’s Note: What They Left Behind
Longtime arts writer Margaret Regan returns to our pages this week with a look at Etherton Gallery’s latest show, El Sueño, an exhibit of photographs by Tom Kiefer. An Ajo resident, Kiefer worked as a janitor at a Border Patrol station and collected migrant belongings that had been tossed in the trash by agents. The…
