City of Tucson’s Waste Collection, Shredding Events Continue on Saturday
Tucson’s Environmental and General Services Department is holding hazardous waste collection events, allowing residents to drop off hazardous waste, electronic waste and paper documents for shredding at no charge. The next event will be 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, July 10, at the Eastside Service Center at 7575 E Speedway Blvd. The events will continue…
Female inmate firefighters build character but often can’t use fire skills after release
PHOENIX – May Tiwamangkala remembers mornings at Perryville Prison west of Phoenix, when the Wildland Fire Crew members began chanting and stomping their feet on concrete to let the rest of the prison know it was 5 a.m. On their training runs, she recalls, one veteran on the all-women crew would shout, “Who are we?”…
Independent music venues struggle to stay afloat during pandemic
LOS ANGELES – Like music venues around the world, the Paramount ballroom has been forced to endure months of limited work, reduced revenue and a forced transition to the digital world – no easy task for the venerable Boyle Heights venue, which is nearly 100 years old and has a legacy of supporting underdog artists.…
The other pandemic: Loneliness widespread with the loss of social connections
PHOENIX – The pandemic has affected different people in different ways, causing financial stress due to job loss, sliding grades, relationship pressures and worries that vulnerable loved ones could contract COVID-19. But one factor that has affected Americans across the country is the loss of social connectedness. Even before the pandemic shuttered schools, restaurants and…
All Five Arizona House Democrats Vote in Favor of Impeaching Trump a Second Time
Even though Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration is just a week away on Wednesday, Jan. 20, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232-197 today to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time following his incitement of a mob that overran the U.S. Capitol last week. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed in the…
Vaccine Availability Limited as Pima County Announces New Distribution Plan
As Pima County prepares to provide COVID-19 vaccines to a much wider segment of the population this week with a limited number of vaccines on hand, the county health department has announced its plan to prioritize the vaccination of specific segments of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who qualify. “We are in a very…
Grijalva: “I Will Vote to Impeach Trump for a Second Time Because Calls of ‘Unity’ Will Not Stop the Treacherous Situations Trump Continues to Encourage”
Congressman Raul Grijalva has announced he’ll vote in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time. Grijalva’s statement: Impeachment is reserved for the extreme situations when a President betrays their oath of office, abuses their power, and loses the trust of the American people. President Trump did exactly that as he urged deranged…
Sad Trombone: 2021 Tucson Jazz Fest Cancelled
COVID cancellations continue into the new year with the organizers for the annual Tucson Jazz Festival announcing that the 2021 festival is off. Although this year’s event was scheduled to take place outside in Armory Park, and with a smaller lineup and timeframe than previous years, the organizers have decided even the reduced event isn’t feasible…
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick: Why I’ll Be Holding President Trump Accountable, Again
Just one week ago, members of the 117th Congress took the oath of office. Raising our right hands, we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” I took this oath two years ago, as well, and cited it when I voted to impeach the president…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Jan. 13: Death toll rises by 191; AZ totals jump past 641K; No relief for hospitals; Ex-TUSD board member Mike Hicks dies from COVID; Winter prep sports back on; Test sites open
With more than 5,600 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 641,000 as of Wednesday, Jan 13, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 830 new cases today, has seen 85,256 of the state’s 641,729 confirmed cases. A total of 10,673 Arizonans have died…
TUSD employees will have limited access to COVID-19 vaccines
Teachers included in the next phase of Pima County’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will have less access to vaccine doses than originally expected, Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said at a governing board meeting Tuesday. At a press conference on Jan. 8, Trujillo announced a registration website will go live Friday where TUSD…
Suicide rate highest among younger military veterans
Alex Martinez looked over his Air Force dress blues, the uniform he wore when he graduated from boot camp. He touched his insignia – a circle with a star in the center and a striped wing flaring from either side – that signified his rank of airman second class. “I was in the military for…
COVID Testing Locations Reopen at Pima Community College
With the spring semester beginning, three drive-through COVID-19 testing sites are returning to Pima Community College. The sites facilitated by Arizona State University are at PCC’s West, East and Desert Vista locations: • Pima College West, 2202 W. Anklam Road, Mondays, 9 a.m. to noon • Pima College Desert Vista, 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz, Wednesdays,…
With Support from Dems in AZ Delegation, House of Representatives Moving Closer to Second Impeachment of Trump
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Winter Sports season moves forward after AIA special meeting
After initially canceling the winter sports season last week, the Arizona Interscholastic Association voted 5-4 vote reverse course and reinstate the Arizona high school winter sports season at a special executive board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The high school winter sports season will start Monday, Jan. 18, with a mask mandate for all coaches,…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Jan. 12: Death Tolls Rises by 335; =AZ Totals Jump Past 636K; More Than 5K COVID Patients in Hospitals; Ducey Says New Restrictions Would Hurt People, Calls for Schools to Fully Reopen; Test Sites Open
With more than 8,500 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 636,000 as of Tuesday, Jan 12, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,040 new cases today, has seen 84,426 of the state’s 636,100 confirmed cases. A total of 10,482 Arizonans have died…
UA Researcher Selected to Lead New NASA Mission
The partnership between the University of Arizona and NASA is growing even stronger with the space agency selecting Carlos Vargas, a postdoctoral researcher in UA’s Steward Observatory, to lead a new space telescope mission. The Aspera mission will study the evolution of galaxies by sending a small telescope—or SmallSat—into space to examine the gas between…
In State of the State Speech, Ducey Criticizes DC Riots, Opposes Local Restrictions To Slow Out-of-Control Virus
Gov. Doug Ducey delivered his 2021 State of the State address Monday afternoon with a message of maintaining resilience against COVID-19, returning students to classrooms and advocating for lower income taxes. The governor began his address calling the Capitol riots on Jan. 6 a “sickening day in Washington D.C. that no American will ever forget.”…
Virus ‘Mowing Through Arizona Like a Sharpened Scythe’: State Continues to Break COVID-19 Records; Experts Estimate 700+ Deaths a Week
The latest COVID-19 report from a University of Arizona professor shows an increase in already alarming coronavirus numbers as the state continues to set records for weekly case counts. Those numbers are likely even higher in reality because of a backlog in reporting. Dr. Joe Gerald, who creates weekly coronavirus epidemiology reports based on Arizona…
UA Returns to Class; Campus will be COVID-19 Vaccination Hub
The University of Arizona will return to classes on Wednesday in stage 1 of its reentry plan where students can attend in-person instruction for essential courses, UA President Dr. Robert Robbins shared in a news conference Monday. The university implemented a COVID-19 “testing blitz” from Jan. 6-12 where all dorm residents, students attending in-person classes…
Trump’s Coup Attempt Completed the Mission of the 9/11 Hijackers
It is widely believed by intelligence officials that the plan of the 9/11 terrorists was to ram airliners into the World Trade Center — the symbol of American financial strength — the Pentagon — the symbol of American military strength —and either the White House or the Capitol building — the symbols of American democratic strength.…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Jan. 11: 30K+ New Cases Since Friday; AZ Totals Jump Past 627K; Death Toll Tops 10K; Outbreak Closes Pima County Attorney’s Office; Test Sites Open
With nearly 9,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 627,000 as of Monday, Jan 11, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,189 new cases today, has seen 83,386 of the state’s 627,541 confirmed cases. A total of 10,147 Arizonans have died after…
Pima County Attorney Closes Downtown Office After COVID Outbreak
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover announced Sunday night that she was temporarily closing her Downtown offices after a COVID outbreak among her staff. The Legal Services Building, 32 N. Stone Ave., will be closed Monday and Tuesday for cleaning and sanitizing while employees telecommute. Conover has been feeling mild COVID symptoms and is awaiting test…
Before Mob Stormed the Capitol, Days of Security Planning Involved Cabinet Officials and President Trump
President Donald Trump met with top military officials and gave his approval to activate the D.C. National Guard three days before he encouraged a mob of angry protesters to take their grievances to the U.S. Capitol. A Pentagon memo released Friday offers these insights, as well as the first detailed timeline of the bungled law enforcement…
Movie Roundup: New Movies Outdoors and Gremlins On the Wing of the Plane!
In a new twist on The Loft Cinema Open Air series, they will be screening some new films in the out of doors, starting with the movie featured below. This week’s movie roundup features Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Chloe Grace Moretz kicking unholy ass… ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Now playing at The Loft Cinema…
Arizona’s high school winter sports season cancelled as COVID cases rise
The Arizona Interscholastic Association’s executive board voted 5-4 to cancel the upcoming high school winter sports season during a Jan. 7 special session. The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee recommended the executive board cancel the winter season, citing hospital capacity concerns during a week when 93% of all ICU beds and 92% of all inpatient beds…
When wildfire burns a high mountain forest, what happens to the snow and runoff?
GREELEY, Colorado – Record-breaking wildfires in 2020 turned huge swaths of Western forests into barren, sooty scars. Those forests store winter snowpack that millions of people downstream rely on for drinking and irrigation water. But with such large and wide-reaching fires, the science on the short-term and long-term effects to the region’s water supplies isn’t…
TUSD Employees Can Register for COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week; No Reopening Date in Sight
The superintendent of Tucson’s largest school district announced it will not be returning to in-person instruction at least through January. In the meantime, as Pima County is poised to begin administering vaccines to group 1B—which includes teachers—as early as next week, Tucson Unified School District is gearing up to help vaccinate its staff. The county…
Second round of PPP loans starts next week
The Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans will begin for new and certain existing borrowers later this month. The First Draw of PPP loans will be distributed to qualifying borrowers through community financial institutions on Monday, Jan. 11, with the Second…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Jan 8: More Than 11K New Cases; AZ Death Toll Nearly at 10K; AZ Has Fastest Rate of Transmission in the Nation; Record Number of COVID Patients in ICU; Bars Sue over Pima County Curfew; Test Sites Open
With more than 9,900 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 596,000 as of Friday, Jan 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,336 new cases today, has seen 79,190 of the state’s 596,251 confirmed cases. A total of 9,938 Arizonans have died…
Gabby Giffords on Today Show discusses her near-fatal shooting 10 years later
Ten years since the shooting that nearly took her life, former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, newly elected senator Mark Kelly, sat down with Savannah Guthrie on The Today Show. “I do think back to that day often,” Kelly says, recalling that at one point, his wife was reported dead. “Move ahead,” Giffords says,…
Claytoonz: MAGA Mob
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Grijalva: “I Am Supporting an Immediate Removal of the President”
Southern Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ03) has joined the call for President Donald Trump’s removal from office with just weeks to go before President-Elect Joe Biden is inaugurated. Grijalva’s statement: Four years of governing by conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and division erupted into a violent assault on lawmakers upholding their own constitutional duty to certify the…
Kirkpatrick: It Is Time for Trump To Go
Southern Arizona Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02) is among the members of Congress calling for President Donald Trump’s immediate removal from office following his incitement of a riot at the Capitol yesterday. Kirkpatrick’s statement: We have known for a long time that this President is unfit for office,. “What transpired yesterday at the Capitol, the seditionist…
Tucson Bars Sue Pima County over Mandatory Curfew
Several Tucson-based bars and restaurants have filed litigation against Pima County in attempts to overturn its mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew they say disproportionately affects the private sector of businesses that depend on revenue from operations during these hours. Owners of Cobra Arcade Bar, HighWire Lounge and The Maverick have joined in a…
Local Officials React to Storming of U.S. Capitol
As the House of Representatives was doing a ceremonial counting of the Electoral College votes Wednesday to award the White House to President-elect Joe Biden, a crowd of rioters incited by President Donald Trump stormed the building, leading members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff and members of the media to temporarily seek shelter. Before they…
73 years after Robinson broke barrier, baseball still struggles
PHOENIX – Sixty-three years ago today, the New York Times ran this headline on the front page of its sports section: “Jackie Robinson quits baseball.” It marked the end of one of the most important eras in sports history, one that saw the first African American play Major League Baseball in the modern era. The…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Jan 7: Nearly 10K New Cases, 297 New Deaths; Total Cases Top 584K; More Patients Than Ever in Hospitals; Vaccine Shot Progress; Pima County Remains Under Curfew; Test Sites Open
With more than 9,900 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 584,000 as of Thursday, Jan 7, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,611 new cases today, has seen 77,854 of the state’s 584,593 confirmed cases. A total of 9,741 Arizonans have died…
Arizona’s economic forecast cloudy as Capitol Hill debate on COVID relief continues
The future of Arizona’s economy is one of uncertainty, UA economist George Hammond made clear at a recent virtual economic outlook event. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the state has fared better in unemployment numbers compared to the rest of the nation, but it has still withstood a heavy loss, according to Hammond, the director of the…
Ten years later, a memorial rises for the victims of Tucson’s mass shooting
Jan. 8, 2021, is the 10th anniversary of the Tucson shooting, which killed six and wounded 13 people who were gathered for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ 21st Congress on Your Corner. Jan. 8, 2011, was a beautiful, crisp Tucson morning. The attendees were lined up waiting to have a few private moments with their Representative The…
On the road again: Here are the road construction projects you’ll want to avoid in 2021
The new year brings a number of new (and old) transportation projects to the region, including the continued widening of Broadway Boulevard between Country Club Road and downtown, long-planned improvements to Sabino Canyon Road and much-needed repairs to Oracle Road. City of Tucson officials anticipate wrapping up the widening of Broadway Boulevard between Country Club…
Danehy: There’s much to look forward to in 2021 but not right away (other than getting rid of Trump)
With any luck at all, yesterday, Jan. 6, will turn out to be the crappiest day of 2021. I’m assuming that Mo(ron) Brooks and his fellow Alabaman, Tommy Tuberville (who says that the three branches of government are the House, the Senate and the Executive), humiliated themselves by making one last failed attempt to suck…
Editor’s Note: 10 years later
This week, on the 10th anniversary of Tucson’s mass shooting, Pima County will dedicate a memorial for the victims of that terrible day. In just a matter of seconds on Jan. 8, 2011, six people were killed: retirees Dorwan Stoddard, Dorothy Morris and Phyliss Schneck; U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, Giffords’ community outreach director…
Revolving doors: As the pandemic shuts down Fourth Avenue restaurateurs, others see opportunity
Opening and operating a bar or restaurant for any significant amount of time on Historic Fourth Avenue isn’t easy even during the best of times. Competition comes from all angles and owners are constantly trying to rebuild their perpetually changing customer base of students. With that said, to take on any business endeavor during this…
Growing Concerns Want to start your own marijuana garden? It’s not as easy as it looks.
Arizonans past the age of 21 now have the right grow their own, but cannabis experts are skeptical there will be a sudden rush of Johnny Reeferseeds who will start gardens and wipe out the expanding marijuana industry. With the passage of Prop 207 last November, those of age can now legally grow up to…
A sick situation: Experts expect COVID cases to continue alarming rise in Pima County
Arizona is experiencing the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases throughout the nation as of Jan. 4, according to data from the CDC. In the last seven days, the state has averaged 121.8 cases per 100,000 individuals, making Arizona the biggest hotspot for coronavirus infections. California trails in second with 97.1 cases per 100,000. Releasing…
Grit and Determination: Gabrielle Giffords vows to continue to fight for change
I’ve always seen the New Year as an opportunity for hope, aspiration, and excitement, but 2021 includes a difficult milestone. Jan. 8 will mark 10 years since I was shot in the head, six of my constituents were killed, and 12 others were injured at a Congress on Your Corner event in Tucson. I could…
Call of nature: TUSD and UA launch campaign for Cooper Center expansion
Over the last 56 years, more than 130,000 students have explored nature in the Tucson Mountains at the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, an outdoor educational camp just north of Gates Pass that offers programs through a partnership between the Tucson Unified School District and the University of Arizona College of Education. Now the Cooper…
