Arizona professor will lead NASA project to locate menacing objects near Earth
PHOENIX – NASA has appointed a University of Arizona professor to lead a project to track asteroids that potentially could crash into Earth. The mission involves launching a telescope into a high orbit to locate such near-Earth objects using the infrared radiation they emit. Amy Mainzer, a professor of planetary sciences, will lead a team…
‘We had to keep going’: After COVID setbacks, Navajo police chief looks forward
WINDOW ROCK – Navajo Chief of Police Phillip Francisco sits ramrod straight at his desk, surrounded by manila folders brimming with paperwork and a Darth Vader figurine that wields a pen as a lightsaber. The chief, an Army veteran hired in 2016 after serving in several law enforcement departments in New Mexico, took charge after…
Pima County Warns Of Increased Transmission of COVID Among Children As Schools Prepare To Reopen
Pima County is seeing an increase in school outbreaks as students return to the classroom, with health officials warning the spread of COVID in schools could have a significant impact on the community at large. Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen told the press this morning that as of today, there have been…
Twitter permanently suspends several accounts tied to the Arizona ‘audit’
Several Twitter accounts related to the Arizona Senate’s review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County were permanently suspended by Twitter on Tuesday. The official Twitter account of the so-called audit and a semi-official account dubbed the “Audit War Room” were permanently suspended by the social media giant Tuesday, as were multiple other accounts related…
Minimum wage earners can’t afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere, report says
PHOENIX – Full-time minimum wage workers can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment in any state, according to a recent report from affordable housing advocates, and with housing costs skyrocketing in Arizona, many workers are struggling. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual Out of Reach report, those workers in 93% of U.S. counties can’t afford…
DACA recipients’ future uncertain – again – after latest court ruling
WASHINGTON – A federal judge’s ruling that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is unlawful should have no practical impact on more than 600,000 covered immigrants for now – but it is sure to have an emotional impact, advocates say. “I think it’s the mental toll,” said José Patiño, a DACA recipient and director…
“Don’t you work with old people?” Many elder-care workers still refuse to get COVID-19 vaccine
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. They are two sisters in two states. Both are dedicated health care professionals who watched in horror as COVID-19 swept through the nation’s nursing homes, killing a staggering number of residents and staff…
UPDATE: Storms, flooding wreak havoc across Pima County
Several roads, trailheads, recreation areas and portions of the Chuck Huckelberry Loop are closed because of flooding, according to the Pima County Transportation Department. Recent storms have produced flash-flood warnings from the National Weather Service. The Santa Catalina Mountain trailheads that will be closed are Finger Rock Trail, Pima Canyon Trail, Ventana Canyon Trail, Pontatoc Canyon Trail, and…
Poll shows Arizonans aren’t concerned about COVID-19, despite rising cases
PHOENIX – Although the percentage of those unwilling to take a COVID-19 vaccine has remained unchanged since May, Arizonans are showing less concern about the risks, according to a new survey by OH Predictive Insights. The online opt-in panel survey of 1,000 adults, conducted from July 6-11, found that 42% of Arizonans were “slightly or not…
National Weather Service, Pima County warn of possible heavy rain, flash flooding
The public is being warned to use extreme caution when traveling through the region, as strong storms are expected throughout southern Arizona. Forecasts from the National Weather Service show an increased chance of strong thunderstorm development and heavy rainfall beginning Thursday. A significant low-pressure disturbance is expected to move slowly across the state from east to…
Pulling Away: Sophia Rankin stretches beyond her folk roots on Too Close to the Riptide
Like many other musicians Sophia Rankin had more time alone than she knew what to do with in 2020. But rather than spiraling inward, the Tucson-based singer/songwriter used the isolation as an opportunity to finish half-written songs and tell the stories of others. The result: Too Close to the Riptide, Rankin’s third album and the…
Seasonal Special: El Charro’s summer shrimp specials offer a jumbo bargain
According to her great, great nephew, Monica Flinn likely spent the first summer at her new El Charro Café making pots of stew and tortillas to feed local construction workers. That was 99 years ago, and summer survival continues to be the hallmark of the season at each of El Charro’s Tucson locations. “Tia Monica…
Troubled Direction: ‘Joe Bell’ suffers from some false steps
An important and heart wrenching true story leads to a well-intentioned but middling film with Joe Bell, a “departure” for Mark Wahlberg that results in some of the more uneven work of his career. He’s all over the place in this movie. The film is based on the real-life events that led to a man…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Monsoon Plant Fair. As if this year’s abundant monsoon season is already a gift enough in itself, Native Seeds/SEARCH is upping the ante with this plant sale! Feeling ready to get started with some veggies and herbs? Hoping to spruce up your yard with some wildflowers and landscape plants? You’ll find whatever you need here,…
Bouncing Back from the Bighorn Fire: As Mount Lemmon recovers, residents discuss strategies to reduce future risks
The summer of 2020 was hot, even for Tucson. But even hotter were the flames hungrily advancing through the landscape of the Santa Catalina Mountains overlooking the city. The Bighorn Fire, named for the mountain on which it was ignited by a lightning strike, burned for several weeks. By the time it was fully contained,…
Columnar Characters: New book celebrates the symbolism of saguaros in Arizona and beyond
Driving into the Southwest from any direction, the first sight of a saguaro cactus waving on the horizon serves as a “welcome” for Arizona residents and tourists alike. But even more than a welcome sign, the saguaro is an icon of the American South, even for those who don’t know what the Sonoran Desert is…
Star Power: Reid Park Zoo’s Summer Safari Nights celebrate the Dog Days
The night sky has served humankind in everything from navigation to inspiration since long before writing existed. As we move through the warm “dog days” of summer, the Reid Park Zoo is continuing their Summer Safari Nights series by showcasing their exotic canines and animals that rely on the night sky. The dog days run…
Terpene Teachings: UA releases study on the “entourage effect” with an eye to reducing side effects for pain treatment
While cannabis remains illegal on a federal level, the push for legalization at the state level has opened the door to more studies of marijuana’s effect. To that end, the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center recently released a study of terpenes and the so-called “entourage effect,” showing promise for future…
Editor’s Note: Sweet Lemmon
If you ask me, the worst non-pandemic disaster in Tucson last year was the Bighorn Fire, which scorched roughly 120,000 acres atop our beloved Mount Lemmon and the surrounding Santa Catalinas. Thankfully, however, the community of Summerhaven was spared, thanks to lessons learned from the Aspen Fire back in 2003, and our sky island is…
Quarantine Conundrum: Ducey threatens Catalina Foothills School District over COVID protocol as AZ cases rise
Lawyers representing Catalina Foothills School District and Peoria Unified School District last week responded to a letter from Governor Doug Ducey’s office that called their quarantine protocol “unlawful.” In a July 14 letter, Kaitlin Harrier, education policy advisor for Governor Ducey, told CFSD Superintendent Mary Kamerzell that the school’s isolation policy violated an Arizona statute,…
Post-Pandemic Prospects: After being postponed for more than a year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Tucson’s premier Muay Thai event returns to the Rialto Theatre
Tucson MMA fighter Jesus “El Toro” Hermosillo has been lying in wait to face his opponent in the squared circle for the past 19 months. The 22-year-old trained for months leading up to his bout with Phoenix boxer Paul Flores in what would be both fighter’s first Muay Thai match at Rise Combat Sports triannual…
