Phoenix among U.S. sites for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trials on children
!function(e,i,n,s){var t=”InfogramEmbeds”,d=e.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(“script”);o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=”https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js”,d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,”infogram-async”); WASHINGTON – Children from 6 months up to 12 years old could soon start getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Phoenix as part of a trial of the drug’s effectiveness on young people. Drug-maker Moderna announced this week that Phoenix will be one of the cities where it will test smaller doses…
Tax filers will get an extra month to file
The Internal Revenue Service is extending the tax filing deadline by more than a month and income taxes and payments will now be due May 17 instead of April 15, the agency and Treasury Department announced Wednesday. The delay comes because of a massive backlog the IRS has of about 24 million tax filings from…
The Daily Saguaro
Today, Tucson Weekly is debuting a new feature, The Daily Saguaro. I’ll post a new photo of a saguaro (or saguaros) every day, Monday through Friday. I’m always looking for the beautiful, unusual or atypical in these shots, so they can be all over the place, visually. Most of these photos were shot in and…
UA hosting ‘Guns in Crisis’ webinar series after nation saw record firearms sales in 2020
With a pandemic, nationwide protests, record-breaking weather events and political upheaval, it’s no wonder the past 12 months saw record gun sales across the nation. In 2020, the FBI conducted nearly 40 million background checks for gun purchases, an increase of 40% from 2019. In the same year, Jennifer Carlson, a University of Arizona associate…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, March 17: AZ hits a million vaccinations; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 445 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 834,000 as of Wednesday, March 17, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 56 new cases today, has seen 111,427 of the state’s 834,323 confirmed cases. With 12 new deaths reported this morning, a…
Coyotes’ service dog in-training will soon help veteran in need
GLENDALE – They named her Luna, which is Spanish for moon. The name fits nicely with the Arizona Coyotes’ crescent moon logo from 1996, which is at center ice this season at Gila River Arena. Luna is fond of taking naps in Jakob Chychrun’s locker. She wobble-skates on the ice. She has left a mark…
Pima County Supervisors Vote To Fund Legal Services for People Facing Eviction
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to direct $2 million in federal coronavirus relief funds, as permitted by law, to support eviction defense services to eligible residents. This comes in response to an increase in evictions during the pandemic, as residents face financial hardships due to job loss or other factors. “Until now,…
Children’s Museum Tucson to reopen next week
Visitors to Downtown Tucson will again hear children laughing and playing when the Children’s Museum Tucson reopens on March 25. While the Museum may have been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Executive Director Hilary Van Alsburg said that the staff has been busy working on activities, exhibits and attractions. “We have spent the past…
In a year of NCAA basketball uncertainty, GCU only Arizona school going dancing
[image-1] PHOENIX – When Bryce Drew was hired to replace Dan Majerle as coach at Grand Canyon last March, the Lopes were not in a great spot. The 2019-20 season saw GCU suffer its worst season since becoming a Division I basketball school in 2013, a 13-17 overall record and 8-8 mark in the Western…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, March 16: Cases continue downward trend; Pima County hits 2,300 deaths; UK, Brazilian variants are in AZ; Supplies remain limited but here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 497 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 834,000 as of Tuesday, March 16, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 56 new cases today, has seen 111,400 of the state’s 833,878 confirmed cases. With 21 new deaths reported this…
Senate makes history by confirming Haaland as first Native American Interior secretary
WASHINGTON – The Senate Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as the next Interior secretary, a historic vote that makes her the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency. The confirmation came over the objection of Senate Republicans, particularly those representing Western states dependent on fossil fuels, who have called Haaland an environmental…
University of Arizona Students To Attend Larger In-Person Classes In Two Weeks
The University of Arizona will move to Stage 3 during the week of March 29, allowing in-person classes and flex in-person classes of up to 100 students, UA President Dr. Robert C Robbins announced in a briefing this morning. On Feb 22, the university moved to Stage 2, offering in-person learning to courses with 50…
State officials confident they can meet Biden’s May 1 vaccine deadline
WASHINGTON – Arizona health officials said the state is already on track to meet President Joe Biden’s challenge of allowing all adults to register for COVID-19 vaccinations by May 1. The directive came Thursday night, the anniversary of the declaration of a COVID-19 pandemic, during Biden’s first nationally televised address as president. He mourned the…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, March 15: Cases Continue Downward Trend; Pima County Hits 2,300 deaths; UK, Brazilian Variants Are in AZ; Supplies Remain Limited but Here’s How To Set Up Vaccine Appointments, COVID Tests
With 638 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 833,000 as of Monday, March 15, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 137 new cases today, has seen 111,344 of the state’s 833,381 confirmed cases. With no new deaths reported this morning, a…
Rising gun sales could result in more deaths, injuries and suicides, health experts fear
PHOENIX – An escalation in firearms sales last year, driven in part by new gun owners, is prompting some health experts to call for more attention to gun safety and the relationship between owning weapons and injuries or suicide. In 2020, the FBI processed a record 39.7 million firearm background checks, one of the best measurements…
Local Docs Warn Against Lifting COVID Restrictions Too Soon
Three Arizona doctors warned today of the fatal consequences of loosening restrictions without first vaccinating the public. Phoenix endocrinologist Dr. Ricardo Correa, Tucson family medicine specialist Dr. Cadey Harrel and Glendale obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Dionne Mills spoke out against loosening restrictions in Arizona. “For the past year, too many people have struggled, sacrificed and died to…
Documentary Screening on Homelessness in Tucson
Tucson photographer and filmmaker Patrick McArdle has spent years documenting the life and struggles of homeless populations. First spending six months photographing the homeless in San Diego in stark black and white, McArdle says that project felt unresolved because of the city’s lack of effort to fix the problem. But in Tucson, an army veteran’s…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, March 12: UK Variant Now in Pima County; Pima County Opens Vax Appointments to 55+, Frontline Workers; Biden Signs $1.9 trillion COVID Relief Package: Here’s How To Set Up Vax Appointments, COVID Tests
With 1,397 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 832,000 as of Friday, March 12, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 110 new cases today, has seen 111,041 of the state’s 831,832 confirmed cases. With 55 new deaths reported today,…
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Won’t Seek Another Term in Congress
"Serving Arizonans has been my absolute honor and joy, but after much consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election in 2022. I will continue the good fight through this Congress, and when the term is up, I will hand over the baton." https://t.co/jBuB85SeHH — Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) March 12, 2021 Fresh on the…
COVID’s UK Variant Has Been in Pima County for the Last Three Weeks; Pima County Expanding Vaccine Eligibility to Frontline Workers, People 55 and Older
Four cases of the COVID-19 UK variant have been found in Pima County, said Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen during a briefing this afternoon. Pima County Health Department has been tracking genomic sequencing of positive COVID-19 PCR tests (aka the nasal swab test). They send a random sample of those positive PCR…
Frontline Essential Workers, People 55 and Older Eligible for Vaccine Appointment Starting Friday
Pima County is expanding its current COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to frontline essential workers and people 55 and older. Front-line essential works are defined as people who work in-person, onsite and in close proximity—within six feet—with the public and co-workers and work in the following industries: Food and Agriculture Manufacturing Grocery/Convenience Stores (and Carnicerias) Restaurants/Bars U.S.…
PACC: Be Sure To Vaccinate Your Pets
Pima Animal Care Center is encouraging pet owners to vaccinate their pets after two dogs scuffled with a coatimundi that’s now under quarantine for rabies observation. One of the dogs was not current with its vaccinations so it, too, will be quarantined. “It’s never fun to have to tell a pet owner about the required…
Biden insists border’s closed, unveils plan to halt migrants at source
WASHINGTON – The White House had a message Wednesday for migrants who are flocking to the southern border in hopes of getting into the U.S. – “this is not an invitation, the border is not open.” The message came as part of a multipoint plan of aid, diplomacy and policy that a Biden administration official…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, March 11: Congress passes $1.9T COVID relief package; Cases, hospitalizations decline but health officials urge caution: Supplies remain limited but here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 1,835 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 830,000 as of Thursday, March 11, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 141 new cases today, has seen 110,931 of the state’s 830,465 confirmed cases. With 60 new deaths reported today, a total…
House gives final OK to relief bill that will send billions to Arizona
WASHINGTON – The House gave final approval Wednesday to the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, a sweeping measure that will directly touch almost every Arizonan and will send billions in aid to the state. Republicans assailed the American Rescue Plan Act as a wasteful, partisan measure and Wednesday’s vote reflected that, with every Republican…
One Year Later: Twelve Months Ago, The Outbreak Hit Pima County. Here’s Where We Stand
Just about one year ago, on March 9, 2020, the first patient in Pima County tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the day, a group of elected officials, including Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and the late Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías, held a press conference to warn that COVID-19 was on its way. They predicted…
Tucson Salvage: Veterans of Internal Wars
If you can pull the damn trailer off the RV lot, the man said, you can have it. So, Frank and his running bud Scott hauled off that old ’70s traveler and plopped it on a trailer lot near Roger Road and Fairview. Frank had rented the lot for $200 a month on a cul-de-sac…
The One and Only: Local Musicians Celebrate Al Foul With Compilation Album After The Musician Was Diagnosed With Throat Cancer
Al Foul: A Tribute to the One and Only features 28 of Tucson’s finest troubadours, from Calexico’s Joey Burns to burlesque performer & singer Lola Torch, performing tracks spanning the musician’s multi-decade career. The compilation is available through bluesman extraordinaire Tom Walbank’s Bandcamp page and album proceeds go toward Foul’s medical expenses. Walbank said once…
Editor’s Note: One Year Later
It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since the first positive COVID test here in Pima County. Since then, more than 16,000 of our fellow Arizonans have died, our healthcare system has been pushed to the edge twice, our kids have been attending schools via Zoom, our favorite restaurants have struggled, too…
Growing Impatience And Repealed COVID Mandates: Where Do We Go From Here?
With 2020 in hindsight, governments are loosening regulations and distributing vaccines as COVID cases continue their decline. In the week of March 1 alone, the states of Texas and Mississippi ended their mask mandates, a new vaccine from Johnson & Johnson began its rollout, and here in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey ordered schools to offer…
The Pandemic Laid Waste To A Year Of Sports, From The Big Leagues to High Schools
In the first round of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, exactly one year ago today, the wildly disappointing Arizona Wildcats had pulled out a wildly disappointing seven-point victory over the last-place Washington Huskies. (The Cats, with their three freshman stars, had been a sexy pick to be among the top five teams in the country.…
Northwest ICU Nurse Discusses Challenges Of Treating COVID Patients
In his 30 years working in the healthcare industry, Scott Smith has never encountered a phenomenon in the medical field that caused him to cry himself to sleep at night. But nothing could have prepared him for the devastation evoked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith works three 12-hour night shifts a week in the ICU…
The Skinny: Republicans Push Wars On Voting, Education At Statehouse
With a pandemic on, the Arizona Legislature is enjoying less oversight from the public than usual (and that isn’t all that much to begin with), so the narrow Republican majority is doing all it can to mess with voting rights, cut taxes for the wealthy and screw over schools. We’ve yet to see the tax…
Room To Grow: Tucson Looks To Up Date Code To Allow Larger Dispensaries, Drive-thru Service, Other Adjustments
As the rules surrounding adult-use recreational pot work their way through processes from the Arizona Department of Health Services to the municipal level, the City of Tucson is zeroing in on updates to its zoning ordinances to help adjust to the new reality of legal weed. A series of meetings and study sessions considering updates…
Goodbye, Mike: Legendary Local Banker Michael Hard Dies at 84
Michael Wales Hard, an Easterner who traveled to the West to seek his fortune and build his family, died on Sunday, Feb. 28. He was 84. Michael was born and raised in Bay Shore, Long Island. He attended Connecticut’s Pomfret School before heading to Yale, where he studied English Literature. Captain of the rowing team,…
