S. Az. Humane Society advances to championship match in March Muttness
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona has made it to the championship round in March Muttness 2021. Voting started on Saturday and continues through Tuesday vs. Ten Lives Club in Blasdell, N.Y. HSSA defeated another Tucson entity, The Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter, outraising it $5,267 to $5,129. In earlier rounds, HSSA defeated Your Humane Society…
Named a head coach at 20? Pima CC’s Smith reaching goals ‘earlier in life than expected’
TUCSON – At 21, Marcus Smith is already in unique company. When he was named head men’s and women’s golf coach at Pima Community College as a 20-year-old, Smith joined an elite group to be named a head coach just out of their teens. Dennis Mahan Michie is believed to be the first, when he…
As survivors pass on, more Holocaust education could be headed to Arizona classrooms
PHOENIX – Arizona students haven’t been properly taught about the Holocaust in recent years, according to a recent poll conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Among Arizona millennials surveyed in March 2020, 42% could not name a single concentration camp the Nazis built to detain and exterminate Jews and others deemed undesirable.…
What the Horrific Crash on the Border Says About U.S. Immigration Policy
For all the attention on Biden’s changes to border policy, there are plenty of factors out of the U.S.’s control — which might make migrants increasingly desperate. The cause of the collision between an SUV and a semitruck that left 13 dead in Holtville, California, on Tuesday morning is still a horrific mystery. But federal…
COVID-19 relief would overhaul, boost aid for 1.5 million Arizona kids
WASHINGTON – As many as 1.5 million Arizona children could benefit from an expansion of the child tax credit that would mean monthly checks to parents of up to $300 per child if approved by Congress this week. The expansion is a little-discussed portion of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration’s sweeping…
COVID Brings Topsy-Turvey HS Basketball Season; Local Schools Pay The Price
In any other year, the boys’ basketball teams from Marana, Ironwood Ridge, Marana Mountain View, Amphi and Flowing Wells would all be headed to the state tournament. But this is the Year of the Pandemic, and not only are all five not going, NOT ONE of those teams is going. It’s an awful shame and…
Hotel Congress To Host St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Now that COVID-19 cases are trending downward across Pima County —and the governor has removed business occupancy restrictions—Hotel Congress is looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. “We are not idiots. A traditional green beer and Irish whiskey-drenched bacchanalia is not an appropriate option, but maybe—just maybe— we do a little more than a “tip o’ the…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, March 10: Cases, hospitalizations continue to drop, health officials urge continued caution: Supplies limited but here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 830 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 828,000 as of Wednesday, March 10, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 148 new cases today, has seen 110,790 of the state’s 828,630 confirmed cases. With 78 new deaths reported today, a total…
Feds Investigating Lender That Sued Thousands of Lower-Income Latinos During Pandemic
Oportun Inc., a small-dollar loan company, disclosed to investors that it is the subject of a probe by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau following reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. This article is…
Tucson musicians participate in compilation supporting transgender community
Deadname Wash, a new compilation of electronic music, is raising funds for rent relief for transgender people. The album’s 13 songs were composed by musicians throughout Arizona, including multiple Tucson artists like Flor de Nopal, Kell, jaeki and Lav Andula. The music on the album ranges from pop to post-punk to dance music, but all…
Is it ethical for teams to allow fans back into sporting events?
TEMPE – Gloves are popping. Bats are cracking. And gates are opening. Spring training baseball is back. But should it be? And, more important, should fans be able to attend the games just when the end to a global pandemic seems within reach? These aren’t just health questions. They’re ethical ones. “If it’s safe for…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, March 9: Today marks one year since Pima County’s first COVID case; Cases dropping, but health officials urge caution; State, local officials ease restrictions
One year ago today, March 9, 2020, Pima County’s first patient 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 Elias, held a press conference to warn that COVID-19 was on its way. They predicted it would be like…
Sinema faces blowback for minimum wage vote; long-term damage unclear
WASHINGTON – Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said she still believes the Senate should take up a higher minimum wage, but that didn’t keep critics from lighting into her after her Friday vote to keep the higher wage out of the latest pandemic relief package. Sinema was one of seven Democrats who joined Republicans to reject an…
The University of Arizona Will Celebrate the Class of 2021 . . . and maybe 2020
The University of Arizona will celebrate spring 2021 commencement with a series of in-person ceremonies with the hope of honoring graduates of 2020 as well, UA President Robert C. Robbins said Monday morning. Commencement is tentatively scheduled from Tuesday, May 11, to Tuesday, May 18, and will be live streamed and recorded. “We’re going to…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, March 7: Cases continue to drop but officials urge caution; State, local restrictions eased; Az. hospitalizations drop below 1K; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 783 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 827,000 as of Monday, March 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 103 new cases today, has seen 110,590 of the state’s 827,237 confirmed cases. A total of 16,328 Arizonans have died after…
Summer school an option for Arizona students struggling through pandemic
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misquoted Tempe Elementary School District spokesperson Brittany Franklin, administrators there were not discussing whether to make summer school mandatory. PHOENIX – Before the pandemic, second-grader Melody Wiseley loved going to school. But for the past year, her life has consisted of Zoom classes and social distancing. The…
Young artists sought for Living River of Words contest
Local students, ages 5-19, are being asked to submit original poetry, photography or visual art focusing on water and the natural world for this year’s Living River of Words contest. The deadline to enter is April 2. In past years, Pima County’s Living River of Words program took students on a field trip to study…
Ducey Order Forces TUSD To Start In-person Classes Two Days Early; Marana Unified Updates Plan
Tucson Unified School District reaffirmed their plan Thursday to open schools the week of March 22, which is in compliance with Gov. Doug Ducey’s Executive Order released Wednesday, said TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo. Trujillo said they were ahead of the order, which has put them in a good spot to safely return students, teachers…
Free, monthlong, virtual job fair begins March 15
A free, monthlong virtual job fair will help connect Arizona job seekers with employers throughout the state. Unmet Jobs and the Arizona Commerce Authority will provide a personalized, virtual networking experience to help those companies and workers affected by COVID-19. The event, which is free for both employers and job seekers, will take place from…
Bars, Gyms, Theaters Can Now Fully Reopen As Ducey Rescinds Occupancy Order
Gov. Doug Ducey announced he is rescinding his previous executive order limiting occupancy capacity for restaurants, gyms, theaters, water parks, bowling alleys and bars with dine-in service in a new executive order signed and released Friday. The governor’s order still keeps the mask mandate and social distancing protocols in place, but businesses can return to…
Pima County hopes to deliver 300K vaccine shots by March 31
With a reminder that Thursday marked a year since the first COVID test came back positive in Pima County and that more than 110,000 people have tested positive since then, Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said she is looking to the future as county officials expect to hit the goal of 300,000…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, March 5: Ducey order forces TUSD to start in-person classes two days earlier, March 22; More than 283K vaccine doses have been given in Pima County; Here’s how to set up vaccine appointments, COVID tests
With 2,276 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 823,000 as of Friday, March 5, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 215 new cases today, has seen 110,287 of the state’s 823,384 confirmed cases. With 84 new deaths reported today, a total…
Deployed, then unemployed, military veterans fight to find jobs
PHOENIX – After leaving the Army two decades ago, Miachelle DePiano faced new challenges on the civilian battlefield: a hyper-competitive job market. “I couldn’t show anybody a portfolio because everything I had written was classified, and I didn’t have a degree to back up my claim,” said DePiano, who served as an intelligence officer in…
Sports gambling in Arizona moves closer to reality
PHOENIX – Picture a baseball game at Chase Field. Or a basketball game at Suns Arena. As more fans begin returning to sporting events after the COVID-19 pandemic, they are welcomed by the benefits of live competition, from ballpark hot dogs to the energy of a packed stadium. In the near future, the Arizona sports…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, March 4: Ducey orders schools to resume in-person learning; Az. death toll increases by 96; Pima County tops 110K cases; Here’s how to set up appointments, COVID tests
With 1,154 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 821,000 as of Thursday, March 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 131 new cases today, has seen 110,072 of the state’s 821,108 confirmed cases. With 96 new deaths reported today, a total…
Artistic Resistance: Allison Miller, Alfred Quiroz Examine Social Justice Angles In Bernal Gallery Show
Ever since Laura Pendelton put a large painting of the singer Eartha Kitt in her living room, curious art lovers have been peering into the window to get a better look. And more often than you’d expect, they knock on the door and “ask me if they could come inside to see it,” Pendelton says…
Editor’s Note: Getting Lit
Ordinarily at this time of the year, the town is flooded with authors for the Tucson Festival of Books. But for the second year in a row, we won’t be seeing those authors in person, although the book fest folks have done an amazing job in setting up a virtual festival that you can enjoy…
Licensing Fee-asco: Cannabis Advocates Question How DHS Is Handling Dispensary Licenses
The Arizona Department of Health Services is still crafting rules for a Social Equity Program intended to provide opportunities in communities adversely affected by the decades-long War on Drugs. But many in the industry, as well as organizations devoted to social justice, are questioning the cost of licenses and the state’s fledgling plan to distribute…
The Skinny: Karin Uhlich Rejoins Tucson City Council To Complete Durham’s Term in Ward 3
To no great surprise, the Tucson City Council appointed Democrat Karin Uhlich to temporarily take over her old job on the Tucson City Council. Uhlich, who served as the Ward 3 councilmember from 2005 to 2017, will finish out the final year of Democrat Paul Durham’s term, but she has said she won’t seek election…
Tucson Meet Yourself Organizer Wins 2021 Shelley Award For Advancing Arizona Art And Culture
For thousands of years, humans in the Southwest have created art to express their experiences and imaginations. These practices were developed and passed down for generations, and they still persist today. These include weaving, pottery making, Native American songs and storytelling. But traditional artists are often overlooked in the modern art world. “The traditional arts…
National Forest Foundation Asks For Donations To Help With Bighorn Fire Restoration
Now more than six months since the Bighorn Fire charred 120,000 acres of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and reconstruction efforts are still underway. The US Forest Service is working to combat soil erosion, restore watersheds and wildlife habitats, and increase the safety of more than 100 miles of recreational trails. To expedite the process, the…
Danehy: Tom Rounds Up The Latest Outrages At The Arizona Legislature
The late political strategist Emil Franzi hated the use of the term “lawmaker.” He said that far too many people who get elected to the state Legislature take that term literally and feel an obligation to law-make all over the place like a mediocre cop trying to fulfill a traffic-ticket quota. All too often, those…
Love As Sweet As A Lemon Drop: A Short Story Featuring Prospero ‘Whip’ Stark
Opal Sanchez was missing, snatched away by romance. I got the news after returning home late that afternoon and can’t say I was surprised. Opal was a runaway from the Tohono O’odham Reservation, so getting gone wasn’t exactly out of character. And only a fool would discount the determination of a teenager in love. But the…
