Cover Story
Tucson Salvage
A call to duty in pandemic lockdown
Tribe aims to improve dental health by bringing smiles to the dental visit
SAN CARLOS – As she looked at the Disney characters decorating the walls of the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Dental Clinic and at the smiling, laughing children watching dental health demonstrations, Suzanne Haney thought back to what a trip to the dentist used to be. “Back then, it was so different, it was in the…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Update for Wednesday, May 27: What We’ve Covered Today
Halfway through the week! Let’s take a look at the stories we covered for you today: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 17,000 as of Wednesday, May 27, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Retired astronaut Mark Kelly holds a 10-percentage-point lead over appointed U.S. Sen.…
Democratic Congressman Calls for Probe Into Former White House Official’s $3 Million Mask Deal
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A senior Democratic congressman on Tuesday called for a watchdog probe into a $3 million Indian Health Service contract given to a former White House official to provide masks to Navajo Nation hospitals…
Masks Sold by Former White House Official to Navajo Hospitals Don’t Meet FDA Standards
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The Indian Health Service acknowledged on Wednesday that 1 million respirator masks it purchased from a former Trump White House official do not meet Food and Drug Administration standards for “use in healthcare…
UA Officials Provide More Details on Campus Reentry Plan
University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins was joined by a panel of university leaders from different disciplines to talk about their plan to reopen the campus on August 24. As before, Robbins and Dr. Richard Carmona, a former US Surgeon General who is tasked with directing the campus reentry plan, said their plan is…
With 500 Evictions Coming Next Week, County Constables Host Resource Fair
The Pima County Justice Court will begin processing 500 evictions beginning Monday, June 1. These evictions were delayed for several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re back—and just when the temps hit double digits. With the widespread economic fallout of the pandemic, many renters in Southern Arizona are facing a tough financial…
A Closer Look at Federal COVID Contractors Reveals Inexperience, Fraud Accusations and a Weapons Dealer Operating Out of Someone’s House
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A firm set up by a former telemarketer who once settled federal fraud charges for $2.7 million. A vodka distributor accused in a pending lawsuit of overstating its projected sales. An aspiring weapons…
District 5 Board of Supes Candidates Grijalva and Hernandez React To New County Regs and COVID-19
The Pima County Board of Supervisors has taken several steps in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County, including voting on March 19 to close down all nonessential businesses, and later when the state reopened the economy, voting to implement and then revise new health regulations for restaurants and bars offering…
Where To Get Tested For COVID-19 In Tucson
This coming weekend is the next scheduled date for the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 Testing Blitz. Several medical locations throughout Pima are offering testing, both to existing patients and the general public. Local locations available for pre-registration and drive-up for COVID-19 testing: MHC Healthcare – 13395 N. Marana Main St. will be testing…
As holiday crowds packed tourist spots, fears rose of COVID-19 spread
Memorial Day weekend crowds that one official said were “off the charts” at Arizona vacation spots have health experts worried that tourist behavior could lead to an increase of COVID-19 of cases. With the state’s stay-at-home orders largely lifted this month, tourists flocked to sites like Lake Havasu, Scottsdale and Lake Pleasant, according to news…
COVID-19 can’t stop Muslims from celebrating Eid – with some tweaks
PHOENIX – Mahleej Zara woke up worried Sunday that celebrations for the end of Ramadan would be dampened by COVID-19 restrictions – but that was before the “car parade” let the Islamic Community Center in Tempe celebrate together while remaining safely distanced. It was just one of the changes that Arizona Muslims made this year…
SpaceX and NASA Reschedule Historic Launch for Saturday, May 30
UPDATE (1:25 MST): NASA has delayed the May 27 launch until Saturday, May 30 at 12:22 MST due to weather concerns. It’s a big day for Elon Musk and the future of NASA’s space program. SpaceX and NASA are launching two NASA astronauts to the Internation Space Station from U.S. soil today—the first time since…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, May 27: State’s Confirmed Cases Top 17K; 831 Now Dead After Contracting Virus; Pima County Health Director Warns Coronavirus “May Be an Every-Winter Phenomenon”
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 17,000 as of Wednesday, May 27, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 2,119 of the state’s 17,262 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 831 people statewide, including 175 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa…
Mark Kelly Crushing Sen. Martha McSally in Yet Another Poll
Retired astronaut Mark Kelly holds a 10-percentage-point lead over appointed U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, according to a new survey by one of the state’s most respected political consulting firms, Highground Public Affairs Consultants. More than half the voters surveyed, 51.3 percent, supported Kelly in the poll, while McSally had the support of just 41.3 percent.…
Claytoonz: I Can’t Breathe
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Update for Tuesday, May 26: What We’ve Covered Today
Welcome to the end of Tuesday! We hope you had a good but safe long weekend. Now let’s take a look at the stories that we covered today. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 16,783 as of Tuesday, May 26, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.…
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Collection Set for October 20
The University of Arizona-led spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is planned to collect a sample of the surface of an asteroid on October 20. And if successful, it will be the first U.S. spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid. OSIRIS-REx launched from the Earth in September 2016, and is planned to return with its cargo in 2023.…
What Parents Should Know About Coronavirus as Kids Return to Babysitters, Day Cares and Camps
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Reopening states after the COVID-19 lockdown raises unnerving questions for working parents who depend on some form of child care, from nannies to day camp. Instead of coming home with a snotty nose,…
Pima County Issues Air Pollution Advisory
The Pima County Department Environmental Quality has issued a warning for an elevated potential for ground-level ozone air pollution in the Tucson metro area for today, May 26. “People who are sensitive to air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing, and breathing discomfort,” said a department press release. Individuals who are…
Gaslight Music Hall hosting folk, blues and R&B drive-in concerts
Just because venues are closed doesn’t mean live shows aren’t taking place, and The Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley is on a tear this summer, hosting several concerts a week in its parking lot. This week’s shows, featuring Mr. Boogie Woogie Trio and The Tributaries, are already sold out, so the Gaslight is already…
Banner Health shifts to domestically-produced PPE
Banner Health announced a move to begin purchasing masks for the next for its facilities from domestic manufacturer Prestige Ameritech, the healthcare system announced in a Tuesday press release. After partnering with Premier Inc, Banner acquired a minority stake in Prestige, which manufactures personal protective equipment, including the N95 respirator and surgical masks. As part…
Pima County’s Dr. Bob England: Next Few Weeks Key In Knowing COVID-19’s Future
If you’re one of those people who never get a flu shot, make sure you do this year. If you normally do, make sure you don’t miss it. That was the key advice Pima County’s Interim Health Department Director Bob England delivered to residents Tuesday morning via his daily video address regarding COVID-19. England said…
Coronavirus Relief Fund Allocates $500,000 For Expanded Child Care
Last week, Governor Doug Ducey announced that $500,000 from Arizona’s Coronavirus Relief Fund had been allocated to 10 organizations providing out-of-school child care in the state. The funding will support “extended hours and enrichment programs to meet the increased demand of child care for families while students distance learn and parents or guardians work.” The…
It’s FINE FREE time at the Library!
Pima County Public Library has some great news to share! WE’RE GOING FINE FREE! If you have overdue fines on your account, they’ll be cleared on July 1, 2020. We’re introducing auto-renew! This means we will automatically renew your items, unless there is a hold on them (sorry, you’ve got to return these items by…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 Roundup for Tuesday, May 26: Southern AZ Steadily Reopening; Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Climb to 16,783; 807 Now Dead After Contracting Virus
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 16,783 as of Tuesday, May 26, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 2,075 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 807 people statewide, including 173 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa County, the number of…
Claytoonz: Skanks For The Memories
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John Henry’s Bar Pays Hommage to Beloved Gordo’s Commercial
Do you love chimichangas? I mean do you really love chimichangas? If you grew up in Tucson during the late ’80s to early ’90s, there’s no doubt you saw commercials for the beloved all-you-can-eat Mexican restaurant of yesteryear: Gordo’s Mexicateria. John Henry’s Bar in downtown Tucson played tribute to Gordo’s famed commercials by recreating one…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Update for Friday, May 22: What We’ve Covered Today
We’ve come to the end of another work week, and to the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend. Let’s take a look at the stories we’ve covered today. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 15,608 as of Friday, May 22, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The…
The Feds Gave a Former White House Official $3 Million to Supply Masks to Navajo Hospitals. Some May Not Work.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A former White House aide won a $3 million federal contract to supply respirator masks to Navajo Nation hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona 11 days after he created a company to sell…
Cathey’s Sewing & Vacuum volunteers create 35,000 masks for first responders
The arts and crafts community around Cathey’s Sewing & Vacuum stores have kept busy during quarantine by sewing tens of thousands of masks for local hospitals, first responders and law enforcement. The Tucson-based business is welcoming volunteers to sew face masks for essential workers at any of their three locations. Over the past two months,…
YMCA of Southern Arizona Reopens Northwest Location
The YMCA in northwest Tucson reopened its doors to the community on Wednesday with added safety precautions and limited hours to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They plan to open their other locations using a similar strategy in the coming weeks. Visitors will notice the Y’s cardio, circuit equipment and free weights are open for…
Limited Memorial Day reopening of Grand Canyon ‘premature,’ say critics
PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon will reopen on a limited basis for Memorial Day weekend, a move critics call “premature” during the COVID-19 pandemic and “tone-deaf” in the face of startling infection rates in the neighboring Navajo Nation. The opening, from Friday to Monday, is just the second at the park, which was completely closed…
Mr. Boogie Woogie Trio, The Tributaries playing next week’s drive-in concerts at Gaslight Music Hall
On the heels of a pair of impressive performances this week, the Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley is hosting another two drive-in concerts next Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, May 27, Mr. Boogie Woogie Trio will play. The group, according to Gaslight manager, performer, public relations rep, and booker Heather Stricker, is a “hard-driving,…
Pima County Public Libraries introducing auto-renewal system July 1
Good news, book lovers, the Pima County Public Library is switching to an auto-renew system this summer that will automatically renew your checkout instead of instituting a late fee. The new program, which begins July 1, will allow for up to four auto-renewals on library items, unless an item is on hold for another member.…
Got Medicare? Get a no-cost test for COVID-19
If you have Medicare and want to be tested for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Trump administration has good news. Medicare covers tests with no out-of-pocket costs. You can get tested in your home, doctor’s office, a local pharmacy or hospital, a nursing home or a drive-through site. Medicare does not require a doctor’s order…
Holidays, on ice: COVID-19 upends Memorial Day weekend travel plans
The travel forecast for this Memorial Day weekend is fuzzy – just another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in 20 years, AAA has canceled its Memorial Day travel forecast as COVID-19 has affected the way it collects data for its survey. Experts say the traffic is not likely to be anywhere…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, May 22: Board of Supes Revises Restaurant Rules; Confirmed Cases Rise to 15,608; 775 Now Dead After Contracting Virus; Arizona House of Reps Adjourns for the Year
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 15,608 as of Friday, May 22, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 1,974 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 775 people statewide, including 174 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa County, the number of…
Claytoonz: Gravesite Hit Job
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Your Southern AZ COVID-19 PM Update for Thursday, May 21: What We’ve Covered Today
Good evening! Here are the stories we covered for you today. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 15,000 as of Thursday, May 21, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted an untold number of events and businesses throughout the nation, the census…
Board of Supervisors Revises Emergency Restaurant Regs
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Thursday to revise last week’s emergency amendments to the county’s health code for restaurants and bars after restaurant owners complained the new rules were too burdensome and Attorney General Mark Brnovich launched an investigation into the rules at the request of local GOP state lawmakers. Today’s vote…
Opinions on water, willingness to protect it varies by region, survey finds
A new survey finds differences in how Americans feel about water, and how those feelings translate into action. The Water Main, a project from American Public Media, wanted to know how Americans think, feel and worry about their water. Among its findings is that knowledge of water issues isn’t the biggest predictor of whether someone…
Survey: Latino families, businesses say they were left out by CARES Act
PHOENIX – About half of low-income Latino households and just as many Latino-owned businesses said they have not received any support from the massive COVID-19 relief bills, according to a nationwide poll released Wednesday. The survey of 1,800 Latinos across all 50 states oversampled residents of six states, including Arizona. What it found was 48%…
City of Tucson’s Resiliency Loan Program Accepting Applications for Women, Minority, Disabled and Veteran Business Owners Until May 26
Local business owners still attempting to secure financial funding during the pandemic have less than a week left to apply for the City of Tucson’s $1,000,000 dollar small business resiliency loan program. The city council is encouraging women, minority, veteran and disabled business owners to apply for the city’s We Are One/Somos Uno Resiliency Loan…
Endangered Fish Now Swimming in Agua Caliente Park’s Restored Pond
The endangered Gila topminnow is swimming in the newly restored pond at Agua Caliente on Tucson’s east side. 500 Gila topminnows were released into the pond on Wednesday, May 13, by staff from multiple county and state agencies. The fish release, part of the larger Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, has been years in the making.…
Tucson Helping Tucson Raising Funds To Aid Local Biz, Artists
For many musicians and performers out of work due to COVID-19, virtual performances have served as a mild bandage. But while performing in front of webcams may help ease the quarantine time, it doesn’t replicate the community engagement found around Tucson’s stages and venues. But in recent weeks, a community of artists have worked to…
Census Is Still Underway, Despite Hurdles Created By COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted an untold number of events and businesses throughout the nation, the census continued quietly in the background. While local census offices had to close and the national Census Bureau pushed back operational dates, the virus’ impact was lessened thanks to this being the first census able to be completed online.…
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, May 21: AZ Confirmed Cases Top 15K; County Supervisors Meeting To Revise Health Codes Today
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 15,000 as of Thursday, May 21, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 1,944 of the state’s 5,315 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 763 people statewide, including 174 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa…
Claytoonz: Blue State, Red State, Corrupt State
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MMJ: High Court Issues Harsh Ruling
Arizona Supreme Court rejects effort to allow electronic signatures for Arizona initiative campaigns, including an effort to ask voters to legalize recreational cannabis use for adults
Mikel Weisser RIP
Longtime legalization advocate dies at 61
Editor’s Note
A note from the editor on the contents of this issue.
Weekly Southern Arizona COVID-19 Roundup
The COVID-19 happenings from this week.
Grading on a Curve
Gov. Doug Ducey has lifted the stay-at-home order, but health officials advise continued precaution
Food Fight
Pima County moves toward easing new emergency regulations after complaints from restaurant owners, state lawmakers
