Arizona Corporation Commission plan: State energy will be carbon-free by 2050
PHOENIX – States across the Southwest have adopted clean energy plans that regulate utility companies and work toward carbon-free goals. After lagging for several years, Arizona is starting to catch up. The Arizona Corporation Commission passed a proposal requiring utilities to be 100% free of carbon emissions by 2050 and meet particular benchmarks along the…
Arizona comes up short on report on lung cancer screening, treatment
WASHINGTON – Arizona was in the bottom tier in three of six categories in a new American Lung Association report, which put the state dead-last for the number of patients who receive treatment after getting a diagnosis of lung cancer. The 2020 “State of Lung Cancer” report released Tuesday also said Arizona ranked 46th among…
‘This is trauma’: Some Latino children face mental health struggles during pandemic
PHOENIX – The halls at Manzanita Elementary School are emptier than they were a year ago. But school social worker Anthony Guillen says he’s far busier, as students struggle to deal with the increased stress and psychological toll brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a typical year at the north-central Phoenix school, Guillen gets…
Ducey, Christ: State coronavirus cases showing ‘concerning increase’
In the first media conference from the governor’s office in two weeks, Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ provided a COVID-19 update today as the pervasiveness of the virus grows daily. Christ said throughout the state there’s been a “concerning increase” in coronavirus cases, percent positivity and COVID-19…
PACC waiving pet adoption fees this weekend
In an effort to get more pets homes for the holidays, the first 48 pet adoption fees will be covered at Pima Animal Care Center on Saturday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 22. The adoption fees are covered by Central Pet animal care and Boss Dog pet food. All adopted dogs will go home with Boss Dog yogurt…
Banner Health reinstates no visitor policy as COVID surges
As Arizona continues on track for its worst month of COVID spread, Banner Health reinstated its no-visitor policy at all Banner – University Medicine locations in Tucson, effective 6 p.m. today. According to Banner, this visitor ban to reduce COVID spread includes outpatient and ambulatory locations, such as clinics, urgent care locations, imaging centers, surgery centers and…
Trump Campaign Pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State Long Before Election
Long before Republican senators began publicly denouncing how Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger handled the voting there, he withstood pressure from the campaign of Donald Trump to endorse the president for reelection. Raffensperger, a Republican, declined an offer in January to serve as an honorary co-chair of the Trump campaign in Georgia, according to…
Federal prison ‘hot spot’ contributes to COVID-19 surge across Pima County
As coronavirus cases continue to rise county and statewide, experts are raising alarms about a COVID-19 surge worse than Arizona experienced this summer. Pima County is on track to exceed the number of COVID-19 cases it had in July, according to a Nov. 17 memorandum from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. The first 17 days of…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Nov. 18: More than 3200 New Cases Today; AZ Total Number of Confirmed Cases Tops 283K; Huckelberry Warns Pima County On Track for Worst Month of COVID Spread Yet; Free Test Centers Open
With more than 3,200 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases soared past 283,000 as of Wednesday, Nov. 18, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 378 new cases today, has seen 33,822 of the state’s 283,102 confirmed cases. With 53 new deaths reported today,…
‘Disruptive and cruel’: Native Americans wait and worry as Supreme Court weighs repeal of health care act
PHOENIX – Native American leaders are keeping close watch on the Supreme Court battle over whether to repeal all or parts of the Affordable Care Act, a move many say could devastate health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives. “In our vulnerable populations, particularly in the time of COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact on…
AIA recommends postponing start of winter sports seasons
PHOENIX – The Arizona Interscholastic Association recommended postponing the start of winter high school sports such as basketball, wrestling and soccer to its executive board Monday, possibly pushing the start of those sports into January. AIA Executive Director David Hines will meet with state health and education officials before the executive board votes on the…
Burned acreage up sharply, as Arizona 2020 wildfire season winds down
WASHINGTON – The acreage torched by wildfires in Arizona was up sharply this year, but fire officials said it was still not a particularly bad season in terms of lives lost and structures burned in the blazes. The 2020 wildfire season had burned just under 955,000 acres as of Wednesday, according to the Arizona Department…
COVID Cases Continue Rapid Rise Across State and in Pima County
As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations increase across the state, public health officials are warning of a wintertime surge that could limit hospitals’ resources as it did this summer. Within the first 17 days of November, Arizona is averaging 1,997 new COVID-19 cases a day. Nov. 14 saw a case count of 3,476— the highest reported…
Mount Graham red squirrel makes comeback, but not out of the woods yet
WASHINGTON – An endangered squirrel that was driven to the brink of extinction by wildfire just three years ago in southern Arizona has seen its numbers more than triple following federal, state and local preservation efforts. The Mount Graham red squirrel population was cut from 252 to just 33 squirrels in the wild after the…
FILM REVIEW: Margot Robbie Makes ‘Dreamland’ a Worthwhile Watch
DREAMLAND Now Playing at Roadhouse Cinemas Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte tells a sort of reverse Bonnie and Clyde story with Dreamland, a great looking, well-acted and ultimately decent watch featuring the great Margot Robbie. If you haven’t been paying attention, yes, Robbie has evolved into one of the finest actresses in the biz, and she’s spectacularly…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Nov. 17: Nearly 3K New Cases Today; AZ Total Number of Confirmed Cases Closes in on 280K; State Officials Urge Mask Wearing, Vigilance; Free Test Centers Open
With nearly 3,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed to nearly 280,000 as of Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 357 new cases today, has seen 33,444 of the state’s 279,896 confirmed cases. A total of 6,312 Arizonans had…
Rapid Testing Less Accurate Than the Government Wants to Admit
Rapid antigen testing is a mess. The federal government pushed it out without a plan, and then spent weeks denying problems with false positives. The promise of antigen tests emerged as a miracle this summer. With repeated use, the theory went, these rapid and cheap coronavirus tests would identify highly infectious people while giving healthy…
Youth advocacy groups kept voters safe and informed on Election Day
LOS ANGELES – Young people stepped up on two fronts this Election Day: volunteering to replace older poll workers who feared exposure to COVID-19 and pushing more of their peers – an age group with historically low turnout – to register and vote. Across the Southwest, such organizations as Future Leaders of America, California Campus…
Loose spectator protocols for high school football fans during COVID-19 era stirs debate
GILBERT – With several schools experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 during the high school football season, social media has served as a platform for those pointing fingers at programs that appear to have stands packed with fans, many without face coverings. But David Hines, executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which oversees high school sports…
UA COVID Cases Remaining Steady as Fall Break Approaches
As the University of Arizona conducts a pre-fall break testing blitz, its coronavirus numbers are remaining relatively steady, UA President Robert C. Robbins shared in a news conference Monday, Nov. 16. From Nov. 6 through Nov. 15, UA found 76 positive coronavirus cases after administering 8,651 tests for a positivity rate of 0.9%, the same…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Nov. 16: More Than 7300 New Cases Since Friday; Death Toll Surpasses 6300; AZ Total Number of Confirmed Cases Closes in on 277K; State Officials Urge Mask Wearing, Vigilance; Free Test Centers Open
With more than 7,300 new cases reported since Friday morning, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed to nearly 277,000 as of Monday, Nov. 16, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 285 new cases today, has seen 33,087 of the state’s 276,912 confirmed cases. A total of…
Forecast calls for drier, warmer winter to follow ‘nonsoon’ summer
WASHINGTON – State and federal weather officials are predicting a warmer and drier than normal winter for Arizona, which would come on the heels of the driest monsoon ever recorded in the state. The “nonsoon” summer followed by a La Niña winter could spell trouble for water resources and wildfire conditions in a state already gripped…
COVID-19 vaccine test subjects weighed risks, rolled up their sleeves
WASHINGTON – With Santa Cruz County facing one of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in the state, Tubac Fire Department Fire Chief Cheryl Horvath knew that a vaccine is what’s needed to bring an end to the pandemic. But a vaccine requires human volunteers as test subjects. Horvath had never taken part in a…
Rex Scott Wins Race for Board of Supervisors by 730 Votes
With all the votes counted in Pima County, Democrat Rex Scott has won the District 1 seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors by a mere 730 votes. The district, representing Marana, Casa Adobes, Oro Valley, and the Catalina Foothills, has reliably voted for Republicans in recent decades but with an open seat up for…
County Open Drive-Thru COVID Tests Sites at PCC Campuses
Within the next three weeks, new drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites will be available at three Pima Community College locations, the county health department announced in a press release Friday. The Pima County Health Department, Pima Community College and Arizona State University have partnered to create three new testing sites in an extension of the current…
Movie Roundup: Mel Gibson is a Grizzly Santa and Vince Vaughn Switches Bodies in Killer Fashion
This week’s Tucson Film Roundup includes a review of the latest Mel Gibson effort, the arrival of a Vince Vaughn comedy, and an insane looking, new streaming film at The Loft. Opening this week… REVIEW: FATMAN Mel Gibson plays the title character in Fatman, that particular fatman being none other than Santa Claus. If your…
Field of flags tries to make sense of staggering COVID-19 death toll
WASHINGTON – The hardest part of Suzanne Firstenberg’s day is when she changes the numbers on the board – each number representing an American who has died as a result of COVID-19. She climbs on a concrete ledge, pulls off a large poster with one number on it and replaces it with a higher number…
Republican Martha McSally Concedes U.S. Senate Race To Democrat Mark Kelly
In a statement today, appointed Sen. Martha McSally conceded the obvious: She’s not going to win this year’s U.S. Senate race. McSally congratulated her Democratic opponent Mark Kelly on winning an election that turned out to be one of the most expensive in the nation. According to the Associated Press, Kelly won 51.2% of the vote…
Native American Basketball Invitational returns in 2021 after ‘devastating’ decision to cancel
PHOENIX – After a one-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Native American Basketball Invitational will return in July, showcasing indigenous basketball players from across the U.S., Canada and New Zealand at venues around the Valley. The championship games will take place at the newly renovated downtown arena of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Nov. 13: More Than 3K New Cases Today; AZ Total Number of Confirmed Cases Jumps Past 269K; State Officials Urge Masks, Vigilance; Tucson Rodeo Canceled; Free Test Centers Open
With more than 3,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed past 269,000 as of Friday, Nov. 13, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 191 new cases today, has seen 31,874 of the state’s 269,577 confirmed cases. After 17 new deaths were reported…
Trump’s voting irregularity claims get cold reception in court hearing
WASHINGTON – Trump campaign lawyers dropped claims of voter fraud Thursday, telling a Maricopa County Superior Court judge instead that they were in court to point out “good faith errors” by election officials that could have affected the vote count. “We are not alleging fraud in this lawsuit,” said Kory Langhofer, an attorney for the…
As COVID Cases Grow, State Officials Urge Arizonans to Remain Vigilant
As coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state, Arizona’s public health officials are warning of an active increase in the virus that will worsen without widespread mitigation tactics. The statewide percent positivity for COVID-19 increased to 9% last week. A rate of 5% is a good indicator the spread of the…
COVID-19 challenges add intrigue to first AIA high school football rankings
PHOENIX – It’s official. AZ Preps 365 has released its first football rankings after a one-week delay. As usual, they are full of surprises, like they are most every year. But this year, the rankings endured a different process because so many teams had to cancel games and shuffle their schedules to accommodate either their own…
Tucson #1 in nation in lowest rent for studio apartments
When you’re flying solo and don’t need a lot of space, Tucson is the place you want to be. The Old Pueblo ranks #1 in the nation’s top 100 largest cities for having the cheapest studio apartment prices, at an average of $659 a month, as reported by a recent apartmentguide.com study. Tucson also has…
2021 Tucson Rodeo Canceled
The Tucson Rodeo Committee has canceled the upcoming 2021 Tucson Rodeo and festivities due to coronavirus concerns and maintaining social distancing requirements. “With the amount of planning that goes into this event, we feel there is too much uncertainty to take the chance of continuing forward at this time,” Mark Baird, Chairman of the Board,…
Pandemic shines light on complex coexistence of modern times, traditional ways on Navajo Nation
PHOENIX – The most recent album from Hataalii, a Navajo Nation indie-rock artist, closes with a pair of instrumental tracks called “Rain.” The songs, the artist said, are inspired by the relief that rains bring in hot summer months and the idea that all struggles subside with time. The message connects to something his grandmother…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Nov. 12: Nearly 1400 New Cases Today; AZ Total Number of Confirmed Cases Jumps Past 266K; Free Test Centers Open
With nearly 1,400 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed past 266,000 as of Thursday, Nov. 12, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 191 new cases today, has seen 31,538 of the state’s 266,562 confirmed cases. After 12 new deaths were reported today,…
Off Course: Corona Spread Forces TUSD to Postpone In-Classroom Instruction
As a key metric tracking the spread of coronavirus in Pima County is likely to shift to substantial spread this week, the Tucson Unified School District will not open as planned this Thursday, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo announced in a letter to the district’s families Friday, Oct. 6. “In my briefings this week with the Pima…
Danehy: Tom Shares His Thoughts On the Election
I’m sitting here two or three days after the election (I’ve lost count). The main issue is still in doubt, so I’m not even going to mention the counting, the Supreme Court, or the fake claims of voter fraud. Just give us a winner so 48% of us can go away pissed off. Wink, wink.…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Zoo to You Virtual Animal Encounters. The Reid Park Zoo is open for business, with plenty of safety protocols in place. But if you’re missing the animals and still not quite ready to head back in person, these 10-15 minute virtual encounters might be just the animal fix you need. You get a chance to…
Pop-Up Performances: Ballet Tucson Returns for Outdoor Shows
On a crisp night last week at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, the autumn plants were shimmering in the light of a half-moon. Lamps were lit throughout the nighttime garden and the cheerful chatter from a wedding party wafted through the trees. Elsewhere, startling Calavera Catrina statues, installed here and there along the paths in honor…
Smoking the Opposition: Az 1 of 5 States to OK Pot Initiatives in 2020
On election night 2020 Arizonans joined four other states to pass some form of cannabis legalization, when citizens voted in favor of the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, Prop 207, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana for persons over the age of 21. Citizens of Arizona joined with voters in New Jersey, Montana and…
Editor’s Note: The Dust Settles
I can’t say I ever expected to see Arizona elect two Democrats to the U.S. Senate in my lifetime. But after last week, that’s where we stand, as former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly won his campaign against appointed U.S. Sen. Martha McSally. He’ll join Democrat Kyrsten Sinema in Washington, who also defeated McSally. Meanwhile, McSally…
Purple Reign: Az. Dems Didn’t Get Blue Wave, But They Did Get Another U.S. Senator
With a significant lead in the race for U.S. Senate over Republican Martha McSally, Democrat Mark Kelly took the outdoor stage at Hotel Congress on Election Night. While Kelly stopped short of claiming victory, he did say he expected to go to Washington as a U.S. senator. “This doesn’t feel like a typical election night,…
Seasonal Spike: COVID Rapidly Spreads in Az as Holidays Approach
As coronavirus cases in the state continue to spread at the fastest rate since June, public health professionals and hospital staff are already preparing for another COVID-19 surge in Arizona. Although metrics tracking the spread of the virus waned after summer, recent state and county-wide data are showing increased positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths from…
