Most non-Republican voters in Arizona support masks in schools
A strong majority of Arizona voters — but only a small fraction of Republicans — support face mask mandates and vaccine requirements in schools and government buildings to combat the spread of COVID-19, according to a new poll commissioned by organizations representing school boards and public health professionals. In the live-caller poll of 400 voters…
Board of Supervisors Puts More Pressure on Unvaccinated Employees, Supports Domestic Violence Prevention Agency
The Pima County Board of Supervisors passed multiple policies meant to curb the spread of COVID in Pima County on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Supervisor Heinz withdrew his proposal to require all healthcare workers in Pima County to be vaccinated against COVID. The Board received multiple letters and public comments in opposition to the proposed mandate.…
Guest opinion: No better time than now for prescription drug reform; Congress must pass H.R.3.
If you’ve had trouble paying for prescription medicine for yourself or family members — regardless if you are insured or not — you aren’t alone. Americans pay three times more for medications than people in other countries. As the cost of lifesaving medications like insulin skyrocket, Arizonans face impossible tradeoffs, like deciding whether to pay…
State Lawmaker Kirsten Engel Steps Down from Senate Seat To Focus on Congressional Campaign
State Sen. Kirsten Engel, a Democrat who represents midtown and east Tucson, announced today that she was resigning her Legislative District 10 seat in the Arizona Legislature to focus on her congressional campaign. “After much consideration, I have decided to step down from the State Senate to fully commit my time, energy, and focus to…
Feds deal another setback to Rosemont mine by upholding jaguar habitat
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators on Friday rejected a mining company’s request to reduce critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the Santa Rita Mountains on land that overlaps the footprint of the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine. The decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the latest setback for Hudbay Minerals Inc., which has been working…
On the crawl: Why so many caterpillars are wriggling around Arizona
MESA — Kelsey Shaw and her two children pick up large yellow and green caterpillars just off the Bush Highway near Saguaro Lake. The children have no hesitation handling these nearly 2- to 3-inch-long caterpillars, letting them crawl all over their clothes. Shaw and her children were preparing to spend the morning picking up litter…
Unproven ivermectin gains popularity as alternative COVID treatment among vaccine skeptics
Some Arizonans are seeking ivermectin, the unproven alternative treatment for COVID-19 that has become popular among conservatives as both a way to prevent and treat infections, leading to an uptick in calls to poison control centers and at least one hospitalization. Ivermectin has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19. It…
State Lawmaker Randy Friese Ends Campaign for Congress
State Rep. Randy Friese announced today that he’s pulling the plug on his congressional campaign. Friese, a physician who helped save the life of Gabby Giffords after she was shot through the head in January 2011, was one of three Democrats seeking to replace retiring Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick in Congressional District 2. (The district’s lines…
2021 Fall Arts Preview: Stepping Up: Dance companies are back on their feet
We have fewer dance companies than before the pandemic, but Ballet Tucson, Tucson Regional Ballet and Dancing in the Streets all have shows planned this fall. Ballet Tucson reNEW Fall Concert, October 22-24, Leo Rich Theater Amazingly, after a year away from the stage, Ballet Tucson opens the new season with the beautiful and…
COVID cases hitting unvaccinated Arizonans
Pima County health officials warned this week that COVID cases are rising among children 11 and under—a population that remains ineligible for vaccines. The increase comes about a month after most schools reopened for the fall semester, leading to an increase in cases by 16.5% over the last week. Kids between 12 and 19 had…
2021 Fall Arts Preview: Visual arts: Galleries galore!
As we move into our second pandemic autumn, the big news on the cultural calendar is that nearly every arts enterprise is open. Galleries are swinging their doors wide, theaters are pulling up their curtains, and ballerinas are preparing to dance once more. Some groups went back to business eons ago. The Tucson Museum, for…
2021 Fall Arts Preview: Acting Up: The post-pandemic curtain rises
Ahh, there’s really nothing like a live theater show, is there? If you’re a theater fan who’s been itching to watch a curtain go up and transport you to another world, then to feel all blissed out and grateful for artists in general for several hours afterward, then get excited! The Tucson theater community is…
Rec’ing Ball: Recreational cannabis filling state coffers as weed sales get higher
Despite an industry-wide whiplash start to adult-use recreational sales in January, the marijuana market in Arizona is righting itself and filling state tax coffers with infusions of cannabis cash that will only continue to rise as the recreational market matures. The preliminary numbers are likely to adjust upwards as dispensary owners learn the ropes of…
Sweet Scares Candyman is back to frighten the tootsie rolls out of you
The original Candyman (1992), was a trippy horror delight, a fun and nasty thriller that was willing to go the distance and remain dark and disturbing from its first frame until its last. The killer concept was birthed from the mind of nutball Clive Barker, and director Bernard Rose did that nasty brute justice. As…
Danehy: Goodbye to Charlie Watts
Just a couple weeks ago, I was having a nice discussion about music with my good friend, Pima County Deputy Sheriff Bob (last name classified). He’s an inveterate hard rock headbanger guy, coming up on 50 but still banging his head. He and his wife even go on those Def Poison Megadeth Anthrax Leppard cruise ship…
For Those About To Rock: Celebrating the return of live music—safely!
With trepidation and a childlike sense of awe that is felt viscerally—say, like when an exotic Eastern dish of fried scorpions is placed upon an American dinner table—we take our first hopeful steps forward through the darkness and uncertainty of pandemia. As such, a statewide group of independent venues (including Fox Tucson Theatre, Hotel Congress, The…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Tori West: Medley of Miniatures in Creative Paperclay. Have you made it over to the local miniatures museum lately? They’ve always got something new and exciting going on, and the next few months are no exception. One of their newest exhibits features the work of Tucsonan Tori West, who carves and sculpts Creative Paperclay into…
Editor’s Note: Arts for Our Sake
It was a true joy reading through all that’s happening in the world of museums, galleries and theaters as the team here at TW World Headquarters assembled the Fall Arts Preview in this week’s edition. It’s been way too long since COVID first shut down so many of our cultural touchstones, so it’s wonderful to see…
Homecoming King: WBC super featherweight champ Oscar Valdez to make first title defense against Brazilian boxer Robson Conceicao
A Nogales-born, Tucson-bred professional boxing champ is returning home not only to defend his new WBC title but to avenge a loss against a long-time rival. WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (29-0-0) will make his first title defense against Brazilian boxer Robson Conceicao (16-0-0) at Casino Del Sol on Friday, Sept. 10. Valdez won…
Delta Blues: COVID cases top 1 million in Arizona as state shuts down most testing in Pima County
Arizona surpassed the grim milestone of more than 1 million positive COVID cases as the Delta wave continues to wash over the state. As of Tuesday, Aug. 31, a total of 1,011,923 Arizonans had tested positive for novel coronavirus, with several thousand people testing positive each day, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.…
