Tuesday, March 26, 2019
It looks like the charter school bill making its way through the legislature isn't going anywhere. After it passed the Senate, House Speaker Rusty Bowers stopped the bill from getting a hearing in committee. Bowers said he doesn't have the votes to pass it and he's probably right.
The bill's purported goal is to clean up the corruption and profiteering running rampant in some charter schools. People who have been paying attention have known about this for years but a series of articles in the Arizona Republic exposed the seamy underbelly of the charter world to more people, including some Republican politicians who have done their best to look the other way. Not all charters are guilty. Many are run with the primary intent of educating their students, not fatten people's wallets. But as The Republic demonstrated, the bad charter operators are truly bad operators.
The bill's sponsors claim its purpose is to increase charter transparency and lay down some regulations, making it harder for people to game the system. Actually, it does very little, and it does that badly.
Before we look at the bill itself, let's take a look at what's been going on around the bill to see what we can learn.
Here's one clue to what's in the bill: when it passed the Senate 17-13, all the Republicans voted for it. All the Democrats voted against it after trying to amend it to give it more teeth. Seeing as how Republicans created Arizona's charter schools a few decades back and have protected charters from greater regulation and accountability ever since while Democrats have been the ones calling for more transparency and regulation, it makes you think the bill is meant to act as a fig leaf to cover up the naked corruption taking place in some charters, not improve the charter school system.
Tags: Charter schools , Arizona legislature , Arizona Charter School Association , Sen. Kate Brophy McGee , Rep. Eddie Farnsworth , Image
I joined host Christopher Conover and GOP activist and radio commentator James Kelley on Friday night for a conversation about the 2020 presidential race and U.S. Senate race on Arizona 360. Watch the segments here. I'm still pretty sure that Kelley was wrong when he declared that Trump's national approval rating had crested the 50 percent margin.
Tags: news , politics , Arizona 360 , AZ360 , Christopher Conover , GOP , activist , radio commentator , James Kelley , Jim Nintzel , 2020 , Image
The Pima Animal Care Center is waiving adoption fees for certain pets in the shelter next month, with the help of some of its volunteers.
Throughout April, animals with a kennel card that reads “I’m a PACC Volunteer Pick! My fee is waived!” will be included in the promotion. The cards will also include text from the volunteers with details about that pet.
National Volunteer Week takes place the third week of April each year, and PACC officials decided to highlight volunteers by waiving fees on select pets. According to the shelter, there are 356 dogs and puppies and 73 cats and kittens currently living on the property. All pets adopted will come spayed or neutered, with age-appropriate vaccinations, a microchip and a free vet visit. A $19 licensing fee will apply to dogs.
The Pima Animal Care Center is located at 4000 N. Silverbell Road.
Tags: pets , animals , dogs , cats , puppies , kittens , adoption fees , PACC , volunteer pick , adopt , Image
The University of Arizona hopes to position itself as a hub for research, programming and services related to gender-based violence, according to an official press release. Thanks to a $1.5 million donation from the Chris and Carrie Shumway Foundation, the university's Consortium on Gender-Based Violence is in the process of establishing a national model for "understanding and combating gender-based violence, improving support for survivors and eliminating cultural attitudes that re-create cycles of violence."
While people of any gender can be the target of violence, women, girls and LGBTQ+ individuals are far more likely to be harmed by men both in the United States and across the world. The Consortium aims to develop a "research-to-practice" model for violence prevention and response which can strengthen gender-based violence prevention efforts outside the university to reach the greater Tucson area.
The consortium was established by Monica J. Casper, a professor and associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Inclusion with the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Melissa Vito, former senior vice president for UA's Student Affairs, Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives. The Shumways donated $500,000 to the cause in December of 2017, and have now contributed another $1 million to help the consortium expand its mission, according to the release.
With new director Elise Lopez—who received her PhD in public health from UA and is an internationally-recognized violence scholar—the consortium will introduce a grant program to help researchers fund projects for solutions. It will also provide support for the new Survivor Advocacy Program, which offers confidential support and advocacy services to student survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, according to their website.
"The UA becomes our students' home, and we cannot do our primary job educating them, allowing them to develop their minds and characters, and helping them to explore their interests and new relationships, if we do not create a safe environment," UA President Robert Robbins said in the release. "Violence of any kind, including violence based on a person's gender, has no place on a university campus, and we are all grateful for this generous gift from Carrie and Chris Shumway. The Shumways are giving us the opportunity to fulfill their vision of the UA as a national model for addressing and hopefully eliminating gender-based violence."
Carrie Shumway is a 1993 alumnus with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Her husband Chris is the managing partner of Shumway Capital, a Connecticut-based private investment firm valued at over $8 billion. Their philanthropy work is focused on "reducing the disparity of educational outcomes between low-income and high-income students," according to their website.
The UA recently hired former judge Ronald Wilson as the new Title IX director in an effort to address the university's compliance with the federal law after several lawsuits were filed by current or former students involved in university athletics who believe the school did not protect them from gender-based sexual misconduct and assault.
Tags: University of Arizona , Consortium on Gender-Based Violence , Title IX , Research , Grant , Sexual Assault , Survivor , Advocate , Image
The duo tackle last weekend's second round games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, before giving their picks for this week's Sweet 16 contests.
Both hammer out their favorite games for the third round of the 68-team event, discussing the betting lines for each.
They also address the controversial comments made by University of California-Irvine coach Russell Turner, who called Oregon freshman Louis King 'Queen' throughout their game on Sunday, according to the LA Times.
The final segment of Tuesday's podcast handles the openings at California, UCLA and Washington State, with both Boan and Vondrak giving their picks of the next coach at each school.
Tune in on Friday, as the pair return for another segment of the Weekly's sports podcast, talking about Thursday's Sweet 16 contests once they've concluded.
Tags: Tucson Weekly , NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament , Louis King , Russell Turner , UC Irvine , Cal Bears , UCLA Bruins , John Calipari , Kentucky Wildcats , Oregon Ducks , Bol Bol , Pac-12 , Gonzaga Bulldogs , Mark Few , Rui Hachimura , Image
Tags: comics , politics , cartoons , Claytoonz , Lock who up? , Avenatti , collusion , Trump , report , Image
Tucson Art Book Club: A Reading with Arthur Hittner. Join the Tucson Art Book Club for a reading with author Arthur Hittner. Hittner will read from Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse, one of his novels inspired by a New York City artist who died during World War II. The reading runs from 3:30 to 5p.m. at Dusenburry-River Library, 5605 E. River Rd., Ste. 105. Details here.
2019 Spinach Day 5K & 10K. Did you know there's such thing as National Spinach Day? Neither did we! Well apparently National Spinach Day is March 26 and what better way to spend it than to show off and run in this 5K & 10K! 15 percent of each registration fee will be donated to Heifer International, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. This is a virtual race that can be done from any place and any time, from March 26-31. So how does that work? You run any place any time and submit your time. Then, your receive your medal in the mail! Cost is $20. Details here.
Events compiled by Briannon Wilfong, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.
Tags: things to do , fun in general , local , events , Tucson , Tuesday , March 26 , Image , Video
Tags: music , where to rock , live shows , live music , concert , 191 Toole , local , Tucson , Electric Six , Image
Monday, March 25, 2019
Upon news of his passing, Gov. Ducey issued the following statement:
“Arizona is saddened by the loss of Don Diamond. Genuine, generous, and respected by all, Don displayed a deep love for Arizona and commitment to Tucson dating back to his earliest days. Through his business and real-estate career, Don — possibly more than anyone else —helped develop Arizona’s metropolitan areas into the growing cities they are today. He will also be remembered for his extensive philanthropic efforts, which included supporting causes such as promoting higher education, expanding access to children’s healthcare, and protecting natural habitats. No doubt, Don’s legacy will have a lasting impact on Arizona for many years to come. Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the entire Diamond family during this difficult time.”
Tags: news , Don Diamond , developer , philanthropist , Rest in Peace , Tucson , Pima County , Doug Ducey , Governor Ducey , statement , Image
Each month the organization runs a Teacher Excellence Award program and are currently running a special contest for Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6 to 10. Students can submit a video explaining why their teacher should be nominated and recognized. The videos can be a group or individual project and adult help is allowed.
All K-12 teachers in southern Arizona are eligible to be nominated and five teachers will be chosen for the award. Winners will receive $250 cash from Tucson Values Teachers, a $100 gift card to Office Depot/OfficeMax, a plaque recognizing their achievement, flowers, a mini bell from Ben's Bells and pizza for their class.
So, if you know a teacher who deserves to win, work with your kids and nominate now! Videos must be under a minute long and in MP4 or MOV format. Nominations can be submitted now until April 25.
Find the nomination form here.
Tags: education , students , teachers , Tucson Values Teachers , k-12 , video , nominations , projects , kids project , school , Image
