On Thursday, Feb. 27, the University of Arizona broke ground on The Refinery, the first building at UA’s Tech Park at The Bridges. The Refinery will be four-stories and 120,000 square feet, and is expected to serve as an example of the technology-driven workspace found at the Tech Park at The Bridges. The building is planned to be completed in summer 2021.

“This will be a place for innovators to take advantage of our established programming, and work in a new environment with state of the art resources,” said Eric Smith, executive director for the UA Center for Innovation, at the groundbreaking. “This will also be a place for entrepreneurs to meet with other entrepreneurs, as well as those in established companies. These collisions will create opportunities for learning and entrepreneurial thinking. Those who choose to learn and work here at The Bridges will certainly be supported.”

UA has committed 50 percent of The Refinery’s space for commercialization and innovation of small-to-midsize tech-focused businesses. Activities housed at The Refinery will include the UA Applied Research Corporation, the UA’s cyberoperations program, new offices for Tech Launch Arizona, and space for students and faculty.

“What we have the opportunity to do, not only with a building like this, but with a location like this, is to accelerate the pace at which research has impact,” said Betsy Cantwell, senior vice president for research and innovation at UA. “So for us that’s meaningful; it’s meaningful for our students who want to participate in an institution that has impact; it’s meaningful for our faculty who more and more want to do research that has impact. They do not want to occupy their ivory tower, they do not want to look at a narrow problem for their entire career. They want to have the opportunity to have impact. And this is the place where that will happen.”

The Refinery is part of the 20-acre “Technology Zone” within the 65-acre Tech Park at The Bridges. Long-term development plans for the Technology Zone include up to five office and lab buildings for public, private and academic users. Other Tech Park zones are the University Zone, which will house academic “centers of excellence”; the Business Zone, designed for large technology companies; and the Corporate Zone, which allows corporations to become anchor tenants of the tech park.

UA’s Tech Park itself is part of the larger 350-acre mixed-use development project that includes a Costco, Walmart and Cinemark movie theater.

City council member Richard Fimbres described this expansion as part of the ongoing “Renaissance of the South side.”

“Today, with this groundbreaking, we now have all aspects of the Tucson Marketplace at The Bridges under construction,” Fimbres said.

Fimbres also highlighted the benefit of Tech Park at The Bridges’ location, being roughly three miles from the UA campus, as well as a five-minute drive from downtown and a five-minute drive from the Tucson airport.

In addition to The Refinery’s groundbreaking, UA also announced the street names throughout the Tech Park at The Bridges. Catalyst Drive will be the main passage through the park, with streets like “Tomorrow” and “Innovate” branching throughout. The Refinery will be located at the corner of Idea Street and Catalyst Drive.

“I’ve been in a lot of communities where the innovation ecosystem is just beginning to bubble up, and I will say, in my estimation, that’s exactly what’s happening in Tucson right now,” Cantwell said.

For the UA, and the Tucson community in general, the Tech Park at The Bridges is a long time coming. UA sought partial funding for the development via an economic development proposition in 2015, which ultimately failed. Construction is now overseen by UA’s development partner The Boyer Company, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City and also maintains an office in Phoenix.

“We see this new park as another catalyst and driver for university-based economic development in the region, a place where new ideas are incubated and businesses are formed, a place where university innovation can move at the speed of business,” said Carol Stewart, associate vice president for Tech Parks Arizona.

The Tech Park at The Bridges’ long-term plan calls for 1.8 million square feet of “developed office and laboratory space” that could support between 7,000 to 10,000 employees.

“This is going to be the catalyst that helps put us on the map to simply make the world a better place,” said UA president Robert C. Robbins. “We have to have great professors, we have to have fundamental discovery, and investment and basic science, but not stop there, to transplant those discoveries into commercializable products and companies to build our economy. It’s part of our responsibility as the University of Arizona.”

With 4/20 on the horizon, it’s once again time to crown new winners in the Weekly’s sixth annual Cannabis Bowl! As in previous years, we are asking readers to let us know their favorite dispensaries, budtenders, concentrates, edibles and more.

Deadline to cast a ballot is midnight on Tuesday, March 24.

• You can only vote once—and we can catch multiple votes from the same IP address, so don’t bother trying. Stuff bowls, not ballots!

Cast your vote at now by clicking here to get to our ballot!

The City of Tucson released its five-month E-Scooter Pilot Program Report on Wednesday for review by the mayor and council during their upcoming March 3 study session. The six-month pilot program is scheduled to end March 12, if the mayor and council vote not to renew.

The city has collected about $68,000 in fees (as of January 2020) from Bird and Razor scooters through application fees, permit fees and right-of-way-use fees (about .20¢ per trip), according to the report. The report estimates the city would receive an extra $6,608 in fees by the program’s end. The report also states the city would collect $129,304 if the program continued for a full year.

Over 37,000 people in the Tucson area between the program’s start on Sept. 12 and Feb. 12 have taken almost 174,000 e-scooter trips. The daily average is 1,130 trips per day, with the average trip distance about .86 miles and the average trip duration about nine minutes, according to the report. On any given day, there was an average of 688 e-scooters on Tucson streets, mainly in central Tucson's Ward 6.

Ridership started strong in the pilot program’s opening month, with 42,763 trips during September. It peaked at 55,500 trips in October. However, scooter trips dropped significantly in November to 34,666 trips. Ridership continued to decrease in December with only 19,219 trips. January saw an increase of 2,614 rides from the previous month, bringing that month's total to 21,833.

In a nutshell, there was nearly double the number of riders during the program’s first month as there were in the last month.

Four Tucsonans have been nominated as semi-finalists for the 2020 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Maria Mazon, owner and chef of Boca Tacos y Tequila is up for the Best Chef (Southwest Region) category.  She said she found out about her nomination from Dan Gibson, director of communications at Visit Tucson, at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

"I thought he was playing a practical joke on me," Mazon said. "I'm speechless. I'm happy. I'm everything."

Other local semi-finalists are Mi Nidito for Outstanding Hospitality, Don Guerra of Barrio Bread for Outstanding Baker and Stephen Paul of Hamilton Distillers for Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Producer.

Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 a.m. M.S.T. Winners of the 2020 James Beard Award will be announced at their gala in Chicago on Sunday, May 3.

The James Beard Award is the most prestigious culinary award in the United States and is coveted by chefs and service industry aficionados alike.  



 

Bad news for Elvis impersonators, Civil War reenactors and our bearded brethren across the world...but good news for Gillette. 

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention recommends shaving your beard to protect yourself from a potential coronavirus outbreak. Beards and mutton chop side burns can interfere with the seal of a facepiece respirator mask, according to a new CDC infographic.

The circle beard, the fu-manchu and the chinstrap are other facial hair styles recommended for shaving by the CDC. 

The bottom line is facial hair should not make any contact with the respirator seal's surface, according to the infographic.

The CDC also urged the American public to start preparing for potential future outbreaks during a press conference on Tuesday.

“As we’ve seen from recent countries with community spread, when it has hit those countries, it has moved quite rapidly," Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at the conference. "We want to make sure the American public is prepared."

Messonnier also noted the increased risk of a domestic outbreak due to travel between countries like Italy, South Korea and Iran, all of which have seen recent coronavirus outbreaks. 

“As more and more countries experience community spread, successful containment at our borders becomes harder and harder," Messonnier said.

There are currently 80,000 cases of coronavirus globally, with the majority being in mainland China. Domestically, there has been 53 confirmed cases of U.S. citizens with the virus; 14 cases from people who recently traveled to China, and another 39 Americans who have been affected abroad. 

Update Investigation in Picture Rocks

The skeletal remains located in the desert area northeast of Anthony Road and Massingale Road on February 12, 2020 have been identified as 38-year-old Sarah Galloway. The manner of death has yet to be determined.

Detectives are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1. You can also submit an anonymous tip, with the potential for a reward, by text, phone, or by going to 88CRIME.org.

The Arizona branch of American Friends Service Committee filed a ballot initiative called the Second Chances, Rehabilitation & Public Safety Act yesterday at Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs' office in Phoenix.

They have until July 2 to collect 237,645 valid signatures.

AFSC-AZ, headquartered here in Tucson, is a nonprofit organization that lobbies for criminal justice reform legislation at the state capital every year and conducts community outreach and research related to ending mass incarceration in Arizona.

Caroline Isaacs, the organization's director, described this ballot initiative as the "greatest hits" of all the reform bills they have tried to get passed in the legislature, but were unsuccessful.

If passed, the initiative would do four things:

1. Allow people in prison serving time for non-dangerous offenses to earn additional earned release credits for good behavior and participation in rehabilitation programs. Arizona law mandates that every prisoner serve 85 percent of their sentence, no matter what. AFSC-AZ believes this will incentivize people in prison to rehabilitate themselves.
   
   
2. Allow judges the ability to impose lesser sentences for non-dangerous offenses when doing so is "justified in the interest of justice, taking into account input from victims, individual circumstances, and rehabilitative options." This would combat the impact of mandatory minimum sentences.
   
   
3. Clarify when a non-dangerous offender may be sentenced based on “a historical prior felony conviction.” Individuals are often faced with extensive prison sentences that come with the “repeat offender” distinction, which likely persuades them to take plea deals.
   
   
4. Establish a fund that will provide services for victims of violent crime and ultimately prevent future crime, as well as address trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by first responders in the line of duty.

If they meet the signature requirements, this initiative would be presented on the Nov. 3, 2020 general election ballot. For more information, visit betterwayaz.com.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona announced the selection of former state senator Steve Farley as the organization's next CEO.

Farley’s selection comes after a national search conducted for the HSSA board of directors over several months.

“Leading the Humane Society is the next step in my public service,” Farley said in statement. “My devotion to helping the lives of animals, my relationships with leaders throughout the community, and my experience in public communications, public policy, and public management will be put to good use leading this strong, innovative and purpose-driven organization. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and save lives every single day.”

The humane society will be hosting a public meet and greet Wednesday, March 4 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at HSSA Main Campus, 635 W. Roger Road.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief is offering a $1,500 reward for any information leading to an arrest after a javelina was stoned to death at Tanque Verde Elementary school last Friday night.

The remains were found surrounded by landscaping rocks covered with blood in the courtyard of the school. According to Game and Fish, the javelina died from blunt force trauma, and other physical evidence was found at the scene.

“This was a malicious act, that of a criminal, a person without regard for the state’s most precious resource, its wildlife,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson, in a statement. “The javelina suffered an especially cruel death. In addition, this happened at an elementary school, which could have had a negative impact on young children were it not for the prompt response of sheriff’s deputies.”

Those with information about the case are urged to contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief Hotline at 800-352-0700 and reference OGT #20-000302, anonymously if need be.

The maximum penalty for the crime of illegally taking wildlife is six months in jail and a $750 fine. Civil penalties may also apply.

The University of Arizona's Passports Office will hold a special passport day event on Feb. 22 to help Tucson residents apply for newly required, federally valid IDs.

Starting Oct. 1, U.S. citizens traveling domestically will be required to present a "real ID" in order to board a flight. State driver's licenses without a gold star, which will designate an ID is "REAL ID-compliant" will no longer be accepted.

Passports do fulfill the federal requirements and may be used to fly. There is also a passport card available that can be used to travel by ground or water into Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and can be used as a valid form of ID for domestic flights. These are the most cost-effective option.

The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University of Arizona's Global Center, located at 615 N. Park Ave.

Attendees should bring the following with them to the event:

- The original copy of, or a certified copy of their proof of citizenship.
- A government-issued photo ID.
- A recent 2x2 inch passport photo. Those who don't have one can use the photo services on site for $10.
- Two separate payments. Applicants need a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State for the passport application and optional expedite fees. A second check or money order payable to UA Passports, or a debit/credit payment, is also required for the execution ($35) and photo fees if needed. Cash will not be accepted.

Passport books for adults cost $110 and $80 for people 15 and younger. The passport cards cost $30 for adults and $15 for children 15 and younger.

Free parking for this event will be available on the west side of Tyndall Avenue and in the Tyndall Avenue parking garage.

Passport forms and photo services are available on site. For complete information about required documentation and fees, visit global.arizona.edu/passports or email [email protected].