Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Arizona’s first saliva test – designed by scientists at Arizona State University to make university-wide testing feasible in the fall – already has been administered to more than 6,000 people, according to Vel Murugan, an associate research professor at ASU’s Biodesign Institute. It’s an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs, which are uncomfortable and can be dangerous to frontline workers.
“We want the full video to be released. Every single video. There were multiple police officers there,” said Viri Hernandez, executive director of Poder in Action, which organized a vigil Monday night. “We want the 911 call in its entirety because we want the family to be able to see that before it’s released to the media.”
Police said Monday afternoon that they were releasing what they could related to the “high-interest case” but that releasing too much now – including video from body cameras worn by the officers who opened fire – “could compromise the investigation.”
In a statement Monday, the department said officers were responding to a 911 call Saturday afternoon from a man who said he had been stabbed the previous week by a man who was back in the neighborhood with a knife and threatening him again. When officers arrived, the caller told them there was a man with a knife and a man with a gun, and directed them to a driveway near 56th Ave and Glenrosa.
Police said they found a man – who has been identified by advocates as James “Jay” Garcia – sitting in a parked car in the driveway. Officers surrounded the car and talked to the man for “approximately 10 minutes” asking him to get out, according to the statement, but he refused, rolling up his windows instead and displaying a handgun.
Today Pima County government announced they contracted Maximus Health & Services, Inc. to boost contact tracing efforts in the region.
Maximus is an outsourcing company that provides business support to government health agencies such as the Pima County Health Department. They will hire about 150 local residents to perform “extensive” contact tracing as directed by the health department, in order to “alert, educate and isolate” individuals who have come in close contact with a person who is COVID-19 positive.
Tags: Pima County , Health Department , COVID19 , Coronavirus , Contact Tracing , Maximus , Theresa Cullen , Image
Pima County had 10,184 of the state's 105,094 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,927 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has nearly two-thirds of the state's cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 67,543.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that 3,356 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state, more than triple the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
A total of 1,385 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 869 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
With the spread of COVID increasingly out of control in Arizona, some local school districts have announced that they will only offer "distance learning" or online instruction when school starts next month. Unlike in spring, when schools moved online following spring break, districts are planning stricter instructional time designed to mirror traditional in-person classes.
Tucson Unified School District and Sunnyside School District revealed in recent days that they would move to an online-only model, while Catalina Foothills is moving forward with a plan that blends in-person classes and distance learning. Amphi School District and Marana School District had not yet updated their plans as of Monday, July 6.
Monday, July 6, 2020
One week ago, Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Arizona public schools will be allowed to open their doors to students on Monday, Aug. 17. But with COVID-19 cases on the rise, local school districts are not confident that this start date is the real thing.
Two districts, Tucson Unified School District and Sunnyside School District, announced over the holiday weekend that they would begin the school year with an online-only program and only return to having in-person classes once it is safe.
In a message to parents, TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said that because of the uncertainty about returning to in-person instruction, all students will begin the school year via remote learning on Monday, Aug. 10. The families who want their children to return to in-person learning can transition to that once it’s safe to do so.
“Although starting this school year remotely is not ideal, we are committed to offering every child quality and rigorous curriculum, five days a week, from our highly qualified teachers,” Trujillo wrote.
Using Zoom and recorded lessons, approved learning programs and offline homework, TUSD’s teachers are aiming to provide as comprehensive a learning experience as possible in a COVID-19 reality. The district is asking parents to register online for each child indicating their choice for either remote learning or on-campus instruction when it’s available. This will help them plan for the best way to reopen schools in the future.
Parents can submit and change their preferences until Saturday, Aug. 1. But once the school year begins, TUSD will create defined intervals when parents can transition their children from one option to another.
TUSD’s Next Steps 2020, which the district is calling “A New Era for Education,” lays out the details for both on-campus and at-home learning for all grades K-12.
Tags: Tucson Unified , Sunnyside , Catalina Foothills , Back to School , Reopening , Remote Learning , Gov Doug Ducey , Image
Early balloting begins Wednesday, July 8.
To help you register, Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez will be open until 7 p.m. at both her downtown office (240 N. Stone Ave.) and her eastside office (6920 E. Broadway Blvd.).
“Fourth of July weekend is a busy time for many families, so we want to give everyone the opportunity to register to vote on Monday,” said Rodriguez.
You can also register to vote online by visiting servicearizona.com.
Voter registration forms are also available at all post offices and public libraries, as well as online at the Recorder's Office.
If you want to get a taste of in-person politics, Laura Conover, one of three Democrats running for Pima County Attorney, is teaming up with political group Enough Is Enough to host what's she's billing as the "nation's first-ever drive-in political address at 7:30 tonight at El Toro Flicks Drive In Cinema, 198 S. Granada Ave. The event will also include appearances by state Rep. Andres Cano and county supervisor candidate Adelita Grijalva. Temp checks at the entrance and masks required.
Pima County had 9,873 of the state's 101,441 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,810 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has more than half the state's cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 64,915.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that a record 3,212 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state, more than triple the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
A total of 1,306 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 1,405 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
With the spread of COVID increasingly out of control in Arizona, some local school districts have announced that they will only offer "distance learning" or online instruction when school starts next month. Unlike in spring, when schools moved online following spring break, districts are planning stricter instructional time designed to mirror traditional in-person classes.
Tucson Unified School District announced last week that it would launch online classes for all students starting Aug. 10, with in-person classroom instruction delayed until "when it is deemed safe," according to a letter to parents from TUSD Superintendent Gabrielle Trujillo.
Although Gov. Doug Ducey announced earlier this week that the start of the school year would be moved from Aug. 3 to Aug. 17, Trujillo said that date "may be aspirational."
"Due to this uncertainty, and the importance of creating a stable educational environment for our families and staff, Tucson Unified has determined we will begin all students via Remote Learning on Monday, August 10, 2020 and then transition those interested in an on-campus learning experience when it is deemed safe," Trujillo wrote. "Although starting this school year remotely is not ideal, we are committed to offering every child quality and rigorous curriculum, 5 days a week, from our highly qualified teachers. Instruction will be conducted utilizing teacher zoom lessons, as well as, some recorded lessons and offline homework. Classes will be consistent with real-time classroom instruction and will utilize approved online programs with assessment tools."
Likewise, Sunnyside School District Superintendent Steve Holmes told parents that the district would start online classes on Aug. 5.
Friday, July 3, 2020
According to Bret Fanshaw, Arizona program director for SUN, a solar co-op is a group of households in a geographic area who are planning to go solar around the same time. Through the group, members will be able to educate themselves about solar and can see the different types of panels they may be eligible for based on their roof space.
So far, SUN has hosted a series of webinars where local co-op members can view a presentation on the goals of the co-op and information about solar. The webinars included explanations on how solar panels work, how they attach to homes, and how ownership can reduce TEP bills. The next SUN webinar will be hosted on July 21 on Zoom.
The co-op is currently seeking to hit its 100-member goal. The co-op then decides on a certain installation company and approaches it for a group price.
“We send solar installation companies a request for proposal, where they can bid on the group by describing their pricing, warranties, equipment, and many other details,” Fanshaw said. “Co-op members review the bids and choose one company.”
Pima County cracked the 9,000-case threshold, with 9,024 of the state's 91,858 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,788 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has more than half the state's cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 57,929.
For the first time, more than 3,000 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state. This morning's Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that 3,013 Arizonans were hospitalized, nearly triple the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
The number of people visiting ERs jumped dramatically yesterday, with 1,847 people seeking emergency rooms. The previous high, set on July 1, was 1,371. Since June 15, the daily number has only dropped below 1,000 twice.
A record number of 741 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday, pushing the statewide number of adult intensive care bed in use past the 90 percent marker for the first time.
With the spread of COVID increasingly out of control in Arizona, Tucson Unified School District announced last night that it would launch online classes for all students starting Aug. 10, with in-person classroom instruction delayed until "when it is deemed safe," according to a letter to parents from TUSD Superintendent Gabrielle Trujillo.
Although Gov. Doug Ducey announced earlier this week that the start of the school year would be moved from Aug. 3 to Aug. 17, Trujillo said that date "may be aspirational."
"Due to this uncertainty, and the importance of creating a stable educational environment for our families and staff, Tucson Unified has determined we will begin all students via Remote Learning on Monday, August 10, 2020 and then transition those interested in an on-campus learning experience when it is deemed safe," Trujillo wrote. "Although starting this school year remotely is not ideal, we are committed to offering every child quality and rigorous curriculum, 5 days a week, from our highly qualified teachers. Instruction will be conducted utilizing teacher zoom lessons, as well as, some recorded lessons and offline homework. Classes will be consistent with real-time classroom instruction and will utilize approved online programs with assessment tools."
Read Trujillo's entire letter here.
Thursday, July 2, 2020
- The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona rose past 87,000 as of Thursday, July 2, after the state reported 3,333 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
- The almighty Loft Cinema continues its series of streaming films this week with 6 new offerings starting July 3: three documentaries, the directorial debut of actor Bill Duke, a raving comedy and an award winning film from South Korea.
- As Arizona broke records Wednesday for new COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in a single day, Vice President Mike Pence flew in to assure Gov. Doug Ducey that the federal government “will spare no expense” in helping the state.
- The monsoon may be the next major player in the Bighorn Fire story. The 118,000-acre fire is now more than half contained after burning across the Catalina Mountains for nearly a month.
- Tommy Fisher billed his new privately funded border wall as the future of deterrence, a quick-to-build steel fortress that spans 3 miles in one of the busiest Border Patrol sectors.
- There’s often not much agreement on news out of Washington, but Arizona business leaders were hard-pressed this week to come up with negatives about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that took effect Wednesday.
- Jaylon Sesay—a.k.a. Prospect Jay—and the Sho Ryders Motorcycle Club are distributing water bottles to Tucson's homeless at several different locations around the Old Pueblo on Sunday, July 5.
