Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus offered to resign after revealing the details of an investigation into the death of a man in police custody in April. Mayor Regina Romero said Magnus' offer was unexpected and she would consider it.
The in-custody death was just revealed yesterday, June 23, and has been met with outrage from the Tucson community. A medical examiner’s report determined Ingram-Lopez suffered cardiac arrest from a combination of physical restraint by the officers involved and acute cocaine intoxication.
During a Wednesday press conference discussing details of the event, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus offered his resignation to Mayor Regina Romero and called for “full accountability” within the department. Romero said she was not expecting Magnus' offer to resign and would have to consider it before commenting further.
Magnus said the three officers involved in detaining Ingram-Lopez violated department policies for interacting with people who are in mental distress or under the influence of drugs. All three officers have resigned; Magnus added that they would have been fired otherwise for “multiple policy violations.”
Magnus said Ingram-Lopez’s grandmother called 911 at 1 a.m. on April 21 to report that her grandson was “drunk, yelling and running naked.”
Body camera footage shows officers arriving at the home and screaming at Ingram-Lopez to “get on the fucking ground.” Ingram-Lopez is shown running to the garage, where officers handcuff him behind his back and lay him face-down on the floor.
The audio captures Ingram-Lopez screaming in distress, saying repeatedly “no,” “please” and “I’m sorry.” Magnus said Ingram-Lopez was “highly erratic” at the beginning of the encounter, but became more compliant.
Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo said “goodbye” to one of its animals Wednesday when the organization announced the passing of Shombay the African lion. Shombay lived to 12 and was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2016.
“Losing Shombay is particularly difficult for our team,” said Dr. Sue Tygielski, Director of Zoo Operations, in the zoo’s announcement. “Our animal care and veterinary teams worked so hard to encourage him to participate in training sessions to help save his life. When he received these additional fluids, he would act more energetic. The team could see clear evidence of how their skills and dedication helped Shombay. They are all proud to have worked with him and our zoo is so lucky to have such dedicated staff.”
According to the zoo, the lion’s recent blood tests showed a decline in kidney function, and “he was not participating in fluid sessions.”
“These factors combined contributed to the zoo’s decision to humanely euthanize him on Wednesday morning,” the zoo stated.
Shombay landed at Reid Park Zoo in 2010, when he was 2 years old. Known as a cautious lion, Shomby was well known for investigating new habitats before making himself comfortable—and longtime patrons may remember the mohawk he once sported in his youth.
Shombay and Kaya, a female lion at the zoo, were responsible for the birth of several litters of cubs. Their 6-year-old, Nayo, lives at Reid Park.
“We expect their behaviors to be different in the near future as they adapt to life without Shombay,” Animal Care Supervisor Rebecca Edwards said. “Our team will do all we can to make the transition as easy as possible.”
“Losing Shombay is particularly difficult for our team,” said Dr. Sue Tygielski, Director of Zoo Operations, in the zoo’s announcement. “Our animal care and veterinary teams worked so hard to encourage him to participate in training sessions to help save his life. When he received these additional fluids, he would act more energetic. The team could see clear evidence of how their skills and dedication helped Shombay. They are all proud to have worked with him and our zoo is so lucky to have such dedicated staff.”
According to the zoo, the lion’s recent blood tests showed a decline in kidney function, and “he was not participating in fluid sessions.”
“These factors combined contributed to the zoo’s decision to humanely euthanize him on Wednesday morning,” the zoo stated.
Shombay landed at Reid Park Zoo in 2010, when he was 2 years old. Known as a cautious lion, Shomby was well known for investigating new habitats before making himself comfortable—and longtime patrons may remember the mohawk he once sported in his youth.
Shombay and Kaya, a female lion at the zoo, were responsible for the birth of several litters of cubs. Their 6-year-old, Nayo, lives at Reid Park.
“We expect their behaviors to be different in the near future as they adapt to life without Shombay,” Animal Care Supervisor Rebecca Edwards said. “Our team will do all we can to make the transition as easy as possible.”
Annabella Piunti/Cronkite News
Earthmoving equipment clears a path up Monument Hill in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, just west of Lukeville. Advocates and Tohono O’odham Nation officials are concerned about damage to the environment, lands sacred to indigenous people and potential impact on migrating animals.
PHOENIX – As President Donald Trump was hailing the pace of border wall construction Tuesday, Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr. was bemoaning it as a project that continues “to destroy … sacred sites.”
“We have an obligation, we have a duty, we have a responsibility, to protect those sites of our ancestors, sacred sites of our ancestors, and do what we can do to protect those areas,” Norris said.
He was one of five tribal leaders, along with San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler, who took part in a National Congress of American Indians virtual forum Tuesday on threats to tribal lands from federal government action.
The forum, “Protecting Tribal Lands and Sacred Places: Current Threats across Indian Country,” ranged from complaints of physical destruction of tribal sites to efforts to block tribal checkpoints aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
For Norris, it is the wall going through his reservation which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border and through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument where the Tohono O’odham say there are burial and archeological sites.
For Rambler, the threat is the Resolution Copper Mine planned for an area known as Oak Flat. The site was part of a land swap engineered by members of Arizona’s congressional delegation in 2014, that gave the mining company 2,400 acres of copper-rich federal land in exchange for 5,000 privately held acres in southeastern Arizona.
PHOENIX – President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday suspending H-1B, L-1, J and other temporary work visas until the end of the year, while also extending the hold on green cards for new immigrants.
The suspension is in addition to an earlier order signed April 22, which put a 60-day restriction on the flow of immigrants into the United States to soften the economic downfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order goes into effect Wednesday, potentially affecting thousands of immigrants, among them tech workers and foreign au pairs, who hold H-1B and J-1 visas, respectively.
“We estimate that this would prevent the entry of 167,000 temporary workers and their family members in July through December,” said Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. “And would block an additional 158,000 people who would have otherwise come to the United States on green cards from abroad.”
According to a senior Trump administration official who discussed the order in a teleconference, the order will free up about 525,000 U.S. jobs, making way for American citizens to have the first shot at applying.
The suspension is in addition to an earlier order signed April 22, which put a 60-day restriction on the flow of immigrants into the United States to soften the economic downfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order goes into effect Wednesday, potentially affecting thousands of immigrants, among them tech workers and foreign au pairs, who hold H-1B and J-1 visas, respectively.
“We estimate that this would prevent the entry of 167,000 temporary workers and their family members in July through December,” said Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. “And would block an additional 158,000 people who would have otherwise come to the United States on green cards from abroad.”
According to a senior Trump administration official who discussed the order in a teleconference, the order will free up about 525,000 U.S. jobs, making way for American citizens to have the first shot at applying.
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This story was co-published with WNYC.
Donald Trump is famous — and infamous — for his use of Twitter and Facebook. But particularly since the pandemic forced him to largely swear off his favorite mass, in-person rallies, his campaign has been amping up the use of another form of alternative media: YouTube and podcasts.
The president’s most recent sit-down interview? As it happens, it occurred last week on “Triggered,” a YouTube program hosted by his namesake son. In a conversation in the White House’s map room, Trump Jr. quizzed his dad about everything from who his favorite child is to whether aliens exist — to a Fox News report that Osama bin Laden wanted to assassinate President Barack Obama so that Joe Biden would ascend to the presidency.
This was no ordinary campaign video, nor was it a random question, this week’s episode of “Trump, Inc.” makes clear. “Triggered” followed the exchange about bin Laden with a campaign ad that repeated the same point, showing how closely the program’s conversations are tied in with campaign talking points. “Trump, Inc.” explores the Trump campaign’s universe of podcasts and YouTube shows, which has expanded since the coronavirus began locking down huge swaths of the country. (The campaign did not respond to requests for comment.)
This story was co-published with WNYC.
Donald Trump is famous — and infamous — for his use of Twitter and Facebook. But particularly since the pandemic forced him to largely swear off his favorite mass, in-person rallies, his campaign has been amping up the use of another form of alternative media: YouTube and podcasts.
The president’s most recent sit-down interview? As it happens, it occurred last week on “Triggered,” a YouTube program hosted by his namesake son. In a conversation in the White House’s map room, Trump Jr. quizzed his dad about everything from who his favorite child is to whether aliens exist — to a Fox News report that Osama bin Laden wanted to assassinate President Barack Obama so that Joe Biden would ascend to the presidency.
This was no ordinary campaign video, nor was it a random question, this week’s episode of “Trump, Inc.” makes clear. “Triggered” followed the exchange about bin Laden with a campaign ad that repeated the same point, showing how closely the program’s conversations are tied in with campaign talking points. “Trump, Inc.” explores the Trump campaign’s universe of podcasts and YouTube shows, which has expanded since the coronavirus began locking down huge swaths of the country. (The campaign did not respond to requests for comment.)
Firing operation on Oracle Ridge, by National Forest Service
The 75,000-acre Bighorn Fire is now burning on several fronts throughout the Catalina Mountains after being fanned by gusty weather and has even stretched across the Pinal County line to the north. The June weather is reaching near 110 degrees during the day, and causing poor humidity recovery at night, resulting in “critical fire conditions,” according to the national Incident Information System. The fire is currently 33 percent contained, with 876 fire personnel on the job.
The fire is burning across the northern, southern, and eastern flanks of the Catalinas, which is expected to lead to smoky conditions today. This smoke is anticipated to worsen due to higher winds over the coming days.
During a morning meeting, Tim Reid, deputy incident commander on the Bighorn Fire, assessed the multiple areas of burning: Reid says the southern fire in Sabino Canyon and Catalina Foothills areas is fairly secure and that fire teams are "fairly optimistic, but there's still a threat." The burning across Pusch Ridge near Oro Valley is also in good shape, as the fire is entering sparser fuels as it comes off the mountain flanks.
Reid said fire crews are focusing on the fire burning north near Oracle, using bulldozers and burn lines to keep the Oracle Ridge area in check and braced for additional winds.
They are also taking steps to protect Mount Lemmon's Sumerhaven.
"The area where we're really focusing on is the Summerhaven area,” Reid said. “The basic strategy and tactics are lining and firing underneath the values at risk, and connecting them to the Mount Lemmon highway, and then bringing fire down the highway so that the values at risk are protected from a southwest push."
According to the National Forest Service, Catalina and Oro Valley have the greatest risk of smoke, especially in the morning.
"We're feeling pretty good about where we're at,” Reid said. “If we have a successful day today, the stage will be set for success with the wind test that's coming up."
Fire crews remind the public that drones are prohibited over the fire area, as firefighting aircraft are busy and must be grounded in drones' presence. According to NFS, on June 8, a drone was observed over the Bighorn Fire’s southern perimeter, which "forced the aircraft suppression effort to be halted, endangering the lives of on the ground firefighters and the aircrews at a critical time during the height of the burning period."
This was the second such incident in three days.
PHOENIX – President Donald Trump toured a newly finished section of border wall Tuesday in Yuma, crediting it not only for a reduction in border crossings and drugs but claiming it has helped prevent “a coronavirus catastrophe” on the southern border.
Trump, trailing a number of Republican elected officials, was in Arizona to mark the completion of the first 200 miles of the border wall that was a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, and followed the Yuma event with a campaign-like speech in Phoenix.
“During the past two months, we’ve seen the lowest number of illegal border crossings in many years,” Trump said in Yuma. “Illegal immigration is down 84 percent from this time last year. Illegal crossings from Central America are down 97 percent.”
But Democrats were quick to criticize the visits on a day when Arizona set another record for new COVID-19 cases, adding 3,591 new cases and 42 deaths in one day.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, said that instead of his “little pep rally,” Trump should be spending his time on the coronavirus and the health and economic problems it has caused.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona jumped to just shy of 60,000 as of Wednesday, June 24, after the state reported 1,795 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had 6,318 of the state's 59,974 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,463 people have died after contracting the virus, including 255 in Pima County. Maricopa County has more than half the state's cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 34,992.
Arizona hospitals continue to see a steady rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. This morning's Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that as of yesterday, a record 2,270 Arizonans were hospitalized, more than double the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
A daily total of 1,212 arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 23. Previous to June, the number of people seeking help in emergency rooms never topped 667.
The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds dropped to 581 yesterday.
If you're out in public in Pima County, you're now expected to wear masks or face coverings if you're older than 5. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 along party lines to require face masks on Friday, June 19.
Likewise, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued a proclamation that requires face masks and includes a $50 penalty for those who don't mask up, although she said authorities would first try to educate those who don't wear masks and would resort to fines only for report offenders. There are exceptions for those who can't wear a mask for medical reasons.
In other coronavirus news:
• Before visiting Arizona yesterday to tour a border wall project in Yuma and hold a rally before a largely mask-less crowd on several thousand people in a megachurch, President Donald Trump told reporters he was not kidding about his desire to see fewer COVID-19 tests as the climbing numbers looked bad.
Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ03 was critical of Trump's comments.
“Trump’s admission of his effort to slow testing in this country is a shocking low—even for him—and a recipe for disaster for states like Arizona where new cases are now skyrocketing," Grijalva said in a prepared statement. "But this is unsurprising from a President who refused to heed the advice of intelligence experts and public health officials during the early days of the virus for fear of upsetting his poll numbers. Now, Trump is trying to erase his failures by pretending that COVID-19 doesn’t exist while endangering even more lives across the country."
Grijalva said the nation needed more testing, not less.
“If we ever want to get back to a semblance of normalcy, we must get a grip on this virus, and more testing and contact tracing is how we do it," he said. "To say otherwise not only shows ignorance, but shows a complete disregard for human life and an utter disrespect for the people who have lost their lives."
• As the number of cases spread, some local restaurants, such DOWNTOWN Kitchen and Cocktails, BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs, Fire N' Smoke and Little Anthony's Diner, are closing their dining rooms and returning to takeout service.
Pima County had 6,318 of the state's 59,974 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,463 people have died after contracting the virus, including 255 in Pima County. Maricopa County has more than half the state's cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 34,992.
Arizona hospitals continue to see a steady rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. This morning's Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that as of yesterday, a record 2,270 Arizonans were hospitalized, more than double the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
A daily total of 1,212 arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 23. Previous to June, the number of people seeking help in emergency rooms never topped 667.
The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds dropped to 581 yesterday.
If you're out in public in Pima County, you're now expected to wear masks or face coverings if you're older than 5. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 along party lines to require face masks on Friday, June 19.
Likewise, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued a proclamation that requires face masks and includes a $50 penalty for those who don't mask up, although she said authorities would first try to educate those who don't wear masks and would resort to fines only for report offenders. There are exceptions for those who can't wear a mask for medical reasons.
In other coronavirus news:
• Before visiting Arizona yesterday to tour a border wall project in Yuma and hold a rally before a largely mask-less crowd on several thousand people in a megachurch, President Donald Trump told reporters he was not kidding about his desire to see fewer COVID-19 tests as the climbing numbers looked bad.
Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ03 was critical of Trump's comments.
“Trump’s admission of his effort to slow testing in this country is a shocking low—even for him—and a recipe for disaster for states like Arizona where new cases are now skyrocketing," Grijalva said in a prepared statement. "But this is unsurprising from a President who refused to heed the advice of intelligence experts and public health officials during the early days of the virus for fear of upsetting his poll numbers. Now, Trump is trying to erase his failures by pretending that COVID-19 doesn’t exist while endangering even more lives across the country."
Grijalva said the nation needed more testing, not less.
“If we ever want to get back to a semblance of normalcy, we must get a grip on this virus, and more testing and contact tracing is how we do it," he said. "To say otherwise not only shows ignorance, but shows a complete disregard for human life and an utter disrespect for the people who have lost their lives."
• As the number of cases spread, some local restaurants, such DOWNTOWN Kitchen and Cocktails, BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs, Fire N' Smoke and Little Anthony's Diner, are closing their dining rooms and returning to takeout service.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
PHOENIX – President Donald Trump is set to visit Yuma Tuesday to celebrate the completion of 216 miles of border wall, well shy of the 450 miles he has pledged to have built by the end of this year.
But experts note that the pace of construction has picked up in recent years and that, with elections looming this fall, the administration has a powerful incentive to keep pressing ahead.
“The Trump administration is spending money on the wall at an unprecedented level,” said Jessica Bolter, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.
A report Friday by Customs and Border Protection said that since Trump took office in 2017, $15 billion has been budgeted for about 738 miles of wall along the southwest border.
Supporters of the wall say it’s money well spent.
“This is the most important issue facing our nation. Our border must be secured,” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, said in a statement Monday. “Yuma is on the front lines of this defense and I am proud to have supported additional border security.”
Critics of the wall see it differently, calling the project wasteful and environmentally harmful. Democrats have scheduled a news conference in advance of Trump’s visit to say he should be focusing on the economy and the coronavirus instead.
But experts note that the pace of construction has picked up in recent years and that, with elections looming this fall, the administration has a powerful incentive to keep pressing ahead.
“The Trump administration is spending money on the wall at an unprecedented level,” said Jessica Bolter, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.
A report Friday by Customs and Border Protection said that since Trump took office in 2017, $15 billion has been budgeted for about 738 miles of wall along the southwest border.
Supporters of the wall say it’s money well spent.
“This is the most important issue facing our nation. Our border must be secured,” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, said in a statement Monday. “Yuma is on the front lines of this defense and I am proud to have supported additional border security.”
Critics of the wall see it differently, calling the project wasteful and environmentally harmful. Democrats have scheduled a news conference in advance of Trump’s visit to say he should be focusing on the economy and the coronavirus instead.
PHOENIX – Guidelines for how Arizona school districts can safely reopen for the fall have been released, but at least some parents – and teachers – are questioning how safe it will be. Administrators also wonder how to pay for implementing the changes.
Ayanna Johnson, who teaches third grade at Monte Vista Elementary School in central Phoenix, said it’s not clear how her district will adopt the new guidelines released by the Arizona Department of Education on June 1.
“To be honest, we haven’t had any communication from” the Creighton School District, she said. “I heard about it on the news, and … are we going to be wearing masks? Are we going to be … social distancing? Are we going to be having a shorter day. … What is it going to be like?”
Ayanna Johnson, who teaches third grade at Monte Vista Elementary School in central Phoenix, said it’s not clear how her district will adopt the new guidelines released by the Arizona Department of Education on June 1.
“To be honest, we haven’t had any communication from” the Creighton School District, she said. “I heard about it on the news, and … are we going to be wearing masks? Are we going to be … social distancing? Are we going to be having a shorter day. … What is it going to be like?”
