Friday, January 8, 2021
The Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans will begin for new and certain existing borrowers later this month.
The First Draw of PPP loans will be distributed to qualifying borrowers through community financial institutions on Monday, Jan. 11, with the Second Draw on Wednesday, Jan. 13. All participating lenders will have access to the PPP shortly after, according to a statement released by the SBA on Friday, Jan. 8.
“The historically successful Paycheck Protection Program served as an economic lifeline to millions of small businesses and their employees when they needed it most,” said SBA administrator Jovita Carranza. “Today’s guidance builds on the success of the program and adapts to the changing needs of small business owners by providing targeted relief and a simpler forgiveness process to ensure their path to recovery.”
The SBA also updated PPP guidance for potential borrowers as a part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits and Venues Act.
Major updates include:
PPP borrowers can set their PPP loan’s covered period to be any length between eight and 24 weeks to best meet their business needs;
PPP loans will cover additional expenses, including operations expenditures, property damage costs, supplier costs and worker protection expenditures;
The Program’s eligibility is expanded to include 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, direct marketing organizations and other types of organizations;
The PPP provides greater flexibility for seasonal employees;
Certain existing PPP borrowers can request to modify their First Draw PPP Loan amount;
Certain existing PPP borrowers are now eligible to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan.
Borrowers could be eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if they:
Previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or have used the full amount only for authorized uses;
Have no more than 300 employees;
Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.
Businesses are encouraged to contact their financial lender or banking institution to see if they qualify.
For more information about the second round of PPP loans, visit sba.gov/ppp or treasury.gov/cares.
With more than 9,900 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 596,000 as of Friday, Jan 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 1,336 new cases today, has seen 79,190 of the state’s 596,251 confirmed cases.
A total of 9,938 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,216 deaths in Pima County, according to the Jan. 8 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Jan. 7, 4,907 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, a slight drop from yesterday’s record 4,920. The summer peak of 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients was set on July 13; that number hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27, or less than a tenth of the current count.
A total of 2,188 people visited emergency rooms on Jan. 7 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29. That number had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A record number of 1,122 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Jan. 7. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
A website that tracks COVID infections across the globe reports that Arizona continues to have the highest rate of COVID infection in the world.
The website 91-divoc.com, which uses data from Johns Hopkins University, reports that Arizona is seeing a record 126.4 infections per 100,000 people on a seven-day average, compared to 69.3 infections per 100,000 for the United States as a whole.
Bars sue over Pima County curfew
Several Tucson-based bars and restaurants have filed litigation against Pima County in attempts to overturn its mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew they say disproportionately affects the private sector of businesses that depend on revenue from operations during these hours.
Owners of Cobra Arcade Bar, HighWire Lounge and The Maverick have joined in a lawsuit against Pima County and several county representatives they say are responsible for the curfew passed Dec. 15, including County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and the board of supervisors who voted 3-2 to instate it.
Huckelberry proposed the curfew as the coronavirus pandemic continued to set records for both infections and deaths, which have been far surpassed since the beginning of December.
Ten years since the shooting that nearly took her life, former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, newly elected senator Mark Kelly, sat down with Savannah Guthrie on The Today Show.
“I do think back to that day often,” Kelly says, recalling that at one point, his wife was reported dead.
“Move ahead,” Giffords says, and jokes that her speech rehabilitation “really sucks.” She sums up her message as “hope, hope, hope.”
WASHINGTON – The Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma, was one of the most inhumane policies in American history – but it wasn’t an isolated incident.
In 1831, nearly 16,000 members of the Cherokee Nation were forced under armed guard to leave their native lands in the southeastern United States to trek more than 1,000 miles to what eventually would become the state of Oklahoma.
Almost 4,000 Cherokees died along the way, never making it to the land designated by the U.S. government as Indian Territory.
Removal of the Choctaw Nation began even earlier, in 1830. Like the Cherokees, they were forced to leave their homes in the South and a way of life developed over millennia to start over in an alien environment on the prairie.
But the Cherokee and Choctaw nations are only two of the tribes with a removal story. There are 39 tribes in Oklahoma, five native to the state, that have stories to be told – each with its own trail of tears.
Long before the 1830s, the federal government believed white people could use the Native lands better than the indigenous inhabitants. This “Indian problem” motivated settlers to strip Native people of their land and resources, relentlessly pushing tribal members farther west. That pressure often resulted in violent attacks on Native Americans by settlers. If the Indians fought back, whites considered it proof that they were savages.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Grijalva's statement:
Four years of governing by conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and division erupted into a violent assault on lawmakers upholding their own constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 election yesterday. True to his words in his inaugural speech, Trump’s decision to encourage his supporters to violence turned the People’s House into American carnage.
I am supporting an immediate removal of the President by the 25th Amendment or impeachment based on his direct role in conspiring to overturn the election and inciting yesterday’s violent events. It was the opposite of presidential behavior and the most stunning example of his inability to honor his oath of office throughout his Presidency. I am cosponsoring Articles of Impeachment because Donald Trump is a clear and present national security threat. If the Cabinet is unable to take the necessary measures to remove the President, Congress must immediately move to impeach him once again, and the Senate has no choice but to remove him.
We have known for a long time that this President is unfit for office,. “What transpired yesterday at the Capitol, the seditionist uprising that we witnessed, was incited directly by the Commander-in-Chief — who has control over our nuclear arsenal. That is incredibly alarming. We must hold him accountable for his actions.
While I am still shocked and saddened by yesterday’s events, it’s become blatantly clear that President Trump should not and cannot remain in office. Whether it is invoking the 25th amendment, or beginning impeachment proceedings again, I fully support removing him from the White House. He is a threat to our democracy and to Americans at large. This president should also be disqualified from holding public office in the future.
We cannot trust President Trump to independently or smoothly complete a transition of power. Therefore, we must act swiftly to facilitate a transition ourselves, before the end of his term and as soon as possible.”
Several Tucson-based bars and restaurants have filed litigation against Pima County in attempts to overturn its mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew they say disproportionately affects the private sector of businesses that depend on revenue from operations during these hours.
Owners of Cobra Arcade Bar, HighWire Lounge and The Maverick have joined in a lawsuit against Pima County and several county representatives they say are responsible for the curfew passed Dec. 15, including County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and the board of supervisors who voted 3-2 to instate it.
Huckelberry proposed the curfew as the coronavirus pandemic continued to set records for both infections and deaths, which have been far surpassed since the beginning of December.
In his memo arguing for the mandatory curfew, Huckelberry said 46 Pima County inspectors observed nearly 400 establishments for compliance to the previously voluntary curfew and found 15% of them didn’t comply.
“Spread of Covid-19 is particularly common during indoor gatherings such as at bars and parties,” Huckelberry wrote in the memo. “Adherence to strategies like mask-wearing and social distancing is lower at these gatherings, and given the colder nighttime temperatures, people are more likely to gather indoors during those times.”
Under the curfew ordinance approved by the board, any nonessential businesses found violating the curfew may have their business permit suspended or revoked.
The owner of The Maverick bar, Grant Krueger, has also included other Tucson restaurants he owns in the lawsuit, including Union Public House, Reforma Modern Mexican and Proof Artisanal Pizza & Pasta.
The curfew is set to end when the rate of COVID-19 transmission falls below 100 cases per 100,000 of the population. Today, the county saw 7,453 coronavirus cases per 100,000 individuals.
As the House of Representatives was doing a ceremonial counting of the Electoral College votes Wednesday to award the White House to President-elect Joe Biden, a crowd of rioters incited by President Donald Trump stormed the building, leading members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff and members of the media to temporarily seek shelter.
Before they were cleared by authorities, the rioters wandered around the Capitol, breaking windows, ransacking offices and making off with souvenirs.
Four people were killed in the riot, including a rioter shot by Capitol police.
After order was restored, the House and Senate completed their tabulation of the vote (after a few GOP objections to some vote tallies states, including Arizona, that were overruled) and acknowledged that Biden had defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
Most Arizona elected officials condemned the storming of the Capitol, but some Republicans had praise for the rioters.
Sen. Mark Kelly, the newly elected Democrat from Arizona, criticized the Republicans who challenged the outcome of the election as well as the rioters.
“Our democracy was tested today,” Kelly said. “First, by a baseless objection to Arizona’s electoral votes, despite the fact that Arizona’s elections were fairly administered and certified by a Republican Governor, a Democratic Secretary of State, and public servants at every level of government and representing both political parties. And then again by individuals, spurred on by the president, storming the Capitol in an unpatriotic attempt to overturn our election."
Kelly added that after elections, “we have come together to find common ground and solve our challenges, and that is the work we begin tonight. My focus will continue to be on representing Arizonans by working with Republicans and Democrats and the incoming administration to beat this virus and rebuild our economy.”
