Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Longtime Western attraction and film location Old Tucson announced today it will remain closed indefinitely due to the continued impact of COVID-19. According to an announcement, Pima County, which owns and leases the park to a private operator, will assume responsibility of Old Tucson starting next week, and will begin working on a new plan for the park’s future.
“The decision to close Old Tucson indefinitely due to COVID-19 was made with a heavy heart. We know how important Old Tucson is to our community, guests and employees,” said Terry Verhage, general manager of Old Tucson. “We did everything possible to keep our loyal fans safe when we were open, but the ongoing COVID-19 public health protocols and restrictions limited park attendance to the point where Old Tucson could no longer stay in business.”
Pima County's Attractions and Tourism Office is seeking ideas from potential operators and lessors about what Old Tucson could be in the future. This is not the first time Old Tucson has "closed indefinitely" however, as the attraction closed for roughly two years following a devastating fire in 1995.
“Old Tucson has provided thousands of jobs and entertained millions of guests over the decades. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Tucson would still be in business,” Verhage said.
With just 81 new cases reported on Labor Day, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 206,000 as of Tuesday, Sept. 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 22,035 of the state’s 206,045 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,221 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 596 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 8 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 7, 657 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since April 19, when 637 COVID patients were in the hospital. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 855 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 7 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 212 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 3, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 people were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to a Sept. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department. While a vocal minority continues to insist that masks do no good, the spread of the virus began to decline within weeks of Pima County’s mask mandate, as more people began wearing them in public. For the week ending Aug. 22, the number of new cases dropped to 495 and for the week ending Aug. 29, 455 new cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 20 for the week ending Aug. 15 and 13 for the week ending July 22. (Note that these numbers are subject to revision as recent cases and deaths may not have been reported.)
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 239 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 29, 30 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
Benchmarks met to allow schools to begin hybrid learning
Pima County last week reached benchmarks indicating that it has moved from “substantial” spread of the coronavirus to “moderate” spread, meaning local school districts can now consider hybrid learning that would allow some students to return to the classroom while others continue distance learning.
Monday, September 7, 2020
Friday, September 4, 2020
This week, University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins and Campus Reentry Task Force Director Dr. Richard Carmona announced they will partner with the Tucson Police Department to crack down on COVID-19 safety violations that occur off-campus.
The UA began its fall semester on Aug. 24 and has seen new COVID-19 cases pop up since students returned to Tucson. Although many classes are operating remotely, university officials believe off-campus student gatherings and social activity have been the driving cause of these new cases.
In a press conference earlier this week, Robbins said all the safety precautions and systems put in place by the university to prevent transmission of the disease on campus requires students, staff and faculty to follow the rules. But what students do in their free time off-campus is by nature unregulated and prime for safety violations—until now.
The university’s new Campus Area Response Team (CART) is a joint effort between the university and TPD focused on responding to reports of student social gatherings that “violate city ordinances and undermine health and safety guidelines,” according to a press release.
In partnership with the city and county, the police will be responding to residential complaints in neighborhoods surrounding the university. Businesses in the University Boulevard/Fourth Avenue corridor have been asked to reinforce public health directives at this time.
“We encourage everyone: Please do not have large gatherings,” Robbins said at the press conference. “We know that is ripe for transmission of this deadly virus.”
Tags: University of Arizona , Robert Robbins , Richard Carmona , Tucson Police Department , COVID-19 , Safety Precautions , Image
Comedy at the Wench: A Virtual Funnyraiser. Fourth Avenue staple the Surly Wench Pub has been closed for almost six months now! While they’ve adapted to the times with their weekly comedy special, “Comedy Away From the Wench,” event is specially designed to help raise much-needed funds. Tune in for two hours of sketches, stand-up routines and other bits that are both live and prerecorded. They’ll also be auctioning off one-of-a-kind portraits of some local comedy icons. 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7. Tickets start at $10 and come with a sticker, but paying more gets you more treats—all the way up to $100+ donations, which get you a sticker, a pin or magnet, a mug or face mask, a t shirt or cap, and a limited edition Surly Wench 16th anniversary logo T-shirt. Details here.
Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul. Tohono Chul’s Garden Bistro is reopening this Friday, Sept. 3. What could be fresher than dining in a garden? They’ve got brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday out on their patio. Plus, there’s a bottomless prickly pear mimosa & margarita deal that we could all probably use right about now. While you’re relaxing, you can take in either a view of the gardens or of art by local and regional artists hanging in the dining rooms. See their website for an updated menu and more details.
Art as Resilience, Resistance and Respite. Local artist-run exhibition space Untitled Gallery is holding a virtual opening for their new show designed to connect artists and art lovers. David Andres of the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery will be serving as guest judge at the Facebook Live event, and you’ll get to see the fantastic selection of art which will be on sale until Oct. 30. Perhaps the best part of a gallery opening from home is that you get all the hors d'oeuvres to yourself. 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. Details here.
You can order your favorite Greek dishes and pick them up 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 25-27 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 1145 East Fort Lowell Road.
For more information, head over to tucsongreekfestival.com
The event, scheduled for Oct. 17-25, will include videos, social media activities, performer and community tributes, a commemorative cookbook, an online silent auction and much more all free to the public. The grand finale will take place on Oct. 25 with a live-stream entertainment event featuring a world premiere song to mark the occasion, written and performed by Ann Hampton Calloway.
The online silent auction will be full of packaged trips and travel adventures, restaurant and chef experiences and artist memorabilia, including an exclusive guitar signed by Kris Kristofferson, John Paul White and John Prine, who signed it at The Fox during one of his final concert performances before his death.
For more information, visit foxtucson.com/about/foundation/chasing-rainbows.
For the Open Air Cinema series, The Loft is providing you a sanitary, socially distanced opportunity to go outside for a seated movie experience. For more details, visit their website.
As for streaming...here are this week's movies:
MADE IN BANGLADESH
In this compelling and inspiring drama from writer/director Rubaiyat Hossain, a young factory worker in Bangladesh fights against the odds to make a better life for herself and her co-workers.
Ever wanted to see a 6-foot-tall, over 200-pound work of art that someone thought was so beautiful they decided to steal it?
The recently stolen and recovered metal sculpture known as Angelica is back on display at Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort's inner courtyard from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Saturday, Sept. 12. Artist John Benedict will be on hand to meet with guests on Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 12 from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Benedict said the return of his art was “remarkable,” considering he thought the case had gone cold—Angelica was stolen last May during a pop-up drive-thru art exhibit at the resort. He said the exhibit was intended to help local sculptors affiliated with SculptureTucson, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the profession.
“It was a good concept but it had a slight flaw,” Benedict said.
The guest ranch’s parking lot—where the drive-thru art exhibit was held—had recently been renovated. Electricity needed for lighting and security cameras in the area had not been restored at that time.
Benedict doesn’t fault the resort.
“Hacienda del Sol did everything they could. They had someone sitting out there in a car for the majority of the time,” Benedict said. “I believe the person who did this was an opportunist who waited for the right time when no one was around, dropped his tailgate, popped it in and drove away.”
The metal sculptor also said he isn’t mad at the man accused of stealing Angelica, 56-year-old Kelly Friedman. Friedman was arrested and charged with felony theft after an anonymous tip led the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to an eastside storage unit belonging to the 56-year old. Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant and the sculpture was located.
“I heard second hand from a detective who was present at (Friedman’s) interview that he absolutely fell in love with it,” Benedict said. “I take that as a compliment but you don’t steal it. I’m not mad at the guy, though. I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
Benedict said the multiple friendships forged and strengthened over the two months the work of art was missing is the experience's silver lining. The sheriff’s department and Hacienda del Sol both went out of their way to locate the lifted sculpture, said the artist.
“I have huge respect for the community of people who made this happen,” Benedict said. “The person who called in the tip didn’t even know there was a reward. They did it out of the goodness of their heart.”
Saturday, Sept. 12, will be the last chance for the public to view Angelica before Benedict sets the sculpture in her new home on the art walk in front of his residence. Benedict’s wife encouraged him to keep Angelica since the work has such a unique story.
“I was asking my wife what I should do with it? Should I put it back on the market? Should I donate it?” Benedict said. “She shook her head at me and said we should keep it because of the amazing story. So, I poured a concrete pad in the front yard and I’m going to bolt her down after the exhibit.”
For more information, contact haciendadelsol.com.
