Friday, August 21, 2020
A longtime Tucson resident, Roach is a pioneering figure in modern ambient and electronic music. Over more than three decades, he's experimented with spacious drones, tribal rhythms and futuristic synthesizers, occasionally blending all these styles together.
His exploratory art has landed him multiple accolades, including two Grammy nominations. He's also performed his trance-inducing music at Tucson's All Souls Procession closing ceremony.
Read our review of Roach's album Trance Archaeology on our best local albums of 2019 list.
The livestream beings at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.
As we move closer to theaters opening back up, The Loft continues to offer you the opportunity to view the films that would normally grace their big screens in the comfort of your home. To stream this week's new films, along with the many films currently on the roster, click here for Loft Streaming Selects.
And the week's new streaming films are...
The Prostate On-Site Project, a Mesa-based nonprofit, is coming to the University of Arizona on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to administer mobile cancer screenings.
POP accepts Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Humana and United Health Care insurances. If a patient does not have health insurance, a prostate cancer screening is $81 due at time of service. Medicare is not covered.
The 15-minute test is recommended annually for all men 40 years of age or older, and especially to men with a family history of prostate cancer. The test include a prostate specific antigen blood test, a digital exam, testicular exam and physician consultation.
Space is limited and appointments are required. The POP will be at the east side of the Main Library at UA from 7 to 11 a.m. on Sept. 9, and then will be at Tucson State Offices (400 W. Congress Street) from noon to 3 p.m. the same day.
To schedule an appointment, call (480) 964-3013 or (800) 828-6139. For more information, visit
The Oro Valley branch of the Tucson Children’s Museum launching a fundraiser that will allow families to have play time in the museum by themselves for a donation fee.
The program, called Oro Valley Outing, is intended to allow families to have a fun and enriching time away from the home while staying safe from COVID-19 and supporting the museum financially.
Beginning Sept. 9, families and social bubbles of up to 10 people can sign up for private 1.5 hour reservations at the museum for a $150 donation. While it seems like a steep price, the museum had to close back in March when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and hasn't been able to bring in the admission revenue that helps them pay the rent and other expenses, so the donations keep the museum going until it can fully reopen.
Oro Valley Outings follows the museum’s successful summer fundraiser at the downtown Tucson location, which raised more than $20,000.
“It’s important to younger children to have an outlet for curiosity and play, and we know that some parents are anxious to get out of the home,” said Executive Director Hilary Van Alsburg in a press release. “With its focus on Early Childhood Education, Children’s Museum Oro Valley offers a great opportunity for those parents to visit a place that’s safe, fun and advances learning for their kids.”
The museum will be cleaned for each visiting group, allowing children to have the full hands-on experience of the museum. Oro Valley Outings will be available Wednesdays through Sundays from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30. Families who are unable to donate the $150 can register to win a free session on Give Back Tuesdays.
Find details here.
Tags: Children's Museum , Oro Valley , Outings , Fundraiser , COVID-19 , Image
The number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 197,000 as of Friday, Aug 21, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 20,173 of the state’s 196,899 confirmed cases.
With four new deaths reported today, a total of 4,688 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 21 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline. ADHS reported that as of Aug. 20, 1,068 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since June 1, when 1,009 people were hospitalized. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 982 people visited ERs on Aug. 20 with COVID symptoms. That number, which peaked at 2,008 on July 7, has been on a plateau for most of this month, bouncing between 1,100 and 900 since Aug. 8.
A total of 365 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Aug. 20, the lowest that number has been since May 25, when 337 people were in ICU. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Ducey: "Stay the Course"
In a brief press conference yesterday that did not include Ducey’s usual PowerPoint presentation regarding statistics, Gov. Doug Ducey thanks the Trump administration, local authorities and the National Guard for their work during the pandemic.
Ducey said the state was making progress in the fight against the virus and Arizonans should continue taking precautions such as avoiding large gatherings, staying home when possible, washing hands and wearing a mask.
“We’re going to continue to be guided by the data and the doctors,” Ducey said. “Returning our kids to the classroom, reuniting with our loved ones, all of these depend on continued responsible behavior you have demonstrated so well for so long. So I urge everyone to stay the course, stay physical distanced, stay smart and healthy and continue to mask up.”
City of Tucson offering rental assistance, grants for those affected by pandemic
The City of Tucson has allocated $4.5 million of federal CARES Act funding for an emergency rent and utility assistance program available to city residents.
To be eligible for the financial assistance, participating renters must have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the household income cannot exceed $68,400.
Tags: democrat , republican , red , blue , elections , political , cartoon , Image
Thursday, August 20, 2020
This fall’s elections are the latest chapter in the slow-motion collapse of the U.S. Postal Service, one of America’s most venerated institutions. As November approaches, members of Congress and state election officials have grown increasingly concerned that the USPS will fail at a critical moment: a closely contested vote that will involve a record number of people casting a ballot by mail.
That worry was fueled by President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegation that voting by mail leads to massive fraud and by reports from Postal Service employees that key equipment was being removed and overtime was being slashed. The newly appointed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, responded to what he termed “areas of concern” by announcing that he would approve overtime “as needed” and delay the removal of mail sorting machines until after the election. But the problems at the Postal Service go well beyond those issues and predate DeJoy. Earlier this month, the USPS warned state election officials that it might not be able to meet deadlines for delivering ballots for the November elections.
With DeJoy scheduled to testify before an emergency session of Congress on Friday, here’s a guide to help you understand the issues and what remedies lawmakers could provide.
What’s going on at the Postal Service under DeJoy? Is mail being slowed intentionally?
There are at least three possible reasons for the unusual recent delays in mail delivery.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a new partnership with the Community Investment Corporation to distribute more than $3.6 million to local residents facing evictions.
The Community Investment Corporation is an economic development nonprofit working to assist in education, home ownership and entrepreneurship for Pima County residents. This partnership is part of the county’s larger commitment to distribute $20.5 million from six different funding sources for rental assistance, associated deposits and related legal fees.
The CIC will lead a coalition of nonprofit housing providers to serve at least 600 low-income renters that are currently in eviction proceedings because of COVID-19.
Financial assistance will go toward unpaid rent from as far back as March 1, 2020—if landlords agree to waive late fees, withdraw the eviction and enter into a payment plan with their tenant, according to a county press release. Legal and court fees incurred since March are also eligible for reimbursement through this program.
Pima County has hired additional workers to expedite rental assistance applications, which can be accessed through the Arizona Department of Housing’s website. The county constables will also be integral for working with tenants and landlords to generate direct referrals for the program and distribute the funds quickly to those most in need, the release states.
Tags: Rental Assistance , Eviction Prevention , Pima County , Community Investment Corporation , Grant Program , Renter , Tenant , Landlord , Image
Something gets lost in the convention experience when it is held online, as this year’s convention has been, the Arizona delegates said.
“We’re missing the camaraderie and just the energy that exudes during a convention, and missing out on meeting other delegates as well as opening up lines of communication across states,” Ford said. “They may be doing something we haven’t even thought about.”
For Engstrom, who admits to “feeling a little lost” as a first-timer, it is an honor to be a delegate but unfortunate that “we can’t be together as a whole group.”
“You miss that part because it’s that meeting and learning with people from across the country,” Engstrom said. “We can do stuff on Facebook and do Zooms here and there, but that connection is a little hard to make.”
Democrats originally planned a traditional convention in Milwaukee, where thousands of delegates, party officials, reporters and others were scheduled to gather in mid-July. But the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the convention to be pushed back and then to be canceled in-person because of concerns of bringing that many people together.
Beginning today, Gov. Doug Ducey's administration and the Local First Arizona Foundation will accept applications for a new grant program that aims to provide $10 million in financial assistance to small businesses across the state.
The Arizona Small Business Rent and Mortgage Relief Grant program will focus on helping local businesses that had to close their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s office is partnering with the foundation in order to facilitate the disbursements.
“The partnership leverages the grantmaking experience and small business expertise of Local First Arizona Foundation, which has already distributed over $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state of Arizona, to continue their work of putting small businesses on a path for recovery,” said Local First Communications Manager Maria Lopez in a press release.
The grants will provide up to two months of rent or mortgage payments for small businesses headquartered in Arizona that were directly impacted by the governor’s Executive Order 2020-43, which shuttered gyms, fitness centers, bars, nightclubs, indoor movie theatres, water parks and tubing operators in response to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state.
Qualifying businesses can receive up to $25,000, and the money will be prioritized for businesses that are struggling the most to meet their financial obligations and do not have access to other financial support, the release states.
In order to be eligible for this grant program, businesses must have been operating in Arizona prior to Jan. 1, 2020; must be directly impacted by the executive order; must be renting or leasing a physical location outside the owner’s personal residence and must be employing fewer than 50 workers.
Each business owner can only apply for one grant. In order to apply, owners are encouraged to provide rent or mortgage statements for June through October, income source information, attestation of cash on hand and/or attestation of good standing with the Arizona Department of Revenue.
The grant program will give preference to businesses that are the primary or sole source of income for its owners.
The application process opened this morning. Interested individuals can fill out an application at www.localfirstaz.com/azsmallbizrent.
Tags: COVID-19 , Coronavirus , Small Business , Executive Order , Doug Ducey , Local First Arizona Foundation , Grant Program , Image
