PHOENIX – Conservationists expressed anger and frustration over the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision not to hear an appeal to stop construction of the southern border wall. But they’re moving ahead on other legal fronts while monitoring construction as it chews through land marked by towering saguaros and home to the endangered jaguar.

“It’s upsetting that they’re not willing to consider the (Trump) administration’s obvious abuse of the law to fast-track border wall construction,” said Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson.

The appeal had sought to block 145 miles of steel-bollard barrier construction in Arizona, California, Texas and New Mexico, arguing that dozens of environmental, health and safety laws were illegally waived to speed wall construction.

In Arizona, construction on sections of the U.S.-Mexico border wall continues across the San Pedro River, which begins in Mexico and flows north into Arizona near Hereford. Activists contend this barrier will halt the natural cross-border migration of wildlife and make flooding worse.

In today's coronavirus news: AZ has passed the 150K threshold in cases … hospitalizations are trending downward as Arizonans embrace masks … Gov. Doug Ducey is expected to give more guidance to schools tomorrow as State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman calls for metrics rather than calendar dates to determine when it is safe to return to schools … Ducey calls on Congress to extend the unemployment benefit that provides an extra $600 a week to out-of-work Arizonans … and more details below.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona crested the 150,000 mark as of Wednesday, July, 22, afteror the state reported 1,926 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had seen 13,900 of the state's 150,609 confirmed cases.

A total of 2,974 people have died after contracting the virus, including 392 in Pima County.

Maricopa County topped the 100,000 threshold today with 100,543 of the state's cases.

Hospitals remain under pressure, although they report in slight decrease in recent days in the number of Arizonans hospitalized with COVID-19-related symptoms. The report shows that 3,094 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state, down from a peak of 3,517 on July 13 but a slight bump from yesterday's 3,041.

A total of 1,369 people visited ERs yesterday with COVID symptoms, a jump up from Monday's 1,243 but still lower than the the peak of 2,008 on July 7.

A total of 870 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday, a slight bump up from yesterday's 865 but still lower than the peak number of 970 on July 13.

Citing a drop in the total number of cases on a week-to-week basis, Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that mask-wearing and steps to reduce the interaction of people in large groups had resulted in some positive signs regarding the spread of the virus.

But Ducey warned the state still had a long road ahead in the fight against COVID-19.

"I want people to get their heads around this," Ducey said. "There's no end in sight today."

Figures from Pima County show that on a week-by-week basis, cases here may have also peaked in the week ending June 27, with new cases reaching 2,300. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry noted that the two subsequent weeks could still be adjusted upwards, but during the week ending July 4, 2,092 cases were reported. However, Huckelberry noted that the week ending July 4, the county saw a peak of 37 deaths, up from 18 the previous week.

While coronavirus cases may be on a slight downward trend in the state, Ducey urged Arizonans to stay vigilant by staying at home and wearing masks while practicing social distancing when out in public to continue the fight against the virus.

"There will be no victory laps," said Ducey, who praised measures set by local authorities to require masks were helping to reduce spread, but once again stopped short of a statewide mandate.

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When Apple bought the distribution rights to Greyhound, the new Tom Hanks movie, and announced they would be releasing it direct to streaming, my first thought was “It must suck.”

This knee-jerk reaction was due in part to the utter disaster that is Artemis Fowl, the big-budget, originally-intended-for-the-big-screen, complete shitshow that Disney + “gifted” to us as a streaming choice during the pandemic. That move was clearly because the film was terrible and sending it to streaming had the appearance of a grand entertainment gesture during “these unprecedented times.” (Ugh…I’m getting really tired of those three words.)

Fortunately, Greyhound, penned by the Hanks man himself, is a solid WWII thriller that actually seems better suited for home viewing than it would’ve fared in theaters. It’s not a grand enough spectacle to cut it as a blockbuster, but it is a solid 91 minutes spent in close quarters with the most famous person yet to catch the coronavirus.

Greyhound chronicles the real-life odyssey of the USS Keeling, code name Greyhound, an escort for a convoy of supply ships heading across the Atlantic towards Liverpool during WWII. The ship is targeted by German U-Boats, as are other members of the convoy, and Greyhound, captained by Commander Ernest Krause (Hanks) must go into protect mode. They fight a brave battle, but not all of the ships will make it to Liverpool.

The movie stands tall alongside the likes of Das Boot and Crimson Tide as solid thriller entertainment spent mostly inside a tin can passing for a floating arsenal. Director Aaron Schneider provides some excellent torpedo thrills and does decent work with a relatively modest budget. Hanks is Hanks, which means he’s terrific.

So, Apple scored a good one with this move. I’m sure they will have an Artemis Fowl or two in their future, but this one proves that having the app among your streaming choices is starting to be a worthwhile thing.

Streaming on Apple TV

The Pima County Democratic Party has withdrawn its support for Kevin Kubitskey, one of two Democrats competing for the party's nomination in the Aug. 4 primary.

Earlier this week, Kubitskey's estranged daughter, Makyla Cleary, said on Facebook that she had been mentally, physically and sexually abused by him. Her post:

To all my friends and family on Facebook Kevin is my biological father and he is currently running for sheriff of Tucson Arizona. Kevin physically, sexually and mentally abused me from the age of 6 until I was 12 and finally had enough courage to tell someone about the horrendous things he was doing to me. An order of protection was placed on me and my mother and a court process started we went to court for a couple of years and when we were gathering people to testify on my behalf Kevin decided to give his rights up to me so that he would not face the backlash of the truth coming to the public. Kevin is a man who has severe anger issues and uses the badge as a shield of protection. I’m asking that everyone please take the time to go vote against him as it is not safe to have an abuser and predator as our sheriff.

Kubitskey, who is divorced from Cleary's mother, denied the allegations on Facebook, saying he "would not do anything to my daughter to cause her harm" and that she had "mental health issues." He acknowledged a ] blamed his primary opponent, sheriff Chris Nanos, of orchestrating the post and dragging his daughter into the campaign. Nanos was a longtime Sheriff's Department officer who was appointed to the seat in 2015 but lost his bid to win it at the ballot box, losing to Republican Mark Napier. Napier is seeking reelection this year.

In a statement, the Pima County Democratic Party Executive Committee said it was withdrawing its support based on Kubitsky's response.

"Our decision to withdraw support is based on the manner by which his campaign responded to those allegations," the committee wrote in a prepared statement. "His response included the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive medical information about a family member and an accusation that a political opponent orchestrated the release of the allegations. Running as a Democrat is a privilege, and we hold all our candidates to the highest ethical standards."

The statement continued: "We condemn any candidate who exploits this decision, or the allegations that gave rise to it, for political gain. We support work to ensure women’s physical, economic and personal safety."

Kubitskey's full Facebook post:

Earlier this month, local actor and musician Bradford Trojan teamed up with Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog to release a new album, Meanwhile, a collection of nine bouncy folk-rock songs recorded her in Tucson over the last three years. If you like what you hear, buy it over at Bandcamp.

Federal law enforcement shootings have escaped the kind of scrutiny that gave rise to the local policing reforms of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Experts say that’s no accident: federal agencies are not transparent, making public oversight difficult.

One such agency is ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, whose agents have been involved in shootings nationwide. Most of the victims have been black, Hispanic or Native American, according to the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks caught their first glimpse of pandemic baseball.

Cardboard cutouts and piped in fan noise were among the oddities as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 9-2 in an exhibition game Sunday at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Diamondbacks fans saw the team in game action since March 10 when spring training and baseball were put on pause due to COVID-19.

Team travel was one of the first challenges the team faced during pandemic baseball. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the plane ride from Phoenix to L.A. was very quiet. Players kept to themselves and their own space on the plane.

Typically, the team would fly into the airport then go to the hotel before heading to the stadium. On this trip, the team went straight from airport to stadium. Lovullo said that abnormality may have taken the team out of its comfort zone.

The team took four buses instead of the usual two. This ensured everyone was evenly spaced apart and nobody was sitting directly in front of, behind or next to another person.

Dodger Stadium did not have fans in attendance. Instead, hundreds of cardboard cutouts were scattered throughout and advertising banners stretched across rows of seats to take up several sections.

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This election, one of President Donald Trump’s most influential advocates is 26-year-old Charlie Kirk, who has developed a unique bond with the first family. The conservative star dines with the president at Mar-a-Lago and rang in the new year there. During each of the last two winters, he used the club to hold a formal fundraiser for his nonprofit, Turning Point USA, that featured Donald Trump Jr.

At a Turning Point event in June, the president, addressing the crowd, said, “Let us also show our appreciation to my good friend, Charlie. I’ll tell you, Charlie is some piece of work who is mobilizing a new generation of pro-American student activists.” On a Turning Point webpage soliciting donations, Trump Jr., a close friend of Kirk’s, is quoted as saying, “I’m convinced that the work by Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk will win back the future of America.”

The tax-exempt charity says its mission is to educate “students about the importance of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and capitalism.” As its profile has risen, its revenue has ballooned, reaching $28 million, a sevenfold increase in four years.

Arizona lawmakers and advocates were unsparing Monday in their praise of the late Rep. John Lewis, using words like hero, giant and legend for the man one described as “living, breathing history.”

The Georgia Democrat, who played a leading role in the civil rights movement from the 1960s until now, died Friday of pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said Lewis was “revered and beloved” in Congress.

Tributes poured in from across the country and from Arizona, where some officials recalling crossing paths with Lewis and others said they were inspired by his example.

“What do you say when somebody who is living, breathing history leaves? My first thought was who’s going to carry on the legacy?” asked Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans. She said that even though this “freedom rider” has died, someone needs to pick up the torch from Lewis.

Some lawmakers couldn’t say anything: After tweeting Friday that he was “heartbroken,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, said there would be “no official quote coming from me or my office right now about the passing about John Lewis. This just hurts too much.”

Heartbroken was a common refrain among Arizona lawmakers, almost all of whom had something to say about Lewis, 80.

Lewis was born Feb. 21, 1940, in Alabama, the son of sharecroppers, according to his congressional bio. While finishing his last year at Fisk University in 1961, he volunteered to be a Freedom Rider, Blacks and whites who rode through the South to protest segregation by crossing the color line in whites-only facilities.

From 1963 to 1966, he was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He led the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that became known as the “Bloody Sunday” march after police attacked the marchers, fracturing Lewis’ skull in the process.

He was elected to Congress in 1986 and continued serving, even after announcing in December that he was being treated for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.