Wednesday, May 27, 2020
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Welcome to the end of Tuesday! We hope you had a good but safe long weekend. Now let's take a look at the stories that we covered today.
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 16,783 as of Tuesday, May 26, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
- John Henry's Bar in downtown Tucson played tribute to Gordo's famed commercials by recreating one to announce the limited-capacity reopening over Memorial Day weekend.
- Pima County Public Library has some great news to share!
- Last week, Governor Doug Ducey announced that $500,000 from Arizona's Coronavirus Relief Fund had been allocated to 10 organizations providing out-of-school child care in the state.
- If you’re one of those people who never get a flu shot, make sure you do this year. If you normally do, make sure you don’t miss it.
- Banner Health announced a move to begin purchasing masks for the next for its facilities from domestic manufacturer Prestige Ameritech, the healthcare system announced in a Tuesday press release.
- Just because venues are closed doesn’t mean live shows aren’t taking place, and The Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley is on a tear this summer, hosting several concerts a week in its parking lot.
- The Pima County Department Environmental Quality has issued a warning for an elevated potential for ground-level ozone air pollution in the Tucson metro area for today, May 26.
- Reopening states after the COVID-19 lockdown raises unnerving questions for working parents who depend on some form of child care, from nannies to day camp.
- The University of Arizona-led spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is planned to collect a sample of the surface of an asteroid on October 20. And if successful, it will be the first U.S. spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid.
The University of Arizona-led spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is planned to collect a sample of the surface of an asteroid on October 20. And if successful, it will be the first U.S. spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid.
OSIRIS-REx launched from the Earth in September 2016, and is planned to return with its cargo in 2023. The spacecraft, part of a NASA program, will collect rocks and dust from the surface of the asteroid Bennu in order to better understand "the initial stages of planet formation and the source of organic compounds available for the origin of life."
The announcement of a sample retrieval date comes after a successful sample-collection rehearsal last month, where OSIRIS-REx also captured pictures of the asteroid's rocky surface. A second rehearsal date is slated for Aug. 11.
OSIRIS-REx launched from the Earth in September 2016, and is planned to return with its cargo in 2023. The spacecraft, part of a NASA program, will collect rocks and dust from the surface of the asteroid Bennu in order to better understand "the initial stages of planet formation and the source of organic compounds available for the origin of life."
The announcement of a sample retrieval date comes after a successful sample-collection rehearsal last month, where OSIRIS-REx also captured pictures of the asteroid's rocky surface. A second rehearsal date is slated for Aug. 11.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
Reopening states after the COVID-19 lockdown raises unnerving questions for working parents who depend on some form of child care, from nannies to day camp.
Instead of coming home with a snotty nose, is your child going to bring back the coronavirus? And how do you know your in-home babysitter or nanny, even your child’s teacher, isn’t a symptom-free spreader?
The short answer is that there are no easy answers. Every family’s budget and needs and risk tolerance are going to be different. ProPublica scoured the latest research and talked to seven infectious disease and public health experts to help think through the issues facing parents.
We were surprised to find the experts were reassuring. In fact, with the proper precautions and monitoring in place, most of them thought parents could safely rely on caregivers, day care centers and perhaps even counselors at sleep-away camp.
Reopening states after the COVID-19 lockdown raises unnerving questions for working parents who depend on some form of child care, from nannies to day camp.
Instead of coming home with a snotty nose, is your child going to bring back the coronavirus? And how do you know your in-home babysitter or nanny, even your child’s teacher, isn’t a symptom-free spreader?
The short answer is that there are no easy answers. Every family’s budget and needs and risk tolerance are going to be different. ProPublica scoured the latest research and talked to seven infectious disease and public health experts to help think through the issues facing parents.
We were surprised to find the experts were reassuring. In fact, with the proper precautions and monitoring in place, most of them thought parents could safely rely on caregivers, day care centers and perhaps even counselors at sleep-away camp.
The Pima County Department Environmental Quality has issued a warning for an elevated potential for ground-level ozone air pollution in the Tucson metro area for today, May 26.
“People who are sensitive to air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing, and breathing discomfort,” said a department press release.
Individuals who are sensitive to ozone should limit time outside doing extraneous activities particularly in the afternoon when elevated ozone levels are likely to occur. Exercising outdoors during this time and breathing deeply can cause ozone to penetrate the lungs more rapidly.
Ozone pollution is caused by vehicle exhaust, industrial and power plant emissions, gasoline vapors, paint, gasoline-powered landscaping equipment, and chemical solvents, as well as natural sources like wildfires. The department said some vegetation “emit oxides of nitrogen and/or volatile organic compounds that form ozone after a photochemical reaction occurs with intense sunlight and heat.”
Tags: Pima County , Environmental Quality , Ozone , Pollution , Image
Just because venues are closed doesn’t mean live shows aren’t taking place, and The Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley is on a tear this summer, hosting several concerts a week in its parking lot.
This week’s shows, featuring Mr. Boogie Woogie Trio and The Tributaries, are already sold out, so the Gaslight is already selling tickets to the next round of concerts: The Rillito River Band and the George Howard Motown & Soul Band.
"We at the Gaslight Music Hall are overwhelmed and delighted at the amazing response to our new outdoor drive-in concert series,” said Gaslight General Manager Heather Stricker. “To see a community come together to support our small, local business and enjoy live music again in these unusual times is truly remarkable.”
The Rillito River Band, which plays Wednesday, June 3, is composed of longtime Tucson residents with musical roots including rock n’ roll, folk-rock, and folk. Their influences range from mariachi to Cream, from James Taylor to The Cure, and from The Beatles to Kris Kristofferson ( all of which you may hear at a show).
This week’s shows, featuring Mr. Boogie Woogie Trio and The Tributaries, are already sold out, so the Gaslight is already selling tickets to the next round of concerts: The Rillito River Band and the George Howard Motown & Soul Band.
"We at the Gaslight Music Hall are overwhelmed and delighted at the amazing response to our new outdoor drive-in concert series,” said Gaslight General Manager Heather Stricker. “To see a community come together to support our small, local business and enjoy live music again in these unusual times is truly remarkable.”
The Rillito River Band, which plays Wednesday, June 3, is composed of longtime Tucson residents with musical roots including rock n’ roll, folk-rock, and folk. Their influences range from mariachi to Cream, from James Taylor to The Cure, and from The Beatles to Kris Kristofferson ( all of which you may hear at a show).
Banner Health announced a move to begin purchasing masks for the next for its facilities from domestic manufacturer Prestige Ameritech, the healthcare system announced in a Tuesday press release.
After partnering with Premier Inc, Banner acquired a minority stake in Prestige, which manufactures personal protective equipment, including the N95 respirator and surgical masks. As part of the deal, Banner announced a commitment to acquiring a portion of its masks from Prestige for up to six years, including a three-year renewal option.
Prestige Ameritech is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas at its 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
According to Banner, worldwide border closures and supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risk to daily operations presented to healthcare operators.
“Overreliance on foreign manufacturers is a key reason why we’ve had concerns about the consistency of available PPE supplies at care sites across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Banner Chief Financial OfficerDennis Laraway, in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
After partnering with Premier Inc, Banner acquired a minority stake in Prestige, which manufactures personal protective equipment, including the N95 respirator and surgical masks. As part of the deal, Banner announced a commitment to acquiring a portion of its masks from Prestige for up to six years, including a three-year renewal option.
Prestige Ameritech is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas at its 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
According to Banner, worldwide border closures and supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risk to daily operations presented to healthcare operators.
“Overreliance on foreign manufacturers is a key reason why we’ve had concerns about the consistency of available PPE supplies at care sites across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Banner Chief Financial OfficerDennis Laraway, in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
If you’re one of those people who never get a flu shot, make sure you do this year. If you normally do, make sure you don’t miss it.
That was the key advice Pima County’s Interim Health Department Director Bob England delivered to residents Tuesday morning via his daily video address regarding COVID-19.
England said the last thing you want is to get sick during the winter when the coronavirus could see another peak.
He added that the next few weeks will show healthcare experts two things: How much immunity society has developed to the disease, and COVID-19’s seasonality. He said if the virus behaves really seasonally and cases continue to drop since Arizona’s stay-home order was lifted May 15, that’s good news in the short run.
That was the key advice Pima County’s Interim Health Department Director Bob England delivered to residents Tuesday morning via his daily video address regarding COVID-19.
England said the last thing you want is to get sick during the winter when the coronavirus could see another peak.
He added that the next few weeks will show healthcare experts two things: How much immunity society has developed to the disease, and COVID-19’s seasonality. He said if the virus behaves really seasonally and cases continue to drop since Arizona’s stay-home order was lifted May 15, that’s good news in the short run.
Last week, Governor Doug Ducey announced that $500,000 from Arizona's Coronavirus Relief Fund had been allocated to 10 organizations providing out-of-school child care in the state.
The funding will support "extended hours and enrichment programs to meet the increased demand of child care for families while students distance learn and parents or guardians work."
The funding will go to:
The funding will support "extended hours and enrichment programs to meet the increased demand of child care for families while students distance learn and parents or guardians work."
The funding will go to:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Casa Grande
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona
- Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff
- Boys & Girls Club of Round Valley
- Boys & Girls Club of Bisbee
- The CLUB for YOUth Kingman
- Cobre Valley Youth Club
- Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center
Pima County Public Library has some great news to share!
WE'RE GOING FINE FREE!
WE'RE GOING FINE FREE!
- If you have overdue fines on your account, they'll be cleared on July 1, 2020.
- We're introducing auto-renew! This means we will automatically renew your items, unless there is a hold on them (sorry, you've got to return these items by the due date). Items will be auto-renewed up to 4 times! We will continue to send you email updates about auto-renewals and due dates.
