Monday, October 4, 2021
Tucson's Environmental and General Services Department is bringing back their monthly household hazardous waste collection events, providing an opportunity for residents to drop off their hazardous waste, electronic waste and paper documents for shredding at no charge.
The next event will be from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 9, at Jacobs Park, 3300 N. Fairview Ave.
Here is the rest of the schedule for 2021:
- Nov. 13 –Tucson Rodeo Grounds – 4823 S. 6th Ave (enter on 3rd Ave)
- Dec. 11 – Hi Corbett – 700 S Randolph Way
The City asks you NOT to bring business or commercial waste, commercial gas cylinders, explosives, ammunition, infectious or radioactive waste, dried paint, alkaline batteries, televisions, or medical waste such as syringes or old medications.
The audience in the Senate gallery oohed and aahed as Shiva Ayyadurai drew its attention to a “verified and approved” stamp that appeared behind a triangle on the image of an early ballot envelope, unsubtly suggesting that it might have been pre-printed that way.
“It’s almost as though it was imaged on there. I don’t want to say Photoshopped, but put on there. But it’s quite fascinating. I’m sure there’s some explanation for this,” Ayyadurai said. The remark elicited laughter from an audience largely composed of audit supporters who believed, without factual basis, that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump, a position Ayyadurai himself has aggressively promoted.
It turns out there was an explanation, and a simple one at that. But Ayyadurai appeared to have absolutely no knowledge of Maricopa County policies and procedures regarding the early ballot envelopes and signature verification. That shortcoming would be a consistent theme as he presented his findings as part of the so-called audit of the election in Maricopa County, portraying commonplace occurrences and standard procedures as potentially suspicious.
And Senate President Karen Fann has asked the attorney general to investigate Ayyadurai’s obviously false findings.
Ayyadurai, known to his fans online simply as Dr. Shiva, is an MIT-trained engineer and entrepreneur known for his disputed claim that he invented email. He has a history of promoting discredited and debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, including during a day-long event at the downtown Phoenix Hyatt several weeks after the election that featured Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The claim about the triangle on the early ballot envelopes was perhaps the most attention-grabbing of the numerous findings he presented during a presentation on Sept. 24, as the team that led Senate President Karen Fann’s review of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County.
“I would consider this potentially a critical anomaly,” Ayyadurai said.
But to those who understand how elections work, the “critical anomaly” was anything but. In fact, it’s not only not an anomaly at all, it’s exactly how the systems used to safeguard the election are designed to work.
Friday, October 1, 2021
The Whole Enchilada Trailer from R&R Press on Vimeo.
This weekend's Tucson Film & Music Festival will include the premiere of The Whole Enchilada, a documentary that explores Tucson’s music scene from the late 1970s through the mid-’90s.
Local filmmaker Maggie Smith captures the origins of desert rock through the words and sometimes fuzzy recollections of those who survived. The fertile scene arose from cross pollination between country, rock and punk, with the growth “largely fueled by the drug trade,” recalls George Hawke (The Dusty Chaps, Los Lasers).
The story unfolds in a series of exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage with local luminaries: Country rockers Bob Meighan, Ned Sutton (The Rabbits), and George Hawke, alt-rock legends Dan Stuart (Green on Red), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Bill Sedlmayr (The Pedestrians, Giant Sandworms), Robin Johnson (The Pills, Gentlemen Afterdark), David Slutes (Sidewinders, Sand Rubies), Van Christian (Naked Prey), “wild child” Suzie Caruze and others.
Maggie Smith became involved in the project about a year ago when her husband (and Tucson Weekly columnist) Brian Smith met with executive producer of The Whole Enchilada Rich Hopkins.
“Brian is the editor of the liner notes/book of essays that accompanies the [companion] 3 LP set Whole Enchilada and I pitched the idea to Rich of directing an accompanying film,” Maggie Smith said.
Maggie Smith said she was already planning screenings at this weekend's premiere.
“We are planning to submit to other festivals, and to screen the film in Phoenix and again in Tucson at Hotel Congress to coincide with the box set release in March 2022," Maggie Smith said. "All people who purchase the box set will receive a code to watch the documentary via streaming."
Tags: Maggie Smith , The Whole Enchilada , Bob Meighan , George Hawke , Ned Sutton , Dan Stuart , Howe Gelb , Robin Johnson , David Slutes , Rich Hopkins , Van Christian , Suzie Caruze , Jim Brady , Xavier Omar Otero , Image
PHOENIX – If your car or truck is blocking a sidewalk, beware. A new Arizona law makes it a crime, punishable by a $250 fine.
The new law is one of 12 that went into effect Wednesday. Others deal with giving penalties for “doxxing” (posting personal information about someone), classifying gun stores as essential businesses and adding new provisions to driver license suspensions for aggressive or reckless driving and street racing.
The law, House Bill 2395, is designed to keep walkways clear for everyone, including those who can’t “just go around” such obstacles. Public or private driveways, crosswalks and sidewalks are among the areas included in the law’s provisions.
Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, introduced HB 2395 in January, and it passed in February on a 49-11 vote. Gov. Doug Ducey signed it in May.
During a February hearing of the House Transportation Committee, Longdon said when vehicles – especially trucks with hitches – impede sidewalks, it makes passing difficult for many pedestrians, including those in wheelchairs, who are parents with small children, or are blind and use aids.
“It’s an effort to be more mindful to make sure we’re protecting pedestrians,” said Longdon, who uses a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the chest down in a random shooting in 2004.
At the hearing, she shared a story of someone she knew, who is blind and uses a sight cane, walking into a cactus while trying to move around a sidewalk obstruction.
The law does not apply if a vehicle is temporarily parked for the purpose of loading or unloading, in emergency situations or when complying with other laws or directions of a police officer or traffic control device.
It also does not apply to vehicles or drivers delivering official U.S. mail so long as the driver does not leave the vehicle and it’s only stopped momentarily.
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Visitors to Saguaro National Park West will see scenic roads closed from Oct. 4-30 for construction.
Access to Bajada Loop Drive from the Hugh Norris Trail Head to Golden Gate Road will be closed from Oct. 4-15.
After those improvements, the Bajada Loop and its amenities, such as the Sus Picnic Area, Hugh Norris Trailhead, Valley View Overlook Trail, Bajada Wash Trail and all of Golden Gate Road (Signal Hill, Ez-Kim-In-Zin, Sendero Esperanza) will be closed from Oct. 16-30.
“This will help ensure the safety of the crew working on the one-lane road, as well as any visitor who may not be aware of the closure notice,” Saguaro’s Facility Manager Richard Goepfrich said.
All traffic to these locations will be prohibited, including pedestrians and cyclists. Park officials said heavy machinery in these areas will be dangerous for all traffic. Large construction vehicles will need to use the entire one-lane road for easy transportation.
Visit nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/conditions for updates on construction.
The Marana Unified School District Governing Board ended their special meeting on Wednesday with no action on requiring face masks on Marana school campuses.
Board member John Lewandowski called the Sept. 28 emergency meeting on the previous day and planned to make a motion for the institution of a mask mandate. Marana school campuses have gone to mask-optional status since their previous mandate ended on Sept 29.
New data from a recently released study by the CDC, co-authored with Pima County, showed K-12 schools without mask requirements were 3.5 times more likely to experience a COVID outbreak. Data was taken from 999 public schools in Pima and Maricopa counties.
Board member Hunter Holt surprised the Board on Wednesday by making a motion to relinquish the authority to institute a mask mandate to Superintendent Dr. Dan Streeter.
“My motion is to give Dr. Streeter sole authority to implement and remove any sort of mask mandate from here on out,” Holt said.
Holt said he trusted Streeter to make the proper decision. He also said that COVID case numbers have improved in Marana. The Arizona Department of Health Services has recorded a slow decrease of overall COVID cases in Pima County since the August surge. Pima County K-12 schools are still considered to have high transmissibility, according to ADHS.
“This is really ridiculous. John called this meeting so the five of us could vote on re-imposing a mask mandate and now Hunter has come in from left field and has thrown this curveball,” said board member Tom Carlson. "Obviously, Dr. Streeter doesn’t know what to say on this.”
Streeter seemed confused by the surprise motion and recommended the Board vote no. The motion to give Streeter mandate authority failed.
Lewandowski then asked the board to extend the mask mandate. The motion was not seconded. Marana Unified School District will remain mask-optional until the board decides otherwise.
“I was very disappointed,” Lewandowski said after the meeting.
“I thought I was doing what was in the best interest of kids and staff for safety.”
Lewandowski pledged to ask Board President Dr. Maribel Lopez to revisit the subject at a future meeting but said she could choose not to include it.
