Thursday, April 29, 2021
TUCSON – “Getting lost is the best part of trail running,” Marlinda Bedonie said with a chuckle as we shielded our eyes from the morning sun, searching for our cars.
We spoke on a recent morning while trekking through Tucson Mountain Park on a mostly flat, single-track loop trail. Dipping in and out of washes and brushing against the creosote along the trail, the Tohono O’odham and Navajo mother and I chatted – out of breath – as we shared our running journeys and spoke about our families.
When we came to what we thought was the end of our loop, we realized that although we’d learned a lot about what we share in common, neither of us had any idea where our cars were.
Sometimes, getting lost can be part of finding yourself. In the past four years, Bedonie, 41, has found a passion for running and representing her culture in the sport. She often is featured on the Native Women Running Instagram page highlighting her half-marathons, 10Ks and other races.
Even when she’s jogging Arizona trails solo, she’s far from alone.
The Rio Nuevo board advanced three projects in an effort to recovery after the COVID pandemic:
- The board unanimously approved extensions to Gadsden Company's funding and construction deadlines for its new Monier Luxury Apartment complex, which are expected to begin renting as early as June.
- Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink was granted $100,000 to assist in the construction of a new rooftop bar and deck that will sit atop its beer garden building just north of the main restaurant.
- Eight restaurants were awarded $10,000 each in Parklet Grants.
Black-, Indigenous- and People of Color-owned small businesses in Arizona are eligible for free technology upgrades.
Comcast is accepting applications through May 7 for "technology makeovers," according to a news release. The upgrade includes computer equipment, and internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to 12 months. Local BIPOC-owned small businesses are encouraged to review the eligibility details and apply at: comcastrise.com/apply.
Comcast RISE - Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment - is part of a program that Comcast launched last summer that allocated $100 million over three years to fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability.
“Upon launching Comcast RISE late last year, we knew a profound need existed in many of the communities we serve. We have now seen firsthand how the program’s technology resources benefit the business owners who are working hard to rise above 2020, as well as their neighbors who share their commercial corridors, and their suppliers and customers up and down their resource chains,” said Chris Dunkeson, Comcast area vice president. “While no single organization can solve historic and systemic inequities overnight, we are committed to taking tangible actions that can drive long-term impact and change.”
You no longer need an appointment to get a shot at the UA vaccination point of distribution. The POD will now accept anyone over the age of 16 who comes in for a shot.
The pod, which offers both a drive-thru clinic on the UA Mall and a sit-down clinic in the Ina E. Gittings Building (1737 E. University Blvd.), is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
If you’d rather schedule an appointment, the state is expected to open new first-dose appointments daily at podvaccine.azdhs.gov. Call 602-542-1000 or 844-542-8201 for help in English or Spanish.
Because of rising temperatures, the drive-thru clinic will close on May 3.
If you need help, call the COVID Ambassador Team hotline at 520-848-4045 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily or email [email protected].
Meanwhile, Pima County officials are shifting to indoor vaccination sites to avoid making staff and volunteers endure long days in triple-degree temperatures.
Tucson Medical Center has shut down its drive-thru vaccination clinics and transferred its operations to the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. The site is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Register at https://vaccine.tmcaz.com/MyChart/OpenScheduling.
Pima County has opened a new indoor vaccine site at the Kino Event Center, where the county had earlier been doing COVID testing. That site is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Register at azdhs.gov.
The county has also opened an indoor vaccination POD at El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
The Pima County Health Department is seeking young adults to encourage vaccination amongst youth through a video challenge.
“We have come so far in our battle against COVID-19,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, Pima County Health Department director. “We are excited and eager to engage with and vaccinate young adults to continue our march to herd immunity and get back to the things we love in life. We know that peer influence is significant for this age group and the #VaxTruthChallenge encourages people to share their experiences.”
As part of the VaxTruthChallenge contest, residents no older than 24 years old must create a video addressing any of the following questions:
- • What’s the truth about COVID-19 and getting the vaccine?
- • Set the record straight – say no to misinformation!
- • Why does it matter?
- • What do people need to know so they can get their shot?
Participants have the chance to win the grand prize of either a Nintendo Switch, Chromebook or an approved prize of choice valued at up to $350, while the runner-up would win a choice of AirPods, Fitbit or an approved prize of choice up to $150 in value.
The video entries must be shared on Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, using the use the hashtag #VaxTruthChallenge in the video description. The videos can be in any language spoken by communities in Pima County, including English, Spanish, O’odham and Yaqui/Yoeme.
Winners must be younger than 24 years old at the time of submission and must agree to allow Pima County to use their video on other outlets. The deadline to enter is May 17, 2021. For more information visit VaxChallenge.com.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control announced Tuesday that people who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks outside unless they are in thick crowds.
The new recommendations say it’s safe to not wear a mask when you go out for a walk, run or bike outdoors with members of your household; attend a small outdoor gathering with vaccinated family and friends; and dine at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households. However, if you attend a crowded outdoor sports event, a concert or a similar outing, masks are still recommended. See more details here.
Vaccine walk-ins welcome; appointments available
You no longer need an appointment to get a shot at the UA vaccination point of distribution. The POD will now accept anyone over the age of 16 who comes in for a shot.
The pod, which offers both a drive-thru clinic on the UA Mall and a sit-down clinic in the Ina E. Gittings Building (1737 E. University Blvd.), is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
If you’d rather schedule an appointment, the state is expected to open new first-dose appointments daily at podvaccine.azdhs.gov. Call 602-542-1000 or 844-542-8201 for help in English or Spanish.
Because of rising temperatures, the drive-thru clinic will close on May 3.
If you need help, call the COVID Ambassador Team hotline at 520-848-4045 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily or email [email protected].
Meanwhile, Pima County officials are shifting to indoor vaccination sites to avoid making staff and volunteers endure long days in triple-degree temperatures.
Tucson Medical Center has shut down its drive-thru vaccination clinics and transferred its operations to the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. The site is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Register at https://vaccine.tmcaz.com/MyChart/OpenScheduling.
Pima County has opened a new indoor vaccine site at the Kino Event Center, where the county had earlier been doing COVID testing. That site is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Register at azdhs.gov.
The county has also opened an indoor vaccination POD at El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
The drive-through POD at Banner-South Kino Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way, is now offering appointments between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and will close permanently on May 14.
As of Tuesday, April 27, 395,301 people in Pima County had received at least one shot of the virus, accounting for 37.8% of the population. A total of 308,465 people are fully vaccinated.
For more information or additional mobile clinics, visit pima.gov/covid19vaccineregistration or call 520-222-0119.
Many local pharmacies are now receiving vaccine doses. To find one near you, visit the ADHS website.
Get tested: Pima County has free COVID testing
Pima County is continuing to offer a number of testing centers and pop-up testing sites around town, including the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The University of Arizona’s antibody testing can determine if you have had COVID and now have antibodies. To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.
Today’s numbers
With 603 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases continued to climb as of Wednesday, April 28, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 35 new cases today, has seen 114,991 of the state’s 860,772 confirmed cases.
With 6 new deaths reported this morning, a total of 17,282 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,389 deaths in Pima County, according to the April 28 report.
A total of 622 coronavirus patients were in the hospital as of April 27. That’s roughly 12% of the number hospitalized at the peak of the winter surge, which reached 5,082 on Jan. 12. The summer peak was 3,517, which was set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent lowest number of hospitalized COVID patients was 468, set on Sept. 27, 2020.
A total of 1,043 people visited emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on April 27. That number represents 44.5% of the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. That number had peaked during the summer wave at 2,008 on July 7, 2020; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28, 2020.
A total of 190 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on April 27, which roughly 16% of the record 1,183 ICU patients set on Jan. 11. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22, 2020.
—with additional reporting from Austin Counts, Christina Duran, Jeff Gardner and Mike Truelsen
WASHINGTON – Arizona lawmakers, who began the year with one of the highest number of voting restriction bills in the nation, are winding down a legislative session in which it appears only a few of those bills will survive.
But that doesn’t mean voting rights activists are happy.
Ryan Snow, associate counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, called it a “death by a million cuts.”
“Officials … have taken to erecting a litany of barriers that any one of which might sound on its face that it’s not that big of a deal,” Snow said. “But when you take them together, it creates a restrictive process that disproportionately affects voters of color, low-wealth voters, young voters and other politically disabled voters.”
Supporters of the bills disagree and say that the state – coming off the divisive 2020 election and in the midst of a contentious audit of Maricopa County’s returns – needs to restore faith in the election process and “ensure Arizona’s elections are fair and transparent.”
“In order to maintain voter trust in our elections, it is important to provide the necessary safeguards so that voters can be confident in casting their ballots,” said Noah Weinrich, press secretary for Heritage Action, in an emailed statement.
Arizona Republican lawmakers introduced the third-highest number of voting restriction bills this year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, which said the state’s 23 bills trailed only Texas, with 49, and Georgia, with 25. Nationwide, 361 such bills were introduced, it said.
The Brennan Center report also said Arizona lawmakers introduced 15 bills to expand voting access through such measures as automatic and same-day voter registration, restoring voting rights for felons and more. All of those bills were introduced by Democrats, and all have already been shot down.
