Experts say we should investigate “breakthrough infections” to look out for variants and understand who’s vulnerable. In many cases, that’s not happening. Crucial pieces of the puzzle are being tossed in the trash.

Dr. Carey Washington was eager to be vaccinated. The psychologist, who was still working at 80 years old, got his first coronavirus shot on Jan. 12 and followed up with the second Pfizer dose on Feb. 4. With both shots done, he let his guard down at the office he shared with another doctor, sometimes leaving his mask off.

Then he woke up on March 7 with aches and fatigue, feeling as though he might have a cold. When he started experiencing chest pain and finding it hard to breathe, he booked an appointment with his primary care physician, who sent him on to his cardiologist. Both thought that his symptoms must be related to his past heart issues. But Washington’s symptoms got worse. He was so tired he could barely get out of bed. His cardiologist reassured him that the fatigue was likely due to the irregular heartbeat he was experiencing, and that the medications prescribed for that would take a while to kick in. But on March 12, Washington’s son took him to the emergency room anyway. A test revealed Washington was positive for COVID-19.

A week later, he was transferred to the intensive care unit. On March 25, he died.

Washington’s daughter, Tanya Washington, says that after her father was admitted to the Prisma Health Richland Hospital, she was determined to understand why. Why had Washington gotten sick despite being fully vaccinated? “Doctors said that because he was vaccinated, we think this may be a variant,” a strain of the coronavirus that could be more contagious or dangerous, Tanya recalls. She said they originally thought it might be a variant found in South Africa.

WASHINGTON – Backed by a field of flowers that represent the thousands killed by gun violence each year, former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Wednesday that Congress can act on gun reform or “can let the shooting continue.”

Giffords, who was severely wounded by a gunman in a 2011 mass shooting, joined congressional Democrats to call for Senate action on the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, a House bill that would stiffen checks on gun buyers.

The bill has yet to get a hearing in the Senate since it passed the House in March – a period during which 80 people were killed in mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive.

“We are at a crossroads,” Giffords said. “We can let the shooting continue, or we can act.”

The news conference came almost a week after President Joe Biden unveiled a series of steps aimed at curbing gun violence, by making it easier for states to adopt “red flag” laws, which keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or others, and by stiffening restrictions on “ghost guns” – those assembled from kits which are almost impossible to trace.

Biden also proposed new restrictions on gun modifications that allow a pistol to fire like a semi-automatic gun – a modification that was used by the shooter in the March 22 attack that killed 10 at a King Soopers grocery in Boulder, Colorado.

“We want to treat pistols modified with stabilizing braces with the seriousness they deserve,” Biden said. “Essentially, it makes that pistol a hell of a lot more accurate and a mini-rifle.”

But whatever changes the federal government makes could hit a wall in Arizona, where Gov. Doug Ducey last week signed the 2nd Amendment Firearm Freedom Act into law. It preempts federal law by making it illegal to use state funds or personnel to “enforce, administer or cooperate with any act” that is more restrictive than current state laws.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu, passed both chambers of the Legislature on largely party-line votes. In a series of tweets after Ducey signed it into law, Biasiucci, called the law an “extra layer of protection” that makes Arizona a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary.”

The vote on HR 8, the federal background check bill, also fell mostly along party lines, with just eight Republicans supporting it and only one Democrat voting against it. Critics, like Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, call the bill an “assault on our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”

“The bill turns law-abiding citizens into criminals by subjecting them to criminal penalties for simply lending a friend or a neighbor a gun on a temporary basis,” Lesko said on the House floor before the March 10 vote.

Since that vote, there have been a series of unrelated mass shootings across the country that have grabbed headlines.

Before the King Soopers shooting there was the March 16 shootings at several Atlanta-area spas that killed eight people, including six Asian-American women, and an apparent family dispute the same day in Phoenix that left four dead. On April 8, a former NFL player killed five people in Rock Hill, South Carolina, before killing himself.

The shooter in Atlanta bought his gun the day of the attack, as Georgia – like Colorado and Arizona – does not have a waiting period between a gun purchase and delivery.

Speakers at the Giffords event included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who noted the toll of gun violence by pointing to the 40,000 flowers on the National Mall behind her, about the number of firearm deaths in a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It takes your breath away to see the beauty of this art installation, but gun violence takes away the breath of so many people,” Pelosi said.

The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 would close a loophole that lets someone buy a firearm at a gun show or online without undergoing a background check.

It also targets the “Charleston loophole” that let an individual flagged for investigation by the FBI still get a gun, because the background check on him had not been finished within three days of his purchase. Dylann Roof used that gun to kill nine worshipers in 2015 after a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black church in Charleston.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said that extending the waiting period beyond three days could have saved the lives of those victims.

“I don’t know why the system did not catch the perpetrator,” Clyburn said Wednesday. “It may have been an error unintentional, or it may have been an error intentional.”

Giffords survived a Jan. 8, 2011, assassination attempt at a constituent event outside a Tucson supermarket that killed six people and left 13 injured, including Giffords. She has since worked for gun reform, starting Giffords.org to work toward tighter gun laws. And she said Wednesday she plans to keep fighting.

“I’ve known the darkest of days, days of pain and uncertain recovery, but confronted by despair I’ve summoned hope,” Giffords said. “I put one foot in front of the other, I found one word and then I found another.”

With 845 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases rose past 852,000 as of Friday, April 16, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County, which reduced the total number of cases by 31 today, has seen 113,998 of the state’s 852,570 confirmed cases.

With 30 new deaths reported this morning, a total of 17,153 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,378 deaths in Pima County, according to the April 16 report.

A total of 569 coronavirus patients were in the hospital as of April 15. That’s roughly 11% 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 893 people visited emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on April 15. That number represents 38% 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 154 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on April 15, which roughly 13% 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.

Pima County resumes jury trials

Pima County courts resumed jury trials this week after nearly a year-long hiatus, county officials announced Thursday.

PHOENIX – After years of resistance from tribes around the state, Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2772 on Thursday, legalizing daily sports fantasy and sports betting in Arizona. The development comes on the heels of ratification of a revised Tribal-State Gaming Compact.

“Today’s signing is the culmination of years of discussion and engagement among many diverse stakeholders, tribal communities, both rural and urban, gaming industry partners and more,” Ducey said at a news conference to finalize the legislation.

“We did it by bringing everyone to the table, pushing individual agendas aside and putting Arizona first. The legislation associated with this compact amendment is a historic bipartisan achievement.”

Senate Bill 1797, a mirror bill to HB 2772, was ratified by a bipartisan majority earlier this week by the state Senate. These amendments to the existing compact grant specific organizations and groups sports betting permits to create sportsbooks in their particular venue. Ten licenses will be granted to sports organizations to open these books in or near their sporting facilities. An additional 10 licenses will be given to tribal nations to open sportsbooks at their respective casinos.

Pima County courts resumed jury trials this week after nearly a year-long hiatus, announced county officials Thursday.

“We’re excited to end the moratorium on jury trials in Pima County,” said Presiding Judge Kyle A. Bryson, citing a decrease in COVID-19 cases and an increased availability of the vaccine.

With new COVID-19 protocols, the courts are ready to welcome back jurors. Jurors will be seated throughout the courtroom with a wide use of plexiglass, and given a trial package with a notepad, mask and hand sanitizer.

“We remain devoted to the principle of maintaining a safe environment for court users and staff while providing access to justice for the citizens of Pima County,” said Bryson. “Like litigants, attorneys, victims, and defendants, we have keenly awaited the time that trials can proceed while still protecting the health and safety of all who enter our court buildings.”

Potential jurors will receive questionnaires in advance that may be submitted online or through the mail. They will also have the opportunity to complete a separate form to address any COVID-19 related concerns.

The courts are not requiring vaccination or asking about a community member’s vaccination status, but those visiting the courthouses will be asked to wear a mask, have their temperatures checked, and follow social distancing guidelines.

For information about jury service in Pima County visit https://www.sc.pima.gov/jurors/ or call 520.724.4222.

Peggy Noonan, an Arizona cannabis pioneer, died on April 10. She was 73.

Copia Infusions announced Noonan's passing after a four-year battle with leukemia.

“Peggy was a pioneer in life, as in with business, and was one of the early trailblazers in the Arizona medical marijuana industry," said a Copia press release. "For nearly the past 10 years, Peggy put her extraordinary energies and talents into building business enterprises that have bloomed into Copia, an industry leader in infused products with the first scratch made cannabis kitchen in Arizona and with leading products, like OGeez!”

Noonan's son, Bran Noonan, will take over her work at Copia.

“For those who knew my mother, it goes without saying that she loved this company and the Arizona community, and bringing the passion she put into the company to others,” Bran Noonan said. “My mother possessed an unmatched entrepreneurial spirt, and as the company moves through 2021 and beyond, we will do so in her honor and by continuing to build upon her legacy.”

Noonan started her career in cannabis right out of college, “at a time that was all about bringing peace and love to the world, while striving for a higher consciousness in making a difference,” according to Noonan's bio on the Copia website.

In 2013, her passion for cannabis infusion was re-ignited with the launch of the Arizona Medical Marijuana program. In late 2017, Noonan was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia and fought the disease with several of her own products, particularly Copia’s homeopathic cannabis tincture oil.

During her fight, she continued researching ways to make products even healthier while maintaining mainstream taste. After a journey through traditional and cannabis medical treatments, Noonan announced in 2018 that she was cancer-free. She was again diagnosed with Leukemia in late 2019 and succumbed to the disease early this month.

After being involved in the industry for 40 years, she was a believer in the need for education, standardized testing and proper dosing. She held regular training sessions with staff members at dispensaries and cannabis education schools, teaching aspiring professionals about proper dosing and how medical marijuana can better serve patients.

Noonan was also on the Labeling and Packaging Committee with the Arizona State Department of Health Services for best practices in dosage and safety labeling and packaging.

A native New Yorker, Noonan graduated from Arizona State University and Parsons School of Design. She spent time as an interior designer, developer and general contractor in New York before moving to Arizona. Noonan also owned Reliance Commercial Construction Inc., which specializes in MMJ dispensaries, cannabis production facilities, and cultivation sites, with a specialty in food services and restaurants.

Information for this report was taken from Peggy Noonan's bio on azcopia.com.

Area highs school seniors can earn $3,500 scholarships to help pay for higher education, thanks to Cox.

The 10 Cox Diversity Scholarships, totaled at $35,000, are available to "future Arizona leaders with rich cultural backgrounds," according to a news release. Applications can be found here. The deadline is May 1. 

“Helping students achieve their educational goals helps make our communities stronger. Cox knows that paying for college can be stressful for students and their family. We’re proud to connect families to opportunities like this one, and many others,” said Lisa Lovallo, Market Vice President for Cox, Southern Arizona.

Applicants must be on track to graduate with a minimum 2.5 grade point average and provide demonstrated leadership and community service.

For 2021, the tax deadline for individuals was extended to May 17. This list highlights the most common tax forms and which ones you might need, depending on your circumstances.

Over the years, the IRS has created a vast network of forms. To file your taxes, you’ve got to navigate a lot of paperwork. Get a regular salary? There’s a form for that. Unemployment benefits? There’s a form for that, too. Social Security? You get the idea.

Why Is It Important to Understand Tax Forms?

Nowadays, most people file their taxes using websites or other products that do the work of figuring out which forms you need to file and filling them out. But it’s not always cheap. Many of those services and software — like TuroTax or H&R Block — charge users depending on which forms they need to use.

For 2020 tax filings (the ones due on May 17, 2021), anyone who made less than $72,000 a year is able to file for free as part of the IRS Free File program. Companies including Intuit, which makes TurboTax, H&R Block and others spent millions lobbying to bar the IRS from making its own free filing option while promising to create their own free products. But then, as ProPublica reported, they systematically undermined the truly free options by hiding search results and calling their products “free” even though for many, they’re anything but.

If you haven’t filed yet, we recommend checking out our guide to filing your state and federal taxes completely for free, looking to see if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or learning how to track your refund. Though the IRS offers the option of paper filing, with the current COVID-19 state of affairs — and a massive backlog of paper returns and documents — the agency is encouraging taxpayers to file electronically to ensure prompt payment of refunds and avoid filing errors. Most paid and free tax prep services will tell you which forms you need to file, but if you’re still confused, see below for a list of the most commonly used tax forms.

Where Can I Get Tax Forms?

The IRS keeps all of its forms in a database online that offers each form in several languages, and it has a page that specifically highlights the most common forms filers use during tax season. These pages include the forms themselves and documents that instruct users on how to use them.

Which Tax Forms Do I Need?

Everybody’s tax situation is unique and might require different forms. The list below will explain what the most common forms are for and whom they might serve best.