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August 2021
DESERT TIMES The Voice of Southwest Tucson
Volume 34 • Number 8
Back to School 2021
COVID cases on the rise as kids head back to the classroom | Special Section
INSIDE
RODEO STAR
Hot Picks
Maryn Buchanan is among the best teen rodeo contestants in the country
Zoo’s Summer Safari and more | Page 3
Christina Duran
Rock On
Downtown Theaters Reopening | Page 4
Tucson Local Media
Marika Skinner
Marana teen competes in national rodeo competition Tom Danehy
Special to Tucson Local Media
Shrimp Supreme
El Charro’s summer specials | Page 8
Local mayors support Amtrak’s proposal for a passenger rail connecting Tucson and Phoenix
F
resh back from the 2021 National High School Rodeo championships, Maryn Buchanan is both blazing a personal trail while adding to the wellearned fame of her extended family.
Maryn is the latest standout in the legendary Parsons clan that includes patriarch Charlie; rodeo legends Clay, Joe and Cutter; rodeo star and multi-sport
athlete Erin; and stud basketball players Mallory and Carly. (Maryn’s mom, Tracy, is a Parsons.) The Parsons family is synonymous with both Marana and rodeo, so Maryn has both a solid base and a whole lot to try to live up to. She’s off to a good start. The National High School Rodeo is actually misnamed. It doesn’t just feature the top highschool age rodeo competitors
from the United States, but also draws people from Mexico, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This year’s event was held in Nebraska; for the next two years, it will be in Wyoming. She reached Nationals by competing on an almost yearround basis, piling up points along the way as she headed into the State Finals in Prescott. The
O
n July 13, 11 mayors, including mayors from Sahuarta, Oro Valley and Marana, led by Tucson City Mayor Regina Romero and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, sent a letter to Arizona congressional leaders, supporting Amtrak’s proposal for a passenger rail that would not only connect Tucson and Phoenix, but other towns like Marana, Coolidge and Goodyear. “It’s about a regional approach to economic development because what’s good for Tucson is good for the region,” said Romero in a media roundtable with Amtrak and city leaders on Tuesday. “It really is about offering an opportunity to all of our residents, including those that live south of Tucson in Nogales and Rio
See RODEO STAR, P5
See AMTRAK PROPOSAL, P6
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