Explorer, May 19, 2021

EXPLORER The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson

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Graduation 2021

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Highlighting this year’s valedictorians and outstanding students | Page 12

INSIDE

AN OUTPOURING OF OPTIMISM

Our Town

Local venues are once again scheduling shows and opening their doors. The hit musical “Hamilton” was postponed multiple times from Broadway In Tucson due to the pandemic, but is on schedule to debut Nov. 17.

Read more on page 17.

Book Heroes | Page 5

Liven Up

Desert Heart, Mountain Soul | Page 14 $

T

he Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to 4-1 to repeal the mask mandate and continue recommending masks at the emergency meeting last week.

In order to stay in line with the Centers for Disease Control and

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Prevention’s updated guidance on Thursday, announcing fully-vaccinated individuals can go unmasked in indoor and outdoor settings in most cases, the board passed Resolution 2021-35. The resolution repeals Resolution 2020-96, the mask requirement, while continuing to recommend mask use for unvaccinated individuals and in some cases those vaccinated.

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See MASK MANDATE, P8

See DOGS, P6

County lifts mask mandate but urges continued use for unvaccinated people

Tucson Local Media

Tucson Local Media

The county’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia acknowledged the contradictions between the board’s resolution and the CDC’s recommendation, as the resolution required face masks without differentiating between fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Courtesy photo

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J G e ask our dogs a lot of questions, and oftentimes “Who’s a good boy?” is second only to “Oh no, what did you eat?” Oro Valley’s bioscience industry has gained a new member with uPetsia, a University of Arizona startup that has developed a bacteria strain to quell bad breath in dogs. uPetsia’s technology was developed by two associate professors out of the UA’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The idea dates back to a Thanksgiving with friends. Co-founder Eric Lyons recalls friends and family sitting around a campfire with their dogs, and everyone started talking about how dogs had horrible breath. Eventually this turned into guessing whose had the worst breath, and if breed or body size affected their breath.

Labor Market Ducey cuts unemployment | Page 10

Local startup studies the science behind freshening dog breath

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

EXPLORER

The Explorer and Marana News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the Northwest Tucson. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of the Explorer and Marana News, go to www.TucsonLocalMedia.com

STAFF ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President Jaime Hood, General Manager, Ext. 12 jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, Ext. 13 claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, Ext. 10 sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, Ext. 38 jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor Ext. 43, jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor Ext. 35, mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Christina Duran, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42, christinad@tucsonlocalmedia.com PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson Graphic Designer, Ext. 26, ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com Emily Filener, Graphic Designer, Ext. 28 emilyf@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, Ext. 17 alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING Kristin Chester, Account Executive, Ext. 25 kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive, Ext. 39 Lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, Ext. 24, candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL & AD CONTENT The Explorer and Marana News expresses its opinion in the editorial. Opinions expressed in guest commentaries, perspectives, cartoons or letters to the editor are those of the author. The content and claims of any advertisement are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Tucson Local Media assumes no responsibility for the claims or content of any advertisement. Publisher has the right to edit for size or refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.

7225 N. Mona Lisa Road, Ste. 125 Tucson, Arizona 85741 PHONE: (520) 797-4384

Hot Picks Movies on the Lawn.

Even before the pandemic, there was something extra fun about watching movies outdoor on a lawn. Bringing your own chairs, blankets and snacks? Sign us up!

The Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center is hosting screenings on a giant, inflatable screen once a month throughout the summer, to give us something to look forward in the gut-wrenchingly hot months ahead. First up: Grease! This year has been a tough one for a lot of us, but one thing that Grease can teach us to be grateful for is the fact that we are no longer sewing ourselves into our pants to impress idiotic men. These days, ladies, we are only sewing ourselves into tight pants if we want to do it for ourselves. 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 22.

Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center, 11000 N. La Canada Dr. Free.

Vanishing Circles.

I think you can learn something every time you go to an art gallery. This exhibit is particularly sobering, as each of the animals, plants and habitats pictured in the collection are endangered, threatened or otherwise compromised. The series of paintings and drawings was acquired for the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum by the Michael C. and Priscilla V. Baldwin Foundation. It’s strange how sometimes, though we’re surrounded by the beauty of the desert every day, it takes viewing it in an art exhibit to gain a renewed grasp on its beauty and importance. On display May 15 through August 15.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Ironwood Gallery at the Desert Museum, 2021 N.

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Kinney Road. Entrance included with museum admission, and tickets must be reserved in advance.

All the Single Ladies: Women Pioneers of the American West. Many depictions of the Wild West include two types of women.

There’s the doting farmer’s wife, hair in curls, baby in arms and needlework in hand. And there’s the seductress, who strolls into saloons in sexy black boots and a low-cut dress to “keep the fellas company.” Of course, the experiences of the early pioneer women were far broader than this. Many were married, but some chose to come out West single! This exhibit at the Tucson Desert Art museum tells their stories: the boarding house owners, the teachers, the madams, the entertainers, the Harvey girls. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays. Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road. $10 GA.

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Pool Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility!

Golder Ranch Fire District is asking you to be informed about Pool Safety. A drowning can happen to anyone at any time but the only way to ensure that everyone has a safe experience in the water is to supervise children around and in the water. Here’s to a safe swim season!

• Never swim alone, always use the buddy system regardless of age.

• At parties, assign a designated “Water Watcher” whose responsibility is to monitor the number of people in the pool and be prepared for an emergency.

• The designated “Water Watcher” should not be engaged in conversation, eating, or drinking alcohol. They should have a phone available pool side to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.

• The “Water Watcher” should be an adult. They should take turns with other adults at the gathering in 20-30 minute intervals.

• Avoid “horse play” around the pool to prevent injuries.

• When it is time for everyone to get out of the pool, secure the pool area by ensuring that pool gates are closed, and that all swimmers are accounted for and out of the pool area.

Golder Ranch Fire District Administration | 3885 E. Golder Ranch Drive, Tucson, AZ 85739 | grfdaz.gov

C D Tucson Local Media

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ima County, Tucson Medical Center and the state of Arizona began offering vaccinations for those 12 and older at multiple locations last week.

This follows the approval by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on the FDA’s emergency use authorization of Pfizer for children 12-15 on Wednesday, May 12. The county, which has provided primarily Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, began administering Pfizer vaccines last week at two locations: TMC’s Udall Park vaccination site and the Foothills Mall clinic.

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are only approved for those 18 and older.

“The announcement earlier today is a welcome step in our ongoing battle against COVID-19,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, director

of the Pima County Health Department. “We have been watching and worrying about young people and the variants of COVID-19 for a few weeks. This is an extra and excellent layer of protection to keep them and their loved ones safe.”

While the Pfizer vaccine is available at the county’s pop-up clinic for children 12-15, the vaccine is available for anyone, according to health officials. TMC is reserving the Pfizer vaccine for the 12 to 17 group, and offering Moderna for adults; however, they will offer Pfizer to accompanying guardians if they have not yet been vaccinated.

TMC plans to offer Pfizer for the foreseeable future and has about 1,500 doses, with more expected early next week, said Vice President of Community Benefit Julia Strange.

The county is also offering the Pfizer vaccine at the Foothills Mall, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd., in the

former Old Navy store.

The site is open daily from noon to 8 p.m.

The county plans to offer Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson at Richey Resource Center, 2209 N. 15th Ave., on Thursday, May 20.

Pfizer is also available at the UA POD and selected pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, which are currently offering the vaccine for those 12 and older.

For all locations, a parent or guardian must accompany any minors.

The UA site is open until 5 p.m. daily, and while no appointment is required, the site encourages registration at podvaccine. azdhs.gov. To find a pharmacy offering Pfizer, visit VaccineFinder.org.

TMC’s Udall Park location is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Appointments are encouraged. Registration at vaccine.tmcaz. com opened Wednesday evening for appointments Thursday morning.

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OUR TOWN

Southern Arizona Book Heroes donates books to OV, Marana police departments C D Tucson Local Media

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ennifer Dillon remembers how frightened her 3-year-old son was after they were in a car accident.

“He was absolutely petrified,” Dillon recalls.

Due to the experience of her son and inspired by a similar program in Ohio, Dillon founded the local nonprofit Southern Arizona Book Heroes to equip first responders, victim advocates, social workers, and child-centric agencies with new books and new plush toys, to distract, comfort, and soothe traumatized children.

She contacted the Tucson Police Department, where she spoke with the police chief at the time, Roberto

Villaseñor. Since 2016, Dillon has built relationships with eight departments, including the Pima County Sheriff ’s Office, Border Patrol, and other organizations like the Children’s Advocacy Center and Arizona Fisher House.

“Somebody got stranded on the side of the road, and a trooper stops, to see if they’re OK and everything and they see a child. They might give a book to the child to calm them down and distract them,” said Dillon. “Maybe they’re just out to lunch, and they see a child totally intrigued by them and so to bring that relationship closer between our first responders and the community, they may give a book to the child.”

The organization recently donated around 20 duffel bags with around 30 to 40 books to the Oro Valley and

Chief Kara Riley of the Oro Valley Police Department standing with donations from Book Heroes. Courtesy photo.

Marana Police Departments, said Dillon.

On April 20, Marana Police Department Chief Reuben Nuñez said he met Dillon when she arrived with the donation. As a former child abuse detective with the city of Tucson Nuñez understands the importance of having an object or toy to

comfort or distract victims of crimes, especially children.

“It is a great opportunity to kind of build those partnerships with the community and really put these children that are victims of domestic violence or abuse or what have you, in an easier place, a safer place,” said Nuñez.

He said his officers have already donated books to a school he visited to read to the children, and another officer used them when responding to a domestic violence situation, where children were present.

“He took the time to sit down with them and share a couple of books and a couple of the stuffed animals that were in the bag and that eased the things. It’s an icebreaker basically,” said Nuñez.

The nonprofit donates books for kids up to 16 years old and works with local authors, such as Rico Austin.

The duffel bags also include coloring books, colored pencils and sometimes card games. Nuñez said while the practice of providing comfort to children through these types of items is not new, the packaging provided

to them by Dillon and her organization made it easier for them to distribute to children in need.

Oro Valley Chief Kara Riley said the donation came as a pleasant surprise, and said they have given the books to officers in the school resource officer program, where the books can be given to elementary or junior high aged children, especially during summer school.

According to Riley, their police department, like Marana, had always given away items, like teddy bears, but the book was something they had not thought of.

“We want to make sure that we’re able to give them those additional resources to help ease the situation that they’re dealing with. It can be stressful, and certainly these books are helping alleviate that,” said Riley.

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

Dogs: uPetsia wins competition Continued from P1

“And I thought to myself, I bet we can come up with some technology to solve bad breath in dogs,” associate professor Lyons said. “I kept thinking about it when I got back to the office. That was the genesis of this technology, which is to screen and cultivate, and look at the naturally occurring bacteria in the mouths of dogs. Looking for ones that are safe and effective that we can work with in the lab that don’t carry antibiotic resistance genes, and see if we can genetically engineer some synthetic pathways to produce nice aromas like mint smell.”

Lyons submitted his idea to UA, and caught the attention of the university’s commercialization office, Tech Launch Arizona. TLA then gave uPetsia a business development grant to move from concept to research. uPetsia’s argument is that traditional breath fresheners are only effective in the minutes after use, but introducing bacteria that produce mint smell can last far longer.

“With toothpaste and mouthwash, you have fresh breath for about 20 minutes. It’s the same thing for dogs,” Lyons said. “When they chew on something, it scrapes the plaque and tartar off the teeth. Some products have mint to help give them fresh breath. But as soon as that clears the oral cavity, that freshness diminishes very quickly.

The difference here is that

our bacteria establish small colonies in the mouth, and during their lifetime that lasts about two hours, they are producing that mint aroma.”

Lyons realized that to be successful, he’d need to work with a business professional who can translate scientific advancements into a market-ready product, and called in longtime collaborator Scott Zentack.

“As soon as he told me the idea, I thought it was phenomenal and was onboard,” Zentack said. “That was almost three years ago, and it’s been a really fun ride… It comes down to the fact that it persists, and persists longer than other products. Ideally, we’d like to get to a point where you feed a treat to your dog in the morning, and it still has fresh breath when you come home from work.”

The mint smell in question is methyl salicylate, an organic compound commonly used for fragrance and flavor. uPetsia co-inventor and fellow associate professor David Baltrus scanned through “hundreds if not thousands” of bacteria to find a type with the correct properties to engineer the production of the minty methyl salicylate.

The engineering is done in the bacteria’s plasmids, small DNA molecules similar to chromosomes. While methyl salicylate has been linked to cases of toxicity in humans, this is often due to overuse of topical pain-relief products.

“We basically synthetically engineered this path-

way, and then we optimized it for use within these bacteria, and ordered stretches of DNA that contain the genes that we want to, and stitch them to a plasmid and put that plasmid in the bacteria,” Lyons said. “It’s very similar to thinking about it in terms of a computer code: there’s the bacterial program running on the bacterial chromosome, and then we have this little tiny program made up of a couple of genes that is there to make methyl salicylate.”

To test the aroma-producing capabilities of the new bacteria, Lyons and Baltrus measured out a set amount of bacteria, put it on treats and fed them to dogs, then swabbed the dogs’ mouths immediately and every few hours after to find out how long the bacteria stuck around.

“The University has a very stringent program for how to work with animals. But when it came to the first batch of dogs, these were our dogs,” Lyons said. “While the University was incredibly stringent in terms of their safety and control, the real person I had to contend with was my wife.”

Lyons says they used four testing methods to detect the bacteria’s presence in their dogs’ mouths: using scientific instruments to detect the bacteria themselves, recovering the bacteria out of the dogs’ mouths, and using molecular markers as an additional confirmation of bacteria.

But in addition to these more advanced processes,

Left to right: UA assistant professor Eric Lyons (left) and business development professional Scott Zentack in their new lab space at the University of Arizona Center for Innovation at Oro Valley.

Photo by Paul Tumarkin/Tech Launch Arizona

the classic sniff test also played a role. They were able to detect the specialized bacteria and methyl salicylate production for 90 minutes to two hours after feeding the dogs. Of course, this time range can be reduced by dogs quickly scarfing down their treats.

“Our main concern with this bacteria is, because we’re going in there and re-engineering to divert their internal metabolic energy to produce mint smell, it’s going to make them a little weaker,” Lyons said.

“Bacteria are constantly battling it out on animals, so if you bring in one that’s a little weaker, how fast are they going to get outcompeted?”

Looking ahead, uPetsia (which comes from the word eupepsia, meaning “good digestion”) aims to increase the longevity of their bacteria, potentially by three or four hours.

“Our ultimate goal is to

make a product that’s made for pets and the people who love them,” Zentack said.

“Dogs are part of their families and our families, so we want the consumers to understand that we’re being very safe.” uPetsia recently gained a major business boost in winning the University of Arizona Center for Innovation’s Sponsored Launch Fueled by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce competition, which grants uPetsia business support and one year of admission to the new Center for Innovation in Oro Valley.

“It was perfect. We were looking at lab space at the time this came up, so we did a pitch for the competition and were selected,” Zentack said.

UACI has hosted multiple Sponsored Startups throughout the region, partnering with the likes of Perkins Coie law firm and the Town of Sahuarita.

uPetsia recently moved into the Oro Valley office, which includes office space and lab space for research and development. The Center for Innovation at Oro Valley serves as a business incubator and connection between UA and Oro Valley’s own bioscience industries. The Center, located in Oro Valley’s Innovation Park, is located close to Roche Tissue Diagnostics and UA’s new veterinary school, providing opportunities for collaboration throughout the region.

“We’re working on the bacteria. We don’t want to be a treat producer or a food producer. So we’re working with people that can help us understand how to incorporate this into pet foods,” Zentack said. “Our plan is to grow this bacteria in bulk and supply it to a treat maker, then they would incorporate it into their manufacturing process.”

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Conservative group targets U.S. Rep. O’Halleran over Biden’s infrastructure plan C D Tucson Local Media

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conservative political advocacy group announced last week that it would be targeting Congressman Tom O’Halleran as part of a million-dollar-plus national campaign to persuade vulnerable Democrats to oppose President Joe Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan.

Representatives for Americans for Prosperity announced last week that O’Halleran’s Congressional District 1, which includes Oro Valley and Marana, was among the districts that would see spending on direct mail, digital advertising and “other tactics” as the group seeks to derail the Biden’s administration next major initiative.

“Arizonans won’t buy what the administration is selling when they learn this so-called ‘infrastructure’ proposal is the most expensive plan in American history, paid for by some of the largest tax hikes ever,” said Stephen Shadegg, the director of the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity. “Instead of raising taxes and spending the vast majority of tax dollars on a partisan wish list, we are urging Rep. O’Halleran to focus on helping people keep more of what they earn and unleashing private investment for our infrastructure needs. Now is the worst time to usher

in harmful tax increases, regulations, and mandates for Arizona families and entrepreneurs.”

The campaign effort comes as new polling shows bipartisan support for the White House infrastructure and care plan in key states, according to Data for Progress.

From the end of April to early May, Data for Progress, a think tank and political advocacy group, surveyed an average of 642 likely voters in each of 10 key states–Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The survey hoped to measure support for Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, including the American Rescue Plan, American Jobs Plan, and American Families Plan.

They found overall in all 10 states the majority of likely voters supported the American Rescue Plan and in Arizona 72% supported the plan, with most crediting the Democractic Party for passing provisions of the plan, such as vaccine distribution, the stimulus checks, and expanded child tax credit.

The poll also showed net positive support for The American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan in all 10 states, even when voters were told the plans would be paid for raising taxes on large cor-

porations and the wealthy.

“The idea that paying for these plans is unpopular is patently incorrect. In fact, those provisions actually make people more supportive of the idea,” said Data for Progress Executive Director Sean McElwee.

In Arizona, 68% of likely voters support the American Jobs Plan and little more than half of self-identifying Republicans support the plan, according to the survey.

Around 80% of likely voters in Arizona supported the proposed investments in physical infrastructure, lead pipe removal, and long-term care.

Almost two-thirds of Arizona’s likely voters support the American Families Plan; however, 36% of self-identifying Republican voters support and a little more than half oppose the families plan, with 10% responding “I don’t know.” Overall, voters in Arizona supported the provisions in the plan, with the majority supporting provisions like paid family and medical leave, the most popular provision with a minimum of 65% support over all ten states, along with insurance subsidies and childcare.

Despite the mostly bipartisan support among likely voters in key states for the plan, the majority of Republicans in Congress oppose both plans, with phrases like “Trojan horse” used to call an infra-

structure plan they believe is more of socialist plan.

There are also concerns over the costs and payments of the plans with the American Families Plan is estimated to invest an ad-

ditional $1.8 trillion to the already $2 trillion infrastructure plan.

For the American Families Plan, respondents were told the plan would be paid for by raising taxes on

Americans who earn more than $400,000 a year and increasing the capital gains tax on individuals earning more than $1 million a year.

Continued on P13

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Call Circulation at 797-4384 for details.

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SHEPHERD HILLS Mask mandate: 4-1 vote SENIOR LIVING Guiding Tranquility in the Old Pueblo

Residents at Shepherd Hills enjoy our gardens filled with a variety of fruit trees and flowering plants.

During the warmer seasons, birds and butterflies are a common sight in our tranquil oasis. Residents can participate in the Shepherd Hills Gardening Program at any level they are comfortable with. Whether you still enjoy planting and tending the garden or simply enjoy a quiet stroll along the garden pathways, Shepherd Hills is full with beautiful outdoor spaces.

Perfect Location

Our location is just far enough removed from daily traffic and noise while still being conveniently located. Situated in the peaceful Harold Bell Wright Neighborhood, our residents enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings and the green spaces provided at the Harold Bell Wright Park. Also, we are nearby to amenities and services such as restaurants, shops, banks, and the medical facilities. Shepherd Hill’s location blends the quiet surroundings of a rural neighborhood with all the convenience of living in the city.

Courtesy photo

“With the release of updated CDC guidelines, and no way of distinguishing between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, I will be asking my colleagues on the Council to consider ending our local mask-wearing requirement,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.

Continued from P1

Gathering Places The centerpiece of our inner courtyard is our signature gazebo. Large enough to accommodate gatherings for morning coffee with friends and family or a tranquil place to sit and reflect.

6447-6451 East Shepherd Hills Tucson, AZ 85710 shepherdhillsseniorcare.com

Call today! 520-358-0643

The first suggestion is that the board could amend its current resolution to apply only to unvaccinated individuals and exempt fully vaccinated persons.

“This action, although symbolically meaningful, would be unenforceable,” wrote Huckelberry in a May 14 COVID-19 update.

The second option, which Huckelberry, along with Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen and Garcia recommended the board select, opted for considering a new resolution to repeal the previous mask mandate and provide new

recommendations.

The last option suggested the Board could simply repeal the resolution, which Supervisor Steve Christy made an unsuccessful motion to pass at the May 14 meeting.

Ultimately the board chose the second option, aligning with the CDC in recommending continued use of masks and other mitigation strategies like social distancing for the unvaccinated people, while also recommending masks for all, vaccinated or not, on public transportation and in ‘health care settings, schools, correctional facilities, shelters, congregate facilities and any other setting where it is required by

local, state or federal law.”

These recommendations are also in line with CDC’s updated guidance.

The resolution also requests establishments provide masks for employees who are not fully vaccinated and encourage the use of masks, but makes clear the resolution does not prevent establishments from setting their own standards on masks and social distancing, or refusing service for noncompliance.

After the resolution, Christy motioned to “rescind, remove and terminate” board Resolution 2020-18, which declared Pima County in a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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The motion died for lack of a second.

While Supervisor Matt Heinz said he would love to be able to support such a motion, “we still are in a pandemic.”

“It’s important to continue to acknowledge to the public that we do still have a pandemic and a state of emergency is reasonable to maintain at this point,” said Heinz.

He said if the situation changes, he would vote to reinstate the mask requirement.

Along with the resolution, the Pima County Health Department updated its Public Health Advisory. Cullen said they looked at the CDC recommendation and tried to reconcile them with Pima County’s COVID-19 data.

While not at the goal of 10 or fewer cases per 100,000, Cullen said the county had stabilized at around 40 cases per 100,000 for the last four weeks through May 7 and expects the last two weeks will remain the same. Along with the stability in cases, Cullen noted the increasing vaccination rates in the county, with 49% of those 18 and over fully vaccinated and the ongoing vaccination of children between the ages of 12 and 15, which began Thursday, May 13.

“The really significant thing is the growing body of evidence that indicates

that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection,” Cullen.

The Public Health Advisory, following CDC guidance and the board’s resolution, states fully vaccinated individuals can go participate in indoor or outdoor activities without mask or social distancing, while those not vaccinated should continue to wear a mask and social distance.

However, regardless of vaccination status, they continue to advise mask wearing for people displaying COVID-19 symptoms, when traveling in public transportation, in schools, healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and congregate living facilities, and in large indoor events, greater than 1,000 people.

“While we are consistent with CDC, there is the nuance there that if you are in a large indoor events, you can be putting yourself at risk,” said Cullen. “We are concerned that we are not able to assess people’s vaccination status.

So while we strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated, we know that there will continue to be people that are unvaccinated.”

The inability to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals was a concern expressed not only

by Cullen and the board, but also Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.

In a statement released Thursday, May 13, Romero said she would ask the council to consider ending the city’s mask requirement at Tuesday’s meeting.

“With the release of updated CDC guidelines, and no way of distinguishing between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, I will be asking my colleagues on the Council to consider ending our local mask-wearing requirement at our meeting on Tuesday while continuing to strongly recommend that Tucsonans follow CDC guidelines, including mask-wearing when appropriate,” said Romero.

According to the release, the mayor and council requested the city attorney and manager interpret, administer, and enforce the city’s mask ordinance consistent with CDC guidance.

“It is because we masked up and followed the advice of our public health experts that we are in a position where cases are low and we can take additional steps to fully return back to normal,” said Romero. “We must continue to stay vigilant, and I strongly encourage all Tucsonans who have not been vaccinated to get their shots as soon as possible.”

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Citing labor shortage, Ducey cuts unemployment aid C D

With his “Arizona Backto-Work” Plan, thousands of Arizonans on unemployment will return to receiving the maximum $240 on July 10.

Several states, along with Arizona, announced they would stop taking the federal pandemic unemployment benefits, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho,

Tucson Local Media

A

rizona will no longer provide the weekly $300 federal supplement provided for unemployed workers during the pandemic, announced Governor Doug Ducey on Thursday.

Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, extended in March through the American Rescue Plan, provided the additional weekly $300 benefit to cover freelancers, part-timers and anyone who did not qualify to regular unemployment, and extended the benefit for an additional 24 weeks.

The program is set to end on Sept. 4.

Instead Ducey will use $300 million of federal resources to provide a bonus to eligible workers, in an effort to encourage Arizonans to rejoin the workforce by Labor Day, Sept. 6. The plan offers eligible individuals, who return to a full-time job a one-time $2,000 bonus and a $1,000 bonus for those who return part-time.

People will receive the bonus when they have stopped filing for unemployment benefits and com-

pleted at least 10 weeks of work with an employer. The bonus will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To qualify for the bonus, an individual must have already filed for unemployment benefits, meaning anyone filing for unemployment benefits after May 13 will not be eligible for the bonuses. Individuals must also make $25 per hour or less, about $52,000 a year, at their new job and must begin working by Sept. 6.

“In Arizona, we’re going to use federal money to encourage people to work… instead of paying people not to work,” Ducey said.

He cited the trouble businesses faced with labor shortages and said unemployment benefits should not be a barrier to return people to work.

The restaurant and hospitality industry continues to face difficulties hiring, including Oro Valley restaurant owners, some who have cited unemployment as a deterrent, with various reasons,

“Especially as we see the reemergence of customers and people shopping, dining, doing all of those kinds of things, the need for workers is extreme,” said Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce President Dave Perry. “And it’s not just restaurants. It’s hospitality. It’s people that need drivers. All kinds of industries are trying to ramp up and they’re having a difficult time finding employees.

So, I am supportive of what the governor is doing and I think that we gotta get back to work. We got to do it and we got to get vaccinated. We have to get people vaccinated and that’s how we’re gonna return to normal.”

Perry notes some individuals receive unemployment, because they cannot return to work for health reasons, or the family is a single mom who has kids at home in online school.

“I understand and respect those positions. At the same time, the way that the economy functions is to have people in gainful

employment and that helps everybody. That helps the worker. That helps the employer,” said Perry.

Because of families like the single mom or others unable to return to work, Honest Arizona, a progressive grassroots coalition representing “everyday Arizonans,” oppose Ducey’s decision.

“While many Arizonans have not yet recovered from the pandemic, Governor Ducey’s decision to slash unemployment benefits is a major blow to thousands of Arizonans who lost their jobs and are still looking for work,” said Honest Arizona Executive Director Niles Harris. “Leaders from both parties voted to extend unemployment benefits for out-of-work Arizonans to help pay their bills, provide for their families and stay in their homes. This decision cuts more than half of the weekly assistance provided to Arizonans and is a devastating blow to struggling families.”

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

school diploma.

“We have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure those who were displaced received the support they needed for themselves and their families,” said Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) Director Michael Wisehart. “Now that employers in all sectors are hiring, we’re ready to transition and enhance our assistance to families, job seekers and employers. We are committed to ensuring the long-term strength of Arizona’s economy to provide self-sufficiency for Arizona’s families.”

Courtesy Photo In March Ducey also re“In Arizona, we’re going to use federal money to encourage people to work…instead of paying people not to work,” instated the rule that people Gov. Doug Ducey said. must be actively looking for Ducey also announced announced the state would for currently unemployed work in order to receive unthe state would provide receive an additional $9 mil- workers who are eligible for employment benefits. three months of child care lion for childcare providers. the bonuses and $6 million For more information on assistance for people with The state would also pro- for GED test preparation children eligible for the vide $7.5 million for com- and exam fees for eligible the program visit des.az.gov/ bonus. Last week, Ducey munity college scholarships workers without a high back-to-work-program.

BRIEFLY TUCSON RANKS AMONG HOTTEST RENTAL MARKETS IN NATION It’s no news that Tucson’s housing market is firmly in sellers’ hands; houses for sale can receive more than a dozen offers in their first days on the market, often for tens of thousands more than their asking price. But a new report from RENTCafé indicates that mid-sized markets such as Tucson are also leading in rental competitivity, fueled by the housing market.

The market report, “The Hottest U.S. Rental Markets: Mid-sized Hubs Take the Lead in Competitivity,” found that 96% of apartments in Tucson are occupied with

an average of 14 prospective renters per apartment, placing Tucson as the 15th most competitive rental market in the nation. This ranks Tucson alongside cities like Colorado Springs, Boise and Sacramento.

Apartments in Tucson were also found to be vacant for an average of 31 days.

This is more than a week less than the national average of 39 days. Nationally, 94% of rentals were occupied with an average of 11 renters competing per apartment.

“The current climate increasingly points to the economy growing in 2021, providing significant and risk-averse potential for the apartment market,” says Doug Ressler, manager of business intelligence at Yardi Matrix, a real estate data company.

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

Graduation

of Class of

2021

Marana High valedictorian achieves longtime goal Jeff Gardner Tucson Local Media

R

ocio Sanchez-Salcido can remember attending her older sister’s high school graduation when she was 10 years old.

The speeches from the valedictorian and salutatorian inspired her to want to become the valedictorian for her own graduating class at Marana High—and this year, she achieved that goal.

“Right there I set it as one of my goals. I’ve just always wanted to be the best, as weird as that might sound,” Sanchez-Salcido said. “That was a position I saw myself being able to achieve. So I started working really hard.

But because of the pandemic, my last semester was really challenging and different compared to the last three years. So when I found out I got it, I was so excited. It felt like all my hard work paid off.”

Sanchez-Salcido told her family of her goal, and they

supported her all throughout high school. During her freshman year, her report card indicated she was third in her class, and she knew she could push herself to achieve No. 1. But she admits there were times her family was concerned for her because of all the academic responsibilities she was juggling.

“I’ve always wanted to be challenged, and that really cultivated a sense of pushing my limits of how much I can learn, which is really important to have if you’re doing something like this,” Sanchez-Salcido said. “I spent so many nights staying up until 3 in the morning, just making sure all my projects were done and studying for big tests.”

Sanchez-Salcido set goals and routines to be able to become valedictorian, including taking Advanced Placement classes. However, this was complicated during COVID, when at-home schooling made it harder to focus. To stay on track, she used planners, timers, and alarms

ahead of every video call.

“You’re at home all the time, and you associate your home and your room with relaxing, or at least not with school. So it definitely took some time to build the association that you’re at home but still have to do that work,” Sanchez-Salcido said. “But after a while of not seeing anyone, you start to feel the effects of the loneliness and isolation. There were definitely some bumps in the road where it didn’t even feel like school. But once it went back to hybrid and having the opportunity to come back to school, it helped and made it feel more like school.”

Beyond the bookwork, Sanchez-Salcido served as class president of the student council, participated in Marana High School’s Mu Alpha Theta math competition club and worked on the prom committee.

“I don’t even know how I did it now, going to school all day, and then at 5 p.m. going to school again to work until

11,” Sanchez-Salcido.

She also recently achieved another major goal: On her birthday, she found out she was accepted to Stanford University, which she acknowledges was a pretty awesome birthday present. Her extracurricular balance of math and student council is reflected in her choice of college study: a major in mathematics, and possibly a minor in political science.

“The amazing teachers at Marana really helped me find and cultivate a love for math,” Sanchez-Salcido said. “And I took AP Gov this year, and learning about how the government functions and all the stats that go into voting, and how our system works is so intriguing to me… I want to use what I love about math to help people or give people information.”

Though her time at the graduation podium is a long time coming, Sanchez-Salcido is still planning out her graduation speech. She says she wants to focus on her

Courtesy photo

“I’ve always wanted to be challenged, and that really cultivated a sense of pushing my limits of how much I can learn,” said MHS valedictorian Rocio Sanchez-Salcido. motto of “have the audacity to believe in yourself.”

“There are so many people who try to limit what you can do. I’ve been told so many times that my dreams are unattainable, or that what I’m doing is too hard,” Sanchez-Salcido said. “You have to not let what people think blind you from what you have to do. I’ve found people are scared of someone who is

confident in themselves. So my mentality has always been to rely on yourself. If you can’t have that confidence in yourself, how can you have it in other people? I just want to encourage people and congratulate them, and make them feel that what they did was worth it all these years. I know how hard this year has been for all these people, but they did it.”

Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

Photo by Christina Duran

Congressman Tom O’Halleran visits with Oro Valley restaurant owners concerned about pandemic aid.

Continued from P7

Executive Director Rahna Epting of MoveOn, a progressive public advocacy group, emphasized the need to address “long-standing inequities and burdens within our economic fabric” and that we cannot go back to the way things were before the pandemic, with so many struggling even before the pandemic.

“Most importantly, we can no longer afford to allow corporations and the wealthiest of Americans, many of whom profited greatly during this pandemic, to not to not pay their fair share” said Epting. “We are all in this together, and they too must do their part to invest in our economy to rebuild this country. It is long past time they paid their fair share.”

Epting and fellow members of the Real Recovery Now coalition looked at the poll as confirmation that bipartisan support for the plans exists, despite Republican opposition.

“Especially given what we’ve lived through, voters understand that we can not

have a full economic recovery without addressing the care economy. The childcare workforce has always been underpaid and undervalued and parents have never received the financial support they need to pay for childcare,” said Lorella Praeli, co-president of Community Change, a national organization advocating for low-income people of color.

“We know that parents need safe, affordable, high quality care for their children, so they can go to work and keep the economy moving.”

She said since the pandemic began, nearly 3 million women have lost or been forced to leave their jobs, and women of color have been hit the hardest, with one in four women unemployed during the pandemic. Those women cited the lack of childcare as the reason for remaining unemployed.

Ai-jen Poo, a senior advisor of Care in Action, a nonprofit fighting for the domestic workers in the U.S. (who are mostly women), said care policies were popular prior to the pan-

demic. “Millions of us were already struggling to afford child care, to take paid leave or to find homecare to support our aging loved ones or our loved ones with disabilities as we work,” said Poo. “The pandemic just brought a simmering care crisis to a boil, as families were unable to piece it together the way that they had before, with the majority of the burden falling on women and women of color.”

Epting said the bills are unlikely to pass with a bipartisan vote and expects them to go straight to reconciliation, meaning the plans would pass with a simple majority vote.

“We know that Republicans are going to do what they always do. They’re going to obstruct the process so that they can obstruct progress for the American people. They can continue to rally around corporations and the rich and prevent all of what we voted for from becoming law,” criticised Epting. “They’re no longer the serious governing party and we should not be treating them as such.”

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LIVEN UP

Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

‘Desert Heart, Mountain Soul’ traces the Southwest with a blend of Americana Jeff Gardner Tucson Local Media

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luegrass music hails from the rolling hills of Kentucky, but fans of Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin know the musical style fits quite well between saguaros and canyon walls. The duo’s latest collaboration, “Desert Heart, Mountain Soul,” combines a variety of rustic and lonesome songs into a musical map of the American Southwest: creosote, pastures, borderlands and all.

The pair have performed together since the early ’90s, blending a variety of ballads that fit beneath the Amer-

icana label. McLaughlin is a guitarist and singer who moved to Tucson in the ‘80s, performing in several folk festivals and fronting The Sonoran Dogs. Brashear, who records on the guitar, fiddle, mandolin and more, met McLaughlin when he moved to Tucson in 1992.

In 2016, through a Museum of Northern Arizona artist residency, Brashear and McLaughlin recorded an album celebrating the Colorado plateau. A follow-up of sorts, “Desert Heart, Mountain Soul,” expands its view both thematically and compositionally, and was co-written with songwriter and performer Mark “Brink”

Brinkman.

“That particular project, there was a specific motivation to write songs about the Colorado plateau. There was a much more direct focus to that recording,” Brashear said. “‘Desert Heart, Mountain Soul’ didn’t have that kind of primary focus and I’d say was much more loose.

We weren’t trying to fit anything into one small box.”

Beyond its varied lyrical themes, “Desert Heart, Mountain Soul” also includes covers of American folk icons like Woody Guthrie and Kate Wolf. Songs like “Take Me Back Where I Was Born” and “Another Trip Around the Sun” are more somber reflec-

tions of time’s passing, but much of the album is warm, pastoral songs celebrating the history and landscape of Arizona.

“We really haven’t done a lot of co-writing. Usually Peter comes up with ideas and I come up with ideas and we try to fulfill each other’s vision as much as we can,” Brashear said. “In our very nature and upbringing we probably bring some of that high, lonesome quality. We like that in music anyway. So I don’t know if the pandemic specifically has changed our sensibilities about what we bring to lyrics and songs, but we’ve also had this very specific Southwest bent. So

there’s other things like geography and culture coming into our songs, as opposed to what is just thought of as Appalachian mountain music.”

McLaughlin says they are both heavily influenced by the outdoors in their songwriting, and often explore the Southwestern nature together. Adoration of the wilderness is clear in the title track, which decries city living and expresses a willingness to escape into a desert landscape: “The cactus blooms, the coyotes cry, the Colorado rolls / A full moon over the mesa is a wonder to behold.”

“I think Chris and I have similar styles, even though our playing and singing is dif-

ferent. We both write about what we’ve seen and done, and the places we’ve been,” McLaughlin said. “Whenever I go out on one of my off-weekends to go hiking or camping or backpacking, I take it all in and that’s where I get a lot of my songs from.

It makes me happy I can get away from city life. I think a lot of the songs talk about that because this past year, especially with not having a lot of gigs, I was able to explore some wilderness areas I had no idea were so spectacular. That was one of the bright sides from the COVID year. I had all this time to get out into the backwoods and canyons and mountains.”

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Although the album was recorded during the pandemic, its songs feature a vast and warm atmosphere.

Brashear and McLaughlin managed to maintain this even during isolated recording sessions at A Writer’s Room in Tucson. Guest musicians like Alvin Blaine, Duncan Stitt and Chris Haynes further defined the landscape via added layers of dobro, pedal steel guitar, piano and accordion.

“This recording couldn’t be made with everybody in the room at the same time, so there was a question of how to keep things organic,” Brashear said. “Peter and I went in at the same time, we were in the same bubble anyway. So we could get the basic tracks done, then had other people come in. And I think the folks we had as guests were able to keep an organic feel, even when we were separated.”

“Desert Heart, Mountain Soul” also includes a cover of Alice Gerrard’s “You Gave Me A Song,” and features her singing harmony. McLaughlin says singing with Gerrard on her own song was the honor of the album.

“We wanted to do those songs because they cover the natural elements and wildlife. It’s very reflective of what our thoughts were for the whole project, a lot of outdoor imagery and wild places,” McLaughlin said. “When I think of writers like Kate Wolf and Woody Guthrie, they really captured the social issues and environmental issues in their songs, and that’s kind of what we seek for our recordings.”

Though there is an emphasis on natural imagery and genre standbys, certain tracks tackle personal and political subjects, such as “21 On the Border,” where

Peter McLaughlin (left) and Chris Brashear release their third collaborative album ‘Desert Heart, Mountain Soul’ on the Hotel Congress plaza on Tuesday, May 25. Courtesy photo.

Brashear sings about border crossings. The calm, pained song examines identity and isolation in lyrics like: “As empty as the Gila south of Phoenix, on a dusty road where no one ever goes / I will work anywhere I will do anything, I don’t have a

name and I ain’t got no papers / I’m all alone, yes all alone, in a wasteland that a free man never knows.”

“It’s not like the instrumentation on the record is complicated or too layered on top of each other, but we definitely are trying

to capture a feeling with every song. So we pick instruments that lend themselves better to produce certain feelings or settings,” Brashear said. “It’s the same for ‘21 On the Border,’ I wanted it to have that feeling of norteño in there, so we have accordion and nylon-string guitars to help instrumentally produce a sonic picture in people’s minds.”

Brashear’s “The Day I Was Set Free” is a classic blues song filled with imagery of drunks, train cars and absent families. But the dusty guitar and drums are turned on their head with a tight performance and the ironic central theme of wanting to go back to prison after being released.

“I always listen back to my own recordings and overall am my own worst critic, but I think we really captured what we wanted here,” McLaughlin said.

Desert Heart, Mountain Soul

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HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis

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17 Medicare section 18 Before now 19 Completely exhausted 21 Financial guru Suze 23 Bae 24 Kind of clef preceding notes usually played with the right hand on a piano 25 Tylenol alternative 29 Objects 31 President Garfield’s middle name 32 What a good Samaritan offers 33 What the giant Argus has 100 of, in Greek myth 1

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Expensive Italian car, informally 38 One-named rapper with the 2015 #1 album “The Album About Nothing” 39 Sub at the office 40 Director Kazan 41 Smart society 42 Makes frescoes or murals 44 Kind of sauce 45 Trims 47 Start of a giant’s chant 48 Shoulder muscles, for short 49 Cry upon arriving 55 Bad thing to have on a record, in brief 56 Send 58 Hues that rhyme with “hues” 59 One followed by nothing?

60 & 61 Advice for an insomniac … or what you can do 12 times in this puzzle, reading across and down (not including this answer) 37

Know Us, Know Your Community

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It would be incorrect to say that anger is a drug to some people.

The chemical flood brought on by anger is a drug to everyone, though not all are addicted.

You’ll witness of different anger-processing styles and welcome opportunities for curiosity and tinkering in the emotional realms.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It’s not as though you can get your house in order once and then it’s good for all time. Organization and maintenance is a daily endeavor. Your embrace of this makes complaints unnecessary. You actually enjoy the care that goes into keeping things rolling. Many will be attracted to this quality in you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Because you have known the sea of scheduling that has you booked out as far as the calendar goes with your time claimed for dozens of weekends in a row, you deeply appreciate the lulls. Treating your downtime as sacred takes discipline and requires you to create rules for yourself and then protect boundaries.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If someone knew what was going on inside your head at all times, then would they still love you? Hopefully, you can answer “yes” because, after all, you are there for all that you think. Can you still offer yourself compassion? Of course! Thoughts pass like clouds. They are not who you are. You are the sky.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Transitions always require work. Anyone having to change their plan or adjust their expectation is doing emotional labor. It will be important to acknowledge how emotional labor is spent. In a best-case scenario, everyone is doing some, and no one is doing so much more of it than the others as to breed resentment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll put in more work than the people around you, but it has to be this way for things to get better. First, someone sets the new standard and, even if the others won’t meet it, they’ll do more than they would have without the example. Use the late week to replenish your resources.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll use what you know. When you know better, you’ll probably do it differently. But this is what works for now. You’ve been hard on yourself, and unnecessarily so. The week goes better when you get on your own side, become your own fan and remind yourself that you are doing your best.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). How do you know you’ve given enough? Everyone has a level of giving they are comfortable with. You don’t feel like you’ve hit yours until you’ve given slightly more than you have. This would be a problem if it weren’t for the magical and infinite wells of generosity that open inside secret places of your soul.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re primed to laugh! A strong streak of cosmic humor crosses your part of the sky. Anyway, taking things too seriously creates heaviness which creates drag and slows everything down. There are places you want to go this week. The reason you can do so much is that you travel light, which is quicker.

Crossword Puzzle Answers

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It’s frustrating to watch people you love behave in ways you do not prefer. It almost feels like you could make a change for them, but of course, you can’t, and any meddling to that end will backfire. The most effective help is to model the change you want to see. It may not work, but if it does, it will work thoroughly.

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Guitar accessory 2 End of a blessing 3 Slight 4 Impulsively 5 Congressional hearing airer 6 King quoted as saying “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is / To have a thankless child!”

7 Amiss 8 No longer active: Abbr.

9 Shady alcoves 10 Attention-grabbing 11 ___ Cinemas (theater chain) 12 Observe Yom Kippur 13 Apt name for a thief 20 Ages and ages 22 One extending a library book loan 24 This cluue has one, apparently 25 Order at an ice cream parlor 26 Double-reeded aerophone with keys 27 Spring recreation?

28 Castle wall 29 One round at a tournament 30 Actress Jessica 32 Cry before “Who goes there?”

34 Disney queen who sings in an ice palace 35 Burn 37 Magnifier, e.g.

41 Actress who said “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” 43 One putting out feelers?

44 Golf hole starter 45 Supplement 46 ___ Decimal System 47 Stews 49 ___ monde (fashionable society) 50 Sicilian spewer 51 Comeback 52 Specialty 53 Regretted 54 Medium power?

57 Mauna ___ Observatory 1

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R A E R T B O T R Y S P O M T A E E E W E S T

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C L A S E W P A R E A R Y O N N S A H E L L A M B E L I A N T S S F H E R L A T E O U N T A T A S

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M O E N R A E W H R I A M M P A I R N T S E C T

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T R A M P O L I N E

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D E W E Y

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Distance warps perception. You’ll take action, make enormous strides and huff and puff your way through some intense times, and to that person watching from afar, your efforts and progress appear minimal. Either bring those distant people close or rely solely on the supportive perspective of insiders.

A D D T O

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ARIES (March 21-April 19). If people were as predictable as books, you could tell by their size and style what sort of commitment you were in for. This week’s social encounters will be mysterious, and there’s no telling the length of the story. The narrative could be fascinating and endless, like a book you carry everywhere and never reshelf.

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

An Outpouring of Optimism: Local venues are once again scheduling shows and opening their doors Margaret Regan

Special to Tucson Local Media

H

amilton is on its way.

That’s proof that the arts are coming back.

Or so we hope.

The highly prized musical, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is scheduled to play in Tucson Nov. 17 to Dec. 5, this year, at Centennial Hall.

The hip-hop/jazz/R&B musical about the early years of the American Republic has been a smash hit on Broadway from the day of its debut in January 2015. Last year, though, the pandemic shut down the New York and Chicago shows, as well as all the traveling versions, including the one that was scheduled to come to Tucson in 2020. Stages went dark everywhere, and actors and musicals all over the country packed up and went home.

Broadway in Tucson has more than once postponed Hamilton and other musicals since the terrible spring 2020. But in a joyful—and confident—press release last week, the company announced that Hamilton will arrive in Tucson, just six months from now.

Plus, the group put together a lineup of other coveted musicals that will keep the theatre busy from October clear into summer 2022.

Among the 10 other shows, My Fair Lady and Wicked will hit town next January, Hadestown goes on the boards in April next year, and Come From Away alights in May 2022. For a complete list, see broadwayintucson.com.

Bursting with enthusiasm at putting plays on the stage once again, Broadway in Tucson told patrons that “we have exciting news to share!”

They are not the only ones rejoicing. Call it spring fever or vaccination magic, various arts groups around town are cheerfully announcing their reopenings.

Last week, for example, The Loft blasted an exuberant all-caps message in bold letters: “MOVIES RETURN TO THE LOFT CINEMA!” The theatre opened up its giant indoor movie screen after months of showing only vintage films outdoors. And the indoor movies are brandnew and newly released.

For more information visit loftcinema.org.

Arizona Theatre Company likewise declared last week “We’re SO excited to announce our 2021/2022 Season!” The troupe had to decamp from the Temple of Music and Art in March 2020, and the theater has been dark ever since. A plan to reopen in January this year fell through.

Despite those troubles, the company, which also performs in Phoenix, has bravely scheduled a stretched-out season beginning in September 2021 and ending June 2022. Three plays and three musicals are on the menu.

First up is the musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend, starting Sept. 25. In April, the play Justice examines the friendship between two female justices of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Arizona’s Sandra Day. The season ends with How to Make an American Son, opening

June 4. For the full season, see arizonatheatre.org.

The Rialto, dark for more than a year, perked up this spring with a clever switch to visual arts. Instead of leaving the 101-year-old theater empty while waiting for the musicians to come back, the Rialto mounted a photo exhibition of portraits of rock-and-rollers shot by house photographers, C. Elliott and Mark A. Martinez, along with concert posters by Ryan Trayte. The show will end when the music begins again.

And that should be soon, inshallah. Gritty Dirt Band is scheduled on Aug. 25 and Old Blind Dogs, a Scottish traditional band, is lined up for Sept. 3. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are at the satellite venue on 191 Toole on Aug. 20. For more information, visit Rialtotheatre.com.

T

he rollout of the vaccine is the biggest factor.

Those doses in people’s arms are up to 95% effective, meaning that 95% of the people vaccinated will not get the virus if they are exposed to it. And the 5% of vaccinated people who catch the disease mostly get mild cases.

With the comfort of those statistics, plenty of the vaccinated are already out and about, seeing friends, eating on restaurant patios and even braving the indoor dining rooms. The art organizations are calculating that art lovers are will soon come flocking inside to plays, concerts, museums and art galleries.

Ironically, arts groups usually worry that too many

The hit musical “Hamilton” was postponed multiple times from Broadway In Tucson due to the pandemic, but is on schedule to debut November 17 at Broadway on Tucson. Courtesy photo.

of their patrons are old and too few are young. But now that age issue is a plus: Tucson boomers went out in droves to get the vaccine.

Of course, the downside is that not everyone wants to get vaccinated. As of last Friday, May 14, roughly 357,000 of Pima County’s 1 million residents were fully vaccinated, although almost 420,000 had received at least one shot.

But after 14 months, most people know the protocols that reduce the chance of infection from the virus. And the arts groups are taking no chances. By planning for maximum safety, they can more readily coax fans back inside.

The Loft has already posted its COVID rules. Indoors, only the large theatre is open; the two smaller rooms are not in service. Only 77 patrons are allowed in, just

21% of the usual numbers.

Reserved seating will keep moviegoers apart. Everyone must wear masks, and reserved seating will keep moviegoers apart.

Everyone must wear masks, taking them off only when seated and eating or drinking. Only six people at a time can be in the usually bustling lobby. When the film is over, people will leave through the emergency exit doors, to keep people from crowding the lobby.

Fox Tucson Theatre has been hosting outdoor music singers in April. Dos Sueños plays the last event scheduled, this Friday, May 21, from 3 to 6 p.m., across the street at the intersection of Stone and Congress. But Fox’s gorgeous southwest art deco interior may soon shine with music and comedy.

“Hope is on the horizon for the return of live perfor-

mances,” the Fox says. So far there are six groups on that horizon this fall, and a few gigs are already scheduled for 2022.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a swinging jazz band, is set to play Sept. 11. Comedian Paula Poundstone is on for Oct. 28. Altan, the Irish trad band that fled back to Ireland to escape the virus just before their planned show at the Fox last March, is rebooked for Nov. 21.

Foxtucson.com.

Like The Loft, the Fox has COVID rules already in place. Fans must wear masks, and a pod system in the seats will ensure social distancing; the staff will get their temperatures taken regularly and keep the place sanitized.

Fingers crossed that all this effort will keep the arts going.

As the Fox marquee has it, “The Show Will Go On!”

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SPORTS EXTRA POINT WITH TOM DANEHY &RECREATION The state track meet was better this year, but Pima County missed a golden opportunity in the high school baseball playoffs T D

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ne of the positive things that came out of this pandemic year is that the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) had to ditch its absolutely ridiculous insistence on holding one giant state track meet in the noonday heat in Phoenix in the middle of May. Up until about 10 years ago, there were seven classes in Arizona and each one had its own state meet, with small schools competing against other small schools and the Tucson Highs of the world competing against the Chandler Hamiltons of the Valley.

These meets were wonderful, competitive and fan- and athlete-friendly.

Sometimes they would hold the 2A and 4A at the same venue, but they were so efficiently run, they could start at 4 or even 5 in the afternoon, allowing the kids to compete in late-day warmth and early-evening coolness.

But then, the AIA, under the “leadership” of the awful Chuck Schmidt, cut the seven classes down to four, effectively eliminating the chances of most small-school kids of ever

making it to state. And then, to make things much worse, they decided that instead of having multiple meets throughout the Valley of the (Blazing) Sun, they would hold one big, fat, ridiculously overcrowded state meet at Mesa Community College.

And in order to get everything in and not be going past midnight, the meet would start at noon, when the temperature was often in the triple digits.

(A few years ago, a kid had a decent shot at running a sub-four-minute 1600 meters—just short of a mile, which is 1609 meters—and he might have done it if he hadn’t been forced to run the race in mid-afternoon.)

This year, because of concerns over crowd size, the AIA split up the meet, with the D-I and D-III meets held at Desert Vista in Phoenix, with the D-II and D-IV running at Perry High in Gilbert. It was still not perfect, but it was way better than that annual disaster at Mesa CC. (For local results, see Extra Points below.)

Back in the day, when it came time for state competitions, the AIA used to throw Southern Arizona a

Mountain View High School’s Sam Halaufia, who won D-II State championships in the shot put (52’ 4.5”) and the discus (160’ 2”).

Courtesy photo.

bone every now and then to at least try to keep up appearances. Every fourth or fifth year, the state football championship game or the state track meet would be held in Tucson. But, as the tree rings of unchecked growth (there’s now a 303 Loop with a 404 Loop in the planning stages), they just said what the heck and everything was contested north of the Gila Riv-

er. (Flagstaff and Prescott paid the AIA a pretty penny to hold basketball championships, providing local hotels and restaurants with a nice payday.)

The only time that Tucson got to see state games was on those rare occasions when two Southern Arizona teams were pitted against one another.

See EXTRA POINT, P20

20

Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021

Extra Points: Track and Field state track meets Continued from P19

That went by the wayside last week and not because of the AIA. In the 4A baseball playoffs, the teams from Canyon Del Oro and Salpointe both made it to the Final Four. The unique matchup would have been a perfect fit for a Tucson venue.

These things have to be thrown together on the fly. When it was suggested that the game could be played at Kino Stadium (off I-10 on the south side), inquiries were made as to its availability.

Pima County, which operates Kino Stadium, wanted to charge the two schools almost $2,000 to use the empty stadium, to which the two schools replied, “Uh…no!” The proposed cost included $90 for prepping the field, $175 for post-game cleanup, and $180 for security.

All of those costs are reasonable and would have amounted to $445, so each school would have had to kick in a couple hundred bucks to give fans the opportunity to drive 20 minutes instead of two hours to see a great game featuring two great local teams.

And no, they couldn’t have recouped it from gate receipts, even in nonCOVID times, because the AIA keeps every penny of gate receipts from all state contests in every sport. But it would have been worth it to have the game here in town. However, the County also wanted to charge more

than $1,000 just to hold the game at Kino and another $235 for “oversight,” whatever that is.

The two schools turned down the offer and the game was played in Phoenix. It’s a shame. There should have been somebody, somewhere in that hierarchy, who could have made the right decision by waiving those two non-essential fees. This should have been done, considering the rough year that student-athletes, their parents and fans have had to endure. Plus, there’s a whole lot of federal relief money sloshing around in local governments these days.

It was a missed opportunity. Let’s hope they don’t miss the next one, whenever that is.

EXTRA POINTS: Track and field athletes from the Northwest schools acquitted themselves well in last week’s state track meets. Leading the way was Mountain View’s Sam Halaufia, who won D-II State championships in the shot put (52’ 4.5”) and the discus (160’ 2”). Ethan Seppala of Canyon Del Oro also won a state championship, winning the 300 hurdles in a time of 38.32 seconds.

The CDO boys team finished seventh in the State in D-II, while Marana finished 22nd, Mountain View 11th, and Ironwood Ridge finished a strong fourth place. The Pusch Ridge boys finished 10th in D-IV. On the girls side in

Students at the D-II State championships, who represented local schools like Canyon del Oro, Ironwood Ridge, Mountain View High School. Courtesy photo.

D-II, Ironwood Ridge finished 12th, Marana 13th, and Mountain View 18th.

The Pusch Ridge girls finished 5th in D-IV. Among the individual highlights: • Shania Santos of Marana had a nifty (and grueling) double. She finished sixth in the 1600 with a time of 5:12.94, then came back and took second in the 3200 at 11:09.25.

• In the 4 X 100 relay, CDO’s boys finished fourth at 42.67, while the Ironwood Ridge girls finished 6th at 49.86.

• Ironwood Ridge’s Logan Marek put in an incredible Ironman performance, taking 4th in the 800 meters (1:56.82),

3rd in the 3200 meters (9:20.85), and 2nd in the 1600 with a blazing time of 4:12.39. In the 3200, he finished just ahead of teammate Joel Gardener (9:21.30). Gardener also finished 8th in the 1600 (4:22.70).

• Pusch Ridge’s Sydney Soto had a nice meet, finishing 8th in the long jump (15’ 10”) and 7th in the javelin (90’ 7”).

• The Marana girls and boys both placed in their respective 4 X 800 relays. The girls ran 7th at 10:00.97 (it has to be frustrating to come that close to breaking 10 minutes), while the boys finished 8th at 8:20.96.

• In the D-II girls shot

put, Mountain View’s Myra Johnson finished 3rd with a throw of 35’ 0”), just ahead of Flowing Wells’ Navine Mallon, who took 4th with a toss of 34’ 1.25”.

• Marana’s Maxwell Brent grabbed 7th in the long jump (21’ 7.75”) and another 7th in the triple jump (42’ 5.25”).

• CDO’s Isaiah Miles took 4th in the high jump at 6’ 2”, while Marana’s Charles Ebunoha grabbed 4th in the long jump with a leap of 22’ 2.5”.

• Pusch Ridge’s Ava Wagner grabbed 3rd in the long jump (17’ 1”) and 4th in the 200 meters (27.08).

• Justin Ripperdan of

Pusch Ridge took 7th in the shot put (42’ 3.5”) and 4th in the javelin (140’ 9”).

Others who placed at state include, on the boys side, Kendrick Astacio and Matt Pueshner of CDO; Pusch Ridge’s Jayden Rittenbach, Carson Lewis and Elijah McKenna; and Mountain View’s Devin Nester.

On the girls side, there was Kyra Floyd, Jazmine Schraeder, and Molly Garnand of Pusch Ridge; Katelynn Aych of Ironwood Ridge; and Natalia Sepulveda of Mountain View.

All in all, it was a strong finish to a tough year. Maybe someday soon, they’ll hold one of the state meets here in Tucson.

21

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E

very high school athlete dreams of going to the state tournament at least once in his/her career. In most team sports, it’s a pretty straightforward process. Win enough games so that the convoluted Power Points system can’t mess things up and you’re good.

In most individual sports (cross country, swimming), it’s also pretty clear. Make sure that your time in your event is among the top couple dozen in your Division is the state and you’re there.

In tennis, however, it’s as though the Arizona Interscholastic Association dug up and re-animated Franz Kafka and told him to come up with an especially twisted system to determine which kids go to state. And then, after Kafka is done, the final slots at state are determined by a committee! You know they say that a camel is a horse built by a committee? In this case, the horse comes out looking like the one-eyed cow in Picasso’s “Guernica.”

Marana’s Tatum Boyack managed to survive that process and made it to the state tournament as part of a doubles team. It was a just reward for an outstanding season. She went an outstanding 8-4 in singles during the regular season and also posted an excellent 9-3 mark in doubles.

She and her partner, Hailey Oldham, lost a heart-

Athlete of the Week

breaking first-round match in three sets but she really enjoyed the experience. “It was so much fun,” she recalls. “There were so many great players there. It’s amazing.”

A straight-A student, she plans of attending Brigham Young University in the Fall, with thoughts of someday becoming an NICU nurse.

She might also become one of the growing number of young women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to go on a mission.

For generations, such missionaries were almost exclusively young men, but today, nearly a quarter of the missionaries are women.

She mentioned that she would like to go to Italy, maybe Florence, but those of us who have seen “The Book of Mormon” know that it generally doesn’t work that way. For now, she’s finishing up her studies (her favorite subject is History), working at Chick-fil-A and soaking in the fact that her high school athletic career (she also played volleyball) is over.

“It was great,” she says.

“I’m looking forward to what comes next.”

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Explorer and Marana News, May 19, 2021