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L-R: Lee Stockner, San Lu, student Brendan Lu, and Max Watkins, producer and director of “Occupational Octaves,” are in a celebratory mood following the successful filming of Brendan’s recital see page 6. Photo Courtesy of Max Watkins
STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
April 22, 2020 Vol. 16 No. 30
50 ‘Earth Day’ th
Because of the ongoing pandemic, most Earth Day events this year will be held online, but organizers plan to stay true to the event’s goals of improving the climate, air and water on Planet Earth. (NASA/AdobeStock)
Pandemic Moves Most Arizona Earth Day Events onto Cyberspace By Desert Star Staff FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is coming up this week, but Arizonans and others will not be marking the occasion in the usual way.
The pandemic and social distancing have forced most of the events to go online. But organizers say their original intent - to spur people into action - has not changed.
Sandy Bahr, director at the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, said despite the changes, people still can connect and take action on climate, clean air and water.
“Earth Day is an important time to remind people about the important environmental protections that we have and that we need to keep them, and we need to keep
them in force,” Bahr said. Bahr said dozens of events are planned on Wednesday and all week by groups such as Moms Clean Air Force of Arizona, the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition and the cities of Phoenix, Tucson and Continues on Page 10
US coronavirus death toll rises to 40,000, almost double Italy’s figures
By Desert Star Staff The number of people who have died in the US due to Covid-19 climbed to over 40,000 on Sunday, according to calculations by Reuters and Johns Hopkins University. The American death toll is the highest in the world and is almost two times larger than the figures from Italy, which is currently ranked second in terms of fatalities. The death toll has jumped from 30,000 to 40,000 in just four days after the untested but probable coronavirus fatalities were added to the numbers. The first American succumbed to the coronavirus on February 29.
Italy, which remained the world’s hardest hit country for weeks, has so far recorded 23,660 deaths due to the highly-contagious disease. The US is also the international leader in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, with more than 744,000 testing positive. But there is some positive news as well, with the pandemic showing signs of slowing down in New York, the epicenter of the outbreak in the US. The number of hospitalizations has dropped by 2,000, now standing at 16,000. The death toll of 507
Continues on Page 10