Tucson Weekly, Oct. 29, 2020

OSIRIS-REx Grabs Asteroid Sample | Pima County’s Contact Tracing Troubles | Jealousy Trouble

OCT. 29 - NOV. 4, 2020 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

Prop 208 Soaks the Rich To Pay for Schools | New Cannabis Testing Is Coming | Presidential Fun Facts

2

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

OCT. 29, 2020

OCT. 29, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 44

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

3

The Tucson Weekly is available free of charge in Pima County, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue of the Tucson Weekly may be purchased for $1, payable at the Tucson Weekly office in advance. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of the Tucson Weekly, please visit TucsonWeekly.com

STAFF

CONTENTS CURRENTS

4

Prop 208: Income tax on Arizonans earning more than $250K to fund education

6

Pima County Recorder candidate takes a salary from her campaign funds

8

COVID contact tracing hampered by lack of positive respondees

CHOW

11

EDITOR’S NOTE

Just Vote, Dammit

WE’VE NEARLY MADE IT TO ELECTION Day 2020.

You may have already voted—Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez informed us last weekend that more than a quarter million of Pima County’s voters had already turned in their ballots—but if you haven’t, don’t drop your ballot in the mail. (You might have heard that President Donald Trump has been messing with the Post Office to slow down mail delivery.) Instead, try to drop it off as soon as you can at one of Pima County’s many ballot drop-off locations around town. And if you haven’t received an early ballot, you can still get one at one of those ballot drop-off locations, which will also be open as “emergency voting centers” on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Monday, Nov. 2. For a complete list of ballot drop-off sites and emergency voting centers as well as hours of operation, visit recorder. pima.gov.

If you still want to vote in person on Election Day, polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Our next edition goes to press before we find out what happens on Election Night, but we’ll have lots and lots of coverage when the ballot returns start coming in, so be sure to visit TucsonWeekly.com.

In this week’s edition, staff reporter Nicole Ludden fills you in on Prop 208, which would raise taxes on people earning more than $250,000 a year (or $500,000 for couple filing jointly) to boost education spending. She also looks at why the Democratic candidate for Pima County Recorder, Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, decided to pay herself a salary from her campaign funds, and tells you why Pima County is having a hard time with contact tracing. (Spoiler warning: It’s because people won’t answer their phones when the contact tracers call.) Managing editor Austin Counts fills us in the latest weird developments with eastside Viva Coffee, which has been battling Pima County over mask mandates. Columnist Tom Danehy shares some presidential fun facts, as well as his distaste for the Trump administration. Calendar editor Emily Dieckman is back with some ideas about how you can safely have fun out there for Halloween.

Cannabis 520 columnist David Abbott looks at how marijuana growers are scrambling to comply with new testing requirements.

— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about the latest on the outbreak and other news at 8:30 Wednesday mornings on The Frank Show on KLPX, 91.1 FM.

RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson

Troll accounts seem to target those who leave critical comments about a local coffee shop

ADMINISTRATION Jason Joseph, President/Publisher jjoseph@azlocalmedia.com Jaime Hood, General Manager, Ext. 12 jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Casey Anderson, Ad Director/ Associate Publisher, Ext. 22 casey@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 Austin Counts, Managing Editor, Ext. 36 austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor, Ext. 35 mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Nicole Ludden, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42 nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com Contributors: Lee Allen, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Xavier Omar Otero, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, David Safier, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Eric Swedlund PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, Ext. 26 ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com Emily Filener, Graphic Designer, Ext. 29 emilyf@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, Ext. 17, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING Kristin Chester, Account Executive, Ext. 25 kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, Ext. 24 candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive Ext. 39 lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING VMG Advertising, (888) 278-9866 or (212) 475-2529 Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by 13 Street Media at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. First Class subscriptions, mailed in an envelope, cost $112 yearly/53 issues. Sorry, no refunds on subscriptions.

Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The Tucson Weekly® and Best of Tucson® are registered trademarks of 10/13 Communications. Back issues of the Tucson Weekly are available for $1 each plus postage for the current year. Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.

MMJ

13

Growers scramble to comply with new testing requirements

Cover design by Héctor Acuña

Copyright: The entire contents of Tucson Weekly are Copyright © 2019 by Thirteenth Street Media.

No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means without the express written permission of the Publisher, Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.

4

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

toward increasing teacher salaries, something she says is the fundamental issue behind teacher shortages in Arizona.

“It would have a massive impact on what I think a lot of us believe is the root of the problem: low teacher salaIncome tax on Arizonans earning more than $250K to fund education ries. We know we lose teachers to other professions and other states because of Nicole Ludden Academy Fund, which promotes student the salary, because of the compensation nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com pathways to becoming teachers at Arizoproblem,” Penich-Thacker said. na’s public schools.

As a high school soTHIS ELECTION SEASON, VOTERS WILL A third-party group that looks at all cial studies teacher in approve or deny an initiative to raise voter-initiated ballot measures, the Joint the Tucson Unified income tax on Arizona’s highest earners Legislative Budget Committee, estimates School District, and reroute the money to better fund Prop 208 would raise $827 million for Jim Byrne has education in the state. education in the state. witnessed many Proposition 208, or the Invest in EducaThe committee notes the real amount teachers leave tion Act, would impose a 3.5 percent inof funds Prop 208 would create depends their profession, come tax on income exceeding $250,000 on how Arizona’s top earners respond to and even the state, for single tax filings, or $500,000 for joint the tax hike. Business investment could due to low salafilings. take a hit, and high-income taxpayers ries. He’s voting Money from the surcharge would go could choose to leave or move their inyes to prop 208 into a Student Support and Safety Fund come outside the state to avoid the tax. and believes higher in the following proportions: Furthermore, a campaign against prop pay will incentivize • 50 percent for hiring teachers and 208 is raising many concerns on how the teachers to stay in classroom support personnel while intax increase could damage the state’s Arizona. creasing their base salary. economy.

“Prop 208 would secure funding for • 25 percent for hiring and increasing hiring new teachers to work toward solvsalaries of student support services ADDRESSING THE STATE OF ing the massive teacher shortage that we personnel.

EDUCATION IN ARIZONA have because teachers are so overworked • 10 percent for schools to provide menand underpaid in this state,” Byrne said. toring and retention programs to new Arizona has a long history of teacher “That money would exist to rectify that classroom teachers. shortages in the state. In 2016-17, the situation of not having enough teachers • 12 percent for the Career Training and state had 23 students for every one by paying competitive salaries so good Workforce Fund, which would impleteacher, the highest in the U.S., according quality teachers don’t leave our schools ment programs like career and technical to the National Center for Education for neighboring states, where they can services, college-level education opportu- Statistics. do basically the same job but for more nities, mental health services and hiring As of Aug. 31, nearly 28 percent of money.” more school counselors. teacher vacancies in Arizona remained Byrne knows many teachers, including • 3 percent for the Arizona Teachers unfilled. Half of these vacancies were himself, who have to work part-time jobs filled by teachers who or side gigs to stay afloat financially. do not meet the state’s He says the influx of money Prop 208 standard certification Provides would help educators dedicate requirements, according to more time to their careers. an annual survey from the “To pay teachers more means they Arizona School Personnel don’t have to spend more hours working Administrators Associathat is not committed to becoming a tion. better teacher,” Byrne said. “Our teachers Supporters of the Invest work hard. But fatigue winds in there, and in Ed initiative say it will so if we pay them more, we don’t have to bring a much-needed flow work other jobs that take us away from of funding to Arizona’s being better teachers, the professionals public schools that have that we are and that we want to become.” traditionally been underPenich-Thacker believes the initiative served. would also help teacher retention rates Dawn Penich-Thacker is that contribute to the state’s teacher the co-founder and comshortage. munications director of “In Arizona, we lose half of our teachSave our Schools Arizona, ers after just two years. That means that a non-profit that advojust as you’re getting your bearings, just cates for the state’s public as you’re figuring out how to run a good schools. Half of the funds classroom, is when more than half of Arfrom prop 208 would go

CURRENTS

A RICH PROPOSAL

izona teachers are realizing, ‘now I want to start a family,’ or ‘now I have a new mortgage, and I can’t keep doing this job’,” Penich-Thacker said. “By paying more, we keep more of those experienced teachers, even after they have kids or a mortgage, then we have so much more expertise in the classroom.”

She believes the Invest in Ed initiative has an effective distribution plan to reach those most in need of the funds, and the tax hike in the proposition would only impact a limited population of Arizona’s wealthiest.

“It’s a very small and focused group of people that it will impact, meaning very wealthy Arizonans. It also has a very focused target for what the funding can be used for, it’s specifically for salaries, recruitment and training,” Penich-Thacker said. “I see the questions that people put up, ‘I support our schools, but I’m not in favor of six-figure salaries for the superintendent.’ Great, because Prop 208 doesn’t allow that.”

Of the funds produced by Prop 208, 25 percent would go toward hiring and increasing salaries of student support services personnel like counselors, nurses and special education providers.

“We know, because we’re actual teachers who work in school systems, that there are so many important staff, people who are certainly highly qualified, that deserve to be considered an educator, and they deserve to have the kind of competitive salary benefits that classroom teachers do. We can’t do our job effectively without that,” Byrne said.

The high school teacher is also excited about the funds Prop 208 would put toward supplemental programs like career and technical training services.

“That offers the opportunity for new programs, much more computer science and technical classes,” Byrne said. “We can offer more nursing programs or mechanical, vocational stuff that are very important and well-paying jobs that you don’t often have to go towards four years that’ll put you in debt.”

However, the campaign against Prop 208 says the initiative would dangerously raise taxes and put Arizona’s economy on the line. ■

OCT. 29, 2020

THE OPPOSITION AGAINST PROP 208 Garrick Taylor, a spokesperson for both the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the campaign against Prop 208, says the initiative’s tax hike would put an unfair burden on small businesses in the state.

“Small businesses, unlike large corporations, pay their income taxes through the individual portion of the tax code. So it’s small business employers who are most affected by this near doubling of the tax increase,” Taylor said.

Chad Heinrich, the Arizona director of the National Federation of Independent Business, agrees prop 208 could cause a huge blow to small businesses.

“By looking at IRS data, we know that there are roughly 50,000 small businesses in Arizona that would pay this additional tax. And so that’s 50,000 small businesses that will be shouldering the burden for this tax,” Heinrich said.

The numbers come from an analysis by the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank opposing Prop 208, that says 50 percent of tax filers who would be affected by the tax increase are small business owners.

Opponents also argue the amount of personal income tax citizens pay varies from year to year, so relying on the tax is not a sustainable source of funding for teacher’s salaries.

“One thing I will promise is that no teacher will get a sustainable raise from this funding. If you study the fluctuation in the revenue the state receives from this top tax bracket currently, it fluctuates 30 percent from year to year, and that’s in a growing economy,” Heinrich said. “The best thing that a teacher could wish from this revenue is, in a good year, maybe they’ll get a bonus. But it’s not something they’re going to be able to take a mortgage out with, because that revenue is not going to be there year to year.”

Arizona’s top individual tax rate is currently 4.5 percent, and if Prop 208 were passed, this would jump to 8 percent, placing the state in the top 10 for the highest personal income tax rate in the U.S. Taylor says this would make Arizona both regionally and nationally “uncompetitive.”

“We disagree strongly with that contention, that the only way we can fund Arizona schools is through a huge tax increase. In fact, we would argue it’s just the opposite,” Taylor said. “A huge income tax increase, especially in the middle of a pandemic, is poised to do much more harm than good, and it will jeopardize education design going forward because it will weaken the economy.”

However, Penich-Thacker calls the notion Prop 208 would destroy the small business economy an “unfortunate fantasy,” and claims small business owners’ average salary rarely exceeds $100,000 a year.

“Most people who run small businesses are making $60,000 a year. That’s what they’re paying themselves when they pay all their other bills. Are there small business owners who do make that? They exist, it’s not impossible, but it’s not 99% of them,” Penich-Thacker said.

If voters reject Prop 208 in November, she worries the state of education in Arizona will crumble at a dire crossroads.

“If Prop 208 is rejected, it will be catastrophic,” Penich-Thacker said. “We already have more than 3,000 classrooms that don’t even have a teacher in them, because schools can’t find anyone willing to do the job. This requires a yes, because it is at that tipping point.

We can turn it around now, and set our students and our state up for being competitive and being successful. If we don’t turn it around, it will be catastrophic for our economy and our kids, because we can’t get much worse.” ■

ARE YOU TIRED OF LIES?

For more info go to COVIDDefeatsTrump.com

Paid for and Authorized by Peter Fesz

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

5

6

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

Gabriella Cázares-Kelly

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA STANDIFER

PAYCHECK POLITICS

Pima County Recorder candidate takes a salary from her campaign funds Nicole Ludden nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com

report shows a payment of $1,000 on Sept. 2, but her campaign says it was never received, and a later disbursement on Sept. 18 was THE CANDIDATES FOR PIMA COUNTY used in its place.

Her paychecks were set at $1,000 for the Recorder certainly have differing approachfirst two weeks, and subsequent payments es to the office, but one candidate recently were set at $1,290 a week. criticized the other after third-quarter cam“There is no express prohibition in Arpaign finance reports were released.

Republican candidate for county record- izona on candidates drawing salaries from campaign monies,” Sophia Solis, a spokeser Benny White posted a photo of Demoperson for the Arizona Secretary of State’s cratic candidate Gabriella Cázares-Kelly’s cash operating expenses that show she paid office, wrote in an email.

“Arizona law defines permissible ‘operatherself with campaign funds. The post has ing expenses’ as ‘staff salaries … and similar since been deleted. items necessary to keep the campaign in “My opponent pays herself from her operation,’ which could include candidate campaign account,” the post read. “The salaries,” Solis wrote. “While Arizona law apsaddest part of this in my mind is that she plies to local and state candidate campaign is taking $5 and $10 donations from people who are reported as being unemployed and finance activities, to the extent that authority then taking their money for her own benefit. from the Federal Election Commission on this issue is persuasive, the FEC permits We just see things differently.” candidates to draw a limited salary from Cázares-Kelly was quick to respond by acknowledging her opponent’s criticism in campaign monies, provided that the salaries do not exceed the lesser of the amount they her own Facebook post and says she pays earned the year prior to running for office, or herself a $1,000 biweekly salary to support the minimum salary paid for the office the herself while she runs for county recorder. candidate seeks to hold.”

“I do not come from a rich family. I am According to Cázares-Kelly, her salary not independently wealthy, I am not yet last academic year was $54,000 annually and retired, and my household cannot survive would meet these requirements. off of only one income,” she wrote in a “I just found it curious. I’ve never seen Facebook post. “My reality is that I am anyone take campaign funds for their a working-class candidate bringing my personal salary,” county recorder candidate unique perspective and experiences into White said. “I don’t have any comments on this leadership role.” her postings because I’ve not read them.”

Cázares-Kelly says she paid herself After White made the post on Wednes$4,580 in campaign funds from Aug. 19-Sept. day, Cázares-Kelly says her campaign has 18. One reported expense in the finance

exceeded its fundraising goal.

Within 24 hours of White’s post, Cázares-Kelly says her campaign raised $18,541— the biggest fundraising day of her entire campaign. As of today, the campaign has raised $21,391 online, according to Cázares-Kelly.

“People were very motivated and inspired by the posts that we shared about some of the barriers that I’ve had being a working-class candidate, and they wanted to show that by donating more money,” Cázares-Kelly said.

The Democratic candidate for county recorder first began running in November 2019, when she was fully employed as a college and career readiness counselor on the Tohono O’odham Nation. When her employment contract ended in late June, her backup plan to substitute teach was quashed by the pandemic.

Without a means of employment while engaging in the time-consuming process of organizing a campaign, Cázares-Kelly quickly felt the pressure of running as a working-class candidate.

“My husband works full time, we have two children, we have a mortgage, we have two cars, we have just an everyday lifestyle, two-income household. You can only float for so long without employment.” Cázares-Kelly said. “Because I’m still actively working and not able to commit to anything, I wouldn’t be sworn in until January. So I would have, from the end of June to January, which is a total of six months without any income whatsoever. It started to feel really crushing, and I didn’t know quite what to do.”

She coasted off her savings for a month, but began talking to advisors on the logistics of using campaign funds to pay herself a salary.

“I started talking to organizers and trusted individuals throughout the state, and everybody kept saying, ‘Well, why don’t you pay yourself? Why don’t you just draw a salary?’ They made it sound so simple. And I thought, I don’t know if I should do that or not,” Cázares-Kelly said. “I was encouraged to by a lot of people that thought it was just really practical. It solved all of my concerns, so I reluctantly came to a point where I talked it over with my team and we discussed it.”

After considering what she values as compensatable, Cázares-Kelly followed through with the decision.

“I didn’t come to this decision lightly, it wasn’t just something that I made a decision on very quickly, there was a lot of discussion about it, a lot of thought. There was a lot of emotion that was put into it,” she said.

COURTESY PHOTO

Benny White

“We’ve had people very emotional about the impact of our campaign in particular, and so we decided that we would value that work that we are always talking about, making sure that we value the work of black and brown people with their specialized knowledge, reaching out to the community the way that I have been and that we value it by actually putting a dollar amount to and paying.”

Cázares-Kelly’s Republican challenger White called out the contributions from individuals listed on her campaign’s third-quarter finance report.

“I was more concerned about the donations from the Tohono O’odham nation that were reported as an individual contribution.

I’m not sure that a sovereign government is an individual for purposes of campaign contributions,” he said.

His opponent believes the contributions from the Tohono O’odham Nation are a reflection of her campaign’s “relationship building we have worked so hard to continue.”

“County candidates do not normally receive financial support from tribal entities, but our campaign believes it is because they do not normally reach out to the tribes,” Cázares-Kelly said. “The Tohono O’odham Nation has registered lobbyists and donates to state and federal campaigns regularly. We were elated to receive the Tohono O’odham Nation’s financial contribution and consulted the county for advice on how to report it.

There was no clear procedure in Pima County’s antiquated reporting system for how to report the donation. However, the lack of procedure is no reflection on the validity or ethical nature of the donation. It’s yet another indicator that the system was not built for Native American participation.”

White also pointed to the several low-dollar donations the Cázares-Kelly campaign reported. ■

OCT. 29, 2020

“I said the saddest thing about that was that she takes money from people who report themselves as being not employed in amounts of $5 and $10, which I’m sure are very hard for those folks to come by. And then she writes herself a check out of that campaign fund,” White said.

Cázares-Kelly says one of the main reservations she had about using campaign funds for her salary centered on the idea of taking money from vulnerable persons.

“I really, really do not like to talk about growing up poor, but it’s absolutely a part of my story. When you grow up poor, you always worry about that burden that you’re asking your community. So when I first started getting into fundraising, I talked with a couple of people, we talked about my discomfort, and they asked me, ‘What is your discomfort with this?’ And I said, ‘I’ve asked people in vulnerable communities to donate to my campaign.’”

“They corrected me, and they’re like, they’re not donating to you. They’re donating towards a movement. They’re investing in community change. And it’s not up to you to decide who participates and who doesn’t.”

The county recorder candidate says those relatively low-dollar fundraising doSORENSEN

nations are what her campaign thrives on.

“We have always talked about how important the grassroots dollars are $5, $10, $25 because we specifically have not been courting corporate money,” she said. “We haven’t been asking for people who make decisions that are bad for our communities to contribute to my campaign. We’re asking people who are interested in positive community change to invest in our community in whatever way that they can.”

Overall, Cázares-Kelly doesn’t regret paying herself with money from her campaign and hopes the conversation around the working-class running for office continues to evolve.

“This is part of an ongoing conversation that we see on a statewide level, on a national level. I think that it really makes a difference for who is able to run for office, and who is able to serve us. When you get further away from working-class people with working-class issues, you start to feel a lack of representation because they no longer remember what it’s like, what the daily struggles are of a working-class person just to participate in our democracy,” she said.

“The response from the community has been just so powerful, and they’re ready for change, and I’m ready too.” ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

7

8

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

PHONE TAG

COURTESY PIMA COUNTY

COVID contact tracing efforts hampered by lack of positive respondees

By Nicole Ludden nicolel@tucsonlocalmedia.com

instructions and provide guidance on what to do if one does experience symptoms.

The department won’t release the name of the positive tester—so if you get the call YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK from a contact tracer, you’ll only know who twice before ignoring that call from a mysmay have exposed you to the virus if that terious number. person tells you.

The Pima County Health Department The department encourages those who is calling those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have potentially been ex- test positive to inform their recent contacts on their own, and according to Matt Chrisposed to someone with the virus, reaching out to possible contacts in a process known tenberry, an epidemiologist at the Pima County Health Department and program as contact tracing.

The department’s contact tracing teams manager overseeing contact tracing in the county, those who are aware they’ve been call from two different numbers: (833) 771exposed “may be more willing to pick up XXXX or (520) 724-XXXX. The last four the phone” when a contact tracer attempts digits will vary between callers. to reach them.

The health department has 18 case inIn July, the department announced a vestors calling those who test positive and $10 million contract with Maximus Health 70 contract tracers reaching out to those Services, Inc. to increase contact tracing listed as having in-person contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. in the area. The outside firm provides case investigation and contact tracing services They assess symptoms, give quarantine

TOUCH AND GO

OSIRIS-REx successfully snatches asteroid sample for return to earth

By Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Earth, meaning the entire maneuver had to be programmed ahead of time. Preliminary data shows the “touch-and-go” process was ON TUESDAY, OCT. 20, THE OSIRIS-REX a success, putting OSIRIS-REx one step closer to being the first American space spacecraft touched down on the asteroid Bennu for 4.7 seconds, a maneuver that was mission to bring a sample of an asteroid back to Earth. more than a decade in the making. Scien“It’s amazing just how fast it happened,” tists at the University of Arizona nervously said Sara Knutson, science operations team watched the data from the autonomous process — because the asteroid is more than lead engineer for the mission. “It was like a 200 million miles away, messages from the marathon that turned into a sprint.”

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left Earth spacecraft take some 20 minutes to reach

for the county.

But despite a renewed focus on tracking down those who may have been exposed to coronavirus, one of the key COVID-19 progress metrics the health department tracks hasn’t been met for at least five weeks, according to Christenberry.

Pima County hasn’t met the criteria for timely case investigation, which tracks the percentage of those who tested positive for coronavirus who were interviewed within 48 hours of the time the case was reported.

“For the timely case investigation metric, we look at: Once public health gets notified a person tests positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, how quickly are we able to reach out to them and complete an interview with them? We use that 48 hours as that cut off point to say how successful we are,” Christenberry said.

In order to meet the criteria for timely case investigation, at least 80% of those who tested positive must be reached within 48 hours for an initial interview with the health department.

Christenberry says the “long-term” goal is to meet criteria by interviewing 80% of positive cases within 48 hours, but the “short-term” goal is to at least be considered making progress, which requires 65% to be interviewed in the same timeframe.

However, the percentage of those who are actually reached within the timeframe depends on whether or not people who tested positive answer their phone. According to Christenberry, about 39% of those the health department called didn’t answer the phone after multiple attempts from Sept. 20-Oct. 3.

While it’s important to receive accurate information after a coronavirus diagnosis, the effectiveness of contract tracing depends on if those who test positively inform their potential contacts. If those

who were potentially exposed to COVID-19 aren’t aware, they could unintentionally expose others.

“If you’re never aware you’re exposed, and then all of a sudden you develop symptoms, you may not know what’s going on, or why you’re having the symptoms. But also, somebody may have been asymptomatic,” Christenberry said. “We can help you, but also help your family by making sure they have the proper resources, connecting them to testing.”

Case investigators and contact tracers will leave a voicemail with a callback number. If they can’t reach someone through phone, text message or email, they may show up at the person’s residence to complete a health assessment from a safe physical distance.

“If you test positive for COVID-19, we’re going to provide guidance to make sure you understand the recommendations for public health about staying home, but mostly to see how you’re doing,” Christenberry said. “We’re also going to assess if there’re any barriers or any implications why they can’t stay home. Our staff will actually review that with them, and then if we need to, we’ll follow up with specific guidance.”

The health department recommends all potential contacts get tested for COVID-19, but at the very least quarantine for 14 days.

“We encourage everybody to get tested for COVID-19 if you’ve been exposed, but not everybody chooses to do that,” Christenberry said. “We usually don’t have too many issues, people understand that it’s for the greater good, and they’re trying to protect themselves and their family.” ■

in September 2016 with the goal of capturing carbon-rich material from Bennu’s surface, which may help scientists better understand the formation of our early solar system, and even the origins of life on our planet.

The sample process took more than four hours, with the spacecraft slowly descending 2,500 feet from orbit toward the asteroid. While the spacecraft came in contact with the asteroid, it didn’t land. Instead, it extended a robotic arm and fired a jet of pressurized nitrogen to kick up dust from the asteroid’s surface. Some of the agitated material was captured in OSIRIS-REx’s collector head, and the spacecraft then used thrusters to move away from the asteroid.

Scientists believe the spacecraft touched the surface only three feet from where they originally planned.

However, the team became concerned when the mylar flap on the collection bag appeared to be jammed with larger rocks and some material was leaking, so they decided to stow the sample sooner than expected.

“The abundance of material we collected from Bennu made it possible to expedite our decision to stow,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator. “The team is now working around the clock to accelerate the stowage timeline, so that we can protect as much of this material as possible for return to Earth.” ■

For more information on contact tracing in Pima County, visit www.pima.gov/ stopthespread.

OCT. 29, 2020

DANEHY SOME FUN FACTS HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK’S ELECTION

By Tom Danehy, tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com WITH THE NATIONAL RECKONING only a few days away, I wish to take the time to mourn the passing of Lyon Tyler.

The 95-year-old Tyler was half of a brother duo that constituted one of the most amazing factoids in American history. Until a couple weeks ago, Lyon Tyler was alive in the year 2020. His grandfather, John Tyler, was president of the United States in 1841, nearly 180 years ago! Not only that, he and his grandfather were born 135 years apart (John Tyler was born in 1790, one year after George Washington first took office.) How crazy would be it have been to be alive well into the 21st century, knowing that your grandfather was born in the 1700s?

One of my grandfathers died a week before I was born so I never got to meet him. Lyon Tyler missed meeting his grandfather by 63 years (John Tyler died in the early days of the Civil War).

It gets stranger: Lyon Tyler’s great-grandfather (also named John) was Thomas Jefferson’s roommate in college.

In parts of the South, you have guys who play on the same adult-recreation softball teams with their great-grandfathers.

CLAYTOONZ by Clay Jones

While Lyon Tyler is gone, his younger brother, Harrison (a mere pup at 91 years of age), lives on. I’m assuming that Harrison was named for William Henry Harrison, who was gracious enough to die a month into his presidency, allowing John Tyler to take over. The common misconception is that Harrison caught a cold while delivering his inaugural address, but later studies of his doctors’ notes conclude that he probably died of typhoid, seeing as how the White House water supply was downstream from the sewer system.

These days the crap flows in the other direction.

When Harrison was sick, the doctors applied hot suction devices to his chest and then did some bloodletting. (The woman voodoo doctor whom Trump invited to D.C. would probably approve.)

When things didn’t get better, they treated Harrison with a boiled mixture of crude petroleum and Virginia snakeroot. I don’t know if he had to drink it or if they just rubbed it on his body. Either way, it didn’t work.

Just to show you that some things

never change, I give you Sean Conley. Supposedly, he’s a medical doctor, but for the world, he will forever be the clown in the white lab coat who unleashed Trump to undertake the Superspreader Tour. I wouldn’t let that guy treat me for a hangnail.

A couple other weird things: • Not counting presidents who died in office (which, statistically, has happened a lot) and those who then finished out the term (as with Harrison and Tyler), the majority of elected Presidents only served one term. It hasn’t happened since the first George Bush, but if Trump is a one-termer, it wouldn’t be an anomaly.

• Before the 12th Amendment was passed, the top two vote getters in the Electoral College voting, regardless of party, became President and Vice-President.

Can you imagine President Joe Biden and Vice-President Donald Trump?

• Finally, I have a couple Republican friends with whom I still communicate.

They say that Trump would have easily won reelection if not for COVID. To that, I take great exception. I think that after the virus hit, he was presented with a huge political opportunity.

I want all of you—including people who despise Donald Trump as much as I do—to imagine how different things would be if Trump had risen to the challenge instead of shrinking and shirking like the pissy little bitch that he is. Imagine if he had

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

9

taken control of the supply lines, used the military in a number of positive ways, set aside political differences in dealing with state governors, shown actual empathy for suffering Americans, and ignored the stock market (which always seems to turn out OK).

Imagine if he had simply been presidential, instead of ducking responsibility, lying to the American people, pointing fingers, dumping everything on the states, and fomenting insurrection. He would have been guaranteed another four years.

New Zealand has a population of about 5,000,000 people. When the virus hit, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acted swiftly and decisively. Eight months into the pandemic, New Zealand has had 25 COVID-related deaths. (Having a parliamentary form of government, New Zealand is at least as democratic as we are, so don’t try that lame-ass argument.) Extrapolating that out to the population of the United States, if Trump had acted in a similarly decisive manner, instead of having 225,000 dead Americans, the number would be… just under 1,700.

Of course, since Ardern is a strong woman, Trump would label her as “mean” and/or “terrible.” But he should also note that New Zealand held an election a couple weeks ago and Ardern was reelected in a landslide.

Eat that! ■

10

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

Trunk or Treat Classic Car Show. It wouldn’t be Halloween without a trunk or treat, would it? And it wouldn’t be 2020 without masks and social distancing, right? So, what better way to celebrate Halloween 2020 than with a combination of both over at Little Anthony’s Diner? The kids can enjoy some family-friendly and safe trick-or-treating, and both kids and adults can enter the costume contest! Are you dressing up as the Tiger King or a murder hornet, or are you going with the “dumpster fire” costume to reflect 2020 as a whole? 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct.31.

Little Anthony’s Diner, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Free.

Hyper Hygienic Halloween. We’re all for doing scary stuff on Halloween, but when it comes to something as real-life scary as the coronavirus, caution is of the utmost importance. This event at the MSA Annex is a chance to celebrate in person at a spacious,17,000-square foot venue. There will be group seating and individual seating available; performances by DJHerm, Thomas B, SET and Flam Chen; and a Tucson Thrift Shop costume Carve-Con 2020. Frightvision is a new series contest. The event is certified by the Pima County of books for middle schoolers drawn from the Health Department, and only 100 tickets are available! 8 p.m. action-packed, just-scary-enough tradition of Saturday, Oct. 31. MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento. $20. the classic Goosebumps books. Throughout October, the folks behind the books have been hosting spooky, family-friendly virtual events. The big finale is this Friday, in which 8- to 12-year-olds who entered a short story contest will have their work read aloud by published authors! Check out their website for a link to the event and for printable and downloadable Halloween activities, if you’re still looking for something to do from home on Saturday night. 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Free.

Costumes & Critters. Halloween looks different this year, but hopefully anyone who wants to wear a costume has already decided to wear a costume anyway, whether they have somewhere to wear it or not. It is sort of extra fun when you have somewhere to wear it, though, right? Head over to the Reid Park Zoo for some socially distanced fun! Kids can visit animals and take fun photos at sets like Skeletown and Pumpkin Pallooza. Or check out the zoo’s extended hours if you want to explore the colorful lighted paths and displays. Capacity is limited, and they’re doing timed entry for the extended hours, so buy tickets in advance! 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, through Saturday, Oct. 31. Daytime hours are free with zoo admission Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court.

Hocus Pocus & Beetlejuice at the Drive-In. Look, you’re probably going to be staying in to watch these movies on Halloween anyway.

Why not make the night just a little spookier and more special by viewing them at the Cactus Drive-In Theatre? Gates open at 4:30 p.m., and Hocus Pocus starts at 6:30 p.m., so you have plenty of time to get there early for a good parking spot. They’re doing an optional trunk or treat in a designated parking area if you want to bring candy and decorate your car. If you want to skip, just drive straight through to the parking area for the movie.

6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Cactus DriveIn Theatre. $20 to $40.

Guatemalan Crafts Sale. This annual trunk sale at Tohono Chul has gone virtual this year. Colorful shawls, beaded jewelry, handwoven textiles, purses and much more are a perfect way to add a splash of color to your home—or maybe to get your holiday shopping started. The handcrafted items all come from small cottage villages in Guatemala, from artisan families who have passed these skills down over generations. The gorgeous craftsmanship, along with the fact that many of the items are made of recycled or repurposed materials, mean you won’t want to miss this event! Thursday, Oct. 29 to Saturday, Oct. 31.

by Emily Dieckman FAMDEMIC. People are finding all sorts of interesting and exciting ways to create these days. But here’s one you might not have heard of. Students in the UA’s School of Theatre, Film & Television have spent the last few months in a sitcom boot camp! In about 40 hours of class time, they wrote a half-hour sitcom episode set during the COVID-19 era. They were guided by Brian Levant, a UA alumnus who directed the comedy films Beethoven, The Flintstones, Are We There Yet? and Jingle All The Way (perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most underrated performance). Come see a live, virtual stage table read of the episode! 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Free.

Wild Dogs First Annual Trunk Or Treat. If your biggest complaint about other trunk or treat events is that there aren’t enough free hot dogs, then we have the perfect event for you. Bring candy and costumes if you’d like, maintain social distancing and get ready to eat well. They’ve got limited free hot dogs for kids and Sonoran dogs for the adults. Bring friends and family down for a truly Tucson Halloween. 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Wild Dogs, 116 S. Kolb Road. Free.

El Sueño. The Etherton Gallery’s latest exhibition, on display through January, features the work of photographers Tom Kiefer and Alejandro Cartagena, as well as a selection of Mexican Folk Retablos. Tom Kiefer, who works part-time as a janitor at a U.S. border processing station, gathers personal items left behind by migrants—ranging from combs to condoms to rosaries to wallets—and photographs them for his ongoing series, El Sueño Americano. Alejandro Cartagena recovers family photos from landfills outside Mexico City, then removes or rearranges the most crucial parts, like faces, with a blade.

Cartagena calls it a reflection of how, in Latin America’s social and political crises, “we have become no one.” Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Artemis Books and the Well-Meaning Man. The Etcetera series over at Live Theatre Workshop is a chance to explore avant-garde and new styles of theatre, featuring original and community-based works. See if the plot of this show sounds… familiar. Regina (Reggie) runs a femme-centric feminist bookstore, a safe haven for self expression, queer people and womxn of all kinds. But when the boss of Artemis Books leaves, Reggie has to work with a new hire: straight, white cisgender JJ. There are workplace romances! There is existential dread! There is a chance to ponder questions like, “Does colonialism ever stop?”

Come see the virtual performance on YouTube. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. $10.

Hansel & Gretel. If you haven’t seen a show at Red Herring Puppets yet, you’re missing out. Founder Lisa Aimee Sturz has 40 years of experience in puppetry, for clients like Walt Disney Imagineering, Jim Henson Productions and Lucasfilm. This show, starring handcrafted marionettes, brings this wonderfully creepy fairytale to life just in time for Halloween. Follow the siblings out of the frying pan and into the fire when they escape from their evil stepmother, only to fall into the clutches of an evil witch. Of course, you know the rest. But you’ve never seen it like this before.

Reservations and masks are both required!

10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Outdoor stairwell at the Tucson Mall (lower level between REI and H&M), 4500 N. Oracle Road.

OCT. 29, 2020

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 11

CHOW

TROLL TROUBLE

Another controversy hits Vail’s Viva Coffee House after fake accounts began doxing people who post negative comments about the Java joint Austin Counts austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN critical of Vail’s Viva Coffee House over issues relating to facemasks have found themselves facing online harassment, including having photos of their homes posted on social media.

The latest doxing incident happened to a woman who expressed concern over the coffee shop’s use of alt-right symbol Pepe the Frog, which the Weekly pointed out in “A Bitter Battle” (Oct. 14).

Heather Harvey’s original comment on a Weekly Facebook post stated: “The Pepe the Frog image in this is concerning since it had been made a right wing, white supremacy emblem.”

Replies to her comment started trickling in, but Harvey’s troubles started after agreeing with another commenter that she would “steer clear” of the coffee house.

An account using the name Sam Wass (which appears to be a fictitious name) looked up Harvey’s information on her Facebook account and then commented she shouldn’t say anything since she lived in Phoenix and was just “virtual signaling.” Harvey fired back saying she actually lived in Tucson, but didn’t “advertise it” because of unstable Trump supporters. She also corrected Wass’ use of “virtual signaling,” stating “virtue signaling” was the proper terminology.

The online socio-political discourse quickly devolved once Sam Wass made a veiled threat that Harvey should have “a more locked down profile” and the woman made a crack about Wass’ manhood. Then he doxed her—searched and released private information online with malicious intent.

“This all started because I called him an INCEL (involuntary celibate). Immediately, he said ‘Oh you need attention. I’m going to give it to you’ and it escalated from there,” Harvey said. “He found photos of my house right away and posted them to his page.”

Once photos of her home—with a

photoshopped Trump sign in front—and photos of herself were posted on Wass’ page, others began commenting about “wanting to do weird things with her butt.” Disgusted over what she had just read, Harvey quickly blocked the account. Within minutes, another account named Cherry Holtz commented on the thread: “You can keep blocking. it’s just starting moron.”

“I’m not even sure how (Wass) was able to get photos of me because my account is set to private. But I noticed, when I was on his page, it had to be a fake account,” Harvey said. “It had multiple fake accounts commenting on his page. I don’t know if this person is creating a bunch of fake accounts and then, like, communicating with this fake account. It’s all very strange.”

What does any of this have to do with Viva Coffee House, you might ask?

The Weekly has received several tips from people who have experienced online harassment and doxing after interacting with Viva Coffee’s Facebook page since August—around the time the business was put on Pima County Health Department’s Wall of Shame for failing to implement a mask policy for employees during the pandemic.

Last July, Aaron Parkey reached out to the Weekly about a doxing situation he experienced after commenting on one of Viva Coffee House’s post where owner Kelly Walker compared wearing a mask during the pandemic to European Jews who had to wear a yellow Star of David during the Holocaust. Parkey— who is Jewish— admits he used colorful language, peppered with profanity in his comment, but what happened next was beyond the pale.

“The next thing you know I get my account hacked. My phone number is put on the front of different fake accounts, saying to call me for sex, to call me for money and then my phone starts blowing up,” Parkey said. “I was getting anti-Semetic texts telling me my son and I are Jewboys.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Thank you for Voting Us the Best Bowling Alley 2020!

12

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

VIVA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

It took Parkey the better half of two weeks to get his Facebook page un-memorialized after someone hacked his account and memorialized it as if he had passed away. He believes it was done by Walker because the texts Parkey received are similar to what he and Walker argued over weeks earlier.

“Everytime I get my Facebook page back, someone comes in and hacks it,” Parkey said. “I know it’s (Walker) because the messages sent to me are specific to what he’s said to me on Facebook.”

Both men have filed police reports against each other over alleged harassment in the past six months. When Parkey received the report he filed against Walker, he said he forwarded a copy to Walker’s wife, Andrea. Less than five minutes later, Parkey received a message from a fake account warning him to stop sending people messages.

In mid-September, the Weekly received another tip from two women who say they got into arguments with people on Viva Coffee’s page after commenting about how they wouldn’t be patronizing the establishment anytime soon due to their anti-making stance.

Local artist Jenn Hopkins began to receive a cascade of negative reviews on her art page from fake accounts in an attempt to lower her business’ starrating on Facebook. Hopkins said she thought it was strange the majority of complaints from those fake accounts were coffee-related.

One of those accounts, Rob R. Read, posted screenshots of his “review” stating Hopkin’s failed to paint a cup of coffee he commissioned on Kelly Walker’s page. Read’s comment stated, “Leave a negative review for Viva, get one left for you.”

Walker also responded on the Facebook post: “Well, I guess if someone is going to throw stones, there’s the possibility some might ricochet.”

“There were so many fake accounts and it got really scary, really fast,” Hopkins said. “When I saw that post where Walker responded I knew this was about the negative review I left Viva over a fucking month before.”

Her friend, Kat Stratford, came to Hopkins’ defense online and started mixing it up with the trolls. Soon after, Stratford was doxed by a fake account under the name of Seven Maldonado,

complete with photos of herself and her home posted online. The troll even posted a photo of a tombstone with Stratford’s name on it. Hours later, her Facebook page was memorialized, just like Parkey’s was a month earlier.

The mother of two was not amused and ultimately moved from her home.

“I commented on the fake review and within minutes of posting that, I had a text message on my phone saying that I was easy to find,” Stratford said. “I’m a single mom and I have two young kids. I was pretty terrified.”

Two other women, Mindy Ellis and Geneva Karr, reached out to Hopkins saying similar things happened to them after leaving negative reviews for Viva Coffee House—Ellis was doxed and Karr received “super inappropriate and creepy” phone calls even though her number is unlisted.

Hopkins and Stratford have tried to get Walker served with an injunction against harassment, but Tucson Municipal Court Judge Antonio Riojas denied their request due to lack of evidence.

Harvey tried to get the Tucson Police Department involved but the officer she dealt with “became combative and dismissive” when she mentioned Pepe the Frog and suggested she reach out to Walker, she said.

All of the fake accounts trolling Harvey, Parkey, Hopkins, Stratford, Ellis and Karr are associated with a fictitious company sporting a name that would make Bart Simpson proud—Maikhunt-Hertz Consulting Services. The page is filled with alt-right memes, just like each one of the troll accounts.

Walker vehemently denies having anything to do with any online harassment these people have received after interacting with his business’ Facebook page. He also denies knowing that Pepe the Frog is an alt-right symbol. In a text, he said he “simply searched for red-headed frog” and used the first image he saw. The picture in question was Pepe the Frog with red Wendy’s pigtails.

Suspected fake troll Sam Waas has a similar photo posted on his account of the notorious meme Trollface, with an identical Wendy’s hairdo.

Turns out, the red pig-tail symbol is related to an accidental 2016 Twitter post by the burger chain, which members of the alt-right have been using as a dog whistle for the past few years and was recently added to the Anti-Defamation League’s list of hate-symbols. ■

OCT. 29, 2020

Medical Marijuana

PUT TO THE TEST New state law requires a closer examination of cannabis products on dispensary shelves

By David Abbott david@tucsonlocalmedia.com AS THE CALENDAR TURNS to November, third-party testing is about to become mandatory for medicinal marijuana, which could lead to shortages at your local dispensary in the short term and higher costs for medicine down the road.

With the passage of Senate Bill 1494 in August 2019, Arizona joined most other states with medical cannabis laws, requiring marijuana product testing before it hits the shelf.

The bill states, in part, that testing will “determine unsafe levels of microbial con-

tamination, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth regulators and residual solvents and confirm the potency of the marijuana to be dispensed.”

It is also likely the state will ban several toxins, including pesticides and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury, in your favorite edible or leaf.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is in the process of certifying labs to do the work, but with coronavirus raging throughout the state, AZDHS has had its hands full with matters unrelated to SB 1494, leading some in the industry to call for a delay in the rollout of the testing program.

Groups such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and the Arizona Dispensary Association have lobbied the governor and AZDHS to hold off implementation until there is sufficient testing infrastructure, citing critical shortages should the state pull the trigger on Nov. 1.

There are currently eight labs listed on the AZDHS website in line to conduct testing, with few certified for all the tests that must be conducted. Seven testing sites are in the Phoenix area with one in Snowflake, leaving a large Tucson market reliant on labs outside the area.

Moe Asnani, director of Downtown and D2 dispensaries and board member for the ADA, is convinced fears of shortages might be overblown and that lobbying efforts to slow the process have been effective.

“There’s quite a few things that you can blame it on, but the simplest thing is the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

He recently sent a letter to lawmakers urging a delay, citing the need for more testing sites and the difficulty of implementing the program during a global health crisis.

“The reason the laboratories are not at the scale they should be today is because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability to get ... certification and in-person inspections from non-governmental accreditation agencies,” he wrote.

Asnani referred to an Aug. 20 meeting in Phoenix with lawmakers and stakeholders in the MMJ industry, where AZDHS assured the group that help was forthcoming.

“I think the problem is with everything going on, that didn’t get communicated out,” he said in a subsequent interview.

“We’re just waiting for written communication to back up what’s been said.”

Senate President Karen Fann (R-LD1), whose representative was at the Aug. 20

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 13

meeting, said that the state has allowed other departments like the Motor Vehicle Division extra time to conduct business, and while she would not commit to that being the case in this instance, she thinks there is a possibility for more time.

“It was supposed to be set up, but because of COVID there have been a lot of difficulties,” she said. “We’ve done that for other departments and we hope to be able extend the deadline.”

Asnani also called for a geographic exception, since the nearest testing facilities are at least 50 miles away. He believes Southern Arizona—with 15 dispensaries and 10-12 large-scale cultivation facilities— has a sufficient economic heft to support a blossoming testing industry.

“If anything I’m flying a flag and saying: ‘Come do business in Tucson if you’re allowed,’” he said. “If you’re a national lab and want to transition into testing, come to Southern Arizona and do business here.

There’s plenty of it.”

Aside from a deficiency in labs, Asnani is concerned with the added cost of testing, which may lead to cost of medicinal cannabis products going up as the program is implemented.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

14

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

OCT. 29, 2020

TEST

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Asnani estimates a full-panel test will cost dispensaries about $800, which would increase costs by as much as $50,000 to $100,000 monthly to keep product on the shelves, with fines up to $5,000 a month for non-compliance.

While some businesses might absorb the economic hit, others will likely pass along increased costs to the consumer.

On the other side of the issue, at least one of the labs preparing to take on the task of getting the program underway is ready to roll.

Ryan Treacy, founder and CEO of C4 labs in Scottsdale, says that even though there might be short-term pain, that will eventually go away once the program reaches maturity.

Treacy says his four-year ramp-up includes big increases in lab space, six-figure investments in equipment and increased staffing in preparation for what he expects to be an influx of product to be tested in order to maintain supplies in the marketplace.

It has been a difficult road to get to certification, but Treacy expects to be able to run the gamut of tests when the clock strikes midnight on testing day.

As the testing program rolls out, Treacy said that consumers might see fewer products available. For instance, instead of 15 or 18 types of lollipops, there might only be five or six. But growing pains are to be expected; Both California and Oregon saw shortages and increased costs once testing went into effect.

That can be attributed, in part, to residual chemicals in the soils that growers might not even be aware of that can take generations for the plant to eliminate. Treacy said a 10 percent to 20 percent failure rate can be expected, adding that California was seeing as much as 60 percent failure rate in the beginning.

“The dust will settle and we will normalize at some point,” he said.

No matter what the outcome with the start date for testing—whether it begins on time or gets the delay advocates hope will come—both Asnani and Treacy gave kudos to AZDHS for the way the department has handled the issues its been handed during the pandemic.

“The team at DHS, from a laboratory standpoint, has done as good, or better of a job than could be expected,” Treacy said. “Why aren’t more labs certified in the state? I believe it’s because of how thorough DHS has been.” ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 15

16

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Reed Galen is an American political consultant who has worked long and hard for conservative causes. But in next week’s election, he opposes conservative Donald Trump, whom he regards as an authoritarian tyrant. He writes, “Democracy is on the ballot. It’s a binary choice between good/bad, honorable/ dishonorable, healthy/sick, forward/backward.

There has been nothing like this in our lifetimes.”

If you’ve read my words for a while, you know I’m a connoisseur of ambiguity and uncertainty. I try to see all sides of every story. But now I’m departing from my tradition: I agree with Reed Galen’s assessment. The American electorate really does face a binary choice between good and bad. I also suspect, Aries, that you may be dealing with a binary choice in your personal life. Don’t underestimate how important it is that you side with the forces of good.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus politician Dan Coats has belonged to the conservative Republican Party all his adult life. He served in the US Congress for 24 years, and later as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence.

Since leaving that office, Coats has criticized his ex-boss. He has said, “Trump doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.” In accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to be fiercely non-Trump-like in the coming weeks. It’s crucial to the welfare of you and yours that you tell the whole truth.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many stories that were popular long ago are still studied today. One example is the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, originally told during the first century BC. Another is Homer’s epic tale the Odyssey, which harkens back to the sixth century BC. I have no problem with learning from old tales like these.

It’s important to know how people of previous eras experienced life. But for you in the coming months,

I think it will be crucial to find and tell new stories—tales that illuminate the unique circumstances that you are living through right now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’m surprised when I hear that fans of Donald Trump enjoy my horoscopes. My political views, which are deeply aligned with my spiritual philosophy, have always been very progressive. And I’ve never hidden that fact. How can someone who appreciates my ideas also like Trump, a vile bully who has unleashed enormous cruelty and chaos? If you yourself are a Trump fan, I understand that after reading the preceding words, you may never read my words again.

But I need to follow my own astrological advice for us Cancerians, which is: Be bold and clear in expressing your devotion to the ideals you hold precious. For me that means supporting Joe Biden, an imperfect candidate who will nevertheless be a far more compassionate and intelligent and fair-minded leader than Trump.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Dionysus was the ancient Greek god of drunkenness and ecstasy and madness. His followers were inclined to immerse themselves in those states. Yet as historian Robert Parker points out, Dionysus himself “was seldom drunk, seldom mad.” His relationship with his consort Ariadne was “dignified and restrained,” and “smiling tranquility” was his common mood.

I recommend that in the coming weeks you act more like Dionysus than his followers—no matter how unruly the world around you may become.

The rest of us need you to be a bastion of calmness and strength.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo military expert Jim Mattis enlisted in the US Marine Corps when he was 19 years old. Forty-three years later, having been a Marine all his adult life and a general for six years, he retired. Later, he served under President Donald Trump as the US Secretary of Defense.

SAVAGE LOVE JEALOUS TYPOLOGIES

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I’ve been in a relationship with a wonderful guy for the past year. The only problem is that he works with a girl he used to fuck. It wasn’t just sex—they would go on dates and even went on vacation together. He kept this little “detail” to himself for six full months before giving himself away by mistake. He then apologized, said he hadn’t told me so that I wouldn’t worry for no reason, and that he no longer has any feelings for her whatsoever. Disclaimer: I’m an extremely jealous person with huge trust issues, so knowing he kept all this from me is devastating. I no longer trust him. Just thinking that he’s seeing—on a daily basis—a

woman he used to sleep with is driving me nuts! I repeatedly asked him to let me meet her in person, at the very least, but it didn’t happen. So one night, after giving him a heads-up, I showed up at their workplace. He had said it would be OK for me to stop by sometime but once I got there he freaked out. He accused me of not trusting him! My question: Am I being crazy and overreacting—I’ll admit I’ve been agonizing non-stop about this—or is he acting like an asshole with something to hide? I’ve been struggling to curb my anxiety about this, and I’ve even had a few panic attacks he’s not aware of. Him changing jobs is out of the

After leaving that position, Mattis testified that Trump was “dangerous” and “unfit,” adding that Trump “has no moral compass.” Be inspired by Mattis, Virgo. Do your part to resist the harmful and unethical actions of powerful people who affect you. Be extra strong and clear in standing up for integrity.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Feeling too much is a hell of a lot better than feeling nothing,” declares Libran author Nora Roberts. I trust you will see the wisdom of that perspective in the coming weeks.

On the downside, there might be some prickly, disorienting feelings arriving along with the rich flood of splendor. But I’m convinced that most of the surge will be interesting, invigorating, and restorative—although it may take a while for the full effects to ripen. And even the prickly, disorienting stuff may ultimately turn out to be unexpectedly nurturing for your soul.

Biden as president. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to meditate on how you could reduce any and all of your own personal suffering. The time is right. Be ingenious!

Be proactive!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “By my love and hope I beseech you,” pleaded philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “Do not cast away the hero in your soul! Hold holy your highest hope!” That’s always good advice, but it’s extra crucial for you now. You will generate good fortune for yourself by being in close connection with the part of you that is bravest and wisest. The people whose lives you touch will have a special need for you to express the vitalizing power of intelligent hopefulness.

More than maybe ever before, you will be inspired to cultivate your heroic qualities.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio politician Joe Biden wasn’t my first choice for President of the United States. During the selection process, I championed his opponents Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. But now I support Biden wholeheartedly. He has several policies I don’t agree with, but on the other hand I know it’s critical that we Americans ensure he replaces the appalling, corrupt, incompetent Trump. In the coming days, I advise you Scorpios to also consider the value of wise and pragmatic compromise in your own sphere. Don’t allow a longing for impossible perfection to derail your commitment to doing what’s right.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’ve been writing my horoscope column for a long time, and it has evolved dramatically. One aspect that hasn’t changed is that every four years, I’ve endorsed a candidate for the president of my home country, the United States. Another unchanging aspect is that I regularly reveal my progressive views about political matters. Some people who have only recently discovered my writing express dismay about this. “I don’t want politics with my horoscopes!” they complain. But the fact is, politics have permeated my horoscopes since the beginning. Now I urge you to do what I just did, Aquarius, but in your own sphere: If there are people who are not clear about who you really are, educate them.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The United States has suffered terribly from COVID-19. Of all the world’s countries, it has had more cases and more deaths. Why? One major reason is President Donald Trump. He has consistently downplayed the seriousness of the disease, has advocated many unscientific cures, and has been lax and erratic in supporting the therapeutic measures that virtually all epidemiological experts have recommended.

It’s no exaggeration to assert that Americans will reduce their coronavirus misery by electing Joe

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The worse the state of the world grows, the more intensely I try for inner perfection and power,” wrote Piscean author Anais Nin during World War II. “I fight for a small world of humanity and tenderness.” I encourage you to adopt that perspective for the rest of 2020.

It’s an excellent time to respond boldly to the outer chaos by building up your inner beauty. I also suggest this addition to Nin’s formula: Call on your resourceful compassion to bolster the resilience of your closest allies. ■

question.

—I’m Terrified About Losing It And Nuking Everything

for you, making it harder—harder by design—for him to end things.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he found out his new girlfriend is an EJP before you found out your boyfriend works with a woman he used to fuck. At some point before the six-month mark, ITALIANE, you blew up at him about a waitress or someone he follows on Instagram. And at that moment he realized he couldn’t tell you he works with a woman he used to fuck. Because now he feared— because now he knew—you would lose your EJP shit over it because he’d seen you lose your EJP shit over far less.

The only thing more exhausting than being with an EJP is dealing with an EJP who resents you for hiding something from them—something like working with an ex—that would set them off for days or months. I get it, I get it:

How long were you dating this guy before you outed yourself as an extremely jealous person (EJP)?

I’m guessing at least a few weeks, ITALIANE, if not a few months. Because as you’re no doubt aware—as all EJPs are aware—it’s not a desirable trait, which is why very few EJPs disclose on the first date. (“I grew up in Milan, I have two sisters, and I’m the type of person who’ll show at your workplace and cause a huge scene if I think you might be fucking someone else or have ever fucked someone else.”) If you’re anything like EJPs I’ve dated and dumped, you didn’t show your boyfriend this side of yourself until long after he’d developed feelings

OCT. 29, 2020

he kept this from you. But if the last six months (!) are proof of anything, ITALIANE, they’re proof your boyfriend was right to keep this from you.

Since changing jobs wasn’t an option and since he can’t jump in a time machine and go un-fuck this woman, what other option did he have? Given a choice between telling you and spending the next six months dealing with your bullshit or keeping his mouth shut and hoping you never found out, he quite understandably chose the path of least bullshit.

If you can’t see how your own behavior may have contributed to his omission—and if you can’t forgive him and you can’t take, “No, I’m not fucking her now,” for an answer and you refuse to see this as your problem, not his—then do your boyfriend a favor and dump him. If you don’t and if you keep this shit up, if you keep saying you can’t trust him one minute and then complaining about him accusing you of not trusting him the next (?), be prepared to have your ass dumped. Because there’s only so long a person, guilty of wrongdoing or not, will put up with an EJP’s bullshit.

And finally: your boyfriend was under no obligation to disclose the current location of every girl he’d ever fucked at the start of your relationship, ITALIANE, or at any other point, for that matter. While some people can be open with their partners about their pasts and their partners can be open with them, it’s not compulsory.

And if someone wants to try and make it work with an EJP, it’s not a good idea. I don’t know why anyone would want to make it work with an EJP, ITALIANE, but there are people out there who do. Your boyfriend might be one of them. But don’t push your luck.

I’ve been with my partner for a year and a half and have been long distance from the start and she’s working towards moving closer to me in a more permanent way.

But I’m worried about the sex as I feel a lack of desire for her. I believe it could be my newfound awareness of “patriarchal gaze,” which I wasn’t conscious of before meeting her. I used to enjoy kink but I no longer consider it sexy. I used to have a lot of sex with my ex-boyfriends and used to feel some conflict but power games were a turn-on. Loving care has replaced dirty games and I feel wrong for now if I try to watch porn and I no longer enjoy touching myself because I cannot get off without thinking in sexist ways. I’m feeling pretty confused. Although I love my partner in a very special and deep way, it’s quite confusing. Please advise on how to feel sexy again without being destructive.

—Still Horny Deep Down Somewhere

There’s nothing wrong with objectifying someone who wants to be objectified by you and there’s nothing wrong with being objectified by someone you want to be objectified by. (That’s what you mean by the “patriarchal gaze,” right?) In addition to being three-dimensional human beings with wants, needs, agency, and autonomy, we are also physical objects, SHDDS, and sometimes we want to be appreciated for the objects we are. (Or the objects we also are.) So long as the person you’re objectifying—so long as the person on the receiving end of your gaze—enjoys receiving that kind of attention from you and vice-versa, there’s nothing wrong with it. To gaze at someone who desires your gaze, to touch them and play dirty games with them, isn’t inherently sexist or dehumanizing—so long as it’s consensual and mutually pleasurable, which I realize it all too often isn’t, particularly for women. But we shouldn’t let assholes (mostly men) who can make people (mostly women) feel unsafe or uncomfortable with a look ruin what isn’t just enjoyable when consensual, but affirming and at times transcendently pleasurable.

To be perfectly frank, SHDDS, I’m concerned about your relationship. If you feel so awful about your sexual desires and sexual history that you’re incapable of enjoying sex anymore—if you can’t even masturbate anymore—and those awful feelings entered your life at roughly the same time your partner did… maybe your partner is part of the problem. If you were evolving in a different direction with her sexually, if you were moving away from power games—which can be very loving—and toward something else, I wouldn’t see a problem. But you aren’t opening up to something new in this relationship, SHDDS, you’re shutting down.

Even if your partner hasn’t said or done anything to make you feel ashamed of your sexual desires or history, SHDDS, I’m not sure she’s right for you. And I don’t think it would be right of you to let someone you don’t desire move across the country to be with you.

But whether you decide to stay in this relationship or not, you would benefit from speaking with a sex-positive/kink-positive therapist about your conflicted feelings. mail@savagelove.com Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage On the Lovecast, Emily Bazelon from Slate’s Political Gabfest. www.savagelovecast.com

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 17

18

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

Comics

Last Week’s Crossword Answers T H A W

H O D A

A S A D A

P H I A L

S K Y E

P E E K

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

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

Wesley Financial Group, LLC Timeshare Cancellation Experts – Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees canceled in 2019. Get free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare!

Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews.

Call 866-482-0406 (AzCAN) OXYGEN Anytime. Anywhere.

No tanks to refill. No deliveries.

The All-New Inogen One G4 is only 2.8 pounds! FAA approved! FREE info kit: 866-397-4003 (AzCAN)

CLASSIFIED ADS Autos AUTO-ALL MAKES DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted.

Free pickup.

Call for details.

866-932-4184 (AzCan)

Personal Services BODY RUB

JJJJJJJJJJJJJ 1st Time Special Body Rub Ajo and Kinney area.

You all stop by and enjoy a stress free body rub by a man for a man. Private/Discreet.

Call or text Oliver: 520-358-7310

JJJJJJJJJJJJJ

JJJ FULL BODY RUB Best full body rub for men by a man. West Tucson. Ajo and Kinney. Privacy assured. 7AM to 7PM. In/Out calls available.

Darvin 520-404-0901.

No texts.

JJJ

Mature Woman Full Body Massage Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Provided by a woman for a man.

10 am to 10 pm Text or Call 520-278-0597

NETWORK ADS

Employment

Announcements

HEALTHCARE

ANNOUCEMENTS

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months!

Call 866-459-5480.

(M-F 8am-6pm ET) (AzCAN) EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details!

855-626-7941 (M-F 8am-6pm ET) (AzCAN)

Applying for Social Security Disability or Appealing a Denied Claim?

Call Bill Gordon & Assoc. Our case managers simplify the process & work hard to help with your case.

Call 1-855-808-1674 FREE Consultation. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)] (AzCAN) SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies.

Get a quote within minutes.

Average savings of $444/year!

Call 855-602-7212!

(M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AzCAN)

NEED NEW WINDOW TREATMENTS? Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on blinds & shades. Call Today! 844-2473111 (AzCAN) DISH Network $59.99 For 190 Channels!

Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/ mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote.

FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-855-722-2290 (AzCAN)

S L O E B T A S A I V O R W I A L S D M A E L H I

O X E N

B I R D

P E T C O

B R A H S

A L M S

D E E M

Merchandise WANTED TO BUY ************************************ Freon Wanted We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient.

Certified Professionals.

Call (312) 291-9169 RefrigerantFinders.com ***********************************

Service Directory HANDYMAN

oooooooooo Handyman Service

Doors* Drywall* Painting Roof Repair/Coating* Hauling Coolers* Odd Repairs Minor Plumbing/Electrical* BBB Member. Visa & MasterCard accepted.

Not a licensed Contractor.

520-425-0845

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 19

OCT. 29, 2020 1

FLU SHOTS $40

2

3

4

5

14

Harbir Singh, M.D.

WE COME TO YOUR OFFICE/BUSINESS

Internal Medicine

• NO WAITING IN DOCTORS OFFICE OR PHARMACY • NO RISK OF EXPOSURE TO SICK PEOPLE

GET YOUR EMPLOYEES VACCINATED TODAY CALL TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

520-433-4964

www.pinnaclehealthcareaz.com Job Zone

Carpenters Wanted:

Looking for finish carpenters with experience working on indoor Corporate Environments and Museum display installments. Must have experience with finishing skills and blueprint understanding. Immediate positions open in the Tucson area. 6-week job project inside, very clean environment. Pay structure based on experience. $25.00 to $35.00 per hour Contact Scott Rudel at 847/582-1513 Send resumes to srudel@sho-link.com

36 Union members

ACROSS 1 Start of a 14-Across

38 Pea, e.g.

5 [Just … disappeared!]

42 Knockout

9 Part of a necklace

43 Merit

Creative nugget 15 One whose charges are sarges 17 ___ system 18 Kay, e.g.

20 Introduction to physics?

21 Squid organ 22 Elle, e.g.

24 “I’ll be there in five minutes,” often 25 Nebraska senator Fischer 27 Pop singer Brickell 28 Dead head?

29 Many a flat-screen 31 Altiplano locale 33 “You said it!,” in slang 34 Dry Spanish wine 14

Go to

44 Supermodel born

Melissa Miller 45 Coming-out phrase 48 Noise at night 52 Day ___ 53 Greek goddess of the earth 54 Charade 56 Twitter titter 57 Bee, e.g.

60 Blob on a slide 62 Closing bid?

63 Explained in great detail … or what four of this puzzle’s clues are?

65 Eurasia divider 66 Roger ___, secondlongest-serving chief justice of the Supreme Court 67 Instead 68 Gives conditionally 69 Minnesota W.N.B.A. team 70 Goes down

DOWN 1 Vet-assisting

.com

Nurses:

Consider a Career in Corrections with Centurion!

For the latest news and updates

Apply online at www.centurionjobs.com or contact Patty at 520-317-3095 or patty@teamcenturion.com EOE

3 Stank to high heaven 4 Land of Opportunity?

5 Track bet 6 Supporting 7 Largest employer in

metro Detroit

8 Like most parking

garages

9 Go after 10

JOIN OUR TEAM TODAY!

Centurion is seeking RNs & LPNs to work at the Arizona State Prison Complex - Tucson and Pima County Detention Center. Offering a variety of schedules/shifts, great pay & benefits!

legislation of 1944

2 Heavenly

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

Perplexed

6

7

16

25

29

26

30

31

34 38

12

13

50

51

23 27

28

32

33

35

36

39

40

42

37

41

43

44

45

52

46

47

48

53

54

58

59

62

63

65

66

49

55 60

56 61

64 67 69

“The ___ for 50 enemies is one friend”: Aristotle 12 Practitioner of the dark arts 13 Line of athletic footwear 16 Shake, as one’s tail 19 Uneasy feeling 23 Liturgical reference book 26 Cabo’s peninsula 30 Playground wheels 32 Ride hard 33 Arouse 35 Novelist Patrick who wrote “Master and Commander” 37 “Have I ever steered you wrong?!”

38 Buddy 39 Language in which “Hello, how are you?” is “Salut, ce mai faci?”

11

11

20 22

24

10

17

19

21

68

9

15

18

57

8

70

40 Mendes of

“2 Fast 2 Furious” Rudolph with a parody of Kamala Harris on “S.N.L.” 42 Electric guitar innovator 46 Thick 47 Ladies’ night attendee 49 Enthusiastic flamenco cry 50 Hearty 51 Gives a lift 53 Magnetic induction unit 55 Sepals of a flower, collectively 58 Retained … or detained 59 Playground rhyme starter 61 Some tributes 64 “Dancing With the Stars” judge Goodman 41

20

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

OCT. 29, 2020

MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARDS

274

$

ALL CERTIFICATIONS! INCLUDES STATE AND PROCESSING FEE!

Does not include evaluation fee. Ad must be presented at time of payment. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Cards are valid for 2 years

520-838-4430

4826 E Broadway Blvd

TumbleweedsHealthCenter.com Telemedicine Available

M E D I C A L M A R I J U A N A E V A L U AT I O N C E N T E R

Certification Special

$275

MONTH LONG SPECIAL! VALID EVERYDAY OF OCTOBER! Special valid through 10/31/20

*Must have current medical records

• Receive Vouchers With Every Certification!

• 1 Free Gram of Venom Extract at any Harvest Location.

• Choice of 1 Free 150mg Gummies or Syrup from Baked Bros.

MMJ CARDS PRINTED HERE! $20 fee

WALK-INS WELCOME : OPEN MON-FRI UNTIL 6PM : OPEN SAT UNTIL 4PM

520-623-0

Offering Telemedicine Certifications!

See DrReeferalz.com DRREEFERALZ.COM | CBD PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

4120 E Speedway Tucson, AZ 85712