Tucson Weekly April 30, 2020 by Tucson Weekly

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APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2020 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

Boogaloo Fever Tucson’s Sergio Mendoza has a new album that will keep you dancing through a pandemic By Austin Counts THE SKINNY: Bucks in the Board of Supes Race

CURRENTS: Mental Health Support

DANEHY: I Can’t Stay at Home Much Longer

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 30, 2020

Chamber Chatter

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SURVIVING THE OUTBREAK What To Do If You’re Sick Where To Feed Your Kids While School Is Out How To Find Emergency Childcare When To Shop If You’re a Senior Where To Find Food Assistance Where To Look for a Biz Loan How To Help Others in This Time of Need Where To Still See Art And More!

During times of crisis, independent journalism is more important than ever.

The impact of the census on our community

Page 2 March 27, 2020 Volume 28 • Number 7

InsideTucsonBusiness

@AZBIZ

www.InsideTucsonBusiness.com

To our readers

Grappling with COVID-19 How are local restaurants surviving the shutdown? By Austin Counts Inside Tucson Business

Page 6

—Jason Joseph, President/Publisher

REAL ESTATE

TECH TALK

Rio Nuevo revises $72.5 million Bautista development deal Page 4

Nourishment in space, photographing electrons and more Page 8

Local Preparedness How does Tucson stack up against COVID-19?

EXPLORER The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson

March 25, 2020

Volume 27 • Number 13

To our readers

Keeping The Lights On

Local utility companies suspend shutoffs during Coronavirus crisis | Page 10

irst and most important: I hope that you and your loved ones are safe during these difficult times. Please be sure to heed the advice of the health care experts and make sure to check in with family, friends and neighbors. At Tucson Local Media, we are committed to bringing you the news and information as quickly as we can during these unprecedented times Marana Unified School District for everyone in our communities. busdriver Alvin Ramsey hands out a ‘grab-and-go’ meal to The majority of our staff is curchildren at the Marana Cares rently working remotely. Our team Mobile traveling eatery. The of reporters and editors are on the remodeled school bus is phones continually throughout equipped to provide meals to the day with city and state officials, students, and will operate as school officials, community orgalong as schools are closed. For nizations, small and large businessmore information on Marana es and nonprofit organizations to Cares Mobile, and where to bring you the most current up to find it, visit maranausd.org/ date information. mcm. Small businesses in any commuLogan Burtch-Buus nity are the lifeblood of our everyday lives. Please continue supporting those businesses in any way you can. Please don't hesitate contacting most notably the virus that causes us at 797-4384 or emailing us at tucthe common cold. So coronaviruses soneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com are not new, but this strain is new, with any tips or suggestions of things and that’s why it’s so different than happening in your community. what we’re used to,” said Aaron PaFrom all of us at Tucson Local checo of the Pima County Health Media: Thank you for supporting us. Department. While often compared to the flu, —Jason Joseph, COVID-19 differs in a few key ways. President/Publisher Perhaps most importantly: there is

MARANA CARES

INSIDE

Childcare Concerns

Keeping kids safe |Page 4

Restaurant Woes

Eateries limited to takeout and delivery |Page 8

Live Streaming WaveLab to host local musicians |Page 13

How does Tucson stack up against COVID-19?

they need it.” Jeff Gardner We spoke with local health exTucson Local Media perts to get to the bottom of some ong before mass restaurant clo- of the biggest questions related to sures and event cancellations, the ongoing pandemic: How does it the World Health Organization differ from the flu? Can ibuprofen described an ongoing “info- worsen symptoms? How long does demic” about COVID-19, citing a the virus remain on surfaces? Is Tucmassive amount of both true and son particularly susceptible? false information online that “makes “The novel coronavirus strain is it hard for people to find trustworthy just that: a new strain of coronavisources and reliable guidance when rus. There are lots of coronaviruses,

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Lisa Bayless | 520-668-8293 Lisab@LongRealty.com TOP 1% OF ALL LONG AGENTS

MARANANEWS The Voice of Marana since 2007

March 25, 2020

Volume 27 • Number 13

To our readers

Keeping The Lights On

irst and most important: I hope that you and your loved ones are safe during these difficult times. Please be sure to heed the advice of the health care experts and make sure to check in with family, friends and neighbors. At Tucson Local Media, we are committed to bringing you the news and information as quickly as we can during these unprecedented times for everyone in our communities. Marana Unified School District The majority of our staff is curbusdriver Alvin Ramsey hands out a ‘grab-and-go’ meal to rently working remotely. Our team children at the Marana Cares of reporters and editors are on the Mobile traveling eatery. The phones continually throughout remodeled school bus is the day with city and state officials, equipped to provide meals to school officials, community orgastudents, and will operate as nizations, small and large businesslong as schools are closed. For es and nonprofit organizations to more information on Marana bring you the most current up to Cares Mobile, and where to date information. find it, visit maranausd.org/ Small businesses in any commumcm. nity are the lifeblood of our everyday Logan Burtch-Buus lives. Please continue supporting those businesses in any way you can. Please don't hesitate contacting us at 797-4384 or emailing us at tucthey need it.” most notably the virus that causes soneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner We spoke with local health exthe common cold. So coronaviruses with any tips or suggestions of things Tucson Local Media perts to get to the bottom of some are not new, but this strain is new, happening in your community. ong before mass restaurant clo- of the biggest questions related to and that’s why it’s so different than From all of us at Tucson Local sures and event cancellations, the ongoing pandemic: How does it what we’re used to,” said Aaron Pa- Media: Thank you for supporting us. the World Health Organization differ from the flu? Can ibuprofen checo of the Pima County Health described an ongoing “info- worsen symptoms? How long does Department. —Jason Joseph, demic” about COVID-19, citing a the virus remain on surfaces? Is TucWhile often compared to the flu, President/Publisher massive amount of both true and son particularly susceptible? COVID-19 differs in a few key ways. false information online that “makes “The novel coronavirus strain is Perhaps most importantly: there is it hard for people to find trustworthy just that: a new strain of coronaviSee COVID-19, P6 sources and reliable guidance when rus. There are lots of coronaviruses,

Local utility companies suspend shutoffs during Coronavirus crisis | Page 10

MARANA CARES

INSIDE

Childcare Concerns

Keeping kids safe |Page 4

Restaurant Woes

Eateries limited to takeout and delivery |Page 8

Live Streaming WaveLab to host local musicians |Page 13

How does Tucson stack up against COVID-19?

272,000 4BD/3BA + Loft

9156 N Palm Brook Drive, Tucson, AZ 85743

(2,285 sq ft) twostory home with updated chef’s kitchen. MLS 22006287

300,000 3BD/2BA+Den

1585 W Periwinkle Place, Oro Valley, AZ 85737

(1,855 sq ft) corner lot home w/pool size yard & views! MLS 22006042

Lisa Bayless | 520-668-8293 Lisab@LongRealty.com TOP 1% OF ALL LONG AGENTS

Help support your local newspapers by donating at tucsonlocalmedia.com

Questions?

Page 3

The Big Resource List | Page 2 • School’s Are Still Feeding Students | Page 4 • The Search For Child Care | Page 6

FOOTHILLS NEWS April 1, 2020 • Volume 10 • Number 7 • www.TucsonLocalMedia.com

COVID-19 Resource Guide How to keep your kids occupied, your pantries full and your rent paid through the pandemic

call

520-797-4384 7225 N. Mona Lisa Road, Ste. 125 Tucson, AZ 85741

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April 2020

DESERT TIMES The Voice of Southwest Tucson

Volume 33 • Number 4

Looking for up-to-date COVID-19 Coverage? Go online to Tucsonlocalmedia.com for breaking stories and updates

FOOD DRIVE

INSIDE

Drexel Heights

Water safety protects the whole family |Page 5

Childcare Woes

Watching out for the little ones |Page 6

Pima County extends business closures, restaurant restrictions through April 10

Empty Tables

How restaurants are weathering the storm |Page 10

Restaurants are still allowed to opKathleen B. Kunz erate through take-out or drive-thru Tucson Local Media service only. The closure was supposed to last s the number of COVID-19 cases in Pima County contin- until Tuesday, March 31, but the suues to rise each day, the Pima pervisors held an emergency meetCounty Board of Supervisors ing on March 26 to extend it to Frivoted 3-2 to extend their mandate day, April 10. Democratic Supervisors Richard on the closure of all movie theaters, gyms, restaurants, bars and other Elías, Sharon Bronson and Ramón places where people gather in un- Valadez voted in favor, while Reincorporated parts of the county. publican Supervisors Ally Miller and

To our readers

Interfaith Community Services Faith and Community Outreach Manager Lauryn Valladarez loads donated food and cleaning supplies into an ICS van parked at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. The nonprofit is hosting shortnotice food drives throughout the Greater Tucson Metro Area in order to keep its food bank full of supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resource Guide

How to keep your kids busy, and your pantry full during shutdowns |Page 4

APRIL 30, 2020

APRIL 30, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 18

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

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 ADMINISTRATION Jason Joseph, President/Publisher jjoseph@azlocalmedia.com

CONTENTS

COVID-19 ROUND-UP

The latest news on COVID-19 in Tucson and the nation

CURRENTS

Mental health and substance abuse providers relying on telehealth during COVID-19

THE SKINNY

Who’s got money in the race to replace Ally Miller?

CHOW

Quick action allows fresh fruits and vegetables to be delivered to local food banks

MUSIC

Orkesta Mendoza’s new album will keep you dancing through the pandemic

EDITOR’S NOTE

Day of Decision

WHEN THE PAPER HITS THE streets, it’ll be April 30, which marks the end of Gov. Doug Ducey’s initial stay-at-home order. I’m not expecting him to “reopen Arizona” with a big bang, especially as cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in the state, even if we’ve (so far) avoided the nightmare that places like New York City have experienced. You can be sure we’ll be updating you with breaking news—and much more—at TucsonWeekly.com, where we are posting new stories all day, every day. You’ll find a roundup of what we’ve been covering over the past week on Page 4, but be sure to visit our online edition to find out the latest developments. In the print edition this week, staff reporter Austin Counts talks with local musician Sergio Mendoza, who just dropped a new album with Orkesta Mendoza. I have a lot of admiration for Sergio, who has toured with indie acts like Calexico and Devotchka but is an amazing bandleader in his own right, as evidenced by the large troupe he has assembled with Orkesta Mendoza, whose horn section alone can be bigger than some bands you’ll see touring. Sergio himself is a master multi-instrumentalist, moving effortlessly from guitar to keyboards to drums to accordion. Sergio says Curandero, which sees him bringing his Latin flair to old-fashioned boogaloo, is meant to be a ton of fun—something in short supply these days.

Elsewhere in the book: The Skinny digs into how the race to replace looney Ally Miller on the Pima County Board of Supervisors is shaping up and notes that Sen. Martha McSally’s “liberal hack” plan backfired on her; staff reporter Kathleen Kunz examines how mental health and substance abuse counseling is going online in an age of social distancing; in our Chow section, we look at how local food banks are getting fruits and vegetables from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and how you can still tip your favorite bartenders, even if you can’t get a drink from them; and columnist Tom Danehy reveals that he just can’t take this stay-at-home stuff much longer. And, of course, we still have your horoscopes, sex column, crossword, comics and other fun diversions to help you pass the time. Finally, huge thanks again to those of you who have contributed to our fundraising effort to keep Tucson Weekly’s journalism alive. These are tough times for many people, but with your support, we’ll come out on the other side and resume our normal programming. If you’d like to make a donation, visit TucsonWeekly.com and look for the link on the upper right side of the website. See you at Sergio’s next show! — Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about the latest COVID-19 news and more at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays on the Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.

Cover photo of Sergio Mendoza by C. Elliott Photography, cover design by Ryan Dyson

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 Logan Burtch-Buus, Managing Editor, Ext. 36 logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tara Foulkrod, Web Editor, Ext. 35 tara@tucsonlocalmedia.com Austin Counts, Staff Reporter, Ext. 37 austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Kathleen Kunz, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42 kathleen@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, Mark Whittaker PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Louie Armendariz, Graphic Designer, Ext. 29 louie@tucsonlocalmedia.com Madison Wehr, Graphic Designer, Ext. 28 madison@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, Ext. 26 ryand@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 Brek Montoya, Account Executive, Ext. 20 brek@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com Liane White, Account Executive, Ext. 23, liane@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.

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.

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APRIL 30, 2020

Southern Arizona

COVID-19

Roundup other GOP leaders. McConnell said he would prefer states go bankrupt rather than provide them with more federal funding.

By Jim Nintzel jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com • The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 6,900 as of Tuesday, April 28, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 1,188 of the state’s 6,948 confirmed cases. The coronavirus had killed 293 people statewide, including 78 in Pima County, according to the report. In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 3,578. • Confirmed cases in the United States were closing in on one million, with nearly 54,000 dead after contracting the virus as of Monday, April 27, according to preliminary numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. President Donald Trump suggested at a press conference that doctors should find a way to “bring light inside the body” to kill the virus. “And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that?” Trump added. “Like injection inside or almost a cleaning because, you see, it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number in the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that. You’re going to have to use medical doctors, but it sounds interesting to me.” After Trump’s comments, disinfectant companies such as Lysol urged people to avoid using their products internally, while Trump later said he was being sarcastic but his humor was lost on the mainstream media. • Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order, which drew a recent two-day demonstrations from conservative protesters at the state Capitol, expires on Thursday, April 30. The order has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including bars, barbershops, salons, theaters, gyms, swap meets and many retail stories. Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak last week said that administration officials were still tracking data to determine the best course of action regarding whether the stay-at-home order would be extended into May. “Every decision

NASA / UA

Talk about social distance: The NASA spacecraft OSIRIS-REx sent home an April 14 snapshot of the spot where it hopes to collect a sample from the asteroid Bennu. The space mission, led by Dante Lauretta of the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab, is aiming to capture dust and pebbles from Bennu in August. “The goal of this checkpoint rehearsal is to make sure we get through the first two maneuvers needed to accomplish the sampling, and then safely back away,” said Dani DellaGiustina, lead image processing scientist for the OSIRIS-REx mission. we make will continue to be informed by public health and a commitment to reenergizing our economy when it is responsible and safe to do so,” Ptak said. Three options are under consideration, according to Ptak: Allowing the order to expire, extending it as is or extending it with modifications based on the state’s conditions. • Ducey announced that as of May 1, under certain circumstances, hospitals could return to performing elective surgeries, which had been put on hold over concern of a wave of COVID-19 cases overwhelming health care facilities. The ban on those elective surgeries had caused major financial losses for hospitals as they emptied rooms to prepare for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases that hasn’t yet materialized. • More than half of the people in Pima County who died after contracting COVID-19 were either residents of long-term care nursing homes or assisted living facilities, according to a press release from Pima County this weekend. Of Pima County’s 1,047 cases as of April 23, 280 of them (or 27 percent) were in long-term care facilities, including 180 residents and 100 staffers. Of

those, 78 residents and nine staffers had to be hospitalized. A total of 38 deaths of residents of such facilities had been reported as of last Thursday. “Once the virus gets in, it can be extremely difficult to keep it from spreading,” said Dr. Bob England, director of Pima County Health Department. “By nature of the work they do, staff members and residents come into close contact with one another multiple times per day, increasing the risks for both.” • Congress last week passed a new $493 billion relief package that included an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program as well as $75 billion for hospitals facing the financial strain of the outbreak and $25 billion for additional testing capacity. The first $349 billion in forgivable loans in the PPP, which was part of a larger $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress in response to the outbreak, ran out of money less than two weeks after it was launched. The new relief program does not include additional aid to state and local governments struggling with a drop in tax revenues. While Democrats pushed for that funding to be included, it was opposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and

• Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said last week that he was assembling a task force that would develop strategies for reopening businesses. The Back to Business Task Force will include one appointed member of the county’s Small Business Commission from each supervisor district, and representatives from restaurants, hotels and resorts, chambers of commerce, gyms, daycares, area attractions, film and live performance theaters and event centers. • UA President Robert C. Robbins said last week during an appearance on Bill Buckmaster’s radio show that he didn’t see football games returning in the fall, although the university would likely resume face-to-face classes, alongside online options. Robbins has warned that a return to normal life could be months away—or longer. “Until there’s a vaccine, we’re never going to be completely risk free,” Robbins said. “That’s probably a year at least before we would have a vaccine.” The UA is bracing for the possibility that many out-of-state and international students might not return to campus in the fall because of the outbreak, which could lead to financial calamity for the university. The UA has announced furloughs for all employees, along with other pay cuts for high-paid employees. • Congressman Raul Grijalva joined with various immigration groups to call for an end to border wall construction during the outbreak, saying that government officials and construction workers risk infecting border communities, which are frequently impoverished. “This virus has opened up a portal,” Grijalva said. “And as you walk through it, we’re seeing who’s left behind. We’re seeing where the relief is not reaching people.”■ Additional reporting by Tucson Weekly staff.

APRIL 30, 2020

rated has experienced mental health and/ or substance abuse issues firsthand. They can also help with “psycho-social” issues such as being out of work, not being able to buy food or pay rent. While the Warm Line has regular callers who use their services for ongoing challenges, they’re also starting to hear from new callers who have never experienced these symptoms before. Van Story added nine additional staff members for the increased demand, and even with three or four people working each shift they’re still fighting to keep up with the calls. “But that’s OK, that’s what we’re here for and that’s what they need,” he said. The Warm Line (520) 770-9909 is funded through a grant from Arizona Complete Health and is available for free to residents of Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties from 8 am to 10 pm daily. Callers can remain anonymous if they choose.

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

six weeks ago in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic to reach Southern Arizona. They are utilizing online therapy sessions and online support groups to keep their clients connected and engaged in recovery programs during this difficult time. After contacting U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s office as well as Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally for assistance with this issue, Poppy found vindication in a letter from the Defense Health Agency addressed to Health Net, which administers TRICARE insurance, stating that IOPs and other behavioral health programs will now be covered. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created seismic shifts in the availability of all medical services, including behavioral health care services,” said DHA Contracting Officer Frederick M. Kmiecik in the letter. “Many of these programs have either suspended operations or transitioned to online-only services to support State and Regional directives for social distancing. … This is especially important LOGAN BURTCH-BUUS for those patients requiring intensive TELEHEALTH COVERAGE Hope Incorporated’s Warm Line is available for free to residents in several counties. behavioral health care intervention who may also have comorbid risk factors, WHEN GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY signed his “Expansion of Telemedicine” readiness needs, or family members who may be at high risk from COVID-19, executive order on March 25, it required where the dangers to health or readiness all health insurance providers regulated Mental health and substance abuse providers relying on telehealth during COVID-19 by the Arizona Department of Insurance must be balanced with the need for beto provide coverage for telemedicine ser- havioral health care services.” Before this change in policy, Poppy vices. Insurers are required to reimburse provided services to six of his clients pro healthcare providers at the same level of up to give general support and reliable By Kathleen B. Kunz bono. He said now is a crucial time for payment for a telemedicine visit as they resources to those dealing with mental Kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com those with substance abuse issues to be would for a regular in-person visit. health and substance abuse challenges. receiving care, and he couldn’t deny peoAs recently as this week, some federal BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS Before COVID-19, they received more ple services just because their insurance insurance providers refused to cover than 2,500 calls each month. will be playing a crucial role as the wouldn’t cover it. telehealth services and could do so The phone operators have fielded COVID-19 pandemic continues to dis“You’ve probably seen in the paper many calls relating to symptoms of anxi- since they were outside of the state’s rupt daily life. Some have already found alcohol sales are going through the roof,” jurisdiction. ety, depression, and just pure fear of what that the isolation stemming from social Poppy said. “Someone that might have Richard Poppy, the owner and execis happening globally right now. distancing guidelines is causing an ina problem, that’s probably going to get utive director of Desert Star Addiction “It’s definitely increased the need for crease in depression and anxiety sympexasperated, and we’re starting to hear Recovery Center located in northwest services,” said Michael Van Story, mantoms, and folks who already had mental that from loved ones. On the mental Tucson, said they are in-network providager of the Warm Line. “We work with health or substance abuse issues before health side, it’s kind of the same thing. ers with all major insurance companies people who have depression and anxithe pandemic are facing more difficulty People don’t have as much to do and including TRICARE, which is managed ety every day of their lives in a clinical than ever before. they’re just kind of with themselves and As their workload suddenly increased, manner. And when you cut them off from by the federal government and covers their thoughts. We’re hearing about more active and retired military members. their support system or parts of their these providers are looking to connect depression and anxiety and you know, TRICARE had refused to reimburse support system and further isolate them, with clients remotely in order to protect people have had some trauma in their life Desert Star for the telehealth services it public health. Most have phased out their which is the exact wrong thing to do with that’s starting to pop up, those memories provided to its policyholders. The center depression and anxiety, it only increases in-person therapy sessions and have and those feelings, thoughts.” specializes in Intensive Out-Patient and that fourfold.” moved to online meetings. He expects telehealth to be a regular part Partial Hospitalization programs for He said the Warm Line provides an The Warm Line, a confidential, of the field going forward, and hopes inpeople with mental health and substance “actively listening ear” that will hear non-emergency phone service operated surance companies and state and federal their callers’ issues and concerns without abuse disorders. by HOPE Incorporated, has seen an 80 governments will understand the need Poppy said TRICARE’s refusal to cover judgment, and will try to relate to them percent increase in calls over the last for such capabilities on a regular basis, their clients’ costs was contradictory and let them know how they’ve worked month and a half. HOPE Incorporated even after the COVID-19 pandemic is to the governor’s goal to expand telethrough similar situations themselves. provides peer-driven behavioral health over. ■ health. Desert Star switched to telehealth Everyone who works at HOPE Incorposervices, and the Warm Line was set

CURRENTS

WITHIN HEARING DISTANCE

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 30, 2020

THE SKINNY

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ By Jim Nintzel jnintzel@tucsonweekly.com

FACEBOOK.COM/JIMNINTZEL @NINTZEL

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BOARD BUCKS

Who’s got the dough among the half-dozen candidates in the race to replace retiring Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller? THE RACE TO REPLACE THE retiring Republican Ally Miller on the Pima County Board of Supervisors has drawn a half-dozen candidates: four Republicans and two Democrats. In District 1, where Miller is stepping down after two looney tunes, er, terms on the Board of Supervisors, the GOP candidates include Oro Valley Town Council member Rhonda Piña; Bill Beard, a former Pima County Republican Party chair; former state lawmaker Vic Williams; and Steve Spain, a political newcomer who has already won Miller’s endorsement. In the money race, Piña is way out in front of the others. She’s raised more than $67,000 from contributors and has loaned the campaign another $20,000, giving her more than $87,000 in total. She ended the fundraising quarter on March 31 with more than $73,500 in the bank. Beard raised about $16,200 (including about $2,500 he had loaned his campaign) and still had nearly $10,000 in the bank. Spain raised just $8,388 (including about $1,300 he loaned the campaign) and had about $6,500 in the bank. And coming in last was Williams, who raised roughly $6,350 (including about $4K he brought in from a previous campaign) and had $885 left in the bank. When Williams ran for the Board of Supes in 2012 (losing the primary to Miller), he likewise didn’t raise too much money from contributors, collecting less than $6,400 in contributions but dropping about $95,000 of his own money on the campaign, according to campaign finance reports on record with the county. District 1, which includes Oro Valley, Marana, Casas Adobes and the Catalina Foothills areas, leans Republican. But an underdog status hasn’t prevented two Democrats from climbing into the Democratic primary ring: retired school administrator Rex Scott, who has campaign experience on both sides of the aisle, and Brian Radford, a political newcomer who previously

worked in corrections. Scott says the distance between Republicans and Democrats has closed in recent years. The district is now home to roughly 53,000 Republicans, roughly 50,000 Democrats and roughly 38,000 independents. Scott believes that with the name recognition he developed on the northwest side as a principal at Tortolita Middle School and an assistant principal at Ironwood Ridge High School, he has a decent shot at capturing enough independents and crossover Republicans that he can turn the district blue. So far, Scott has outraised most of the Republican candidates. He’s brought in $30,323 without digging into his own pocket and had nearly $17,000 in the bank at the end of March. By comparison, Radford is off to a slow start. He’d raised $65, including $40 from himself and a single $20 contribution.

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WHAT A BURN

McSally’s “liberal hack” scheme backfires spectacularly SEN. MARTHA MCSALLY COOKED up a pretty terrible fundraising plan in January. As you undoubtedly heard, McSally told CNN political reporter Manu Raju that he was a liberal hack for daring to ask her whether she thought the Senate should consider new evidence in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. McSally knew the question was coming, so she cooked up the “liberal hack” burn and, within hours, launched a fundraising effort alongside Team Trump. But you know who else took the opportunity to fundraise? Her Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly. And the retired NASA astronaut clobbered her in fundraising in the days after the comment. As Yvonne Wingett Sanders of the Arizona Republic reported last week, McSally raised $281,000 in the days after the comment, but Kelly outdid her by raising $547,000. Maybe next time, you should just run around the parking lot to avoid Manu, Martha. BTW: We mentioned in last week’s column that McSally was dodging questions about Trump’s handling of the pandemic

by deflecting blame to China. There’s no doubt that the Chinese government wasn’t straight with the world about the COVID-19 outbreak, but Trump has spouted his share of misinformation and nonsense. (Don’t drink bleach, folks.) Now we know the China deflection is part of a unified Republican strategy, thanks to a National Republican Senatorial Committee memo that leaked to Politico last week. The 57-page memo, prepared by the political consulting firm of Brett O’Donnell, told candidates that instead of defending Trump, they should pivot to attacking China. As Politico reported: “The document urges candidates to stay relentlessly on message against the country when responding to any questions about the virus. When asked whether the spread of the coronavirus is Trump’s fault, candi-

JEN SORENSEN

dates are advised to respond by pivoting to China. ‘Don’t defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban — attack China,’ the memo states.” We’ll say this for McSally: She sure can deliver her script. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

LEFT AT THE FINISH LINE

Scratch these candidates off your list WE’VE LOST A COUPLE OF

congressional candidates since last week’s Skinny column. In Congressional District 2, Shay Stautz decided to quit rather than defend his nominating petitions in court. Over in Congressional District 1, Doyel Shamley likewise decided to drop out of the GOP primary rather than defend his petitions. ■

APRIL 30, 2020

DANEHY

TOM JUST CAN’T KEEP LIVING THIS WAY—AND HE DOESN’T THINK YOU CAN, EITHER By Tom Danehy, tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com WHEN THIS THING FIRST HIT, I hoped (in vain) that the media—most notably the 24-hour cable news networks—wouldn’t turn it into a Telethon of Death. I could see it immediately, the somber talking head, with the Death Ticker over his/her shoulder, reciting the numbers ad infinitum. “The death toll now stands at 24,673…oh wait, as I was reciting that number, our ticker clicked up a couple spots, so now the death toll stands at 24,675…oh wait…” Joseph Stalin, not normally remembered as much of a philosopher, had it right when he said, “The death of one man is a tragedy; the death of a million men is a statistic.” It has definitely turned into a numbers game. This is probably horrible of me to say, but if this pandemic had hit in the 1970s (before the 24-hour news cycle became a thing), the world wouldn’t have shut down. We, as a species, would have taken our ghastly lumps, reached herd immunity, and moved on. But with today’s chicken-and-egg pattern of news event, followed by breathless reportage of the event, followed inevitably by reportage becoming one with the event, everything is BREAKING NEWS!, all the time.

CLAYTOONS

Bill Maher came up with the perfect phrase for how the media are failing us in this important time—panic porn. The press is stoking the flames of hysteria while displaying a stunning inability to focus on what’s really important. And they allow so many outright lies to go unchallenged. I do know this: I would gladly go the rest of my life without ever again hearing the phrases “flatten the curve” and “new normal.” The latter really bothers me. I will consider it a testament to the resilience of people when you see how quickly we get back to the Old Normal. Until then, every time I hear one of those things, it’s like Nosferatu dragging his nails across a brand-new chalkboard with the volume turned up to 12. A friend of mine who used to be a Republican (he claims that he still is but that claim is specious, seeing as how he absolutely worships at the altar of the Orange Demon) challenged me to say something positive about Donald Trump. After some thought, I said that Trump is a master at making everything about himself. That’s a skill that few of us have, and even fewer of us want to have. After

screwing up as badly as he did at the beginning of the pandemic, you would have thought that he would have run away from the topic. Instead, he turned things around and began making daily campaign rally-style appearances that, with the help of a pathetically compliant media, actually boosted Trump’s poll numbers (if only briefly). The media should be fair, but they don’t have to be overly so. After a month of daily public buffoonery in which Trump verbally assaults women of color, lies through his ass, and plays games with American lives, the media still broadcast the travesties live. They should film them, edit out the campaign shenanigans to be used later in political reporting, and then show the actual pandemic updates featuring the scientists and doctors. Even then, media members need to ask better questions. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the little bulldog of an epidemiologist who achieved temporary rock star status, has also let us down. He’s great at what he does, but what he does is, by definition, narrow and needs to be reported as such. He cares about lives, but I’m not so sure that he understands people. When he casually talks about the lockdown lasting into the fall, even the most caring and civic-minded individual is going to say, ”Oh, hell no!” Eventually, we’re all going to grow weary of being “another two weeks”ed to death. So far, it’s only the lunatic fringe that

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is spilling into the streets—brain-dead redneck gun nuts wearing Trump hats and waving racist Confederate flags. They have been ordered by Trump to gather by the dozens in state capitals to protest the social distancing guidelines instituted by… Trump. (That sound you hear is the final nail being driven into the coffin that contains Irony.) They gather and wait for the aforementioned compliant media to show up. As soon as the camera lights go on, the Trumpistas start honking their horns and waving their Bring Back Slavery flags. And if they’re asked a question, they try their darnedest to get the word “Constitution” in the response. (Although, damn it, there are a lot of syllables in ”Constitution.”) I was wondering what had happened to the Tea Party, that gaggle of good Americans who had joined together to protest rising budget deficits following the Great Recession. It was budget deficits, right? It couldn’t have had anything to do with the color of Barack Obama’s skin. Donald Trump has been adding a trillion dollars per year to the national debt with nary a word of protest from the Tea Party. I guess they were saving themselves for something important. Today is the last day of April, the day when restrictions are supposed to expire in many states, including ours. Everybody from Regina Romero up to Doug Ducey will be walking a tightrope. If they’re crazy enough to utter “May 31,” they’d better be ready for some serious crosswinds. ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 30, 2020

CHOW

PHOTO COURTESY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA

The National Guard is helping food banks gather and distribute fresh fruits and vegetables from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.

PANDEMIC PRODUCE

Quick action allows fresh fruits and vegetables to be delivered to local food banks By Austin Counts Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com

SOUTHERN ARIZONA FOOD BANKS are receiving much-needed support from both Pima County and Santa Cruz County along with the Arizona National Guard to help serve the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce Bracker have teamed up to address the needs of not only their respective counties but Yuma County and Cochise County as well. The Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted last week to amend the City of Tucson and Pima County Consortium 2014-2019 HUD Consolidated Plan and the Pima County Annual Action Plan to free up $630,000 split between various agencies addressing the public’s needs during the pandemic. It took the county about a week to diagnose who needed funding and where the county could get the funding, said Bronson. “When you have to do something, you have to do it. You don’t wait,” Bronson said. “We needed to rethink what we’re doing with our COVID-19 response. If we don’t respond quickly, we’re negligent.”

Bronson said food security is most important during this time as uncertainty looms as to how long the shutdown will last and how long it will take to recover. Bruce Bracker, her counterpart in Santa Cruz County, alerted Bronson about an overabundance of produce in Nogales produce warehouses due to the shutdown. These produce companies were willing to donate their unsold backstock to community food banks before it spoiled. “It’s important that we deal with food security issues for the people who are going to need it,” Bonson said. “Thanks to Bruce, the National Guard, and our county staff we were able to get produce to several Southern Arizona counties.” Bracker said the support from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, the Arizona National Guard, and numerous private businesses in Santa Cruz County is significant in orchestrating a response. Produce is donated by the Fresh Produce Association, repackaged by the Arizona National Guard, and stored in several private cold storage facilities in the Nogales area at no cost to the county. “If we didn’t have the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas cooperation or the National Guard, this wouldn’t be happening,” Bracker said. “There’s a lot of

people in the community that stepped up, like private industry just donating their time.” The quick response from Pima and Santa Cruz counties is great news for food banks serving Southern Arizona, most of which have seen a doubling of demand for assistance, said Michael McDonald, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. His food bank received an $80,000 grant from Pima County, which was used to purchase three semi-truck loads of brown rice to distribute throughout Southern Arizona. “We can easily spend $80,000 in one week,” McDonald said. “We’re seeing a doubling of demand at all of our agency partners, a sharp increase of at least 45 percent at our facilities, and a three-fold increase in new clients.” McDonald said the doubling of demand has been challenging while working with fewer volunteers, most of whom are senior citizens. “We depend on volunteers so heavily and a lot of our elderly volunteers needed to stay home for their own health reasons. The doubling of demand and the decrease in our workforce has been challenging,” McDonald said. “Once Gov. Ducey mobilized the National Guard, we now have a solid source of support.” Sahuarita Food Bank executive director Carlos Valles said the extra help from both Pima and Santa Cruz counties “has helped tremendously.” His food bank received a $50,000 grant from Pima County after seeing the number of people needing assistance double since the pandemic hit. “(The grant) helps us tremendously. We’ll be purchasing more food and use it for our operations, maintenance for our van and truck because it’s on the road more now, “ Valles said. “We’ll also be purchasing things like PPE during the pandemic.” Valles said his food bank had to adapt quickly to the increased community need as his volunteers, also mostly elderly, decreased in recent weeks. Now the food bank is efficiently serving more people while using fewer resources. Having the National Guard help at the food bank has been a blessing, said Valles. “It’s crazy that we’ve been able to serve more now with less. We’re prepping a day early and we also have the Arizona National Guard coming out and helping when 99 percent of our volunteers are 65 to 70 years old,” Valles said. “Having a younger, stronger workforce has been a blessing for our organization.” ■

By Austin Counts Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Want to help out service industry workers across Pima County who are hurting as the governor-mandated shutdown continues? A local barman has made it easy for the public to tip their favorite bartender or server using the interwebs. The group is called Tips for Tucson, hosted by a Facebook page and a google docs spreadsheet. Tips for Tucson even made a video, shot and produced by Tyler Lidwell Videography, and features many bartenders from around Tucson’s nightlife scene helping get the word out. The idea came to local bartender Kyle Blessinger and his friend Eric Smith, a bartender at the temporarily shuttered Kingfisher. Earlier, Smith had forwarded Blessinger a post about what bartenders in Indianapolis were doing to raise cash during the pandemic: a virtual tip jar. “I was having a morning whiskey because it’s quarantine and there are no rules. Eric had forwarded me this idea,” Blessinger said. “We got to talking and I said, ‘Dude, we have to do something and this is easy.’” Bartenders and servers depend on tips to supplement their income since they are paid a lower minimum wage rate—currently $8 per hour in Arizona. While applying for unemployment benefits may seem like the best option, Blessinger notes there can be a lot of down-time between applying and actually being approved for assistance. It took more than five weeks for Blessinger to receive benefits. “I filed March 15 and (the application) was in limbo for five weeks or so. They just started paying me last week,” Blessinger said. “I’ve been surviving off of odd jobs like handyman jobs and yard work or donations from silly videos I’ve made. Some people tipped because they didn’t want to hear me sing anymore.” As of earlier this week, there were more than 100 bartenders and servers on the Tips for Tucson spreadsheet, which is updated daily as others join. To help, all you have to do is click on the spreadsheet link posted throughout the Tips for Tucson page, find your favorite bartender and send a virtual tip to their PayPal or Venmo account. “There’s 100 percent transparency. It’s not like people are giving money to Kyle and Kyle is distributing it himself,” said bartender David Clark, who also appears in the Tips for Tucson video. “It’s literally a spreadsheet that you can look up for favorite bartender that you can transfer money directly to.” Clark said he believes this is one of the best ways the community can rally around bartenders during this time because most have accounts with peer-to-peer payment systems like PayPal or Venmo. “I think it’s the best way to possibly do something to help, especially with all of us having a Venmo or PayPal account,” Clark said. “A lot of times when people set up stuff like this there is the question of, ‘Where did the money go?’ When someone can directly pay you, and it’s not like they’re sending a check, I really like that format.” ■

APRIL 30, 2020

MUSIC

C. ELLIOTT PHOTOGRAPHY

Orkesta Mendoza performing at Hotel Congress

BOOGALOO FEVER

Orkesta Mendoza’s new album will keep you dancing through the pandemic By Austin Counts Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com

ORKESTA MENDOZA’S LATEST release, Curandero, is the album we need right now. Not only is it a great summertime banger sure to be a staple at backyard barbeques from Nogales to Paris, but the album is also sure to cure your blues while quarantining. Chock-full of upbeat Latin rhythms and topped off with light-hearted lyrics about paletas, lazy mornings, and the girl next door who becomes Instagram famous, even Morrissey would have a hard time being depressed while listening to Curandero (Spanish for “medicine man”). “I’ve already had a couple of cookouts showing (the album) to friends and it just sounds good,” said Sergio Mendoza, Orkesta Mendoza’s singer/guitarist/ keyboardist/percussionist/creative force. “You can turn it up and almost forget about what’s playing because it’s fun and inviting.”

Mendoza said the album had its genesis in the group’s other releases, Mambo Mexicano! (2012) and ¡Vamos a Guarachar! (2016), along with his experiences with the other groups he’s a part of, Calexico and Devotchka. The Nogales-born musician has long been mixing various Latin music styles into something new. For example the opening track, “Paleta,” draws from a Brazilian style of music called Forró. “The first song is kind of like a forró, a Brazilian style that is played by three musicians—accordion, triangle and a big drum,” Mendoza said. “With ‘Paleta,’ I was trying to go for a Brazilian cumbia, which doesn’t really exist but things were combining and worked well together.” Orkesta Mendoza captures the real vibe of Southern Arizona down Interstate 19 to Sonora, Mexico on their latest effort. Mendoza and company will be treating their fans in Europe and North America to a slice of life from the Old Pueblo.

That is, if Orkesta Mendoza is able tour Europe and North America to promote Curandero. The group was set to leave on their 2020 European tour on May 1 but had to cancel due to the pandemic. To make matters worse, the band was unable to reschedule the album’s release for a later date after COVID-19 runs its course or a vaccine becomes available. “This is really tricky. We have an album without a tour and hopefully we’ll be able to tour. But by that time our album will be six to eight months old,” Mendoza said. “Touring is where you make your investment back.” Mendoza said the group received a small cash advance from Glitter Beat, his European record label, to get started on the album, but the rest of the cost to finish it came straight from Mendoza’s own pocket, he said. But the album almost didn’t happen. Orkesta Mendoza had originally recorded a more serious album in 2018. After sending the demo tracks to several record labels worldwide and friends to check out, the consensus was clear: It was a good album, but sounded like a different band. “At least three people told me that the

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music we had written was really serious and it didn’t sound like Orkesta music,” said Mendoza. “The European label said to go back into the studio and record at least two cumbias that are simple and fun.” Mendoza’s friend from the group Mexican Institute of Sound, Camilo Lara, said the same thing—the lyrics were too serious. “(Lara) was like, ‘Hey man, it’s really cool stuff but how about you go back into the studio and record a few songs about nothing. Just make them fun and silly,’” Mendoza said. When he returned from touring Europe with Calexico in August 2019, he was finally in the right headspace to pursue what would ultimately be Curandero. The album was written in three days with bandmate Quetzal Guerrero. The group recorded, mixed and mastered the whole album during the last three months of 2019. He said the album was “based around boogaloo, but really, it was just an excuse to rock out. Boogaloo is the root, but rock ’n’ roll, that’s my love, too.” Mendoza added that he wanted the record to be a fun listen. “The focus and inspiration was just trying to make fun music that was about nothing. Everything about this album is fun,” Mendoza said. “Quetzal Guerrero wrote co-wrote most of the album with me. We wrote the songs in about three days and there was not a whole lot of editing.” Guerrero said working on Curandero was a very organic and natural project where deadlines didn’t exist and they could just create with no pressure. “I loved working with Sergio. There was never any pressure or deadlines to have to deliver something,” Guerrero said. “It was very much about us having a good time jamming together, telling stories, laughing and letting the creative process flow.” Guerrero focused his lyrics on life experiences he and Mendoza have had over their near 30-year friendship. The two have known each other since they were 12 years old, and even played in a middle school band together called Gato Loco, Guerrero said. “Because me and Sergio have such a long history together there are always these stories we crack up about, whether it be about girls or some band fiasco,” Guerrero said. “There’s just a lot of life stories (on the album), a lot of life experience.” ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 30, 2020

QUACK CURES

Watch what you think you know about coronavirus and treatments By Nick Meyers tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com

parture from our typical routines, silver linings are brighter than usual. Dispensaries have stepped up precautions to ensure patient health and safety, THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC bolstered financial support for employhas impacted nearly every facet of sociees and their families and donated much ety at this point, including the medical marijuana sector. This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4/20 cele- needed supplies. Earlier this month, Downtown Dispenbrations were a more subdued affair, with sary donated 400 masks to the Tohono deals spread out over several days and social distancing keeping people waiting Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;odham Nation in a concerted effort between owner Moe Asnani and Tucson in lines six feet apart. Mayor Regina Romero. But the outbreak has given us even In Phoenix, cultivation company Grow more reason to celebrate cannabis. With decreases in air pollution caused by a de- Sciences has donated more than

APRIL 30, 2020

100 ounces of cannabis through partner dispensaries Local Joint, The Holistic Center and Health for Life to patients whose incomes have diminished or, in some cases, decimated. Owners Mike Cuthriell and Matt Blum organized a Tucson “stimulus package” through Harvest of Tucson the week before 4/20 as well. But at least one dispensary’s marketing department saw a different opportunity amidst the outbreak. Phoenix dispensary YiLo Superstore received a cease and desist order from the Arizona Attorney Generals Office to stop advertising an “immunization stabilizer tincture” called Coronav “should you come down with a life-threatening virus.” Regular circumstances might dictate a certain lack of subtlety when it comes to profiting, but when the stakes include life and death, the state considers YiLo’s advertisement fraud. “Exploiting vulnerable patients’ health concerns by selling fake cures or treatments for a serious disease is wrong,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement. At least some professionals in the industry agree.

It certainly doesn’t shed the cannabis industry in the best light compared to the actions of other dispensaries and cultivators. YiLo sent out text messages advertising the product as well as instructions for use on their website. The product doesn’t appear to contain any cannabis, mentioning only reagents used to create a chlorine dioxide solution. Chlorine dioxide is toxic, by the way. The Food & Drug Administration released a statement April 8 that “the agency is not aware of any scientific evidence supporting” the safety or effectiveness of chlorine dioxide solutions and “they pose significant risks to patient health.” The statement was a reiteration of a previous warning to not to consume such products after the FDA noticed companies still trying to sell them. “A Word on Coronavirus,” since removed from the company’s website, admits anecdotal evidence in chlorine dioxide’s effectiveness in treating respiratory diseases such as Swine Flu, Ebola and Anthrax. Several scientific studies published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information under the National Institutes for Health mention chlorine

dioxide in treating Influenza A such as the Swine Flu. One study demonstrates effectiveness of chlorine dioxide gas in treating mice exposed to the virus and concludes a gas could treat humans as well. Another shows disinfecting water with chlorine dioxide helps decrease the spread of Swine Flu specifically. But there’s a problem. Coronavirus and influenza are not the same thing. They are in fact different viruses. It’s easy to see how one could convince

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themselves and others that chlorine dioxide could effectively treat coronavirus. But the bottom line is that we don’t know chlorine dioxide treats coronavirus. We do know it’s toxic. Unlike contender for source of the most embarrassing FDA warnings Donald Trump, we may be able to give YiLo Superstore the benefit of the doubt. But as a general rule, take medical advice from your preferred health professional—whichever doctrine they practice—and not those who profit from your medical preferences. ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 30, 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): I always hesitate to advise Aries people to slow down, be more deliberate, and pay closer attention to boring details. The Rams to whom I provide such counsel may be rebelliously annoyed with me—so much so that they move even faster, and with less attention to the details. Nevertheless, I’ll risk offering you this advisory right now. Here’s my reasoning, which I hope will make the prospect more appealing: If you commit to a phase in which you temporarily invoke more prudence, discretion, and watchfulness than usual, it will ultimately reward you with a specific opportunity to make rapid progress. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Is there an area of your life where you would like a do-over? A chance to cancel the past and erase lingering messiness and clear a path for who-knows-what new possibility? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to prepare—not to actually take the leap, but rather make yourself ready for the leap. You will have God and fate and warm fuzzy vibes on your side as you dare to dream and scheme about a fresh start. Any mistakes you committed once upon a time could become irrelevant as you fantasize practically about a future breakthrough. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1855, Gemini-born Walt Whitman published his book of poetry Leaves of Grass. A literary critic named Rufus Wilmot Griswold did not approve. In a review, he derided the work that would eventually be regarded as one of America’s literary masterpieces. “It is impossible to imagine how any man’s fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth,” Griswold wrote, adding that Whitman had a “degrading, beastly sensuality” driven by “the vilest imaginings.” Whitman’s crafty Gemini intelligence responded ingeniously to the criticism. In the next edition of Leaves of Grass, the author printed Griswold’s full review. It helped sell even more books! I invite you to consider comparable

twists and tricks. CANCER (June 21-July 22): In your efforts to develop a vibrant community and foster a vital network of connections, you have an advantage. Your emotionally rich, nurturing spirit instills trust in people. They’re drawn to you because they sense you will treat them with care and sensitivity. On the other hand, these fine attributes of yours may sometimes cause problems. Extra-needy, manipulative folks may interpret your softness as weakness. They might try to exploit your kindness to take advantage of you. So the challenge for you is to be your generous, welcoming self without allowing anyone to violate your boundaries or rip you off. Everything I just said will be helpful to meditate on in the coming weeks, as you reinvent yourself for the future time when the coronavirus crisis will have lost much of its power to disrupt our lives. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Now is an excellent time to take inventory of your integrity. You’re likely to get crucial insights if you evaluate the state of your ethics, your authenticity, and your compassion. Is it time to boost your commitment to a noble cause that transcends your narrow self-interest? Are there ways you’ve been less than fully fair and honest in your dealings with people? Is it possible you have sometimes failed to give your best? I’m not saying that you are guilty of any of those sins. But most of us are indeed guilty of them, at least now and then. And if you are, Leo, now is your special time to check in with yourself—and make any necessary adjustments and corrections. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I predict that you will have more flying dreams than usual in the coming weeks—as well as more dreams in which you’re traveling around the world in the company of rebel angels and dreams in which you’re leading revolutionary uprisings of oppressed people against tyrannical overlords and dreams of enjoying eight-

SAVAGE LOVE AROUSED STATE

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I’m a 31-year-old female. Last week I suddenly started to experience an overwhelming, compulsive, and near-constant state of physical arousal. I’ve masturbated so much looking for relief that my entire lower region is super sore and swollen and still, it’s like my whole body is pulsating with this electric arousal telling me to ignore the pain and do it again. I have no idea if it’s normal to suddenly have such a spike in libido and I know a lot of people will say they wish they had this problem but it’s interfering with my daily activities because I can’t focus on anything else. My college classes are suffering because of it. I’ve even had to remove my clitoral hood piercing, which I’ve had for over

10 years! I feel like I have all of the reasons— high anxiety related to the pandemic, being stuck with alcoholic boyfriend in the house, tons of homework, finances are low—to warrant a lack of arousal so why am I drowning in it? Everything I’m learning in class states that sexual desire lowers throughout the life span so why am I literally pulsating with it? I really don’t want to call my doctor if I don’t have to. Any insight would be appreciated. —Chronically Aroused “There’s a general belief that sexual arousal is always wanted—and the more the better,” said Robyn Jackowich. “But in reality, persistent and unwanted sexual

course gourmet feasts with sexy geniuses in the year 2022. You may also, even while not asleep, well up with outlandish fantasies and exotic desires. I don’t regard any of these likelihoods as problematical. In fact, I applaud them and encourage them. They’re healthy for you! Bonus: All the wild action transpiring in your psyche may prompt you to generate good ideas about fun adventures you could embark on once the coronavirus crisis has ebbed. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s time to work your way below the surface level of things, Libra; to dig and dive into the lower reaches where the mysteries are darker and richer; to marshal your courage as you go in quest of the rest of the story. Are you willing to suspend some of your assumptions about the way things work so as to become fully alert for hidden agendas and dormant potentials? Here’s a piece of advice: Your fine analytical intelligence won’t be enough to guide you through this enigmatic terrain. If you hope to get face to face with the core source, you’ll have to call on your deeper intuition and non-rational hunches. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When was the last time you researched the intricacies of what you don’t like and don’t desire and don’t want to become? Now is a favorable time to take a thorough inventory. You’ll generate good fortune for yourself by naming the following truths: 1. goals and dreams that are distractions from your primary mission; 2. attitudes and approaches that aren’t suitable for your temperament and that don’t contribute to your maximum health; 3. people and influences that are not in alignment with your highest good. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky believed that the cleverest people are those who regularly call themselves fools. In other words, they feel humble amusement as they acknowledge their failings and ignorance— thereby paving the way for creative growth. They steadily renew their commitment to avoid being know-it-alls, celebrating the curiosity that such blessed innocence enables them to nurture. They give themselves permission to ask dumb questions! Now is a favorable time for you to employ

arousal can be very distressing.” Jackowich is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University, where she works under the supervision of Dr. Caroline Pukall in the Sexual Health Research Lab. Jackowich has published numerous studies on Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD), a condition characterized by a constant or frequently recurring state of genital arousal—sensations, sensitivity, swelling—in the absence of sexual desire. “In other words, there is a disconnect between what is happening in one’s body and mind,” said Jackowich, “and this can be both distressing and distracting.” And while you would think stress would tank your libido—and preliminary research shows that the pandemic is tanking more libidos than it’s not—stress and anxiety can actually be triggers for PGAD.

these strategies. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What wonderful improvements and beautiful influences would you love to be basking in by May 1, 2021? What masterpieces would you love to have as key elements of your life by then? I invite you to have fun brainstorming about these possibilities in the next two weeks. If an exciting idea bubbles up into your awareness, formulate a plan that outlines the details you’ll need to put in place so as to bring it to fruition when the time is right. I hereby authorize you to describe yourself with these terms: begetter; originator; maker; designer; founder; producer; framer; generator. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If I asked you to hug and kiss yourself regularly, would you think I was being too cute? If I encouraged you to gaze into a mirror once a day and tell yourself how beautiful and interesting you are, would you say, “That’s too woo-woo for me.” I hope you will respond more favorably than that, Aquarius. In fact, I will be praying for you to ascend to new heights of self-love between now and May 25. I will be rooting for you to be unabashed as you treat yourself with more compassionate tenderness than you have ever dared to before. And I do mean EVER! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the coming weeks, I’d love to see you get excited about refining and upgrading the ways you communicate. I don’t mean to imply that you’re a poor communicator now; it’s just that you’re in a phase when you’re especially empowered to enhance the clarity and candor with which you express yourself. You’ll have an uncanny knack for knowing the right thing to say at the right moment. You’ll generate blessings for yourself as you fine-tune your listening skills. Much of this may have to happen online and over the phone, of course. But you can still accomplish a lot! ■ Homework: What’s the bravest thing you ever did? What will be the next brave thing you do? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

As you’ve learned, CA, you can’t masturbate your way out of this. So what do you do? Unfortunately, it’s the thing you’d really rather not do: call your doctor. “It’s important to meet with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to ensure there is not another concern present that may be responsible for the symptoms and to access treatment,” said Jackowich. “Research on treatments for PGAD is relatively new, so it can be helpful to meet with a team of different healthcare providers to find what treatments would be most effective for you specifically. This could include a gynocologist, urologist, pelvic floor physical therapist, neurologist, and/or psychologist with expertise in sex therapy.” Talking with your doctor about this may be embarrassing, I realize, and it doesn’t

APRIL 30, 2020

help that many doctors are unfamiliar with PGAD. Jackowich actually recommends bringing printouts of information pages and research papers about the condition to your appointment and sharing them with your physician. And if your doc doesn’t take your distress seriously and/or refuses to refer you to the specialists you need to see, CA, then you’ll have to get yourself a new doctor. (You can find those information pages and research papers at sexlab.ca/ pgad, where you can also learn about currently available treatments and join support groups for sufferers.)“More awareness of PGAD and research on this condition is needed to help understand the symptoms and develop effective treatments,” said Jackowich. “If you experience these symptoms and would like to contribute to ongoing research efforts, the Queen’s University Sexual Health Research Lab is seeking participants for an online study.” To take part in that online survey, go to sexlab.ca/pgad, click on “participate,” and scroll down to the “OLIVE Study.” I’ve rekindled a romance with an ex from a decade ago. We are long distance right now but getting very close. We have one recurring problem though. She does not like that I am friends with another ex. That ex has actually been a close friend for a very long time and our friendship means a lot to me. Our romantic relationship only lasted a few months. But since we did have a romantic relationship once, my current girlfriend sees my ex as a threat. I have reassured her several times that the relationship is in the past and we are now only friends. But my girlfriend doesn’t want me to communicate with her at all. She wants me to un-friend her on Facebook and un-follow her Instagram and at least once a week she asks if we have been in contact. It is hard for me to throw a friend away in order to be in a relationship. Even though I don’t talk to my ex/friend all that regularly, I would like the option to at least check in every once in a while. Cutting her out of my life completely feels like a kind of death. I wish there was some way I could find a compromise but this seems to be one of those “all or nothing” things. I also don’t like this feeling of not being trusted and fear it could lead to other problems down the line. —Unhappy Girlfriend Has Sensitivities I can see why your current girlfriend might feel threatened by your relationship with an ex, UGHS, seeing as she—your current girlfriend—was until very recently just another one of your exes. Since you got back together with her, the green-eyed monster

whispers in her ear, what’s to stop you from getting back together with your other ex? What the green-eyed monster doesn’t say, of course, is that you had every opportunity to get back together with your ex and didn’t. And cutting off your ex now doesn’t mean you can’t get back together with her later. And what’s to stop you from getting together with one of the 3.5 billion women you haven’t already dated? You have to take a hard line on this. Tell your current you’re happy to provide her with a little reassurance when she’s feeling insecure about your ex but you’re not going to un-friend or un-follow her or anyone else. You can make an appeal to reason—you wouldn’t be with your current girlfriend if you were the sort of person who cut off contact with his exes—but if your current girlfriend is the irrationally jealous type… well, an appeal to reason won’t help. Irrationally jealous people are by definition incapable of seeing reason, UGHS, which is why they must be shown doors. This isn’t a sexy question, but you are wise and I am confused. I have been friends with a woman for about 16 years. She’s very funny, creative, loves to have a good time. She’s also intense, not very bright, and my family and friends do not like her around. Now that we’re grown we do not see each other often, but I’ve been glad to maintain a friendship with her and get together now and again. Enter: my wedding. At the reception she made a fool of herself (and me) by going on some strange, racist rant. The racist thing really surprised and disappointed me and when I asked her about it she shrugged it off like, “Oh, just add that to the list of dumb things I do when I’m drunk.” Other things she’d done when she’s drunk: two DUIs, waking up in jail with an assault charge, having sex with strangers, etc. It’s been about seven months since my wedding and I’ve basically been ignoring while trying to decide what to do. I love my friend, but I do not want her hurting anyone else on my watch. Do I call her up and end it? See her once a year when no one is around? Ignore her until she dies? —Loyal To A Fault Tell your racist friend to give you a call after she gets sober and confront her about her racism then—you know, when she’s actually capable of remembering the conversation, reflecting on what you had to say, and perhaps changing for the better. If she can’t get both sober and better, LTAF, make sure she isn’t registered to vote and then ignore her until she dies. ■

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P O O H B R E H A T O R E D N Y T S O O T O B R N I O E E M

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

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