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JUNE 25 - JULY 1, 2020 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE
INFERNO
Bighorn Fire devours the Santa Catalinas By Jeff Gardner COVID Cases Exploding • MASK UP—or Else! • DACA Gets a Reprieve • BEST OF PETS
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JUNE 25, 2020
Southern Arizona
COVID-19
WELCOME TO THE HOT ZONE, MR. PRESIDENT: As President Donald Trump arrived in Arizona on Tuesday, June 23, with plans to hold a rally at a Phoenix megachurch, the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Arizona continued to skyrocket, topping 58,000, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 6,089 of the state’s 58,179 confirmed cases. With roughly 19,000 new cases in just one week, Arizona is now considered a new pandemic hotspot. A total of 1,384 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 247 in Pima County, according to the June 23 report. Arizona hospitals continued to see a rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. ADHS reports that as of June 22, a record number of 2,136 Arizonans were hospitalized, which is more than double the number who were hospitalized on June 1. A record 614 people were in ICU units, which had only 16 percent capacity remaining statewide. The report shows a record 1,228 people arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 22. THE NATIONAL NUMBERS: Nationwide, more than 2.2 million people had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which had killed nearly 120,000 people in the United States as of Monday, June 22, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. Before leaving for Arizona, President Trump told reporters that he was not joking when he said he thought the United States should slow down testing for COVID-19 because the growing numbers looked bad. MASK UP—IT’S THE LAW: The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 along party lines Friday, June 19 to mandate the wearing of masks countywide. The order will be enforced by the Pima County Health Department and not by law enforcement and carries no criminal penalty. One day before the supervisors voted to require the masks countywide, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued a proclamation requiring masks in the city limits, with a possible $50 fine for repeat offenders. The actions by the city and county came after Gov. Doug Ducey
Roundup
COURTESY PHOTO
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero celebrated Juneteenth.
agreed to allow local governments to mandate the wearing of masks; previously, Ducey’s emergency declaration prevented local governments from imposing regulations that went beyond what the state was mandating in the battle against COVID-19. SUMMER OF HELL CONTINUES: The Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains grew to more than 58,000 acres as hotshot crews and aircraft continued to battle the blaze as of Tuesday, June 22. The fire was only 33 percent contained. While the fire had blazed through peaks and canyons, firefighters had managed to protect the Mount Lemmon community of Summerhaven and the surrounding cabins, as well as homes in Oracle, Catalina, Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills. Mount Lemmon residents have been warned to evacuate, as have some residents of Oracle. Other Oracle residents as well as those in the foothills were warned to be “set” to evacuate under the state’s Ready, Set, Go evacuation system.
HAPPY JUNETEENTH! Tucson Mayor Regina Romero celebrated Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, by hanging a massive Black Lives Matter banner from the top of City Hall that could be seen from Interstate 10. “Tucson stands in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters across the country in fighting the systemic racism that pervades our society at all levels,” Romero said in a prepared statement. “We are here to support, listen, and learn from the Black Lives Matter movement and our community so that we can better effect change and work for meaningful reform that closes racial, economic and social inequities.” BUT THE PACKRAT PLAYHOUSE REMAINS AN INFECTIOUS DEATHTRAP: The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum began a phased reopening June 16 with new safety precautions based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The natural history museum, located at 2021 N. Kinney Road, is also a zoo, botanical garden and aquarium. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, they frequently hosted art gallery events and educational programs for children and adults of all ages. Guests who plan a visit to the museum will still have access to most exhibits. Some indoor amenities will be closed, such as the Packrat Playhouse, while others will be modified to ensure health safety. Food and beverages will still be available onsite. ■ — Jim Nintzel with additional reporting from Kathleen B. Kunz, Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner, Tara Foulkrod and Logan Burtch-Buus.
RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson
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JUNE 25, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 26 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 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: Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Clay Jones, Andy Mosier, Xavier Omar Otero, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, Will Shortz, Brian Smith, Jen Sorensen, Eric Swedlund, Tom Tomorrow 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 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.
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CURRENTS
PHOTOS BY PRESHIT AMBADE
INFERNO
the mountain ridges and fell back to 33 percent containment as of Tuesday, June 23. The geography of the Catalinas also challenged fire crews; the fire faced Tucson The Bighorn Fire has devoured more and then Oro Valley at various times as it than 58,000 acres in the Santa Catalina snaked between the canyons and slopes, Mountains. What will the sky island look like escalating toward Mount Lemmon. when the smoke clears? Dry conditions, summer heat and heavy winds have made it more difficult to fight By Jeff Gardner the fire, especially on days when the strong Jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com gusts have downed the aircraft that are dropping water and retardant from above. THE BIGHORN FIRE HAS The fire is an ecological emergency for devoured the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Santa Catalinas. Not only is a large consuming more than 58,000 acres since portion of the forest going up in flames, A bolt of lightning set the blaze off on the but patches of its landscape may convert to night of Friday, June 5. other biomes for decades to come, leaving The fire was 33 percent contained as of scrubby clearings where forests once stood. the Weekly’s Tuesday print deadline. It was “They always have to balance where spreading northeast through the forest of they’re going to route the fire, and they the Catalinas as well as south down the routed it through the forest, not through slopes of areas such Ventana Canyon, filling Summerhaven, of course,” says Don Falk, the skies with smoke and giving Tucsonans professor in the School of Natural Resourca disturbing view of flames after sunset. es and the Environment at the University Despite the size of the fire, firefighters of Arizona. “But the ecological impacts are had thus far successfully managed to increased by that kind of decision, which is protect the Mount Lemmon community of inevitable in areas that have human values.” Summerhaven, which was evacuated last Those familiar with Catalina Highway’s week. As the fire burns toward the base winding route up to Mount Lemmon may of the mountain, residents in the Catalina have a better understanding of the fire than Foothills as well as some areas of Oro Valthey realize. As the road ascends from the ley, Catalina and Oracle have been warned desert floor to the pine forests, the ecology about possible evacuations, although naturally changes, as does the fire’s impact. firefighters believed they were prepared to “As you start in the desert and go up to fight the fire once it gets out of the Catalithe forest, the biomass of fuels increases. na’s steep terrain. But conversely, the flammability of the From the beginning, fire crews have fuels decreases with elevation; the fuels struggled to confine the blaze as the June are pretty much always ready to burn winds raked it in various directions. Once in the desert, whereas it gets cooler and 40 percent contained, the fire raced across wetter as you go up higher,” Falk said. “The
fuels are so discontinuous in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem that you don’t often get a spreading fire.” According to Falk, the Sonoran Desert is not adapted to fires and is therefore susceptible to more lasting damage. Naturally, large-scale fires are rare in the sparse desert. But invasive buffelgrass, first brought to the desert for cattle food and erosion control, turned our “formerly fireproof desert into a fire-prone grassland,” as the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum website explains. “The Sonoran Desert flora is not adapted to fire,” Falk said. “Very few of the desert species have any kind of adaptation to either resisting and surviving a fire, or recovering afterwards. Obviously the poster child for that are saguaros, which are easily scorched and basically have no defenses against fire.” Just above the desert in the valleys of Mount Lemmon are more natural grasslands. These grasses are better adapted to survive fires, as their foliage may burn but their recovery time is quite fast. Going higher, we reach the oak woodlands with chaparral, an area that is also better adapted to fire and which will often resprout in the wake of a major blaze. Finally, atop Mount Lemmon are the pine forests with pinyon and ponderosa pines, which Falk says will not as easily resprout if fire kills them. Instead they invest in heavy bark to resist fires. The more the fire rises, the longer the recovery time. Grasslands can recover in six months to a year, whereas the oak woodlands can take three to five years. But the pine forests, in a worst-case scenario with a severe fire and damaged soil, can take
centuries to fully recover. “There are two dimensions of fire severity—vegetation and soil—and we really ought to talk about both,” Falk said. “After a fire, if the soils are intact, then recovery can proceed. But if the soils are damaged, such as if there’s a large erosion event or if the soils become hydrophobic and won’t absorb water, then it doesn’t matter if you have seeds available from surviving trees, they’re not going to grow.” Even if the woods have the opportunity to regrow, it doesn’t always happen. Fire ecologists document a phenomenon called “type conversion,” where native shrub species can move into burned areas, replacing what was once forest. Eventually trees may move back in, but this process can take decades. Type conversions occurred throughout stretches of Mount Lemmon as a result of the 2002 Bullock Fire and 2003 Aspent Fire. “Pretty much everywhere you look on the mountain, if you see large areas of shrubland, those were all areas of forest that had high-severity fires and did not recover as forest,” Falk said. “That is a dominant trajectory for post-fire ecology. It doesn’t go back immediately to forest… When an ecosystem heals, it may turn into something else, and that may be a perfectly natural process that we have to get used to.” There could be another ecological crisis on the horizon: The monsoons are set to begin within weeks and after a fire. Soil is vulnerable because it isn’t protected by undergrowth, which can lead to massive erosion and scouring during a summer deluge. This notably happened in the Chiricahua Mountains after the 1994 Rattlesnake Fire. “You can lose a thousand years of topsoil in a matter of hours,” Falk said.
AS OF THIS WEEK, NEARLY 1,000 firefighters and support personnel were on the job, establishing burn lines and streaking retardant around the fire to keep it from further threatening homes. So far, the firefighters have been able to protect homes nad businesses both on the mountain and its foothills. “One of the big stories from last night is that we were able to get our black line, our burn operation, over even further,” said fire operations section chief Travis Mayberry in a June 22 meeting. “We feel very good about the threat level to San Manuel and Oracle being greatly diminished.”
JUNE 25, 2020
On the night of June 21, one of the firefighters protecting the Summerhaven area suffered a “medical emergency” and had to be helicoptered off the mountain to a medical center. Mayberry highlighted the importance of staying in accessible areas for situations like that, which makes fighting the fire in the canyons and steep slopes especially difficult. According to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the only other injuries so far are five minor-heat related illnesses. Several recreation areas are closed due to the fire, including Catalina State Park, and popular trails including Romero Canyon, Pima Canyon, Finger Rock, Pontatoc, Pontatoc Ridge and Linda Vista. The terrain has made battling the blaze a challenge. “Since there are no roads in the area, the tried and true tactic of having brush fire trucks assist the Hotshot crews is not an option to suppress the fire,” said Adam Jarrold with the Golder Ranch Fire District. “So, the fire is being attacked primarily from the air. Weather has been a concern because it has been high temps with very low humidity and windy which can increase the fire’s intensity and growth.” The windy weather has battered the columns of smoke rising above the Catalinas in different directions, often with multiple changes in the same day. The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality health watch on June 11, warning of elevated levels of particulate matter and ground-level ozone in the areas near the
fire and beyond. For multiple days, the smoke spiraled through the Tucson sky, and PDEQ warned children, older adults and those with heart or lung disease to be cautious and understand that “if they can smell smoke, they are breathing smoke.” Fire crews remind the public that drones are prohibited over the fire area, as firefighting aircraft are busy and must be grounded in drones’ presence. According to NFS, on June 8 a drone was observed over the Bighorn Fire’s southern perimeter, which “forced the aircraft suppression effort to be halted, endangering the lives of on the ground firefighters and the aircrews at a critical time during the height of the burning period.” This was the second such incident in three days. The devastation from the fire was evidence that the federal government needs to step up with more funding for the Forest Service, according the Falk. “I really think the public agencies do the best they can,” Falk said. “This is not the fault of the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. They are managing the forests, I think the best they can. This is not a case of mismanagement. They are under-resourced and congress has slashed funding. Fighting wildfires now consumes more than half of the entire Forest Service budget every year… We really need to support these agencies more, because fires like this are not only expensive to fight, but some of the effects could be mitigated if they were given the resources they need.” ■
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dealt with everything from gang crimes, drive-by shootings, attempted murder, murder...and a lot of gun crimes.” Diebolt has also received several letters of reprimand in his over two decades working for the county, ranging from mishandling of prosecution and failure to disclose exculpatory evidence to retaining and viewing emails of pornographic and X-rated material on his work computer. The prosecutor asserts mistakes are bound to happen from time to time in his 23-year career prosecuting “killers and a variety of gang members,” especially when dealing with dozens of cases. “I would have 35 violent crime cases and eight to 10 homicide cases going at any one time,” Diebolt said. “Is there ever a time when you’re overworked? Probably, but I think anyone who puts it out there and fights is going to have a few issues once in a while.” COURTESY PHOTO In 2019, Diebolt was reprimanded for “neglect of duty” and “failure to satisfactorily perform job duties and responsibilities” for failing to file a response to the defense’s motion to suppress evidence in a first-degree murder case, even after asking the court for an extension. Diebolt Prosecutor seeking top spot in Pima County said the oversight was due to prosecuting another homicide case which lasted Attorney’s Office has several letters of longer than expected, as well as a heavy reprimand in his personnel file case-load. “In that period of time, I did complete a homicide trial which took me into a second week and that trial I was doing all by By Austin Counts myself so I didn’t get caught up with the Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com paperwork,” Diebolt said. “That happens sometimes, but there is no requirement AS THE TOP SPOT FOR THE Pima County Attorney’s Office opens up that a response is required after every single motion that’s filed.” this August for the first time in nearly a The Pima County Attorney’s Office quarter of a century with the retirement disagreed with Diebolt’s reasoning in of Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, their 2019 Letter of Reprimand, insisting candidate Mark Diebolt believes his 23year record as a Deputy County Attorney “There is no excuse for not responding to the motion in the first instance. Nor is speaks for itself. there any excuse for not responding after Diebolt, who is facing fellow Pima the extension was granted.” The letter County Deputy County Attorney Jonwent on to state, “Your actions have disathan Mosher and defense attorney Laura Conover in the Aug. 4 Democratic credited the office and may have caused significant harm to the state’s ability to primary, has over 320 felony jury trials—including 50 homicide cases—under prevail at trial in a first-degree murder case.” his belt since beginning his career with In 2015, the prosecutor found himself the county attorney’s office in 1997. Due process, fairness and accountability is his in hot water after failing to disclose a “free-talk” conversation that may have creed as a prosecutor, he said. potentially exonerated a person being “I’m probably one of the most prolific tried for murder in a separate case. “Freeviolent crimes prosecutors in Arizona,” talk” is when a prosecutor and a detective Diebolt said. “That’s what I’ve been will have a conversation with an infortrying to do, is hold people accountable mant, but the information isn’t always for the violent crimes they commit. I’ve
ON THE RECORD
credible, said Diebolt. The case in question was being prosecuted by Diebolt’s supervisor at the same time. “We sit down and talk with somebody who gives us information. Whether it’s credible or not, whether it’s truthful or not, I don’t know. I rely on the detective I work with to get to the bottom of it,” Diebolt said. “Later on, when the issue was brought to my attention I didn’t believe that it was new information because we already had a name. Going back, I definitely would have handled it differently.” The county’s 2015 Letter of Reprimand points out, “It is important to note that Tucson Police Department Detective Brett Barber was present for the free talk. Detective Barber asked a number of questions during the free talk that indicated he knew about the murder of Roger Catalan. You failed to ask Detective Barber about the Catalan homicide case to determine whether that case was being prosecuted by this office. Had you done so, you would have learned that, in fact, this office was prosecuting the case. Your lack of attention to detail and failure to exercise due diligence on this issue is inexcusable for a prosecutor with your years of experience.” In the same letter, Diebolt was also reprimanded for “mishandling of the prosecution” for offering a plea agreement considered outside the county office guidelines without a supervisor’s approval. The prosecutor had offered an eight-time felon a plea of up to 3.5 years in prison for an armed robbery case involving methamphetamine for sale, a sentence far less than a repeat offender would typically serve for the same crimes. “You pled the case out of guidelines without obtaining permission to do so, and as a result, you enabled a dangerous, repetitive felon involved in methamphetamine distribution and armed robberies to be released early back into the community, thus endangering public safety,” the 2015 letter states. “You have worked for this office for 18 years and have repeatedly been told that pleading cases outside of guidelines require supervisor approval. Your unwillingness to accept responsibility for this lapse is troubling.” In 2009, Diebolt received a Letter of Counseling for having used his office email account to “receive, intentionally view during work hours, and retain in your in-box materials of a pornographic and X-rated nature, as well as transmit e-mail of a discriminatory nature,” ac-
cording to the letter. Diebolt contends he never requested the lewd emails, never opened them, never downloaded them and never forwarded them. The prosecutor believes his only mistake was not immediately deleting the content from his work email once it showed up in his inbox. Diebolt also said he could not control what emails were sent to his work account during the late 2000s. “On the internet, people can send whatever they want and the issue was one email that was sent to me. I never opened it. I never looked inside of it. It was sent to me by someone...you can’t block them or at least you couldn’t then,” Diebolt said. “But the rule doesn’t say you can’t receive those because you can’t control who sends those to you. It says you may not download it, you may not open it, you may not forward it. All of which I did not do.” The 2009 Letter of Counseling indicates there were approximately 20 other occasions in a 60-day period where Diebolt had “received, viewed during work hours, and retained in your e-mail in-box e-mails and attachments containing pornographic photographs and videos that had been sent to you.” The letter also said Diebolt made no attempt to reach out to IT staff to correct the matter. Furthermore, the letter went on to state that out of 950 emails Diebolt received in that 60-day period, more than half were not business-related. In addition, Diebolt apparently opened every personal email received while failing to open emails from his supervisors regarding case victories. “Clearly, you made decisions about which e-mails to open based upon the name of the sender and the information contained in the subject line, and you intentionally opened all the personal and pornographic and inappropriate e-mails,” according to the letter. The office restricted Diebolt from receiving personal messages to his business email and his account was monitored for a one-year period by the office. The prosecutor complied fully with the department’s corrective actions and his Letter of Counseling was ultimately removed from his departmental personnel file by 2010. “I think we’re all human and make mistakes,” Diebolt said. “Certainly we see that every day in every life.” ■
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The ordinance does not apply to children under the age of 5; people who cannot medically tolerate wearing a mask; people who are hearing impaired or communicating with someone who is hearing impaired; places and locations of exercise; people who would be put at risk for wearing a mask based on their job; people who are obtaining a service related to the nose, face or head; people who are eating or drinking at a restaurant and are maintaining six feet of distance from other groups; and people who are COURTESY PHOTO engaging in outdoor work, recreation or exercise and maintaining six feet of physical distance. Supervisor Ally Miller, who voted against the ordinance, said that this Residents of Pima County required to cover ordinance will “pit neighbor against their faces in public to combat spread of neighbor” and unnecessarily police the county’s residents. COVID-19 “As far as I’m concerned, all the people that aren’t wearing masks probably fit By Kathleen B. Kunz into one of these exemptions,” Miller kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com said. “So in my opinion this ordinance is not going to change that behavior.” THE PIMA COUNTY BOARD OF Huckelberry said if people can sucSupervisors voted 3-2 on Friday, June 19, cessfully distance six feet apart, they to mandate that face coverings be worn don’t need to wear a mask. He added that in public under certain circumstances, the ordinance will expire once the curve effective immediately. is flattened, which means that the numThe board’s vote came as COVID-19 ber of infections and deaths are down. infection numbers have skyrocketed in Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued Arizona over the past two weeks. an emergency proclamation requiring Deputy County Administrator Dr. every person over the age of 2 to wear a Francisco Garcia said if Pima County face mask in public when in a public setcan get 50 to 80 percent of the populating “where continuous physical distanction to wear a face mask in public, he ing is difficult or impossible.” expects new infections and deaths from “Public health experts are telling us COVID-19 to decrease significantly. that one of the most effective ways we Every person not exempted by the can slow the spread and protect public ordinance must wear a face covering that health is by wearing a mask,” Romero “completely and snuggly covers the per- said in a prepared statement. “I am son’s nose and mouth” when they are in a asking all Tucsonans to do their part and public place and cannot easily maintain please wear a mask—not just for your own six feet of distance from other people. health—but for the health of your family, Establishments that are open to the friends and neighbors.” public must provide face coverings to The city’s exemptions include when their employees, and they may refuse someone is in a personal office or similar to allow a person not exempt from the room, anyone who falls under Centers for measure to enter if they cannot maintain Disease Control and Prevention guidea physical distance from others. lines to not wear a face covering, restauEnforcement of the ordinance will be rant patrons while they eat and emergenfocused on education and promotion of cy responders. best practices to mitigate the spread of The order carries with it a $50 fine or COVID-19. At the board’s emergency five hours of community service for violameeting Friday, Pima County Administions. Repeat offenders could earn civil trator Chuck Huckelberry said criminal infractions. penalties will not be imposed on violaUnder growing pressure to do sometors of the ordinance, and the measure thing as the state emerged as a global will be enforced by the county’s health hotspot for the COVID-19 outbreak, agency, not law enforcement. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced
MASK UP
that local governments could set their own mask-wearing policies (and enforce those standards) during his June 17 press conference. It was a reversal of course for Ducey, who had previously said that statewide regulations made more sense than allowing local governments to set standards in the fight against COVID-19. “I’ve focused on a statewide approach where possible,” Ducey said. “Today, we’re seeing facts on the ground and differing circumstances around the state support a localized approach.” Ducey also wore a face mask to his press conference for the first time. “Every Arizonan should wear a face mask,” said Ducey, who had previously downplayed the importance of wearing face coverings. “This is an issue of personal responsibility and we’re asking Arizonans to make responsible decisions to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.” Ducey said the state will continue to focus on its testing blitz as well as an increased focus on contact tracing. The governor also said he would send up to 300 Arizona National Guard members to
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assist in the effort. The Arizona Department of Health Services is shelling out more than $37 million to “enhance contact tracing locally and statewide.” The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona jumped over the 58,000 mark as of Tuesday, June 23, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 6,089 of the state’s 58,179 confirmed cases. A total of 1,384 people have died after contracting the virus, including 247 in Pima County. Arizona hospitals continue to see a steady rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. As of Monday, June 22, a record 2,136 Arizonans were hospitalized, more than double the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1. A total of 1,228 arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 22; previous to June, the number of people seeking help in emergency rooms never topped 667. The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds hit a new record of 614 on June 22. ■
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TAKING HOME
Whether you get evicted in Pima County depends on where you live By Kathleen B. Kunz Kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com THREE MONTHS AGO, GOV. DOUG Ducey signed an executive order intended to halt residential evictions due to hardships related to COVID-19. Tenants are protected from eviction if they are in quarantine due to a positive diagnosis or related symptoms; if someone in their home has a diagnosis or related symptoms; or if they have a health condition that puts them at increased risk. Additionally, if a tenant has suffered a substantial loss of income due to COVID-19 (such as a job loss, pay cut or an reduction in pay or an obligation to stay home from work to care for children or “other pertinent circumstances") they are protected by the executive order. But the rules are not being uniformly enforced across Pima County, according to a June 15 memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, who recommended that the Pima County Attorney's Office and the Arizona Office of the Courts investigate some questionable actions in recent evictions. He suggested the Constables Ethics and Training Board become involved as well. Some Pima County constables (the elected officials who enforce eviction orders) are taking a “proactive approach” to COVID-19 evictions while others are not, Huckelberry said. Some constables won't enforce eviction orders if a tenant can provide proof of COVID-19-related hardships, while others will evict no matter what. This leaves tenants susceptible to unequal treatment, determined solely by which constable is assigned to their case. Since June 1, all eviction proceedings in Pima County Justice Court have been conducted by telephone or video meetings in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Justices of the Peace Charlene Pesquiera and Adam Watters told Huckelberry that evictions in April and May were down by hundreds compared to the same time in 2019 and 2018. But Arnold Palacios and Marcos Ysmael with Pima County Community Services reported that in the first three weeks of June, 783 eviction cases have been scheduled for hearings—an average of 52 cases per day. During a normal period, constables say be-
JUNE 25, 2020
tween 10 and 30 cases are heard each day. With an elevated number of evictions happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, Palacios and Ysmael reported that the switch to telephonic and video meetings instead of in-person court hearings has caused complications for defendants who want to participate in their eviction hearings. “Obviously, individuals who are in the process of being evicted may not have the best access to this electronic information to effectively participate in the eviction hearing,” Huckelberry wrote in his memo. “They often do not even have access to a phone or know where and who to call.” Pesquiera and Watters stated that the court’s first week of eviction hearings held by telephone and video meetings had “minor technical setbacks” but were resolved quickly. They said staff were able to provide proper guidance to defendants trying to use technology to participate in their court hearings. But some legal organizations, nonprofits and constables have voiced concerns about the way this remote eviction process treats tenants. They reported tenants not being allowed to enter the court building due to elevated body temperatures, tenants being provided public computers that did not work, tenants not being able to submit documentary evidence to the court during their telephonic hearing and a lack of public access to the court’s calendar. In order to prevent their eviction, tenants are required to notify their landlord in writing of their qualifying COVID-19 circumstances, provide any supporting documentation and do so as early as possible in the eviction proceeding. But according to Palacios and Ysmael, constables indicated that most tenants are not aware of the reporting requirements. In a sample of 22 tenants’ cases, 88 percent said they had communicated with their landlord verbally, while only 28 percent provided a written letter. While tenants are required to submit documentation, the same standard is not applied to landlords seeking to evict. Palacios and Ysmael reported a lack of “documentary or testamentary proof” being required by the court for the amount of money owed to the landlord. Exorbitant fees are evident, including one exceptional case where a $4,010 fee was levied just for providing a tenant with notice of eviction. More than 50 cases from this month’s batch of evictions show fees and fines costing between $750 and $7,946. Huckelberry CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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HERE TO STAY, FOR NOW
DACA gets a reprieve, but Trump vows to make another attempt to end the program for undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children By Kathleen B. Kunz Kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com THE UNITED STATES SUPREME Court handed down a 5-4 decision last week that blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program. DACA allows undocumented young adults who came to the United States as children to apply for protection from deportation on a renewable two-year basis. It also gives them the ability to work legally in the U.S. and gain access to health insurance and driver’s licenses. The program was initiated by the Obama administration in 2012. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration’s plans to end DACA in March 2018. He said the program is “unconstitutional” and would be blocked by the courts if it were to continue. Around this time last year, the Supreme Court announced they would review three cases that argued the decision to rescind DACA violated the rights of DACA recipients and the Administrative Procedure Act. The challengers (which include states, cities, universities, DACA recipients, civil rights groups and others) believe that the Trump administration did not provide sufficient reasoning for the action and veiled the decision behind the courts instead. By using these cases, the argument being deliberated by the nine Supreme
Court justices was not whether the Trump administration has the authority to end DACA, but whether the way they went about it was justifiable. Both sides agree that President Trump does have the authority to end the program. Justices Roberts, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Kagan, and Breyer ruled that the decision to terminate DACA violated the APA because the Trump administration did not provide a “reasoned explanation for its action.” While this provides a clear victory for DACA recipients and their allies, it does not provide lasting, permanent protection for the program. The Trump administration could still rescind it in the future and the day after the decision, on Friday, June 19, Trump, via Twitter, announced he would pursue that route and claimed that even though he is fighting to end the program that provided them with legal status, he really supports them. “We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly in order to properly fulful [sic] the Supreme Court’s ruling & request of yesterday,” Trump tweeted. “I have wanted to take care of DACA recipients better than the Do-Nothing Democrats, but for two years they refused to negotiate – They have abandoned DACA. Based on the decision the Dems can’t make DACA citizens. They gained nothing!” Many celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision but reaffirmed the belief that permanent legislation is needed. “While this is undoubtedly a victo-
ry, the fight is not over and the work continues,” said the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project in a statement. “Congress must work immediately to pass legislation to provide permanent protection for these young Americans. This is a moral imperative.” Congressman Raúl Grijalva of District 2 echoed this same sentiment. “We knew all along that DACA was lawful and that Trump and Stephen Miller recklessly ended the program for racist reasons and put the lives of 700,000 young immigrants in limbo. I’m pleased the majority of the Supreme Court saw Trump’s actions for the true fraud they were,” Grijalva said in a statement. “This ruling is not the end, and it’s time for Congress to take legislative action to ensure that DACA recipients, Dreamers, and TPS and DED recipients have a pathway to citizenship that they deserve. The House has already passed the Dream and Promise Act, and it’s time for the Leader McConnell and the U.S. Senate to do the same.” Congressman Tom O’Halleran of District 1 said DACA allows hardworking men and women to receive a college education, find meaningful jobs and give back to the country they call home. “They are doctors and nurses on our front lines, teachers in our classrooms, and neighbors on our streets,” O’Halleran said in a statement. “Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed what we already knew: DREAMers are here to stay. I could not be more elated.” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a statement that DACA recipients deserve to be recognized as Americans and promised to find a way to permanently protect this group from deportation. President Robert Robbins of the University of Arizona, which educates many DACA recipients each year, said they are proud of their DACA students and see them as an important part of the school’s community. “The university is pleased the Supreme Court’s decision will allow our DACA students to continue pursuing their academic goals with more predictability related to their status,” Robbins said. “We will continue to provide resources through the Immigrant Student Resource Center and continue to support them as they pursue their hope and dreams. We join the Arizona Board of Regents in urging a permanent legislative solution that will provide certainty for DACA students.” ■
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wrote the administrative process for evictions is “designed to have the individual being evicted fail administrative correctness.” Therefore, residents are being evicted for purely technical reasons. These findings are part of the case being made by advocates that Arizona's rental laws are heavily stacked against tenants. Matt Waterman, the managing attorney of the Southern Arizona Legal Aid office in Tucson, has witnessed the imbalance since well before the COVID-19 pandemic. He said if a landlord does not live up to their obligations in a lease, tenants are forced to jump through hoops to remedy any problems they may have with their rental unit. But if tenants do not live up to their obligations in a lease (such as not paying rent on time), they lose their home in less than 30 days. While a majority of landlords come into eviction hearings with an attorney, 90 percent of tenants do not. “Why? Well, if the tenant could pay a lawyer to represent them, he or she probably would have paid the rent,” Waterman said. If a tenant does have an attorney to advocate for them, eviction hearings work very differently, Waterman said. Instead of judges quickly moving through the dozens of cases they may see in one morning, landlords are forced to provide documentation for every dollar they claim the tenant owes them, which protects the tenant from being burdened with expensive debts. In their assessment to Huckelberry, Palacios and Ysmael reported some justices “pre-ordered” eviction enforcement at the initial eviction hearing, giving no notice to the tenant. They said in several cases, attorneys representing landlords requested an order that the eviction be carried out “in the interest of justice,” which is the exact language used in Gov. Ducey’s executive order. In addition to the statewide executive order not being carried out, Palacios and Ysmael point out that the federal CARES Act eviction moratorium, which mandated that all federally financed rental buildings must halt eviction hearings until July 25 and are not allowed to charge late fees or penalties, is not being followed either. A partial review of the eviction cases in June show 19 tenants who live in properties that fall under the CARES Act moratorium. Apparently, they said, the Justice Court is not reviewing each case to see if the building falls under this rule. ■
JUNE 25, 2020
DANEHY
THE PIMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IS GOING WAY TOO EASY ON PEOPLE WHO WON’T WEAR MASKS By Tom Danehy, tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com FOUR YEARS AGO, JUST AROUND this time of year, we were beset by the Pokemon Go craze, with people of all ages wandering through parks and malls (but, unfortunately, not onto busy freeways), cellphones in hand, trying to find invisible Pokemon characters to fight. Today, in a call to action, we need that same intrepid army to get out there and try to find even the slightest evidence of guts, timber, grit, testicular capacity, nerve, estrogen, backbone, spirit, stones, fearlessness and/or courage that can be traced to the three majority members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors. In one of the lamest political moves in recent or even distant memory, the three Democrats who control the board, in response to the massive spike in Coronavirus cases, voted to make mask-wearing mandatory in Pima County. And then they added that there will be no penalty if you don’t comply. You’re freakin’ kidding me! They should hire themselves out to kids’ parties because, suddenly, they’re the three biggest clowns in Southern Arizona. What’s next? The speed limit around
CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones
schools that are in session is 15 miles per hour. But if you’re pathetic sensibilities are offended, you can drive 100. And if you get pulled over, Ramon Valadez will ask you nicely not to do that again. During the pandemic of 1918 (the horribly misnamed “Spanish Flu”), there was a time where it was mandatory for residents of Phoenix to wear a mask whenever they were outdoors. The fine for a violation was $100! (That’s around $1,500 in today’s money.) Today, in Pima County, it’s mandatory to wear a mask when you’re outside around other people. The penalty? You might get a mean look from someone who actually gives a crap about other human beings. All that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey needs is a gap in his teeth and a T-shirt that reads “What, Me Worry?” He denied the facts and dodged the truth for as long as he could hold out before finally giving in to demands by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and others to give cities the right to make decisions that are in the best interest of their citizens. There’s no way that Ducey would have mandated the wearing of masks what with his spiritual guru,
Trump, coming to town again. So, just as Trump shirked his responsibility by dumping the COVID mess on the states, Pontius Ducey is washing his hands of it and throwing it out to the cities. I have to be honest here: If it were just me and the virus, I wouldn’t wear a mask. I have zero fear of contracting it (or maybe I already have). I’ve always been annoyed by people who utter the phrase, “I never get sick.” But, seriously, I almost never get sick. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never had the flu (either that or it was so mild, I didn’t notice). Weird fact: I’ve never thrown up. Not once. Ever. That’s not because of any great thing I’ve done to take care of myself. It’s just the lucky draw of genetics. I’m just blessed with a strong immune system and a cast-iron stomach. (I also don’t drink or smoke or use drugs, which probably helps.) But it’s not about just me and the virus. Unlike the morons who gathered by the state capitol a few weeks ago, screaming for Ducey to open the state’s economy, I actually care about other people. I’ve actually read the Constitution. Nowhere in that document does it say that I have the right to make other people sick. And that’s what it comes down to. Despite all the crowing about the Constitution and liberty, they just don’t get it. Plus, if you asked one of those guys to spell “liberty,” they’d probably put a “6” in it. When most of us were taught about
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personal liberty, we were given the example that a person has the right to swing his arm around, but that right stops at someone else’s chin. And that’s what we’re dealing with here. You have the right to breathe free; you don’t have the right to spew your nasty, diseased breath on people. I went to the Fry’s up on Tangerine today. The vast majority of people were wearing masks. Some people weren’t. They’re the bold ones, the ones who don’t give a sh-t about anybody else, the ones who are going to see to it that this thing drags on far longer than it should have. Standing in the line to check out, I was looking at the people who weren’t wearing masks (even though Sharon Bronson had told them to!). There was no discernible pattern. Directly in front of me was a young couple—late teens, no masks. The guy turned around and looked at me and stifled a chuckle. (That doesn’t bother me. Being incredibly unattractive, with the mask on, I probably look like Darth Vader when they took his helmet off. Plus, I’ve got a raggedy mask.) He saw that I saw him staring at me and so he said, “Nice mask.” I responded with the greatest of all twoword comebacks, the one that cannot be printed herein. Taken aback, he said, “You probably hope I get the virus, huh?” I said, “No. I hope you give her the virus.” ■
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Best of Pets
COURTESY PHOTO
ALL BARK AND NO BITES Keeping your dog safe from rattlesnakes during the summer
thing is dangerous here,” Belcher said. “But I saw that snake avoidance was especially important because it’s a common occurrence. Dogs are curious by nature and EVERY YEAR AN ESTIMATED 150,000 dogs and cats are bitten by venom- snakes are very interesting, so we get a lot ous snakes in the United States. And while of dogs bit out here.” According to American Veterinarian, most snakebites occur during these warmer a snakebite is a medical emergency, and months, Arizona residents shouldn’t be too frightened, as only a small number of those treatment at a veterinary hospital should not be delayed by attempts to provide first bites are fatal, and with proper training, aid. First aid should consist of limiting incidents even can be avoided. the animal’s activity and transporting it as Many facilities throughout the Tucson quickly as possible. Most field treatments area provide rattlesnake training for dogs, are “ineffective at best, and some can harm such as the Humane Society, Sublime Canine, Twin Peaks Veterinary Center and the patient.” But don’t let this worry you too much, as only an estimated 5 to 10 percent more. Often called avoidance or aversion training, the classes may not only save your of snakebite cases in dogs are fatal. There are multiple types of rattlesnake pet’s life while on a hike or in the backyard, training for dogs, but one of the most but protect you as a pet owner as well. typical is an electric collar treatment, where JJ Belcher, founder of Sublime Canine, has always worked with animals. Originally a dog is introduced to a rattlesnake and receives a shock whenever it expresses working as a bull rider in rodeos, he now teaches a variety of dog training and obedi- interest in the snake. “We’re mainly trying to break the ence classes. curiosity,” Belcher said. “So ideally in the “With cactus and black widows and the future when the dog encounters a snake it Colorado River toad, it seems like every-
By Jeff Gardner Jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com
2020
will remember the experience and realize they’re not fun to interact with… It’s a pretty immediate thing with most dogs, but some take a little more training if they have a high prey drive. And I think the electric shock is something that can make pet owners nervous. Nobody wants to shock their dogs, but we’ve all been shocked and it’s more of a surprise than pain.” After the initial session, the trainers also test to make sure the dog associates the shock with snakes. Certain breeds like Jack Russells, which are bred to hunt or chase wild animals, can be more susceptible to snakebites. Inquisitive or protective personalities in individual dogs can also indicate a higher risk for snakebites. In fact, some dogs are bitten and survive, but don’t learn to avoid snakes because they don’t connect the pain of a snakebite to the delayed venomous effects. Belcher says it’s not uncommon to see dogs that have been bitten twice. Sublime Canine offers dog training for other animals, such as the Colorado River toad, but Belcher says snakes can be especially difficult because even a dog that isn’t expressing interest in a snake can still be attacked. That is why an important step for pet safety is human education as well; Belcher says the most important step a dog owner can make themselves is simply being aware. “Make sure you check your yard before letting your dog out,” Belcher said. “Look in those places snakes are likely to be: against walls, under bushes. They’re not typically going to be out in the open. They’re trying to avoid predation as well. It’s a good idea to make sure you scan your surroundings, and keep your dog on a leash during hikes. When the weather is good for us to go hiking, it’s typically good for snakes to go hunting as well. So you really want to use caution, like making noise and being aware.” And for Belcher, the importance of snake attention isn’t just hearsay. Even he received a rattlesnake bite while hiking locally, resulting in a multi-day hospital stay and more than a dozen treatments of antivenom. “I was born and raised here knowing what to look out for, and I still got a random bite,” Belcher said. “I never even saw it... The best snakebite prevention is teaching.” ■
STRAY THOUGHTS
The Future of Helping Dogs on the Loose By Kristen Hassen tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO you if you find a stray dog? In most places in the U.S., you have four options: 1. Drop the dog off at the municipal shelter. 2. Call animal control and have them pick up the dog. 3. Hold on to the dog and try to find the owner yourself. 4. Ignore the dog and let it go. These options are all problematic. Options 1 and 2 require taking the dog out of their community and transporting it to an offsite location, sometimes many miles from its home. Once the dog leaves its community, it can be difficult to get it home. Reclaim fees, long distance to the shelter, fear of animal services and many other factors contribute to people not reclaiming their dogs. The shelters that have the most sophisticated and successful return programs have gotten up to 45 percent of impounded dogs home, but for most shelters, that number is still very low, around 15 or 20 percent. Option 3 puts the entire burden of getting the dog home on the finder, who may not know about all of the available resources or have the time to make found posters and post found information online. Option 4 isn’t feasible or ideal when a dog is in distress, is truly lost, is injured or sick, or otherwise really needs the help of a Good Samaritan. So what should animal services agencies do to help? One of the most important functions of animal services is to help stray and lost dogs. Have you ever seen a lost dog running down the side of a busy, multi-lane road, panting and anxiously looking for safety? Our animal protection officers help save dogs that have found themselves lost and afraid and often injured, on an almost-daily basis. Our shelter serves as a very short-term crisis housing center for dogs in distress who get picked up by a community member or an officer. However, at the same time, we recognize that many stray dogs are hanging out in their neighborhoods, just a house or two away from where they live, and we may be able to get those dogs home more easily if CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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disappeared overnight. Pets had been comforted and delighted to see their favorite people working in their home offices or You can prevent separation anxiety snuggled up on the couch with their laptops at all hours of the day. There was more time in your dogs for playing and head scratches. The sudden By Steve Farley transition to spending hours each day alone tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com has left many pets distraught. The HSSA Behavior Team has put togethTHIS PAST SPRING, AS WE ALL er a list of helpful tips for dogs that hunkered down in our homes, many of us can help ease this transition rightly felt it was a great time to bring a new, and correct the unwanted forever friend into their lives. The Humane behaviors. Society of Southern Arizona saw an increase First off, make sure in adoptions of dogs, cats and pocket pets. your pet’s basic needs Our new pets loved our companionship, are being met each and we loved the relief from social isolation day before you leave and the time to bond with our new animal them for hours on friends while we worked from home. end. These include Now that the stay-home requirements mealtimes, snuggling have been lifted and many are returning to and playtime as well as the office, some people are thinking about exercise, leashed walks, surrendering their dogs, often due to the ef- training and enrichment. fects of “separation anxiety.” HSSA was pre- This can be a brisk walk pared for this possibility and is ready to help around the park and a 15-minute dedicated owners and deserving pets keep snuggle on the couch each morning before their families together through education starting your off to work. Any amount of and guidance to turn this stressful situation dedicated engagement to your pet before back into a loving companionship. asking them to take an emotional hit will Many owners may have inadvertently be helpful in growing their self-esteem and accustomed their pets to a routine that reducing their anxieties.
Dogs love routine and are creatures of habit. Make their daily routine predictable. If your pet knows that each morning they will spend uninterrupted time with you before taking a long, lazy snooze by themselves they will become happy with their independence. To increase your pets’ sense of security while you’re away from home we recommend crate training. Crate training is a beautiful thing, but often gets a bad rap. Once your pet is comfortably enjoying the crate they will happily relax there while waiting for their favorite people to return. For details on how to crate train please visit our website at hssaz.org/ behavior. Step up the training and canine enrichment to see a decrease in anxiety and destructive behavior. Dogs love to learn and they love to please you. Teaching your dog new tricks and skills is a great way to expend that mental energy they have stored up while strengthening their bond with you. Invest in some durable dog puzzle toys
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that encourage independent play time as well. If you have questions on which toys our Behavior Team likes best, email us at adoptions@hssaz.org Gradually prepare for the upcoming transition. Spend time away from your pet each day—even just a short errand. Putting your one-on-one time and exit routine in place now will help them gain independence in the upcoming weeks. Start with short intervals of only a few minutes and increase until you are confident they can handle the time you’ll need to spend apart in the future. HSSA’s goal is to support pets and people who love them for a lifetime. Our Behavior Team of Danielle Hagedorn and Stephen Szostek goes above and beyond to spend individual time with each dog who comes to our shelter and the results are astonishing. The more training and individual attention we offer, the better chance they find a forever family. This is just part of our larger goal to end pet homelessness. If you would like to support the Humane Society of Southern Arizona in our efforts to find loving homes for our pets and keep them there, please visit us online at hssaz.org. ■ Steve Farley is the Humane Society of Southern Arizona CEO.
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we don’t remove them from their communities. Over the past two decades, animal welfare has come so far when it comes to innovation and we’re long overdue for rethinking our approach to stray dogs. Here are some starting points: Create and implement a stray dog intake needs assessment. Imagine you find a stray dog. It appears healthy and is wagging its tail. You find your local shelter’s website and read that you can call or text the shelter and file a found report. You text the shelter and someone texts you right back. They ask you several questions, including where the dog was found; if it has any injuries or appears to be sick; if the dog is friendly; if it has identification; if the finder is willing to hold the dog for up to 72 hours to help us try to get it home. If the dog is sick or injured, poses any threat to public safety, is not safe to handle, or is in immediate danger and the finder cannot hold it, then the best place for that dog is likely the shelter. If the dog is healthy and friendly and the finder is willing to hold it for a short time, that’s where the animal services organization can really kick into action! Get that dog home! If you’re is willing to hold on to a found dog, you can do a number of things to help that dog get home faster. First, create a found report and get it online right away. Second, staff or volunteers can post the dog’s information on social media sites like Facebook lost and found pages and Craigslist. You can e-mail the finder a printable FOUND sign or print signs yourself and ask volunteers to post them in the area. Share a ‘getting lost pets home’ tips sheet or e-mail with finders and ask them to go to the nearest participating veterinarian or other business who will scan the dog for a microchip. Just because someone is willing to hold the dog, doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of things staff and volunteers can do to help them. Can you imagine how fast you could get dogs home if you provided all this help to stray finders and provide excellent, prompt service to locate owners? Ask for help but don’t create a blackand-white policy. We are here to serve the public and there really are stray dogs who need to come to the shelter. If your goal is to intake the dogs who really need to come in while helping dogs get home and stay in the community any time it’s possible, you will need to use a case management approach, explain to the community WHY you’re
trying to reduce the number of stray dogs who enter the shelter, and earnestly as for help. There will always be some people who just won’t want to hold a stray dog they’ve found and so we need to think about how to help those dogs too. Can you create a stray found-to-foster program in your high intake neighborhoods? Can you engage other people in the area to hold those strays? What if you found a few animal lovers in your high intake neighborhoods and pay them to be the first point of contact to hold stray dogs so they can be more easily returned? You could even give these people spay/neuter, vaccine and microchip vouchers to give to the owners once the dog is returned. Most communities aren’t yet trying these strategies, but they should be. Communicate constantly with your community. Tell them how many stray dogs are coming in to the shelter and why bringing a dog to the shelter isn’t always the best solution. Tell them how they can help by holding a stray dog and what services you offer to get those dogs home. Track your data to learn what the return rate is of dogs who do NOT come to the shelter, but stay in a home instead. It’s likely to be much higher and you can use this to explain why you are asking for their help. Talk to people about the importance of securing their fences and offer fence building and fence repair assistance to help prevent dogs from getting loose. Tell the stories of injured and sick stray dogs who you helped and also tell stories of the local heroes who found a dog, held it, and helped to get it home. Talk about how you’re working to address the root causes that lead to dogs getting out of their homes and yards. Tell people how they can help. We’ve spend more than 100 years telling people to bring every stray dog to the shelter. Now we have to do the work of asking our communities to be part of the solution to keep and get dogs home. As we build a whole, new range of services to help keep dogs in their homes and communities and reduce the number of stray and lost dogs entering the shelter, we should also use the tools and resources available to help get as many dogs as possible identified. Animal services should provide both microchips and tags on a voluntary basis because proactive identification is the best option we have to reducing shelter intake and making sure we get dogs back with their owners. ■ Kristen Hassen is the director of Animal Services at Pima Animal Care Center.
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PET PROBLEMS Keeping your furry friends safe from the summer heat By Logan Burtch-Buus Logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com ANYONE WHO’S SPENT A SUMMER in Southern Arizona is quite familiar with the high temperatures, but did you know that your pets are feeling the heat, too? From heat waves to dry spells, if it’s too hot for you, then it’s too hot for you pet. That’s the advice of Pima Animal Care Center Director of Animal Services Kristen Hassen. “Every year, pets perish because they didn’t have access to shade, water and fresh air,” Hassen said in a recent release. “This is entirely preventable.” According to the shelter, Animal Protection Service officers respond to hundreds of calls every year involving pets dealing with heat-related illnesses—and even deaths. Often, these animals were left outdoors, in a vehicle or in another risky situation. To help keep Southern Arizona’s pets safe this summer, PACC has released the following tips: • Keep pets indoors: there’s no better place to avoid the heat. • Keep them hydrated: provide clean, cool drinking water in an easily accessible, spillproof container. • Provide shade: Ensure your pet has all-day access to a shaded spot with good air flow. For dogs with longer coats, even shaded spots can be too hot during 100 degree plus temps. • Protect their paws: walk your pet in the
early morning or in the evening when the asphalt has cooled down and won’t burn their paws. Place the back of your hand on the ground for five seconds. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet’s paw pads. • Don’t leave them inside a car: even with the windows cracked, the interior temperature can become deadly within just a couple of minutes. Signs of heat-related illnesses include lethargy, not eating “high value” treats like chicken, excessive panting or difficult breathing, excessive drooling, bright red gums, rapid pulse, muscle tremors, dry nose, nausea and vomiting. Overweight, geriatric and short-nosed breeds such as pugs and Persian cats are more prone to overheating and owners should not leave outside unattended in the summer. Anyone who sees a pet suffering from the heat can call 724-5900 and press 4. Due to the impacts of COVID, the shelter is asking residents who find animals to hold healthy, friendly found pets whenever possible. Found pet reports can be made by calling 724-7222. The shelter is still taking in 20 to 45 emergency cases every day. “Some people don’t know this but most found pets go missing in their own neighborhoods or just a few streets away from their home,” Hassen said. “By keeping the stray in the area where it was found, you are increasing its chances of making it back home.” The shelter has also changed its dayto-day operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Guests must have an appointment in order to enter the facility. To make an appointment, read up on the current procedure at pima.gov/animalcare and on the PACC social media accounts to stay on top of the ever-changing situation. ■
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JUNE 25, 2020
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“I love my customers and I love my staff, and I’m concerned,” said Tony Terry, owner of Little Anthony’s Diner. “It was an easy decision until things calm down and we get a handle on it. I really think every responsible business owner in Tucson should do the same.”
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An alarming rise in COVID-19 cases leads to a growing number of Pima County restaurateurs to consider voluntarily closing their dining rooms By Austin Counts austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com JUST LAST WEEK, TUCSON MAYOR Regina Romero issued a proclamation making face coverings mandatory within city limits after Gov. Ducey took the handcuffs off local municipalities and allowed them to set their own standards. One day later, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to require masks be worn in public immediately through the county. At this point, debating questions like “Was it too soon to reopen the state?” seems moot to business owners and customers alike. We all know the answer. The proof is in the actions local Arizona governments are taking to protect its citizens at the moment. However, local restaurateurs and bar
owners are now faced with making a tough decision on whether they should return to carry-out and delivery service to curb the spread of coronavirus. BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs switched over to delivery, carryout, and drive-through service on Thursday, June 18, at both their locations in response to the growing number of coronavirus cases in Pima County—and the state—each day. “Just by seeing these numbers of positive cases each day, I think they are too high,” owner Benjamin Galaz said. “I’m concerned about my customers and employees, as well.” Galaz said his two locations have been busy since Gov. Doug Ducey lifted the shutdown order on May 12. However, long lines of customers not wearing COVID-19 masks during the restaurant’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
JUNE 25, 2020
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The Prime Leaf 4220 E. Speedway Blvd.
PRIME TIME
Boasting one of the most diverse selections of MMJ products in Tucson at reasonable prices, The Prime Leaf makes sure its customers leave happy and feeling hooked-up By Austin Counts Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Strains: Indica, Sativa and hybrid strains aplenty. The Prime Leaf sells bulk flower starting by the gram and is always rotating their selection to the best available product produced by Arizona growers. The dispensary also sells prepackaged flower and pre-rolls in all sorts of strains and deals. Those on a budget shouldn’t miss out on the Friday $75 half-ounce (14g) flower prepack deal. Concentrates & Extracts: Rule No.1 about using concentrates and extracts is knowing your dose. I had received a
Hours: Monday Through Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Wednesdays
small amount of shatter a few 4/20s ago as a promotional item with my order and applied a touch to the top of some flower. For the next four to five hours I was on the moon chillin’ with Buzz Aldrin and distinctly remember giving Yuri Gagarin a high-five on my way back to the stratosphere. Good times for 4/20, but it could have been a mistake if I had anything important to do that day. Anyway, The Prime Leaf sells numerous concentrates in cartridges by companies such as Canamo, Timeless, Pura Earth, item Nine Labs and KIND, as well as extracts in all sorts of strains to help with what ails you. Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days for deals concentrate and extracts. Honestly, paying $100 for 8 grams of Venom ShatAUSTIN COUNTS ter on Mondays is a much cheaper way to touch the stars than procuring a seat on a A budtender at The Prime Leaf weighs out a quarter ounce of bulk flower while practicing social distancing guidelines. SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket.
Edibles: The same rule above applies to edibles. Should you develop a sweet tooth after partaking and devour the Aunt Ellie’s Super Mega Brownie you just purchased—loaded with 225 mg of Indica or Sativa—in one sitting...well, I hope you’re not busy for the next day or so. The Prime Leaf has a whole menu of medicated edibles ranging from sweets like brownies, cookies, chocolate bars or gummies, to medicated popcorn, medicated beverages, and even pill capsules that come in 10 mg, 25 mg, and 100 mg doses. Talk to their budtenders about your edible needs and they should be able to help find the right product at the right dosage. Specials: The Prime Leaf’s daily specials are hard to beat. For instance, they’ll take 20 percent off your edibles, topicals or concentrate orders on Sundays and Tuesdays. Prerolls are also “buy one, get one free” on Tuesdays. Mondays have several great specials on Venom Shatter and Pura Earth cartridges, or you can take 15 percent off your entire order just for shopping there. Thursdays are 20 percent off bulk flower. Fridays are $30
JUNE 25, 2020
eights or $75 half-ounce prepacks. Finally, all Huxton products are 30 percent off on Fridays. On a regular basis, The Prime Leaf takes 15 percent off of your order if placed before 11 a.m. on weekdays and/ or if you place your order by phone any time of day. If you refer someone to the dispensary, they’ll take 20 percent off your next order. Veterans and ADA patients will receive 20 percent off their entire order and MMJ card-carrying students get a 10 percent discount just for being a customer. The Prime Leaf also makes your dollar go further by taking $10 off every $250 or $25 off every $500 a customer spends there over time. In addition, the dispensary usually has vendor specials on certain products periodically. Beat the Line: The Prime Leaf encourages phone orders, especially during the current pandemic, in an effort to help maintain low crowds at the dispensary while expediting orders. Place your order by phone for pick up and The Prime Leaf will gladly apply a 15 percent discount to your entire order for helping out. Give them a call at 520-477-7463. ■
TUCSON AREA DISPENSARIES Botanica. 6205 N. Travel Center Drive. 3950230; botanica.us. Open: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Center. 8060 E. 22nd St. 886-1760; dbloomtucson.com. Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily; delivery available. Downtown Dispensary. 221 E. Sixth St. 8380492; thedowntowndispensary.com. Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily D2 Dispensary. 7105 E 22nd St. 214-3232; d2dispensary.com. Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily Earth’s Healing North: 78 W. River Road. 3951432. earthshealing.org. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Delivery available.
Green Med Wellness Center. 6464 E. Tanque Verde Road. 520-281-1587; facebook.com/GreenMedWellnessCenter. Open: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hana Green Valley. 1732 W. Duval Commerce Point Place. 289-8030. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Harvest of Tucson. 2734 East Grant Road. 3149420; askme@harvestinc.com; Harvestofaz.com Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily Nature Med. 5390 W. Ina Road. 620-9123; naturemedinc.com. Open: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily
Earth’s Healing South: 2075 E. Benson Highway. 373-5779. earthshealing.org. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Delivery available.
The Prime Leaf. 4220 E. Speedway Blvd. 44-PRIME; theprimeleaf.com. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Green Halo. 7710 S. Wilmot Road. 664-2251; thegreenhalo.org. Open: Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Purple Med Healing Center. 1010 S. Freeway, Ste. 130. 398-7338; facebook.com/PurpleMedHealingCenter. Open: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 19
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JUNE 25, 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): In addition to being a magnificent storyteller, Aries author Barbara Kingsolver raises chickens at her home. “There are days when I am envious of my hens,” she writes, “when I hunger for a purpose as perfect and sure as a single daily egg.” Do you ever experience that delightful rush of assurance, Aries? I suspect that you’re likely to do so on multiple occasions in the coming weeks. And if you are indeed visited by visions of a perfect and sure purpose, your next task will be to initiate practical action to manifest it in the real world. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Nobel Prize-winning Taurus physicist Richard Feynman got his undergraduate degree from prestigious MIT and his PhD from prestigious Princeton University. Later he taught at prestigious Caltech. But his approach to education had a maverick quality. “Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent, and original manner possible,” he advised his students. I think his strategy will work well for you in the coming weeks, which will be a favorable time to gather valuable information and polish your existing aptitudes. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’re entering a phase when you’ll have the potential to upgrade and fine-tune your relationship with money. In the hope of encouraging that prospect, I offer you the counsel of author Katharine Butler Hathaway. “To me, money is alive,” she wrote. “It is almost human. If you treat it with real sympathy and kindness and consideration, it will be a good servant and work hard for you, and stay with you and take care of you.” I hope you’ll consider cultivating that approach, dear Gemini: expressing benevolence and love toward money, and pledging to be benevolent and loving as you use the money you acquire. CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the
lawyer from the infant?” Author Diane Ackerman asks her readers that question, and now I pose the same inquiry to you—just in time for your Season of Transformation. “We are all shape-shifters and magical reinventors,” Ackerman says. I will add that you Cancerians now have the potential to be exceptional shape-shifters and magical reinventors. What new amazements might you incorporate into your life? What dazzling twists and twinkles would you like to add to your character? What will the Future You be like? LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Qabalistic teacher Ann Davies asked, “If you stick your finger in the fire, do you then complain that it is unfair when your finger gets burned? Do you call the fire bad?” I offer you this caution, Leo, because I want to encourage you not to stick your fingers or toes or any other parts of you into the fire during the coming weeks. And I’m happy to inform you that there are better approaches to finding out what’s important to learn about the fire. The preferred way is to watch the fire keenly and patiently from a modest distance. If you do so long enough, you’ll get all you need. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In accordance with upcoming astrological portents, I urge you to engage in a vigorous redefinition of the term “miracle.” That will open you up to the full range of miraculous phenomena that are potentially available in the coming weeks. For inspiration, read this passage by Faith Baldwin: “Miracles are everyday things. Not only sudden great fortune wafting in on a new wind. They are almost routine, yet miracles just the same. Every time something hard becomes easier; every time you adjust to a situation which, last week, you didn’t know existed; every time a kindness falls as softly as the dew; or someone you love who was ill grows better; every time a blessing comes, not with trumpet and fanfare, but silently as night, you have witnessed a
SAVAGE LOVE BLOWING UP
By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net
I’m committed to my male partner and he’s committed to me. (I’m a woman.) But we both understand we need to flirt and that we will both want to sleep with someone else at some point. We live together, we have a dog, and neither of us believes in marriage. We plan to purchase a house in the coming months. Here’s the issue: he met a woman at work. He’s not sexually attracted to her at all. She, however, would love to blow him. She’s in an unhappy marriage and has no friends. They exchanged numbers when my partner was transferred and now she texts him constantly. It doesn’t totally bother me. But not only does she text him at all hours of the day and night, but she continuously
tells him he’s the hottest man she’s ever met. She sends him nudes, which I’ve seen, and wants to suck his “huge dick.” (It is huge.) But even though I know he’s not sexually attracted to her, I’m still feeling threatened. I have extremely low self-esteem right now and I’m struggling with depression. I’m speaking with a therapist and I’m on meds. But the meds have made me gain about 50 pounds, which doesn’t help with the depression. I get the need and desire to flirt. But right now I’m not confident enough to be OK with him being sexual with another person even if it’s just texts. And I feel this way knowing he has no plans to be with her! He continues to tell me he has no desire
miracle.” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When Libras become authoritative enough to wield clout in their own sphere of influence, it’s often due to three factors: 1. the attractive force of their empathy; 2. their abilities to listen well and ask good questions, which help enable them to accurately read people’s emotional energy; 3. their knack for knowing specific tricks that promote harmony and a common sense of purpose. If you possess any of these talents, dear Libra, the next eight weeks will be a favorable time to employ them with maximum intensity and ingenuity and integrity. You’re primed to acquire and wield more leverage. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): There is only one kind of erotic intimacy between consenting adults that can truly be called “unnatural”: an act that is physically impossible to perform. Everything else is potentially vitalizing and holy. No one knows this better than you Scorpios. You’re the champions of exotic pleasure; the connoisseurs of blissful marvels; the masters of curious delight and extraordinary exultation. And from an astrological perspective, the coming weeks will be a time when these aspects of your character could be especially vivid. But wait a minute. What about the pandemic? What about social-distancing? What about being cautious in seeking intimate connection? If anyone can work around these constraints so as to have sexual fun, it’s your tribe. Use your imagination! SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When he was 22 years old, Sagittarian-born Werner Heisenberg received his doctorate in physics and mathematics from a German university—even though he got a grade of C on his final exams. Nine years later, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics because of his pioneering work on quantum mechanics. What happened in between? One key development: He was mentored by physicists Niels Bohr and Max Born, both of whom also garnered Nobel Prizes. Another factor in his success was his association with other brilliant colleagues working in his field. I hope this story inspires you Sagittarians to be on the lookout for catalytic teachers and
to spend his life with anyone else but me. Yet he’s suddenly hesitant to buy a house. I guess I’m asking WTF should I do? —Dinging Phone Really Exacerbating Semi-Serious Depression You say it doesn’t bother you—it doesn’t totally bother you—that this woman texts your partner day and night, DPRESSD, which strikes me as odd. Because that shit would drive me up the wall. Blowing up someone’s phone at all hours of the day and night screams “I HAVE NO BOUNDARIES! I AM INCAPABLE OF BEING CONSIDERATE! I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL!” Even if you were in a place where you felt better about your partner getting some attention elsewhere, the shit this woman is pulling would still be annoying, unsettling, and totally bothersome. And this shit should be disqualifying—
colleagues who can expedite your evolution. The planetary omens are favorable for such an eventuality. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You Capricorns aren’t renowned for causing controversy. For the most part you’re skillful at managing your reputation and keeping it orderly. But there may soon be a departure from this norm. A bit of a hubbub could arise in regards to the impressions you’re making and the effects you’re generating. I’m reminded of Capricorn author J. D. Salinger, whose book *Catcher in the Rye* was for a time widely taught in American schools but also widely banned because of its allegedly controversial elements. These days the book is regarded as a beloved classic, and I suspect you will weather your commotion with similar panache. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Novelist Tom Robbins articulated a vision of what it means to be bold and brave. He said, “Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness.” I’m hoping you will make that formula your keynote in the coming weeks. The time is right for you to summon extra amounts of fortitude, determination, and audacity. What new possibilities are you ready to flesh out in ways that might prod you to revise your beliefs and welcome transformation and expand your awareness? PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Joan of Arc performed her heroic and magical feats in 1430 and 1431. But she wasn’t canonized as a saint until 1920—almost five centuries later. It took a while to garner the full appreciation she deserved. I’m sure you won’t have to wait as long to be acknowledged for your good deeds and fine creations, Pisces. In fact, from what I can tell, there’ll be a significant honor, enhancement, or reward coming your way sometime in the next four months. Start visualizing what you’d like it to be, and set your intention to claim it. ■ Homework: What’s one thing you could do to enhance the well-being of a person or people you don’t know? FreeWillAstrology.com.
meaning, your partner should’ve shut this woman down already. He should’ve told this woman to knock it off and, if she didn’t knock it off, he should’ve told her to fuck the fuck off and blocked her number. If he tried to shut her down and she kept texting him, DPRESSD, then I have to wonder why he hasn’t he blocked her number already. Assuming he’s telling you the truth about not being attracted to her—and it sounds like he is—he may have allowed this to go on because he enjoys feeling desirable and/or he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings. If it’s the former, make it clear to your partner that you wouldn’t have a problem with him finding someone else to swap flirty sext messages with, so longs as it’s someone who can sext in moderation and at appropriate times. If it’s the latter, DPRESSD, make it clear to your partner that this shit is hurting your feelings and, as his partner,
JUNE 25, 2020
you expect him to prioritize your feelings over his former coworker’s feelings. All that said, DPRESSD, even if the thought of your partner going off to play with another woman didn’t make you feel insecure, you wouldn’t want your partner getting blown by this particular woman. Even if your partner has never said, “Don’t text me at all hours of the day and night,” that’s no excuse. No one wants their phone or their partner’s phone blowing up at 3 a.m.; that’s not a boundary anyone should have to articulate to set and, articulated or not, no one with any common sense would do that. (And, holy crap, if this is how this woman behaves in pursuit of your partner’s big cock, how is she gonna behave after she gets a taste?) As for the house issue, DPRESSD, press your partner to clarify his sudden hesitancy. It may have nothing to do with your relationship; it’s entirely possible that he’s freaked out by the state of the world—because, my God, who isn’t?—and he’s having second thoughts about sinking his savings into a house. Depression often puts the worst possible spin on things; it can lead us to reject a calming truth someone is telling us in favor of an alarming lie we’re telling ourselves. Don’t fall into that trap. And finally, DPRESSD, please talk to your doctor about switching out your meds. If weight gain is a side effect of the ones you’re on now and weight gain is making you more depressed, then it doesn’t make sense to keep treating your depression with the meds you’re on now. A different med might give you the same benefits without this particular side effect. I met someone I connected with during quarantine. We’ve all but committed to screwing our brains out after we’re given the all-clear. But she recently suffered a devastating loss. We will meet, on her terms, most likely very soon. I know I should follow her lead, but should I avoid sex even if she wants to have sex? I don’t know if sex will help or hurt. Is being chaste and supportive the right move? Can sex help in a time of loss? I just don’t want to be the asshole someone winds up writing to you for advice about. —Looking Over Sexual Timing wondering Follow her lead—that’s a good impulse— and if she wants to have sex after you’ve met in person and after you’ve made it clear to her that there’s no rush, LOST, and if you want to have sex after you’ve met her in person, go ahead and have sex. Some people find sex after a devastating loss to
TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 21
be healing and affirming and the last thing that person needs is for someone else to decide they shouldn’t be having sex or even wanting to have sex. As for the allclear you’re waiting for, well, that could be a long time off, seeing as COVID-19 rates are spiking all over the country. If you decide you can’t wait for the all-clear, please consult the New York Health Department’s safer sex/harm-reduction recommendations for people who want to have sex during this pandemic. (Google “New York Health,” “coronavirus,” and “sex.”) To quickly summarize: you can minimize your risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19 by wearing a mask, not eating ass, using condoms, and using a glory hole. I’ve been dating someone long distance for seven months. I’ve been transparent about my need for an open relationship. Recently this gentleman asked me to tell him if I slept with someone else. I agreed because I’m not sleeping with anyone at the moment due to COVID-19. But since March, I’ve been having phone sex with a long-term booty call who lives across the country. Neither knows about the other and neither one knows I’m bisexual. No big deal, right? I’m a first responder in a male-dominated field and I put up with enough bullshit without the men in my life knowing I eat pussy. How much of an asshole am I for not disclosing what I don’t need to? —Not Banging (Other) Dudes You’re being an asshole—to yourself. Hiding your bisexuality from the men you’re dating increases your odds of winding up in a relationship with someone who judges, shames, or hates you for being bisexual, NBOD, and why on earth would you want to do that to yourself? Disclosing your bisexuality ups yours odds of attracting a guy who fetishizes your bisexuality, of course, but it’s easier to weed those guys out early than it is to leave (or divorce) some guy who reveals himself to be biphobic after you’ve made a huge emotional investment in him. As for the phone sex… you should disclose that too. If Mr. Seven Months can’t handle you having phone sex with some other guy, NBOD, he certainly won’t be able to handle you sleeping with someone else. And if he can’t handle that, he’s not the right guy for a woman who wants/needs/ requires an open relationship. ■ mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage savagelovecast.com
AUSTIN COUNTS
Fire N’ Smoke co-owner Lindy Reilly says until the pandemic “is 100 percent all clear, I’m just going to stay serving to-go.”
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lunch and dinner rushes have given the owner cause for concern. Galaz said he feels it’s his duty to keep his community safe and healthy during the pandemic. “I think there are too many people in one spot. We’re following all the rules from the health department, but I’m really concerned about the rising (COVID-19) numbers,” Galaz said. “There are just too many positive cases in one day and something has to be done.” The Sonoran dog baron wants other restaurant owners to join him in helping halt the advance of COVID-19 by closing their dining rooms and moving to delivery and take-out service. “I would like to ask them to think about what’s going on right now. If they could do what we’re doing, I think it could help bring those numbers down because the community is very important for all of us,” Galaz said. Little Anthony’s Diner owner Tony Terry agrees with Galaz that more local restaurant owners should consider shutting down their dining rooms during the pandemic. He said it was an easy decision to make considering how fast coronavirus is spreading in Pima County. “I love my customers and I love my staff, and I’m concerned,” Terry said. “It was an easy decision until things calm down and we get a handle on it. I really think every responsible business owner in Tucson should do the same thing.
Terry also owns Grandma Tony’s Pizza which has donated more than 2,000 free pies to health care workers and first-responders since the pandemic began. Lately, the demand has “shot through the roof again,” Terry said. He talks to health care workers on a daily basis and regularly hears about how local hospitals are filling up at an alarming rate. “We have a lot of contacts we talk to on a daily basis and the state of the hospitals being as full as they are right now is really concerning,” Terry said. “If I feel comfortable that at least we’re not overwhelming the hospitals and could at least get the help they need to get, maybe I would feel a bit more confident reopening.” Fire N’ Smoke Wood-Fired Pizza and BBQ also decided to close their dining room last Tuesday. Co-owner Lindy Reilly also said it was an easy decision to make, considering most of his business has been carryout since reopening the dining room mid-May. “We did record numbers on Father’s Day, but I had four tables all day long. It was all to-go (sales),” Reilly said. “This is an easy decision to make. I’ll save a ton on labor.” Reilly said he had hoped to keep his dining room but with a lack of dine-in business over the past month, keeping a dine-in staff doesn’t make sense. He plans on sticking with the carryout format until a cure—or a miracle—eradicates COVID-19. “This is it,” Reilly said. “Until this (pandemic) is 100 percent all clear, I’m just going to stay serving to-go.” ■
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Comics
Last Week’s Crossword Answers S P A T P O R E F I F T R A L T A N U R S D N A G L U S A G G S R I T O N G A B S O G O T U S T A T
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Mechanical Engineer– Utilizing 3D modeling software, design customized parts & hardware for self-driving trucks & perform analysis methods (FEA, DFMEA) to verify design. Req. Master’s in Mechanical Eng. Job Location: Tucson, Arizona. Mail CV to TuSimple, 9191 Towne Centre Dr., Ste. 600, San Diego, CA 92122. Attn: TuSimple HR.
Tucson Singletarians A friendly, active social club since 1971 for single adults 50 yrs & older. Potlucks, dine outs, dances, game days, trips, etc. 5:00-7:00 PM Social Hours Wed/West side and Thurs/ East side at various monthly locations. For a newsletter, contact 326-9174 or www. singletariansocial.com
Healthcare PHYSICIANS
CLASSIFIED ADS Autos AUTO-ALL MAKES
MASSAGE Full Body Massage by a licensed professional of 26 years. Centrally located in Tucson. New client special, $60/ hour. In-calls only. Call 520-461-2881. Please, no texts.
Personal Services BODY RUB
ANNOUCEMENTS 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.
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)
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
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Ts Ginger, Tucson’s Transgender Treasure is now accepting appointments for open minded Men, Women. (520) 369-8933
Employment EMPLOYMENT GENERAL Tech Lead, Camera and Sensors – Analyze & resolve issues with autonomous driving hardware & software platforms. Design & optimize workflow. Research, develop sensor calibration systems. Will supervise 2 software engineers. Req. Master’s in Computer Science. Job location in Tucson, Arizona. Travel Req. Mail CV to TuSimple, 9191 Towne Centre Dr., Ste. 600, San Diego, CA 92122 Attn: TuSimple HR.
Hydroponic Supply Store Expert advice. Industry's best products. One-stop shop for all your hydroponic needs for maximum efficiency to set up your new garden or fine tune your current system. Locally owned & operated. (520) 209-1881 Open Daily 3884 E. River Rd. at Green Things Home and Garden Center www.greenladyhydro.com
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Laurie Thomas MD No insurance accepted so we can spend more time with each patient. We take the time to listen. NOW OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS Office hours Monday 10-6 Tuesday 7-3 Saturday 8-12 520-400-8223 Schedule online lauriethomasmd.com
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Service Directory
WEDDING SERVICES & EVENTS
1
HANDYMAN
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
13
ACROSS
oooooooooo Handyman Service
1 Bountiful 6 Nobelist Wiesel 10 Something that might
Doors* Drywall* Painting Roof Repair/Coating* Hauling Coolers* Odd Repairs Minor Plumbing/Electrical* BBB Member. Visa & MasterCard accepted. Not a licensed Contractor.
be kept in a bar Like O negative vis-àvis O positive 14 Turn over 15 You, long ago 16 *Sycophant 18 Let (out) 19 Condition for Jack Nicholson’s character in “As Good as It Gets,” in brief 20 Arias, usually 21 Less coarse 22 All things considered 24 Oil-rich region 25 Before 27 *Classic gin-andgrenadine cocktail 29 Entrepreneur’s goal 32 Pieces that can go left or right 33 One of L.B.J.’s presidential dogs 34 ___ milk 36 Pitch in 37 Lip 40 Metaphor for experience 42 Alternative to O 44 *Military medal 13
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Hours:
Disciples Of Christ
Mon - Fri 8:30am - 3:30pm
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
*Any Questions Please Call
520-624-8695
Closed Sat & Sat
3818 N. Highway Dr.
Tucson AZ 85705
We mov to a NEWed LOCATIO N
342-4042
740 E. Speedway (Corner of Euclid & Speedway)
www.firstchristianchurchtucson.org
e are an open and affirming Christian community, called to Seek God, Love like Jesus, and Serve the World.
Weekly Worship - Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Sunday School - all ages 9 a.m. Come worship with us! There is much we can do together.
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