Tucson Weekly July 30, 2020 by Tucson Weekly

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A Teacher’s COVID Journal Niki Bolze Tilicki thought her summer at home was going to be isolated and boring. Then she got sick.

CURRENTS: Candidate for Sheriff Faces Abuse Accusations CANNABIS: Prohibitionists Try To Keep Weed Prop Off Ballot THE SKINNY: The Primary Election Is Here

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JULY 30, 2020

Southern Arizona

COVID-19

THE LOCAL NUMBERS. The number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 166,000 as of Tuesday, July 28, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had seen 15,292 of the state’s 165,934 confirmed cases. A total of 3,408 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 431 in Pima County, according to the July 28 report. Arizona hospitals remain under pressure although the numbers of patients has declined from a peak earlier this month. ADHS reported that as of July 27, 2,564 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, down from a peak of 3,517 on July 13 and the lowest number hospitalized since June 24, when 2,453 COVID patients were hospitalized. A total of 1,158 people visited ERs on July 27 with COVID symptoms. The number of ER visits hadn’t dipped that low since June 29, when 1,077 people with COVID symptoms visited ERs. The number of COVID-related ER visits peaked at 2,008 on July 7. A total of 814 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds on July 27. That’s the lowest it’s been since July 3, when 796 COVID-19 patients were in ICU. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13. BACK TO SCHOOL. Gov. Doug Ducey and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced last week that while school districts have to open up “learning centers” by Aug. 17, they do not have to provide in-class instruction. Instead, the schools can open up for students who need a place to go during the day but offer all online courses, as Tucson Unified School District announced it would do earlier this month. Ducey and Hoffman announced a plan to use metrics regarding the spread of the virus to determine whether schools are safe to reopen. The Arizona Department of Health Services is working with education leaders to develop the standards before Aug. 7. Local school districts have been planning a mix of “distance learning” online instruction and in-school instruction when school starts next month. Unlike in spring, when schools moved online following spring break, districts are planning stricter instructional time designed to mirror traditional in-person classes.

Roundup

OPEN CAMPUS. University of Arizona President Robert Robbins said last week that UA would offer a mix of four types of classes: in-person, which will include physical distancing and mandated face coverings; flex in-person, which will include both in-class and online instruction; live online, in which students virtually engage with an instructor in real-time on their computers; and iCourses, which students can complete independently through the schools D2L system. Robbins said he anticipated that between faculty, staff and students, there would be about 20,000 people on campus, rather than the usual 60,000 that the fall semester would bring. Students, staff, and faculty will have access to a mix of tests, including PCR tests to determine if they have COVID-19 and antibody tests to determine if they have had it in the past. CLOSURES CONTINUE. Citing a drop in the total number of cases on a week-toweek basis, Gov. Doug Ducey again said that mask-wearing and steps to reduce the interaction of people in large groups had resulted in some positive signs regarding the spread of the virus. While he once again sidestepped an opportunity to pass a statewide mask mandate, he did roll out TV commercials featuring a boxer who wears a mask. Ducey also extended the closure of nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks, tubing operations and some bars. The executive order pausing the operation of those businesses is up for review every two weeks. While coronavirus cases may be on a slight downward trend in the state, Ducey urged Arizonans to stay vigilant by staying at home and wearing masks while practicing social

distancing when out in public to continue the fight against the virus. Ducey again warned the state still had a long road ahead in the fight against COVID-19. “We need to continue to be diligent,” Ducey said. “We can’t let up.”

SENATE TO OUT-OF-WORK ARIZONANS: DROP DEAD. As of Friday, July 24, out-of-work Arizonans are no longer eligible for an extra $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation after Senate Republicans failed to act on legislation from the U.S. House of Representatives that would have extended the program. The Senate was expected to continue working on a new coronavirus relief package this week. Gov. Ducey last week asked Arizona’s congressional delegation to consider a number of provisions to help Arizona in the latest coronavirus package, including an extension of the extra unemployment dollars. “We understand the concerns from businesses that are having difficulty rehiring employees when the government pays more in unemployment benefits compared to what they were paying their former employees before the pandemic,” Ducey wrote. “We are advocating that, at a minimum, individuals who continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, be eligible to receive at least 100% of their weekly earnings that they were making prior to government intervention in their employers’ ability to stay open.” —By Jim Nintzel with additional reporting from Kathleen B. Kunz, Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner and Tara Foulkrod.

RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson

Cover design by Ryan Dyson

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JULY 30, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 31 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 Austin Counts, Managing Editor, Ext. 37 logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tara Foulkrod, Web Editor, Ext. 35 tara@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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face the backlash of the truth coming to the public.” “Kevin is a man who has severe anger issues and uses the badge as a shield of protection,” Makyla wrote. “I’m asking that everyone please take the time to go vote against him as it is not safe to have an abuser and predator as our sheriff.” Court records show that Kubitskey and Makyla’s mother, Brianna Cleary, dissolved Sheriff candidate’s daughter makes horrific their marriage in 2007 and a back-and-forth custody battle began the following year. In claims as primary approaches December 2013, they came to an agreement By Kathleen B. Kunz that Kubistkey would have no contact with Kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com Makyla unless she initiated it. Kubitskey, a Democrat, denied the allePIMA COUNTY SHERIFF gations on Facebook and said his daughter candidate Kevin Kubitskey was accused of committing sexual, physical and emotional was manipulated into posting about their abuse against his estranged daughter earlier family history by his political opponent, Democratic sheriff candidate this month on social media. Chris Nanos. Voters will Makyla Cleary wrote a decide which candidate Facebook post on Sunadvances to the general day, July 19, explaining election on the Aug. 4 that Kubitskey “physprimary. Nanos was a ically, sexually and longtime Sheriff’s Dementally” abused her partment officer who between the ages of 6 was appointed to the to 12 until she gained seat in 2015 but lost his the courage to speak bid to win it at the ballot up about the abuse. box, losing to Republican She and her mother had Mark Napier in 2016. Napier an order of protection placed is seeking reelection this year. against Kubitskey. Makyla said “My estranged daughter has mental they were in the process of gathering people health issues that my opponent Chris Nanos to testify on her behalf, but Kubitskey gave up his parental rights “so that he would not is now exploiting and trying to use to his

CURRENTS

ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones

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political advantage,” Kubistey wrote. “Rather than succeeding in debates and engaging with the public, Nanos is bringing this election into the gutter, with politics that exploit private family matters.” Makyla responded to these claims on Facebook, saying Nanos has not exploited her in any way. She said Kubitskey is the source of the mental health issues that he mentioned, and added that therapists have diagnosed her with severe depression, PTSD and social anxiety stemming from the abuse she endured. In a statement, the Pima County Democratic Party Executive Committee said it was withdrawing its support based on Kubitsky’s response.

“Our decision to withdraw support is based on the manner by which his campaign responded to those allegations,” the committee wrote in a prepared statement. “His response included the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive medical information about a family member and an accusation that a political opponent orchestrated the release of the allegations. Running as a Democrat is a privilege, and we hold all our candidates to the highest ethical standards.” The statement continued: “We condemn any candidate who exploits this decision, or the allegations that gave rise to it, for political gain. We support work to ensure women’s physical, economic and personal safety.” ■

THE SKINNY

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NEED A COVID TEST?

Pima County residents have new opportunities for COVID testing, antibody testing and even a vaccine trial

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN GETTING

PRIMARY DAY IS HERE

Time to decide the nominees for the November general ARIZONA’S PRIMARY ELECTION comes to a conclusion on Tuesday, Aug. 4, when both Democrats and Republicans will make decide which nominees are moving forward to the Nov. 3 general election. If you want to skip the crowds when it comes to voting on Tuesday, you have a lot of options when it comes to casting an early ballot. The Pima County Recorder’s Office has opened up a bunch of early voting centers that are open during the day except Sunday. (Check the County Recorder’s website for exact hours). Locations include: the Pima County Recorder’s Office Main Office (240 N. Stone Ave.), the Recorder’s Eastside Annex (6920 E. Broadway), the Recorder’s Ballot Processing

Center (6550 S. Country Club Road), the Oro Valley Library (1305 W. Naranja Drive), the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Building (3500 W. River Road), Woods Library (3455 N. First Ave.), Wheeler Taft Library (7800 N. Schisler Drive), Miller Golf Links Library (9640 E. Golf Links Road), Kirk Bear Canyon Library (8959 E. Tanque Verde Road), Mission Library (3770 S. Miission Road), the Good Shepherd UCC (17750 S. La Canada in Green Valley), TOKA Community Building (51 Baboquivari Circle in Sells) and—for Ajo residents only—the Salazar Ajo Library (33 Plaza St. in Ajo.) If you have a mail-in ballot you haven’t sent back yet, you’re better off dropping it off in person on or before Election Day at one of the early voting centers or at your polling place.

a COVID test, an antibody test or being part of a vaccine trial, you’ve got new options in Pima County. The Pima County Health Department announced this week that it would open a second testing center on Wednesday, July 29. The free saliva testing for COVID-19 at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, requires pre-registration and is conducted by Arizona State University in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County continues to run a free COVID-19 testing site via nasal swabs at Kino Event Center and is working on plans to open a third testing center at Udall Park on the City of Tucson’s east side. The testing is by appointment only. To register for a test, go to pima.gov/covid19testing. Meanwhile, Pima County is one of several regions in the country where a new

JULY 30, 2020

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COVID-19 vaccine is being tested. The National Institutes of Health is conducting phase 3 trials on a vaccine co-developed by Moderna, Inc. and the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. If you’re interested in volunteering, visit www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org or ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04470427 to find a study center. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for an antibody test to find out if you’ve already had COVID-19, the University of Arizona and the State of Arizona have expanded their free antibody testing program to include 15 new categories of essential workers considered at high risk for exposure. The antibody test, developed by researchers at UA Health Sciences, determines who has been exposed to and developed an immune response against COVID-19 In addition to healthcare workers and first responders, the following workers are eligible for antibody testing educators, childcare workers, agriculture, grocery and foodservice workers, hospitality employees, solid waste collection workers, transportation services workers and members of the National Guard More information and registration for the test is available at covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu. ■

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JULY 30, 2020

A CAUTIONARY TALE By Austin Counts Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com WHAT STARTED OUT AS AN impromptu goodbye party has turned into a nightmare that doesn’t seem to end for Innovation Academy math teacher Niki Bolze Tilicki, who came down with COVID-19 in June. “I stayed home the entire time because I knew having asthma that I couldn’t get COVID,” Tilicki said. “When we opened up Arizona my family started to feel a little safer. My husband accepted a job, a few friends wanted to stop by. When they took a group picture together I felt like I could see the moment it happened.” Tilicki has written a journal of her experiences, which the Weekly is excerpting this week. You can find a link to the entire tale at TucsonWeekly.com. Tilicki’s husband was the first to show symptoms mid-June. Then a couple of days later, she woke with a dry cough and no energy—the most common symptoms of coronavirus. The 51-year-old began calling the few people her family had been in contact with. Sure enough, one of the teachers at the going-away party was diagnosed with the virus. “I was totally disappointed in myself,” Tilicki said. “How could I let a gathering, even though we social distanced, how could I do that? How could I let my guard down? I’m not mad at a single person except for myself.” Tilicki’s family got tested for COVID-19 immediately after receiving the news. About 10 days later, the test results were in—her husband and two college-age children, now living at home while campus is closed, tested negative. Tilicki tested positive. “After our exposure and before getting tested I went to the gym because the gym opened up,” Tilicki said. “I went to Starbucks. I hung out with friends but I wore a mask. In my head, I thought I was being careful.” By late June, Tilicki’s condition progressed as she began to cough up blood while having a high fever and now was prone to spells of dizziness. Tilicki thought she was on the mend a few days later after her fever subsided, but the asthmatic still CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

By April A. Burge as experienced and told to stay healthy, value my body, and honor what it does for me. During normal, nonby Niki Bolze Tilicki COVID times, you can find me teaching an tucsonweekley@tucsonlocalmedia.com invigorating spin class at the local YMCA before the school day starts. My love and BACK IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, need for exercise helps set the tone for the I never planned on telling this kind of day so I can be the best teacher I can be for COVID-19 story. My story was going to be my students. boring, as I hunkered down in my house So, when the pandemic struck, I knew it with my husband and our young-adult chilwas going to be vital that I remain sequesdren, who had temporarily returned home tered from friends, my elderly parents, and to quarantine with us. After 12 plus-hour my beloved students. No grocery shopping, days of online crisis-teaching the last quarter of school here in Arizona, I was ready for no strolls through the aisles of Home Depot, a long, casual summer relaxing and reboot- no public outings, just a daily 5K walk through my neighborhood at the crack of ing with my family. dawn. This was going to be tough, but I was In lieu of a family vacation, we invested committed to remaining healthy so I could in resurfacing our aging pool, because we continue what I started the previous school knew we were going to be spending a lot year with my third-grade students who were of time at home as we watched COVID-19 going to stay with me for their fourth grade ravage my home state of New York and year. I was excited to continue to cultivate other parts of the country. We planned on long months of family game nights, hiking, and grow with this incredible group of kids! binge streaming, lots of cooking and eating, As I write this, I don’t know what my next and basically relishing poolside in this time school year is going to look like largely due to the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked on together as we took turns checking in on my elderly, but energetic parents who opted me and my community. My new story starts three months into to stay in Arizona for the summer and not a strict home quarantine on June 11. Gov. return to the COVID-19 epicenter of their Doug Ducey had recently opened up the native New York this past spring. State of Arizona and relaxed the mandatory However, this is not my story. My story is that a war has been raging in lockdown. Still wary and practicing safe social isolation, my husband and I met up my body for the past five weeks. My seemingly never-ending battle with COVID-19 is with a small group of teacher friends to say goodbye as my husband moved on to a new my new story. It is a story that people need job. We enjoyed an appropriately distanced to know. gathering. Over the next few days I continued my 5K walking routine, and dropped FIRST, WHAT YOU NEED TO know is that being a life-long asthmatic has in for a visit with my home-bound folks. It’s been so hard to see my parents and not shaped the way I think about my health be able to hug them. So, we settled for our and the miraculous functions our bodies customary outside visit as my daughter perform for us each and every day. That’s traveled to the market for their groceries. why I’ve made it one of my life’s missions

At the time, the Tucson skyline of our majestic mountain range surrounding our city was ablaze with one of the nation’s largest, uncontrolled wildfires, the Bighorn Fire. I sat with my parents and watched the fire and smoke jump from one ridge to the next, marveling in how a marginal amount of wind pushed small, floating embers on untouched trees and grasses, igniting new hot spots around the mountain. On smoky June 15, the fire continued to rage above our town. Feeling a bit pent up, I decided to go on my first public outing; I went to the gym for a cycling class, distanced 10 feet apart in masks, then I went to Starbucks with friends. We walked and talked. It felt so good! When I got home, my normally energetic husband was feeling a bit achy and lethargic. We thought it might be from the air pollution and exercising. In the back of my mind, it had also been four days since our friends visited. By June 17, my husband had been sleeping for several days and was officially sick. I also began to feel really achy. I thought (more like hoped) maybe getting back to the gym was too much; I couldn’t even bend down. I skipped the gym and walked my usual 5K feeling dizzy and lethargic. I was also still coughing. I felt like something was taking over my body. I took Tylenol and Ibuprofen, hoping that I was just sore from my long-overdue return to vigorous workouts. Feeling worried, I texted some of the friends who were at my house on June 11, and asked if they were feeling sick. One of my friends confirmed my worst fear; they were sick with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test. Shortly, we learned that almost all of our visitors were COVID positive. My kids, hubby, and I all

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immediately piled in the car and headed for an urgent care that performed rapid tests. Because my husband was already sick, they performed a rapid test on him. The kids and I all had mild fevers of 99 degrees, so they administered a regular test with a 5-10 day turnaround time. Surprisingly, my husband’s rapid test results were negative. On the way home, we stopped at eegee’s, a local sub and Italian ice shop, thinking an icey, sugary eegee’s drink would make me feel better. I couldn’t even finish the kiddee-sized ice concoction. I officially had no appetite. Upon returning home, not knowing what to think about all of our results, we each quarantined ourselves in various areas of the house.

IRONICALLY AND FRANKLY, SADLY, June 18 marked my 51st birthday, but I felt like death. I was sick with a fever, headache, nausea, and a whopping case of debilitating lethargy—all nagging symptoms that persist weeks later as I write this. I slept most of the day away. I tried to play some board games with my kids to “celebrate” my birthday, as I struggled hiding how sick I was from them. June 19 is a blur. I don’t remember much beyond vomiting everything I tried to eat and sleeping the day away. I do remember throwing up Gatorade without warning on my brand new carpet. As I frantically tried to clean it up, I dizzily fell over. I had to drag myself to the bathroom to sit fully clothed in the shower as the water washed away my stomach contents. June 21 was Father’s Day. I stayed in bed all day. I left my Father’s Day gift on the door for my dad to pick up. My parents, now on their own, had to start doing their own shopping. My family and I attempted a Father’s Day Zoom call with all five of my siblings and my parents. We had been doing this biweekly. I know they could tell that I was sick, but I tried to hide how horrible I felt. Later that night our urgent care test results came back. It was confirmed; I officially tested positive for COVID-19. The kids’ tests came back as negative. My husband was still sick, so they asked that he retest. In my weakened state, I immediately contacted Starbucks, the gym, and all the friends that I saw between June 11 and June 16. On June 22 I woke up extremely short of breath with a pounding headache. I got up to inhale a breathing treatment and projectile vomited all over myself.

Again, I sat in the shower and this time I cried. I didn’t even have the stamina to stand. I left the wet clothes from this day and the previous day to sit abandoned and unwrung at the bottom of the shower. The rest of the day was a tradeoff between breathing treatments and ragged sleep as the Chinook helicopters, heavy with water bladders, flew over our valley straight into the blaze that continued to creep up the mountain into the timberline. June 23 arrived with me coughing up my own metallic-tasting blood. I measured my breathing and vomited relentlessly until I dry heaved, producing nothing but stomach acid. The blood left a metallic taste in my mouth and the

of sleep. By June 25 I woke up feeling different with no fever and no headache, but then I coughed up some blood and remembered, “Oh yeah. I still have this.” Then, I was struggling to breathe. My son checked on me all the time and made sure that I was eating; he did everything for me these days. That morning I absently stepped on the scale just to see. I lost 10 pounds! I was sure part of the weight loss was from my ravaged lungs and my throbbing brain. I had no ability to focus or concentrate on anything except my breathing, but miraculously, I didn’t have a fever! I forced myself to eat my usual Cream of Wheat for breakfast; I could only

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Innovation Academy teacher Niki Tilicki says she’s not mad at a single person except herself for contracting COVID-19. distinct campfire smell that blanketed our community lingered in my nose. I felt hungover, like the worst, most toxic, alcohol poisoning hangover, and I don’t even drink. For some reason, I craved garlic, but I couldn’t eat. I welcomed sleep because my mind could escape my ravaged, hurting body if I was asleep, even though my sleep was terrible. I was constantly interrupted by my body crying out with the raging virus. I was getting desperately sicker. On June 24 I remember coughing up blood again and feeling scared. A friend dropped off an oxygen monitor. My numbers were low, but not too low. I didn’t vomit, but I slept a lot—not good sleep, a dull, throbbing, headache kind

manage three tablespoons of the smooth and comforting porridge, but I knew it is what I needed. At least I could keep that down after days of my stomach rejecting everything. Around 11 a.m. my son came in and told me he had been observing me and that I was not “okay.” He instructed me to put on my shoes, and he took me to the hospital where he had to drop me off unattended due to the new COVID-19 policies in effect. Once I was there, I rattled off my symptoms of the past nine days, thinking surely after this long, and now with no fever, I MUST be getting better. Nope. After hours of tests and talking to providers tripled layered in disposable PPE,

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which they shed and reapplied every time they left my room, they confirmed another positive COVID-19 test. After poking, prodding, an EKG, and chest x-ray, they determined I had pneumonia, a complication of COVID-19, which was the culprit of my continued dizziness and shortness of breath. However, the doc was amazed by my blood work; none of her COVID patients had ironrich blood. I was the first that was not anemic. I joked with myself that maybe that old fashioned, iron-fortified Cream of Wheat was a panacea. I could smell the smoke from the fire in my exam room as I fell asleep waiting for my tests, so I have no idea how long I was there. Finally, the doctor determined that between the EKG and my otherwise normal blood work, I seemed sort of healthy for a COVID, so she sent me home with some antibiotics and my promise to return if things got worse. She also warned me that my recovery would be long. After I texted my son to pick me up, they instructed me to walk outside, careful to not come near me. I waited for him on the curb, swaying and dizzy. When we got home, I crawled into bed, and slept between breathing treatments, thankful I hadn’t thrown up that day. I woke to a new symptom: diarrhea! The top of my body was empty, so now the virus was going to attack the rest of me. On June 28 I set an alarm for the family Zoom. I kept my face blacked out because I was so sick. My fever had not returned, but I was miserable with diarrhea, shortness of breath, dizziness, lethargy and lots of rough sleep. On June 30 I tried to go back to my online tutoring students from bed. I gave it my all and then slept the rest of the day. I was simply breathless, dizzy, and lethargic, but my tummy issues subsided, finally. In the past days many people have reached out to me, asked what they could do or what they could bring me. These were all difficult questions because I didn’t need anything they could possibly give me. I needed to feel better. On July 1, I was fever-free, long enough to join the family without a mask. I walked with my son; the air felt good and was finally clear on our side of the mountain due to the blaze moving on the backside of our range headed east. I was still short of breath, dizzy, and with the ever-present headache. (Even CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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TALE

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had trouble breathing. Her 23-year-old son urged Tilicki to go to the hospital and get checked out. Doctors soon diagnosed Tilicki with pneumonia—a common infection caused by coronavirus. “I was starting to feel better and my son came in and said ‘You’re not better, Mom. You need to get to a hospital’,” Tilicki said. “I think he saved me. What would have happened if I left my pneumonia untreated?” While she is no longer coughing up blood or has a fever, Tilicki is still fighting pneumonia and other symptoms of COVID-19 more than six weeks after being diagnosed. Her doctor said the continued dizziness is likely due to low blood pressure. She instructed Tilicki to get to the emergency room if her condition worsens. “(The doctor) said it’s going to be a long road for me,” Tilicki said. “COVID is a lengthy recovery. She’s glad I’m not in the hospital but she said she is worried about me.” Recently the math teacher attempted to tutor her students online, but what was once a second-nature passion now leaves Tilicki exhausted and dizzy. “My whole head feels terrible. I can’t think straight,” Tilicki said. “I don’t think I can do math at certain moments and I’m a math teacher. I’ve got to get well before that.” Tilicki said she is very concerned with the possibility of Arizona schools reopening in the fall due to the potential of COVID-19 related fatalities. Without a vaccine or less community spread, the educator believes it would be a mistake to reopen schools to in-class learning at this time—even with the updated measures schools are taking. “I don’t think kids or anybody should return until it’s safe. I believe one death is too many and the bottom line is we need to be safe before we return,” Tilicki said. “Absolutely nothing makes me want to go to work and potentially go to someone’s funeral.” Tilicki said while she believes online learning is the best way to keep kids safe during the pandemic, she understands there are many parents who don’t have the option to keep their kids at home during the school year. She suggests only opening schools to children of first responders and parents who are unable to obtain childcare. “We can’t be afraid,” Tilicki said. “Children still need to learn, just differently. I think we need to look at what other people have done successfully. I’ve been to three parents’ funerals and one student’s funeral in my past and I don’t want to go to another one when we could avoid it.” ■

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today, I wonder what it is like to NOT have a headache.) The walk helped me sleep, though. July 3 was our 25th anniversary. My husband started to feel better after being sick with fever, no appetite, and extreme fatigue for three weeks. So, I wanted to try to celebrate with my family. We ordered take-out from the restaurant, Caruso’s, where we had our first date. I administered a breathing treatment and rode along in the car to pick up our dinner. The car ride made my head hurt and reactivated my dizziness, but being with my kids and my hubby was worth it. We ate at home, reminisced, and watched Hamilton. I went to bed exhausted. July 4 was Independence Day in America, but I was indentured to sleep in my bed all day. I did get up to do breathing treatments because I was really struggling. On July 7, I walked. It took a long time, but I did it. I went back to working remotely, but by the end of the day, I couldn’t breathe. I was breathless, dizzy, and lethargic.

SINCE THEN, EVERY DAY IS the same. It has been a month and I am still waking up sick, dizzy, breathless, and exhausted. It’s my new normal. I’m scheduled to follow up with the doctor this week. Until then, I was told to expect a long recovery time. Every day is filled with so much uncertainty as both a recovering COVID-19 survivor, living with pneumonia and as a teacher. My colleagues and I are worried for our students, their families, and our families, and ourselves. As COVID numbers continue to rise in our state and people I know, including children, become infected, I’m overcome with a dreaded sense of the unknown. What I DO know is that I am fearful for the lives of my co-workers, our staff, my boss, my students, and my community. I have felt the ravages of what this disease can do, and I dread the thought of becoming re-infected or seeing people I love and care for fall victim to a hasty decision to open schools. I am personally witnessing how this virus is roaring through our community. Its invisible embers are like a thousand lit Roman candles landing on dry, desert tinder. This COVID-19 wildfire is illusive, but deadly. It’s like a wildfire without any firefighters; it goes wherever it wants

and spreads quickly and viciously. So, where does my story end? I suppose it will end when I get well, when I can walk my 5K with ease, maybe even run, and when I can safely embrace my family, friends, co-workers and students after so many months away from them. Maybe my COVID-19 story never ends. Maybe this story is supposed to be passed on, shared, and hopefully illuminate the many complicated problems that are associated with this pandemic and our eagerness to return to life as it was. There are so many unanswered questions about accurate testing, transmission, our vulnerable populations, the long-term effects of those infected, and of course how this is impacting our children and their families. As a teacher, my duty to my students will be to return to the classroom, if that is what the governor orders; however, it will come at an unknown cost. I love my job, but I love my health more. Being a COVID survivor (so far), I wrote this to help everyone understand how this devastating virus impacted me and my family’s lives. Perhaps by reading this, it might help parents better prepare to

JEN SORENSEN

protect themselves and their children returning to our classrooms this fall, if it comes to that. The bottom line is that this COVID-19 wildfire is out of control, and we don’t have the means to stop it. We must stop pretending that we do. “Education is improving the lives of others and leaving your community and world better than you found it.” —Marian Wright Edelman Niki Bolze Tilicki is an elementary school teaching veteran at Innovation Academy in Oro Valley. She has almost 30 years experience in elementary and middle school teaching and counseling. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s degree in counseling, and certificates in middle school math and science. April A. Burge is a community college writing instructor at Pima Community College. She has almost 20 years experience in high school and post-secondary education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and mass communications and a master’s degree in English education with a post baccalaureate certificate in secondary education language arts. ■

JULY 30, 2020

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BLOWING SMOKE

cannabis extracts along with marijuana flower. The opposition group believes marijuana extracts should be defined differently since they contain more THC than typical Anti-pot prohibitionists sue to keep marijuana buds. recreational use prop off November ballot “Cannabis THC is highly concentrated,” By Austin Counts said Arizonans for Health and Public Safety chair Lisa James. “For example, five grams Austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com of marijuana concentrate that they allow is approximately 2,800 doses of pure THC for OPPONENTS OF THE EFFORT to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona one person.” Dr. Heather Moroso of Moroso Medical filed a legal challenge in Maricopa County Center is skeptical of James’ argument Superior Court last week in an attempt to regarding concentrates. The Arizona Sustop the initiative from making the state’s preme Court decided in 2019 that marijuana November ballot. concentrates are legal for medical marijuana But rather than challenge the validity of the signatures, Arizonans for Health and patients after a Yavapai County man was Public Safety is taking issue with what they arrested for having hashish purchased call misleading language in Smart and Safe legally from a dispensary. As a doctor, she Arizona’s 100-word summary. Among other said she sees the medical benefits marijuana gives those who suffer from conditions like complaints, they say the group redefines seizures and coping with cancer treatments. marijuana because the initiative includes

DAVID ABBOTT

Tucson MMJ Dr. Heather Moroso thinks regulations should not “throw the baby out with the bathwater” with the effort to legalize cannabis in 2020.

“I think concentrates are a derivative of marijuana. It’s still marijuana in its essence but it’s been purified,” Moroso said. “Medically, it allows you to create precise dosages with other methods of delivery instead of smoking, which isn’t the best way to do it.” Moroso said she supports some regulation of concentrates should voters approve recreational use of the plant in November, but believes banning concentrates and keeping cannabis flower would be wrong.

“There should be a certain amount of regulation that should be included in the law. But I don’t think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Moroso said. “You can still get an ounce of flower, smoke it and get the same effects you would with concentrates. It’s like banning vodka and keeping beer.” The group’s lawsuit also says the Smart and Safe Arizona proposition essentially CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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JULY 30, 2020

SMOKE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

removes restrictions on weed-impaired drivers by not relying on marijuana metabolites tests to check if a person is impaired while driving. “(Smart and Safe) eliminates all current marijuana DUI violations based on the percentage of marijuana impairing metabolites in the driver’s system,” James said. “That’s no longer enough to convict for a DUI.” Critics of marijuana metabolite testing cite the test’s unreliability to determine when the last time a person used marijuana since those metabolites can stay in a person’s system for weeks or months. Other complaints James and her fellow plaintiffs cite as reasons they’re challenging the initiative: Smart and Safe allows commercial marijuana companies to advertise without restriction; it significantly reduces penalties for underage use; it allows unlimited cultivation for larger companies; and it doesn’t tax homegrown cannabis, according to James. “There are no limits on the amount of marijuana and cannabis a licensed business can produce,” James said. “The only limitations are on homegrown but that’s not taxed.”

James said she is confident their challenge will knock Smart and Safe Arizona off the Nov. 3 ballot. However, should the lawsuit fail, James said they will take their message to the voters before election day. “We feel very confident in our arguments and our team. We wouldn’t be investing the dollars to do this if we weren’t confident. But we’re prepared to take our arguments to the voters,” James said. “We feel that once voters are clear that (Smart and Safe Arizona) isn’t just legalizing marijuana, this is 17 pages of sweeping changes to Arizona law. Voters need to understand exactly what it’s going to do and we have a message for them.” Stacy Pearson, spokesperson for Strategies 360—the political firm handling the initiative—dismissed lawsuit is a “Hail Mary” to invalidate their initiative. “I would call their challenge bonkers,” Pearson said. “It’s a desperate, last-minute attempt to change the trajectory of this campaign because they know our signatures are valid and the public is behind it. I think they’re likely spending all of their limited resources on this Hail Mary. It’s tough to predict but they are bound by limited resources and a public that isn’t standing with them.” ■

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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): Adriana Martinez and Octavio Guillen got engaged to be married when they were both 15 years old. But they kept delaying a more complete unification for 67 years. At last, when they were 82, they celebrated their wedding and pledged their vows to each other. Are there comparable situations in your life, Aries? The coming months will be a favorable time to make deeper commitments. At least some of your reasons for harboring ambivalence will become irrelevant. You’ll grow in your ability to thrive on the creative challenges that come from intriguing collaborations and highly focused togetherness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I had pimples when I was a teenager. They’re gone now, although I still have a few pockmarks on my face as souvenirs. In retrospect, I feel gratitude for them. They ensured that in my early years of dating and seeking romance, I would never be able to attract women solely on the basis of my physical appearance. I was compelled to cultivate a wide variety of masculine wiles. I swear that at least half of my motivation to get smarter and become a good listener came from my desire for love. Do you have comparable stories to tell, Taurus? Now is an excellent time to give thanks for what once may have seemed to be a liability or problem. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The next two weeks will be one of the best times ever to ask provocative, probing questions. In fact, I invite you to be as curious and receptive as you’ve been since you were 4 years old. When you talk with people, express curiosity more often than you make assertions. Be focused on finding out what you’ve been missing, what you’ve been numb to. When you wake up each morning, use a felt-tip marker to draw a question mark on your forearm. To get you in the mood for this fun project, here are sample queries from poet Pablo Neruda’s Book of Questions: “Who ordered me to tear down the doors of my own pride? Did I finally find myself

in the place where they lost me? Whom can I ask what I came to make happen in this world? Is it true our desires must be watered with dew? What did the rubies say standing before the juice of the pomegranates?” CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Things to say when in love,” according to Zimbabwe poet Tapiwa Mugabe: “I will put the galaxy in your hair. Your kisses are a mouthful of firewater. I have never seen a more beautiful horizon than when you close your eyes. I have never seen a more beautiful dawn than when you open your eyes.” I hope these words inspire you to improvise further outpourings of adoration. You’re in a phase when expressing your sweet reverence and tender respect for the people you care about will boost your physical health, your emotional wealth and your spiritual resilience. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are you working on solving the right problem? Or are you being distracted by a lesser dilemma, perhaps consumed in dealing with an issue that’s mostly irrelevant to your longterm goals? I honestly don’t know the answers to those questions, but I am quite sure it’s important that you meditate on them. Everything good that can unfold for you in 2018 will require you to focus on what matters most—and not get sidetracked by peripheral issues or vague wishes. Now is an excellent time to set your unshakable intentions. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Every one of us experiences loneliness. We all go through periods when we feel isolated and misunderstood and unappreciated. That’s the bad news, Virgo. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to make loneliness less of a problem. I urge you to brainstorm and meditate about how to do that. Here are some crazy ideas to get you started. 1. Nurture ongoing connections with the spirits of beloved people who have died. 2. Imagine having conversations with your guardian angel or spirit guide. 3. Make a deal with a “partner in loneliness”:

SAVAGE LOVE FRIENDS IN DEED

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I’m a twenty-something more-or-less lesbian in an East Coast city. I’m primarily into women, and I’m only interested in relationships with women, but I’m sometimes attracted to men and have enjoyed sex with men in the past. For various reasons, I decided a few years ago not to pursue physical stuff with men anymore and I publicly identify as a lesbian. This worked great pre-pandemic, but now, with a tiny social bubble and no dating prospects, I find myself feeling very attracted to a male friend/coworker. He’s 30-something, single, straight, and we’ve hung out a few times since COVID (only outside, and while social-

ly distanced). As far as work goes, neither of us has a management role, we’re in different departments, and we rarely interact professionally. So, hypothetically, the coworker part wouldn’t be an ethical issue if we were to get involved. I have a feeling he’d be down for a casual pandemic thing… although it’s possible I could be projecting. But I have no idea how to broach this subject. He’s a respectful person and we work for a very progressive organization, so he’s not going to flirt with me since I identify as gay. I don’t know how to bring up in casual conversation that I sometimes like sleeping with men, Dan, and

a person you pray or sing with whenever either of you feels bereft. 4. Write messages to your Future Self or Past Self. 5. Communicate with animals. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The drive for absolute perfection could undermine your ability to create what’s very good and just right. Please don’t make that mistake in the coming weeks. Likewise, refrain from demanding utter purity, pristine precision, or immaculate virtue. To learn the lessons you need to know and launch the trends you can capitalize on in 2018, all that’s necessary is to give your best. You don’t have to hit the bull’s eye with every arrow you shoot—or even any arrow you shoot. Simply hitting the target will be fine in the early going. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Remember the time, all those years ago, when the angels appeared to you on the playground and showed you how and why to kiss the sky? I predict that a comparable visitation will arrive soon. And do you recall the dreamy sequence in adolescence when you first plumbed the sublime mysteries of sex? You’re as ripe as you were then, primed to unlock more of nature’s wild secrets. Maybe at no other time in many years, in fact, have you been in quite so favorable a position to explore paradise right here on earth. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As a courtesy to your mental health, I minimize your exposure to meaningless trivia. In fact, I generally try to keep you focused instead on enlightening explorations. But in this horoscope, in accordance with astrological omens, I’m giving you a temporary, short-term license to go slumming. What shenanigans is your ex up to lately, anyway? Would your old friend the bankrupt coke addict like to party with you? Just for laughs, should you revisit the dead-end fantasy that always makes you crazy? There is a good possibility that exposing yourself to bad influences like those I just named could have a tonic effect on you, Sagittarius. You might get so thoroughly disgusted by them that you’ll never again allow them to corrupt your devotion to the righteous groove,

my usual approach to flirting involves a lot of casual physical contact, which obviously isn’t possible right now. What should I do? Should I just let this go? Even though we don’t work closely together, there’s obviously the potential for professional issues if feelings got hurt, and celibacy is obviously a responsible option during this pandemic. But COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions are going to continue and he and I seem well enough suited to keep each other company. I was single and celibate for a while before the pandemic and am feeling desperate to touch another human being. If it’s not a terrible idea, how do I flirt with him without endangering public health, messing up our friendship, or making our work situation incredibly awkward in the event that he’s not into me?

to the path with heart. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the coming months it will be crucial to carefully monitor the effects you’re having on the world. Your personal actions will rarely be merely personal; they may have consequences for people you don’t know as well as those you’re close to. The ripples you send out in all directions won’t always look dramatic, but you shouldn’t let that delude you about the influence you’re having. If I had to give 2018 a title with you in mind, it might be “The Year of Maximum Social Impact.” And it all starts soon. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The punk ethic is rebellious. It transgresses conventional wisdom through “a cynical absurdity that’s redeemed by being hilarious.” So says author Brian Doherty. In the hippie approach, on the other hand, the prevailing belief is “love is all you need.” It seeks a “manic togetherness and all-encompassing acceptance that are all sweet and no sour—inspiring but also soft and gelatinous.” Ah, but what happens when punk and hippie merge? Doherty says that each moderates the extreme of the other, yielding a tough-minded lust for life that’s both skeptical and celebratory. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because the punk-plus-hippie blend is a perfect attitude for you to cultivate in the coming weeks. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’m falling in love with the way you have been falling in love with exciting possibilities that you once thought were impossible. Oh, baby. Please go further. Thrilling chills surge through me whenever you get that ravenous glint in your mind’s eye. I can almost hear you thinking, “Maybe those dreams aren’t so impossible, after all. Maybe I can heal myself and change myself enough to pursue them in earnest. Maybe I can learn success strategies that were previously beyond my power to imagine.” ■ Homework: If you could change your astrological sign, what would you change it to and why? Write: FreeWillAstrology.com.

—Craving Organic Viable Earthly Touching There’s no way to ensure that a sexual and/ or romantic relationship with a coworker (or anyone else) won’t end badly—and a little awkwardness would be the least of your worries if this proposed arrangement ended badly. But if your relationships and breakups are generally drama-free, COVET, and if you’ve been friends with this guy long enough to know that his relationships and breakups have been mostly drama-free, I think you should tell him how you’ve been feeling. Ask him if he’s interested in finding a COVID-19 sex buddy, as the Dutch call them, and if he is, tell him you would like to apply for the position. While most couples meet online these days, COVET, roughly 10% of opposite-sex

JULY 30, 2020

couples—which is what you two would be—still meet through work. And while you’re not interested in anything romantic or long-term, couples that meet through work remain the most likely to marry. Which means work relationships don’t always end in tears and/or pink slips and/or lawsuits. (Although they do sometimes end in divorce.) People who find themselves attracted to coworkers need to be thoughtful about power dynamics, of course, and cognizant of company policies where workplace romance is concerned. And it sounds like you are being thoughtful and it doesn’t sound like either of you have power over each other and are unlikely to ever be in positions of power over each other. And life is short and this pandemic is going to be long. So the next time you get together for some socially distanced socializing, COVER, open your mouth and tell this guy what you’ve been thinking. If he’s as liberal and progressive as you make him out to be, he’s no doubt aware that human sexuality is complicated and that while many of us can find a perfect fit among the most commonly understood set of labels, many of us pick a label that doesn’t fit perfectly because it comes closest to capturing some combo of our sexual and/or romantic interest and desires. Don’t think of this ask—don’t think of this disclosure—as walking anything back, COVET, but of expanding and complicating what he already knows about you. You remain homoromantic—you’re only interested in other women romantically—but you are sexually attracted to both men and women sexually. In other words, COVET, your heart is lesbian but your pussy is bi. If he’s up for being your COVID-19 sex buddy, swear to each other that you’ll handle the inevitable end with grace and compassion. For while awkwardness can’t be avoided, COVET, stupid and unnecessary drama certainly can. And it’s been my experience that promising in advance to act like grownups ups the chances of everyone acting like grownups. Similarly, simply saying, “Well, this might get awkward,” in advance of awkwardness or, “This is awkward,” if things should get awkward reduces the strength and duration of awkwardness by at least half. Finally, a note to all the guys out there reading this who think COVET’s question gives them license to hit on women who identify as lesbians: No, it doesn’t. Don’t do that. If there’s a lesbian-identified-butnot-averse-to-all-dick dyke in your life… if you work or to go school with a homoromantic-but-bisexual woman who identifies

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 13

writers themselves. Please settle this with a confirmation that I am correct. —Friendship Risked In Entirely Needless Dispute

as a lesbian… and if that woman is even remotely interested in fucking you, she will let you know. And even if your hunch is correct—even if your dickful thinking is spot-on and that one lesbian you know does wanna fuck you—being disrespectful enough to make the first move instantly disqualifies both you and your dick. This is a letter from a gay guy. If one of my regular kinky playmate friends were to gag and hood me and then fuck me while wearing a condom, would that reasonably be expected to prevent COVID-19 transmission? —Hoping Or Otherwise Determined You’re less likely to contract COVID-19 if you’re hooded and gagged and it’ll be even safer if your kinky playmate wears a mask too. But you should be hooded and gagged before your kinky playmate arrives, HOOD, because if gets close enough to hood and gag you himself then he’ll be exhaling all over you and inhaling whatever you’re exhaling. And that—inhaling what other people are exhaling—is the risk we all need to avoid right now. And while COVID-19 has been found in semen, the jury is still out on whether semen presents a significant risk of infection. (Unless a dude shoots so hard his semen is aerosolized and his sex partners are in danger of inhaling his spunk into their lungs.) That said, COVID-19 isn’t the only thing we need to worry about, HOOD, so he should wear a condom to protect you from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The biggest risk, according to health departments from sea (NYC Health) to shining sea (British Columbia Centres for Disease Control), is kissing—we’re being urged to forgo “kissing and saliva exchange” with randos for the moment—

so kinky fuckers who get off on wearing masks, gags, and hoods have a built-in, hard-wired advantage. But no kissing before the hood goes on. Please settle a debate with my “friend.” I’m correct in that your staff comes up with the clever names of those who submit letters to your Savage Love column, right? My “friend” holds the delusional belief that the clever names are created by the letter

The

A million or so years ago I began shortening sign-offs created by the letter writers—I began making acronyms out of them—to cut my word count and save space. Readers noticed what I was doing and began creating sign-offs that, when acronymized, became words that playfully referenced their questions. It quickly became something “Savage Love” readers looked forward to—something they as much or more than my dick jokes—and it wasn’t long before readers were letting me know they were disappointed when sign-offs didn’t result in clever acronyms. So nowadays when readers don’t go to the trouble of creating clever sign-offs for themselves, I do it for them. I would say I come up with roughly half the sign-offs that appear in the column, FRIEND, which means you and your friend are both right. ■ On the Lovecast, Dan interviews an activist from “Love is Not Tourism.” www.savagelovecast.com Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. mail@savagelove.net

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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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4120 E Speedway Tucson, AZ 85712 NORTH PHOENIX (602) 607-5008 • 12202 N CAVE CREEK RD

MESA (480) 478-0420 • 3550 E BROADWAY RD

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