Democrat Kevin Dahl filed his nominating petitions on Tuesday for the open seat in northside Tucson's Ward 3.

“We hit the ground running with strong support from friends, neighbors, and Tucson’s environmental leaders," said Dahl, a resident of Ward's Samos neighborhood near Campbell and Grant for more than three decades. "Our message of addressing climate change, with its record-breaking heat and drought, has really resonated with Tucson voters."

Dahl, who has led the Tucson Audubon Society and Native Seeds/SEARCH and now works for the National Parks Conservation Association, has gathered a strong team of environmentalists behind him, including Congressman Raul Grijalva, who said that Dahl "has had a strong career as an advocate for the environment. He is strategic, passionate and inclusive.”

Carolyn Campbell, a veteran of many land-use battles over the decades in Tucson, is chairing Dahl's campaign.

In a sign of strong organization, Dahl also filed his application for city matching funds for his campaign after raising roughly $10,000, which included 235 contributions of at least $10 from city residents. Provided he qualifies after an audit (candidates need to deliver a minimum of 200 contributions of $10 or more), Dahl will be eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match of whatever he can raise, but he has to limit his campaign spending. The cap for this year's campaigns has not yet been calculated.

Dahl said he would focus on developing strategies to reduce the impact on climate change on Tucson.

“We need aggressive adaptation and mitigation plans to deal with the disproportionate impact that climate will have on vulnerable communities,” says Dahl. “At the same time, the Ward 3 office must continue to do a great job of providing timely information, advocacy, and access to services, especially to those most at risk in our community.”

Every Thursday this April, the University of Arizona's College of Science will present a new topic relating to the science of water, as part of their 16th annual lecture series. The free, online lectures will range from the water on Earth's cosmic origins to the challenges of conservation to the Colorado River. The lectures will premiere on the College’s YouTube channel, hosted by various local experts and faculty.

"Given that water is the lifeblood of humankind and recognizing how critical water is to our region, it's both a timely and important topic in our community," said Michael Luria, assistant dean for corporate and community engagement at the College of Science, and co-organizer of the lecture series. "While the effects of the ongoing pandemic have necessitated a virtual format for the 2021 series, it also provides the opportunity to expand our reach to those outside of Southern Arizona, which we are very excited about."

April 1: Beyond Earth
Assistant professors of planetary science Jessica Barnes and Pierre Haenecour discuss the cosmic origins of Earth’s water, and how the exploration of asteroid Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx mission will help show how Earth became habitable.

April 8: Within An Ocean
Assistant professor of geosciences Diane Thompson highlights how historical information can be harnessed to develop and test innovative solutions for increasing the resilience of coral reef ecosystems at Biosphere 2, and help us better understand climate change.

April 15: The Colorado River
Professor in the UA School of Geography, Development and Environment Connie Woodhouse explains the facts of the Southwestern United States' most vital water resource: The Colorado River.

April 22: Beneath Our Feet
Assistant professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences Laura Condon explains how the water beneath our feet supports ecosystems and human systems alike and the role that it has to play in the future.

April 29: Society and a Changing Climate
Associate professor in the UA School of Geography, Development and Environment Kevin Anchukaitis discusses society's largest climate challenges involving water: both too much, causing flooding, and too little, causing drought. How can lessons from past civilizations illustrate future dangers and potential solutions?

For more information, click here. 

WADDELL – Nicholas Watson, 17, has spent the past eight years fine-tuning his esports skills and playing his favorite sports-focused games, including Madden.

Now, thanks to Special Olympics Arizona and the Arizona Interscholastic Association, Watson plays Rocket League on Phoenix Canyon View High School’s unified esports team, which started its spring season earlier in March.

Unified esports is the equivalent of a high school varsity team with regular season and postseason qualifiers, and athletes are eligible to play at the same state championships as any other high school team. The difference is that unified teams are made up of students with and without intellectual disabilities who come together to create a community of acceptance.

For Watson, the team is creating community, and he’s also learning to play new games like Rocket League, a game that combines cars and soccer.

“Nicholas has so much fun that he just starts to belly laugh,” said Watson’s coach, Nick Swanson. “Like it’s just this contagious laugh when he scores a goal, and he can’t even help himself.”

By the archery range

With 733 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases neared 842,000 as of Tuesday, March 31, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County, which reported 115 new cases today, has seen 112,667 of the state’s 841,811 confirmed cases.

With 26 new deaths reported this morning, a total of 16,967 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,351 deaths in Pima County, according to the March 31 report.

A total of 592 coronavirus patients were in the hospital as of March 30. That’s roughly 11% of the number hospitalized at the peak of the winter surge, which reached 5,082 on Jan. 11. The summer peak was 3,517, which was set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent lowest number of hospitalized COVID patients was 468, set on Sept. 27, 2020.

A total of 1,031 people visited emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on March 30. That number represents 44% of the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. That number had peaked during the summer wave at 2,008 on July 7, 2020; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28, 2020.

A total of 164 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on March 30, which roughly 14% of the record 1,183 ICU patients set on Jan. 11. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22, 2020.

Pima County, Tucson defy governor, keep mask mandates in place

Pima County's mask mandate remains in effect and health inspectors have the legal authority to enforce mask mandates in food establishments, county officials argued on Tuesday morning.

In a March 26 letter, the Pima County Attorney’s Office informed County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry that Gov. Doug Ducey does not have the legal authority to prevent the County Health Department from enacting reasonable public health measures.

According to Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Pinkney, Resolution 2020-96 mandates everyone in Pima County over the age of 5 must wear a face mask over their nose and mouth, unless they have a qualifying exemption or are able to maintain physical distance. The Board passed the resolution on Dec. 4, 2020.

Pima County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia said on Tuesday that the board has authority, through an Arizona statute (ARS11-251), to adopt provisions to preserve the health of the county, and the Arizona Supreme Court recognized counties “may enact public health measures that are equal to or more restrictive than ADHS.” Garcia called Ducey’s order an “overreach on the part of the executive.”

Garcia admits the arguments being made are similar to those made in court when local bars sued the county for the mandatory curfew passed on Dec. 15, but believes they stand on “solid ground.” and brushed off concerns about a legal challenge. “Bring it on,” Garcia said.

In consultation with Huckelberry, the county attorney and Garcia, County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen will continue to instruct health inspectors to enforce the mask mandate in establishments that prepare or offer food. The resolution also covers any establishment open to the public.

Any establishment found to be violating the resolution can be fined $500 per infraction, and potentially face suspension or revocation of its operating permits. Individuals can also be fined $50 per infraction, although the county has not fined anyone so far, said Garcia in a press briefing Tuesday.

“We believe that most operators in this county are doing the right thing," said Garcia. "We believe that most citizens in Pima County are doing the right thing, and we want to continue to give them the tools that they need to be able to continue to demand that people use masks when they are in public spaces."

Despite the continued vaccination effort and the approval of a federal POD that could vaccinate another 210,000 residents, Garcia noted that last week in Pima County, the number of COVID cases increased last week for the first time in 10 weeks.

For the week ending March 21, Garcia reported Pima County had 16 more cases of COVID-19 than the previous week. The previous week saw one more death than the previous week and case numbers would likely change because of the reporting lag.

Garcia said the bump was only one death, "but that person mattered to their family, and any loss of life, which is avoidable, is something that we need to mitigate against.”

Garcia noted the concern over the growing number of COVID-19 variants in the county and Arizona at large, with the South African, UK, Brazilian, and California variants found in Arizona, which may be more transmissible and potentially more harmful.

“One of the silver linings here, though, is that the same kinds of mitigation measures that allow us to prevent transmission for the normal garden variety COVID are going to be the same ones that allow us to prevent transmission with these potentially more infectious more transmissible variants,” said Garcia.

By enforcing a mask mandate, Garcia hopes to “buy time” for Pima County as they continue in their vaccination effort.

"It’s unfortunate that the governor has taken this action, which other people are interpreting as the pandemic is over,” Garcia said.

While he’s sick of it too, Garcia asks people to continue to follow these “relatively easy measures” until the county has achieved a level of community immunity with at least 75 percent of the population vaccinated. "We are not there yet and we cannot pretend that the behaviors that we're engaged in public don't impact the health and well-being of others,” Garcia said.

The county has vaccinated about 28.2 percent of Pima County residents with 455,873 vaccines administered. Garcia estimates that within another two to three weeks, county officials will achieve a level of vaccination that will allow the community to breathe.

“Our goal here isn’t to fight with the governor or fight with the state," Garcia said. "Our goal is to try to do the best thing that we know how to do for the people of Pima County. We will continue to do that and we hope that we will have a healthier community because of that.

Adults older than 16 now eligible for appointments at state vaccine centers; Pima County expands eligibility to anyone with chronic medical condition

All adults older than 16 are now eligible for appointments at state vaccination PODs.

Previously, vaccines were limited to people 55 and older as well as frontline workers, educators, first responders and healthcare workers.

New appointments for the UA POD will open up at 11 a.m. on Fridays, with the Arizona Department of Health Services announcing the number of appointments opening up on Fridays via a Wednesday Twitter post.

As of last week, Pima County expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anyone 55 and older and anyone older than 16 with at-risk circumstances.

Anyone living with a high-risk medical condition or disability, experiencing homelessness or living in a group setting, or receiving in-home or long-term care can get the vaccine. Some of the high-risk medical conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart conditions or compromised immunity.

Those in high-risk jobs will also be eligible.

Although the state has expanded eligibility to anyone over 16, Pima County's guidelines had to be limited, said Dr. Theresa Cullen, Health Department director.

“Our decisions are based on the current vaccination rates for 55 and up (which is at 42%), as well as our commitment to ensure ongoing access to vulnerable populations,” Cullen said last week. “We anticipate appointments will be filled quickly and as we move these groups, we look forward to being able to align with the state's recommendations within the next six weeks.”

You can register for your vaccine appointments at a state POD by visiting pod vaccine.azdhs.gov, and those who need assistance can call 1-844-542-8201.

Those who qualify in Pima County’s priority group of eligible vaccine recipients can register for a vaccine at www.pima.gov/covid19vaccineregistration or by calling 520-222-0119.

Many local pharmacies are now receiving vaccine doses. To find one near you, visit the ADHS website.

ADHS will now announce on Wednesdays via Twitter, @AZDHS, and Facebook the approximate number of first-dose appointments available. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) will release those new COVID-19 vaccination appointments every Friday.

Get tested: Pima County has free COVID testing

Pima County is continuing to offer a number of testing centers around town.

You’ll have a nasal swab test at the Kino Event Center (2805 E. Ajo Way) and the Udall Center (7200 E. Tanque Verde Road).

The center at the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, involves a saliva test designed by ASU.

Schedule an appointment at these or other drive-thru or pop-up sites at pima.gov/covid19testing.

The University of Arizona’s antibody testing can determine if you have had COVID and now have antibodies. To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.

—with additional reporting from Austin Counts, Christina Duran, Jeff Gardner and Mike Truelsen

WASHINGTON – Traffic deaths in Arizona surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the number of miles driven in the state appeared to be decreasing, according to preliminary statistics from 2020.

There were 1,072 deaths on the state’s highways in 2020, the most in at least the past 10 years and a sharp increase from the 980 deaths recorded in 2019, according to preliminary data from the Governor’s Office on Highway Safety.

That increase in highway fatalities came as gasoline sales in the state last year fell 12% from the year before, the biggest one-year percentage drop in sales in almost 40 years of U.S. Energy Information Administration data on sales.

The Arizona numbers mirrored a national trend: A recent report from the National Safety Council said that total motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. rose 8% from the number recorded in 2019, even as miles driven in 2020 dropped 13%.

While the pandemic likely depressed driving, Kenneth Kolosh, manager of statistics at the National Safety Council, pointed to several possible reasons it may also have played a role in “this pretty much unprecedented increase (in fatalities) we’re seeing on the roads today.”

“There is more speeding occurring. This is particularly an issue when the lockdowns were in place and the roads were very empty and we saw large increases in speed, and we’re seeing large increases in speed-related crashes and fatalities,” Kolosh said.

He also said the use of seatbelts “went way down” during the pandemic.

“Being ejected from a crash, one, it’s very life-threatening if you’re ejected from your vehicle during a crash,” said Kolosh, who added that seatbelt use is “one of the most fast and easiest ways you can protect yourself.”

The National Safety Council report said traffic fatalities across the country rose from 39,107 in 2019, when U.S. motorists logged 3.26 trillion miles on the road, to 42,060 in 2020, when total miles traveled dropped to 2.83 trillion.

Pima County's mask mandate remains in effect and health inspectors have the legal authority to enforce those mandates in food establishments, county officials argued on Tuesday morning.

In a March 26 letter, the Pima County Attorney’s Office informed County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry that Gov. Doug Ducey does not have the legal authority to prevent the County Health Department from enacting reasonable public health measures.

Everyone in Pima County over the age of 5 must wear a face mask over their nose and mouth unless they have a qualifying exemption or are able to maintain physical distance, according to Resolution 2020-96, said Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Pinkney. The Board passed the resolution on Dec. 4, 2020.

Pima County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia said the board has authority, through an Arizona statute (ARS11-251), to adopt provisions to preserve the health of the county, and the Arizona Supreme Court recognized counties “may enact public health measures that are equal to or more restrictive than ADHS.” Garcia called Ducey’s order an “overreach on the part of the executive.”

Garcia admits the arguments being made are similar to those made in court when local bars sued the county for the mandatory curfew passed on Dec. 15, but believes they stand on “solid ground.” and brushed off concerns about a legal challenge.

“Bring it on,” Garcia said.

Contrary to Ducey’s statement that mask mandates are neither followed nor enforced, Garcia said Pima County receives complaints through their portal.

He explained the county has a “‘three strikes and you're out” process in place to process complaints. The county receives complaints and works with businesses to resolve the conflict. He said there have been very few cases the county needed to take action.

Aari McDonald will probably never have to pay for another meal in Tucson for as long as she lives. The Arizona Wildcat All-American point guard—an absolute Diminutive Badass—scored 33 points and made a dramatic late-game return to the court after suffering a cringe-inducing ankle sprain to lead Arizona into the Final Four for the first time in school history. With her breathless heroics to help the Cats avoid a second-round upset loss to BYU, followed by her sheer dominance in the Sweet 16 win over Texas A&M and the Elite Eight takedown of Indiana, McDonald firmly cemented her Legend status in UA lore.

McDonald shot a stellar 12-20 from the floor, had four assists and grabbed 11 ridiculous rebounds! She also had the play of the game when a Hoosier had the ball and was going up for a shot. McDonald sneaked inside, executed a lightning-quick “Gimme dat!” steal, and streaked down the court for an and-one lay-up.

It wasn’t entirely a one-person show. Cate Reese and Trinity Baptiste combined for 15 points and 16 rebounds. Defensive stopper Sam Thomas and Spanish sharpshooter Helena Pueyo both hit clutch three-pointers; Pueyo’s came with the score tied in the fourth quarter.

Arizona entered the fourth quarter up by two and won going away, by 13.

Before that “going away” part, there was some serious drama. Driving to the basket, McDonald turned her ankle. It was ugly in real time and got increasingly uglier with each successive slow-motion replay. She was helped off the court, got it taped up, but remained on the bench for a time. When Arizona was having trouble bringing the ball upcourt against the Indiana press, McDonald went back in and immediately took over the game. It was Magical (as in Johnson).

There will be the unavoidable comparisons to the 1988 men’s team that made Arizona’s first trip to the Final Four. To be sure, some of the comparisons are striking. That team reached the ultimate national stage in only Coach Lute Olson’s fifth year in Tucson. For the women’s team, it’s Adia Barnes’ fifth year.