TUSD to start hybrid classes Nov. 12
AZPM
The Tucson Unified School District will begin hybrid-learning classes Nov. 12. The TUSD Governing Board approved the start date in a 3-2 vote during its meeting Tuesday night.
Under the plan, students enrolled in the hybrid model will attend morning classes on campus four days a week, with time in the afternoon for independent work online. For students who remain remote, mornings are for independent online work and afternoons will feature real-time instruction from teachers.
The board initially approved the hybrid plan without a set start date during its Oct. 6 meeting.
More here.
Small gatherings appear to be causing COVID-19 increase, state health director says
AZPM
Arizona’s COVID-19 cases are climbing. Since Sept. 20, cases have risen 57%, according to the state Department of Health Services.
In a new video, ADHS Director Cara Christ said the increase is similar to the one seen in states across the nation.
“The main driver of transmission both in Arizona and nationally appears to be small household gatherings where people feel safe because they are around family and friends and aren’t wearing masks or staying physically distanced,” Christ said in the video.
Christ said despite the increase in cases, the state is still in the moderate range for the spread of the virus.
Group cancels Tucson Gem and Mineral Show due to pandemic
AP
The most prominent exhibition of a collection of gem and mineral shows that normally draw thousands of visitors to Tucson every year has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show staged by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society was scheduled for January 2021. Officials said they wanted to avoid helping spread the coronavirus. Other promoters stage gem and mineral events in Tucson during the same period.
More here.
Kamala Harris campaigns in Tucson, Phoenix Wednesday
Arizona Daily Star
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris stopped in Tucson Wednesday before heading to Phoenix, less than a week before Election Day.
Harris visited a vegetarian Mexican restaurant on Tucson's west side to speak with Latina business owners before heading to a drive-in event at Pima Community College with Senate candidate Mark Kelly and his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords; U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick; and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.
More at Tucson.com
Group seeks 25K signatures for Tucson mayor recall effort
AP
A group of Tucson residents have begun an effort to recall Mayor Regina Romero. They are seeking 24,700 valid signatures before the end of February to force the recall vote next year.
Tucson city officials told recall organizers Tuesday that if they collect enough signatures within the 120-day deadline, the mayor would either have five days to resign or face a recall election. The group has listed several complaints on its website against the mayor, including her decision to remove police officers from election polls and her support for a citywide mask mandate.
Romero has said she disagrees with the group's claims.
More here.
Arizona weekly unemployment claims drop
AZPM
Nearly 41,000 Arizona residents filed first-time unemployment claims in Arizona last week. The last time the number was that low in Arizona was Aug. 29.
Claims for regular unemployment in the state stayed steady for the fifth straight week, but there was a big drop in the federally supported Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. PUA allows people who normally can’t file unemployment to receive the benefits. In Arizona, the self-employed cannot file unemployment claims.
Last week, 38,000 people filed first-time pandemic unemployment claims. That is a drop of 70,000 claims over the week before.
Judge approves agreement to end dispute over threatened owl
AP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A U.S. judge approved an agreement between environmentalists and federal managers that will clear the way for both forest restoration efforts and logging to resume in the Southwest.
The judge's order was filed Wednesday, a day after the parties announced they had reached the resolution. The court had limited timber activities and restoration projects on national forest lands in New Mexico and Arizona last year pending the outcome of a battle over the threatened Mexican spotted owl. The agreement requires federal managers to monitor the owl population and do surveys before disturbing any ground within owl habitat.
More here.
Arizona Democrats target once-solidly red 6th District
AP
PHOENIX — Arizona Democrats are targeting one of four solidly Republican U.S. House districts with a polished candidate who has a big fundraising edge against a wounded GOP incumbent.
Although the party makeup of Arizona’s congressional delegation has been remarkably stable for the past decade, Democrats hope to change that this year with Dr. Hiral Tipirneni. She is challenging five-term Republican Rep. David Schweikert in the suburban 6th District that takes in much of north Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.
Only the 2nd District has flipped between Republican and Democratic control since the 9th district was added after the 2010 census.
More here.
Indigenous community in Sonora releases record number of sea turtles
Fronteras Desk
This year, an Indigenous conservation group in Sonora released a record number of sea turtle hatchlings in its community on the Sea of Cortez. And it’s probably a result of the pandemic.
The group Tortugueros del Desemboque has released more than 2,250 Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings on the Mancha Blanca beach in the tiny seaside town El Desemboque — one of two Comcaac communities in Sonora.
The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the health and economy of El Desemboque. But it’s also kept both fishers and tourists away from beaches during the turtle nesting season. A conservation coordinator who has dedicated the last decade to protecting the endangered turtles calls that a miracle.
More here.
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