August 7, 2020

Primary election, learning remotely, COVID-19 and civil liberties

Education and health leaders raise their concerns about reopening schools too soon.

Arizonans cast their ballots in the primary this week, advancing a mix of newcomers and experienced politicians to November’s general election. For analysis on the results in Pima County, we checked in with Jim Nintzel, executive editor of the Tucson Weekly/Tucson Local Media.

As Nintzel explained, two of the biggest surprises from the election were the victory of defense attorney Laura Conover in her Democratic bid for Pima County Attorney and the defeat of longtime Pima County Board of Supervisor Ramón Valadez in his Democratic primary race against former Arizona Rep. Matt Heinz.

Polls so far show Democratic challengers ahead in closely watched races for the White House and U.S. Senate. But the party is also targeting other seats down ballot. As for whether Republicans are poised to prevent a ‘blue wave’ from flipping Arizona, we got insight from KJZZ’s Steve Goldstein and The Yellow Sheet Report’s Hank Stephenson.


The new school year began entirely online, just as it left off last spring. This week the Arizona Department of Health Services released benchmarks schools should use to guide their decisions about reopening campuses for traditional, in-person learning. Days before that announcement, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman released a statement that cast doubt on schools being able to safely reopen by August 17, which is the soonest they can begin to offer such options. Hoffman spoke to Lorraine Rivera about her concerns and recommendations.


Health leaders in Pima County recommend schools begin to assess whether it’s safe to offer traditional classroom instruction after Labor Day, according to a letter from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. Chief Medical Officer Francisco Garcia explained how the Pima County Health Department is assessing the risk COVID-19 poses to students, educators and staff. According to Garcia, the number of hospitalizations and rate of positive test results have decreased and show the county’s situation is improving, but it’s too soon to declare victory.


Some of the steps taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in pushback and debate over whether policies like mandatory masks infringe on our civil liberties. When it comes to finding the right balance, the U.S. Constitution may offer some solutions. That’s according to a new essay written by three University of Arizona professors that showcases how our nation’s founding document can act as a guide during these unprecedented times. One of the paper’s authors, Regents Professor Marvin Slepian, provided insight on this issue.

Arizona 360
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