Teachers in Southern Arizona can register for a gift card for school supplies through Tucson Values Teachersβ annual drive.
Pre-K-12 teachers can apply for a gift card through the annual Tucson Supplies Teachers drive from now until Sept. 30.
The Tucson Values Teachers school supply drive is the largest in the region and has delivered more than $1.1 million worth of school supplies since its inception in 2009, a news release says.
βThis year offers unique challenges for teachers who already spend upwards of $500 of their own money on school and classroom supplies,β said Andy Heinemann, chief executive officer. βWith the need for increased (personal protective equipment) and safety supplies, as well as learning items specific for virtual instruction, Tucson Values Teachers has decided to provide teachers the option of an electronic gift card to Amazon or a gift certificate to Jonathanβs Educational Resources.β
Wildfires such as the Bighorn Fire north of Tucson leave the ground charred and unable to absorb water, which can increase flood risks. βEven a light rain can produce devastating flash floods and mudflows, often with little warning,β Pima County officials warned. In this July 2020 video, a debris flow oozes down the CaΓ±ada del Oro Wash.
Program sponsors include Tucson Electric Power and local real estate and insurance firm Ell Group.
Teachers can apply at TucsonValuesTeachers.org. Those interested in making a contribution to the fund can find more information on the website.
4 teens awarded natβl merit scholarships
Four Tucson students have been named winners of 2020 National Merit Scholarship college-sponsored awards. The winners are Genevieve E. Erickson and John R. Munoz-Grenier from University High, Jillian B. Fisher from Tanque Verde High and Sean C. Pascoe from Basis Tucson North.
The awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
The winners were selected from a pool of 15,000 finalists nationwide based on having the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies, a news release said.
Pima Federal honors 4 students with awards
Pima Federal Credit Union recognized four Southern Arizona high school students with a total of $8,000 in scholarships.
Each student received $2,000 through the Education Award Program.
The recipients are Elle Gatewood from Mountain View High, Isabella Fox from BASIS Tucson North, Isabella Rodriguez from Flowing Wells High and Jared Fischer from Rio Rico High.
βNot only have these students excelled academically, they have displayed exceptional leadership and dedication to improving their schools and communities,β said Pima Federal Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Overpeck.
Photos: City of Tucson provides free masks to residents throughout city
Mask Handout
Updated
Mayor Regina Romero hands out masks to a driver during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in its respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Cars line up on N 6th Avenue for a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in its respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Ricardo Chao, an electronic technician with the The Facilities and Communications Maintenance Division of the City of Tucson, prepares a tray with masks and pamphlets during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in its respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Ricardo Chao, an electronic technician with the The Facilities and Communications Maintenance Division of the City of Tucson, hands off a tray with masks and pamphlets during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in its respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Council Member Paul Durham hands out masks to drivers during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in its respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Mayor Regina Romero (center) is given masks to handout to drivers during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Drivers are asked how many masks they need during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Mayor Regina Romero hands out masks to a driver during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Pamphlets including mask instructions and census information is handed out to drivers during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
Mayor Regina Romero hands out masks to a driver during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Mask Handout
Updated
A staff member gestures for two masks to be prepared for an incoming driver during a free drive-thru mask distribution event in the parking lot of the Donna R Liggins Recreation Center located at 2160 N 6th Avenue, on July 18, 2020. A total of six sites throughout the city handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in it's respective ward, were stocked with 8,000 reusable fabric masks. Locations ran from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or until they ran out of masks.
Tucson sees surge in vehicle, motorcycle fatalities despite virus-related decrease in traffic
UpdatedTucsonβs streets have been less busy but more deadly during the coronavirus pandemic, police data shows.
Fatal car and motorcycle crashes have more than tripled so far this year compared to last year despite less traffic on the roads, Tucson Police Department statistics show.
Eighteen drivers and passengers have died so far this year in vehicle crashes other than motorcycles, compared to five such deaths in the same period last year, the data show.
Motorcycle fatalities, which are recorded separately, also have spiked within city limits to 17 deaths this year compared to five this time last year.
Traffic deaths were down slightly last year in Tucson from the previous year.
Meanwhile, pedestrian deaths have declined to 13 so far this year compared to 17 last year. And one bicyclist has died, compared to zero at this point in 2019.
Wildfires such as the Bighorn Fire north of Tucson leave the ground charred and unable to absorb water, which can increase flood risks. βEven …
Nearly a dozen U.S.states have seen death rates rise in lighter traffic, according to the nonprofit National Safety Council, though the increase has not been statewide in Arizona.
The Tucson trend came as a surprise to police Capt. Diana Duffy, the departmentβs traffic safety coordinator.
βI think we all expected accidents to decrease and deaths to decrease,β Duffy said in an interview. βInstead collisions are down and fatalities are up.β
It turns out that when streets are empty, some drivers tend to get lead feet.
βExcessive speedβ was the top factor in most of the recent road deaths, Duffy said.
Impairment also was a factor in some cases, she said, and noted a national survey that found a 200% surge in alcohol sales this past spring.
TPD is aiming to curb the death toll by assigning motorcycle officers to patrol near crash-prone intersections, Duffy said.
Itβs hard to say how much lighter Tucson traffic has become, though it βabsolutelyβ is occurring, said Blake Olofson, a traffic engineer at City Hall.
A precise count would be expensive and impractical because a full-scale count typically is done once a year, he said.
But some trends emerged in the limited research that exists, a joint study between the city and the University of Arizona that used location data from smart phones to assess Tucsonβs traffic capacity.
The research showed a noticeable decrease in traffic on Tucson streets when various stay-at-home orders were in place from around mid-March through mid-May.
The trend to higher traffic fatality rates does not extend to roads policed by the Pima County Sheriffβs Department or by Arizona state troopers, those agencies said.
Fatal crashes on county roads stand at 18 so far this year, about the same as last year, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which polices state highways, has seen a steep decline in fatalities. The death toll so far this year is 160 compared to 200 in 2019, officials said.
At least 11 states from coast to coast have seen spikes in traffic deaths, the National Safety Council said.
The council released a preliminary estimate last month based on April data from all 50 states showing a 36% spike in fatality rate per miles, as the number of miles driven dropped 40%.
In a statement on the safety councilβs website, the groupβs president and CEO urged drivers to be civic-minded in the era of COVID19.
βRight now, in the midst of a global pandemic, we should take it as our civic duty to drive safely,β Lorraine M. Martin said.
βIf we wonβt do it for ourselves we should do it for our first responders, our law enforcement and our health-care workers who are rightly focused on coronavirus patients and should not be overwhelmed by preventable car crashes.β
Six sites throughout Tucson handed out masks to residents as a part of the citywide #MaskUpTucson campaign. Each site, located in a respective…
