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The race for Pima County Assessor: Droubie vs Sabbagh
News

The race for Pima County Assessor: Droubie vs Sabbagh

Photo: Suzanne Droubie (left), Jo Ann Sabbagh (right) By Lanissa Patterson With the election right around the corner, there is a lot of focus on federal candidates, but local candidates are feeling the pressure as well. In the race for Pima County Assessor, Suzanne Droubie (Democrat) is running against Jo Ann Sabbagh (Republican). The responsibility of the county Assessor is to identify and list properties, as well as determine tax eligibility for exemption, according to Droubie. Assessors evaluate individuals’ real estate, as well as follow up with building permits that pass through the assessor’s office, says Sabbagh. The assessor’s office handles all business property tax and the county assessor should monitor or “touch” a property every 5 years.  Droubie was born and raised in Minn...
The race for Pima County Sheriff
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The race for Pima County Sheriff

By Mylene Roberts Mark Napier has been Pima County Sheriff for the past four years since defeating Chris Nanos, who was appointed after the previous sheriff retired in 2015. Both say they were asked to be a candidate for Pima County Sheriff by people in the department. Chris Nanos has been in law enforcement for over 40 years. Nanos said that while he misses the job, he also misses the people in the department, and that the people that he worked with have become family.  Napier has been in law enforcement for 30 years. He has committed his life to public service and started as a police officer in 1981. He is running for Pima County Sheriff because he believes that there is a lot more work to be done including his Accountability, Community Engagement and Transparency (ACT) reform program....
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Pima to host ‘Virtual Celebration of Life and el Dia de los Muertos’

On Friday, October 30, Pima Community College will be hosting “Virtual Celebration of Life and el Dia de los Muertos: Expressions of Love and Remembrance.” Students and community members are invited to honor their deceased loved ones with: Photos of loved ones or an ofrenda/altar, with 50-100 word description 2 minute video   PowerPoint/slide show 50-100 word commentary on local/regional traditions Submissions will be posted to the event website on October 30, while video submissions will be posted to youtube starting at 3:00 pm. The registration deadline for submissions is Tuesday, October 27. You can register your submission here. The event is sponsored by the PCC Native American Student Association, Student Life, and the Social Sciences, Humanities and Education Division. ...
News

Saguaro National Park vandalized

Photo by James Lee By Kyler Van Vliet Eight saguaros were found crudely hacked down this October in the Saguaro National Park. Park officials believe the incident happened on or around October 3rd.  The saguaros that were cut down ranged from 1 to 10ft in height and were located just off of the Scenic Trail.  Law enforcement rangers for the park are investigating the vandalization and are searching for the perpetrator or perpetrators that are responsible for the saguaro hackings.  “Saguaro cacti grow very slowly and hold special significance to the people who live here. A 10-foot cactus could easily be 100 years old, and it was killed in a senseless act of vandalism,” said park superintendent Leah McGinnis in a written statement this past Wednesday.  Park officials are asking for the p...
News

On the issues: Pima Governing Board candidates Ethan Orr and Catherine Ripley

 By Kyle Kersey With sitting board member Mark Hanna retiring at the end of his term, the election for a seat on Pima Community College’s Board of Governors is a race between former Arizona state legislator Ethan Orr and retired naval officer Catherine Ripley.  Background Governing Board members are elected in a non-partisan election, which means that you won’t see a “D” or an “R” next to the candidates’ name on the ballot. However, the two have represented opposite sides of the political spectrum in the past. Orr served as a Republican representative from district 9 in the Arizona state legislature from 2013 through 2015. During his tenure, he said he worked across the aisle to secure $50 million in education funding to the Tucson community, and managed to sneak in $8 million to finish...
News, Opinion

Covid-19 vs mental health

By NOOR HAGHIGHI A few weeks ago, my dad came home from Walgreens where he picked up some Zinc supplements for me. Many of us, myself included, have developed a keen sense of hypochondria during the pandemic. The slightest tickle in the throat scared me into believing that the virus was coming for me. He told me that all the supplements like Ashwagandha, which helps your body relieve stress, other nerve relaxants and stomach relaxants were quite scarce. When I stopped by Target later on, his claims were verified, as the sleeping pills and Vitamin Cs had also been wiped out. It feels like everyone is on edge; that this nervousness in the air is not confined to any particular age group. It’s taken a toll on my friends and I as high schoolers; I’ve seen it ripping families apart and it’s har...
News

Arizona’s Minimum Wage set to Increase

Photo by Gage Skidmore By Kyler Van Vliet At the start of 2021, Arizona’s minimum-wage will rise to $12.15 an hour, a jump of 15 cents from the current minimum wage of $12.00 an hour. The rise in pay is due to a 1.3% increase in the cost of living over the past 12 months through August, as reported by the Arizona Republic.  The Industrial Commission of Arizona oversees the state’s minimum-wage and announced the uptick earlier in September. Arizona already has one of the highest minimum-wages in the nation after passing the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Initiative in 2016. With increase in pay, Arizona will be tied with Maine for the ninth-highest minimum-wage in the country.  As for Flagstaff, their minimum-wage will increase from $13 an hour to $15 in January.  Some workers and bus...
PCC names Jim Monaco permanent athletic director
News, Sports

PCC names Jim Monaco permanent athletic director

By Nate Martinez On Monday, October 5, Pima Community College named Jim Monaco their permanent athletic director.  The move comes after Monaco served in an interim capacity since November of 2018. He succeeded Edgar Soto, who was the AD since 2009.  Monaco has been active for many years in Pima sports, starting out as an assistant coach for Jeff Scurran. He helped the Arizona Football Hall of Fame coach to a 26-17 overall record between 2000 and 2004 and even made a Bowl game in his last year.  He returned to the Aztecs in 2011, working as the Defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator under Pat Nugent until 2013.  Monaco was named head coach of the Pima football team following the 2013 season and fulfilled that role until the program was cut to accommodate the school’s budget.  ...
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McSally and Kelly discuss climate change, public land management in online forums

Photo by Gage Skidmore By Joe Giddens Posted with permission from Tucson Weekly. Original story can be found at: https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2020/10/05/mcsally-and-kelly-discuss-climate-change-public-land-management-in-online-forums?fbclid=IwAR3tttQkKYOkpQ74hz8e_t5SXFA1FeJNx9NW8UyeYiso5QeP_04uXXfosJM Senate candidates Martha McSally and Mark Kelly laid out their visions of public land management for Arizona on Friday in two separate online forums hosted by the Arizona Trail Association. The online forums took place ahead of their only scheduled debate on Tuesday and today’s voter registration deadline (which has since been extended to October 23). Climate change starkly contrasted the candidates. McSally continued her rhetoric of qualifying the scientific consensus th...
News

Register to Vote by October 5

Every election, voter turnout among college students is poor, despite the fact that the youngest voting generation is the one that will be most affected by the decisions of our current leaders.  However, if you aren’t registered to vote yet, there’s still time. The registration deadline to vote in Arizona is Monday, October 5. You can complete your voter registration online through the Arizona Department of Transportation website here. At the end of the registration process, you will be able to decide if you want to vote in person or by mail. If you don’t know for sure if you’re registered, you can check here.  If you decide you want to vote by mail, we recommend that you drop it off to a drop-box location rather than mail it in, as ballots must be received by 7pm on Election Day to cou...