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No cuts to Pima sports programs – yet

By JOE GIDDENS No additional sports programs will be cut for the next three semesters at Pima Community College, according to Athletics Director Jim Monaco at a Dec. 9 press conference at the District Office.  However, major changes for the Pima Community College Athletics Department are on the horizon.  New sports also may be entering the college. Monaco and campus president Morgan Phillips are discussing bringing competitive video gaming “esports” to Pima as well as lacrosse and beach volleyball. The golf, tennis, track and cross country programs may be terminated to make up for a potential budget shortfall that may reach $200,000. “If enrollment doesn’t increase it means there would be cuts,” Monaco said. “With the money we’re bringing in right now, we’re just covering shortfalls.” ...
Trump lays out 2020 Arizona strategy
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Trump lays out 2020 Arizona strategy

Story and photo  by JOE GIDDENS While impeachment proceedings were going on in Washington, locally President Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale and daughter-in-law Lara Trump held a rally Nov. 21 at the Hotel Tucson City Center in support of the embattled president going into the 2020 election. Trump won the state by 3.5 points in 2016 in the former conservative bastion, but 2018 has seen several Democrats win statewide offices for the first time in nearly a decade.  The event hit all the Trump signature platform planks of his 2016 campaign and administration: fanning resentment against migrants, Trump’s outsider status and his campaign’s infrastructure to bypass media and political establishments.  Parscale opened with his concerns about Democrat presidential candidates running on ...
The Regina Romero Era begins
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The Regina Romero Era begins

Disclosure the writer was paid to canvas for Regina Romero in the primary Story and photos By JOE GIDDENS A 144-year drought was broken on Dec. 2 with Regina Romero’s inauguration as mayor of the city of Tucson.  Romero is Tucson’s first Latina mayor and the first Hispanic to hold the office since Estevan Ochoa’s term ended on May 1, 1876. “There’s a lot of responsibility because there’s never been a ‘woman mayor’ leading a town like Tucson and I think a lot of people will be observing,” said Romero in Spanish during the Dec. 2 press conference. “I’ve been in politics for over 24 years, so I know it's difficult for women to be in positions as leaders.” City council positions also were changed at the ceremony in the Leo Rich Theater before a full house of attendees.         ...
Adidas has a new teammate with Pima College
News, Sports

Adidas has a new teammate with Pima College

By JOE GIDDENS Adidas is now Pima Community College’s official outfitter for the next four years. The move is the second sponsorship this semester following the Chapman Automotive Group acquiring naming rights for the Chapman Automotive Sports Complex at the West Campus. These moves are following Acting Athletic Director Jim Monaco’s goal of branding the college.   Monaco says he is not able to discuss the complete details of it at our press time, however    “What it does is it saves us money on uniforms on supplies on shoes for the kids because they buy their own stuff,” Monaco said. “So we've been able to save money in our budget to try to help with other expenses because of this deal.”   Monaco said that additional perks of the sponsorship will be Adidas brand flags...
Chomsky has a conversation at Pima CC
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Chomsky has a conversation at Pima CC

By ELLIANA KOPUT Noam Chomsky had a conversation with David Barsamian at Pima Community College’s Proscenium Theatre on Nov. 4.  “Conversation on a Progressive Future” was a benefit for the magazine “Progressive.”  Chomsky is a political activist, cognitive scientist and renowned scholar. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Chomsky was a member in the Harvard Society of Fellows, and has taught linguistics around the world, including at the University of Arizona.  David Barsamian, an investigative journalist and the founder of Alternative Radio, has collaborated with Chomsky in many conversations and non-fiction works. He lectures on economic and political systems, world affairs, media and revolution.  The Progressive, “a voice for peace, social justice, and the common ...
Veterans Day 2019 celebrates natives
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Veterans Day 2019 celebrates natives

 Story and photos by JOE GIDDENS Happy 244th birthday to the United States Marine Corps and Veterans Day 2019.  Pima Community College’s celebration of these occasions was a free event that featured local organizations to support our Pima veterans. On hand to celebrate was the Flowing Wells School District JROTC with a military drill presentation and the Marana School District Girls’ Choir singing the national anthem.    Pima held its Eighth Annual Veterans Day Celebration and Marine Corps cake cutting ceremony on Nov. 7 at the Downtown Campus. This year’s celebration took on an indigenous people’s flair to coincide with National Native American Heritage Month.    The 2019 keynote speaker was retired Master Sergeant of the United States Army and Pima alumnus Gary Anderson. Anderson enli...
The Pima College Foundation has big anniversary plans
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The Pima College Foundation has big anniversary plans

By JOE GIDDENS Two years ago, Pima Community College and the Pima Foundation separated. “The most important difference between the old foundation and this one is that the new foundation is not essentially part of Pima,” Pima Foundation Board member Pat Houston said. “It’s its own entity external to Pima.”  A major reason for this amicable divorce is to have 501(c)(3) status in order for charitable gifts to the foundation be recognized when people file their taxes. Donations can go from small gifts up to very large contributions with this new setup.   “That same separation happened at the UA about 30 years ago,” Pima Community College Foundation President Marcy Euler said. “It’s just the right way to manage the philanthropic arm of the college versus the business and academic side of the...
PCC starts its engines, breaks ground on new automotive center
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PCC starts its engines, breaks ground on new automotive center

Photo and story by JOE GIDDENS The idea for Pima Community College’s Centers of Excellence model was formulated less than three years ago. On Nov. 14, Pima saw that begin to take physical shape with the ground-breaking for the Downtown Campus’s new $12.5 million Automotive Technology and Innovative Center. The construction marks the first of several major expansion projects for the college across the district.  The ground-breaking happened on the eve of Gov. Doug Ducey touting the city of Tucson’s tech jobs increasing 90% over the last five years in an op-ed to the Arizona Daily Star. PCC is aiming to help educate those workers. “We will also be opening up a number of other centers throughout the upcoming year,” Chancellor Lee Lambert said. “Where we’ll be breaking ground in advanced ...
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The Native Roots of Dia De Los Muertos

By ALEXANDRIA McKENNA The following is McKenna's address at the Day of the Dead Celebration at Pima Community College West campus on November 1, 2019. Lios enchi ania, Inepo Alexandria Mckenna tea Hello and good evening to you all. I just gave my traditional greetings in Yoem Noki, or Yaqui Language. My name is Alexandria McKenna, I come from the Barrio Libre Pascua Yaqui Community. This is my second year at Pima, as well as my second year as NASA’s President. I want to thank all of you for being here tonight and joining our community in celebrations today. For myself and my community this is the second to the last day of our season known as Animam Mikwame. This evening I wanted to start Native American Heritage Month by sharing the indigenous roots of the holiday many people know today ...
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University bears ridicule for creating UArizona

By ELLIANA KOPUT The University of Arizona has been referred to by an array of nicknames since the dawn of time … or at least since it was founded in 1885.  Among those, “UofA” and “UA” have reigned most popular.  However, the UA recently has sought a change in nicknames in hopes to increase search engine optimization, or SEO.  So, the old abbreviations have been booted and replaced by “UArizona.”  The school also didn’t want any mix-ups with other UA schools (think University of Arkansas, University of Alaska and University of Alabama).  We don’t know about you, but we could think of worse things than being confused with a winning football program such as Alabama’s. Then again, at least UArizona has a football team.  Upon doing a quick observational experiment, we found that the p...