I arrive fresh hearted to a new year, a new home, a new job and a new city to settle in. I’m going to say hello to my new life with courage and perspective.
Aisha Sander
Posted inOpinion
Milestones: A Strange Goodbye
I did not really say goodbye or even so long to Patagonia when we moved right before the end of 2020. It felt quite abrupt that my whole life was packed up in nine pieces of poorly organized luggage. I had been homesick before in countless big and small ways, but this time it was […]
Posted inSchool News
COVID School Benchmarks Revised
In August 2020, the Arizona Dept. of Health Services (AZDHS) established three benchmarks for school districts to assess opening in-person, staying virtual, or opting for a hybrid model. The three benchmarks were (1) a two-week decline in the number of cases or two weeks with new case rates less than per 100 per 100,000 population; […]
Posted inLocal News
PRT Hosts Candidate Forum
Bruce Bracker answers a question at the PRT’s Supervisor Candidate Forum, while Donna Federici and Justin Luna await their turn at themicrophone. Photo by Marion Vendituoli The PRT hosted a candidates forum for the District 3 County Supervisors candidates: incumbent Bruce Bracker (D), Donna Federici (I), and Justin Luna (I). The forum was moderated by […]
Posted inLocal News
New Electric Line Proposed
UNS Electric Inc, (UNSE) a subsidiary of Unisource Energy Services, has announced its plans to install a new electric transmission line, named “Rio Rico-Harshaw Line”, funded by South32 because of the mining company’s anticipated needs of future exploration in the Patagonia mountains. The current electricity provided to South32’s Hermosa project according to the UNSE “is […]
Posted inLocal News
Scoping Period Begins for New Mining Project
The United States Forest Service (USFS) has initiated its public scoping for the San Antonio project, an exploratory drilling proposal in the Patagonia Mountains 15 miles east of Nogales by IC Explorations (subsidiary of Barksdale Resources). This public commenting phase is part of the USFS NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process to determine the […]
Posted inLocal News
Testing Positivity Benchmark Not Useful for SC County
By Aisha Sander Aug. 21, 2020 The AZ Dept of Health Services (AZDHS) has provided three benchmarks to school districts to meet before starting in-person instruction along with a school data dashboard which is updated every Thursday. They are “a decline in weekly average cases for two consecutive weeks (not including the current week); two […]
Posted inSchool News
Schools Opt for Distance Learning
The three schools in Eastern Santa Cruz County are continuing to adapt to the pandemic and the recent benchmarks set by the AZ dept. Of Health Services (AZDHS). Patagonia Public School is opening only as distance learning while providing the state mandated safe space on campus for students who have an essential need to attend […]
Posted inOpinion
The Reckoning
George Floyd’s murder brought to the surface both the inhumanity of racial violence and how the false ideology of race has shaped the world we live. Floyd’s death became a tipping point in my life, forcing me to reckon with the belief that raising my children in Patagonia is the best thing for them. Even […]
Posted inSchool News
Restarting In-Person School Benchmarks
By Aisha Sander Aug 7, 2020 The three benchmarks the schools are recommended to meet before resuming in-person instruction are “a decline in weekly average cases for two consecutive weeks (not including the current week); two weeks with percent positivity below 7% (not including the current week); and two weeks with hospital visits due to […]