>> Ted: Coming up in the next hour on Arizona horizon, the latest on the uptick in Covid cases in the state and on Cronkite news, what Arizona small streams can tell us about the drought and future water supplies.

That's ahead on Arizona PBS.

Welcome to Arizona horizon.

Attorney general mark Brnovich timed a motion to lift an injunction against an Arizona territory law that bans all abortions and asked for the injunction to be lifted against the 158-year-old law now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade which lead to the injunction in 1973 and the legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban this past session with the governor saying it supercedes the older law and asking the Supreme Court to provide clarity and uniformity for our state.

Inflation numbers for join are inJune arenot good and jumping 9 9.1% since last year and it's higher than the 8.6% rate in May and higher than 8.8% predicted for June and gas prices played a major factor in June's numbers, something the Biden Administration reacted to.

>> There's no question we have work to do and it is important to note that these numbers do not fully reflect the recent drop in gas prices.

Average national gas prices have fallen everyday for nearly 30 days.

>> Inflation is uniquely bad because our government has made uniquely bad choices now American families are deally with a fall-out everyday.

>> As for gas prices, the national average for a gallon of unleaded is close to 50-cents less than a month ago.

Inflation in the phoenix area continues to be higher than all other major metro areas with the inflation rate hitting a 12.3% for June in Atlanta which is at 11.5% and gas prices the biggest reason for the numbers.

Though the valley has had the highest in areas throughout 2022.

>>> A new study shows mental health of young people is getting worse.

Researchers looked at 28,000 teens along with their schools and teachers and find mindfulness did to help kids aged 11 to 14 and suggested that resigning schools and other strategies need to be explored to better support the well-being of young people.

>>> Arizona is seeing an increase in Covid cases of late with a new and more contagious Omicron Varient makes rounds.

What does this mean for masks in the weeks and months ahead and we asked the executive director of the Arizona public health association and will, good to have you.

>> Headquarters, Ted.

>> Ted: Where do we stand now with Covid?

>> A lot of infections and going gang busters in terms of flat-out infections and this is important, we're not seeing a big influx in inpatient hospitalizations.

The winster between 2020 and 2021, the Delta wave and Omicron wave, we saw an increase that came with big increases and optionshospitalizations and we saw pretty modest and you can measure the increase in hospitalizations, both general ward and intensive care beds you're not -- I call this a buffer and it's buffered compared to the other waves.

>> Ted: Same with hospitalizations, not so much?

>> Correct.

>> Ted: This new varient, a lot of numbers and letters and talk to us about this, sounds like it's very contagious?

>> The fifth iteration of Omicron and remember, Omicron was more contagious than Delta and in order to survive and be successful, it's got to be more contagious and I call this Omicron 5.0 and it's more contagious than the previous versions and it's just really, really contagious.

>> Ted: Contagious for the full boosters?

>> Yeah, I mean, you're susceptible to infection.

Remember, the original vaccine, the vaccine to that original virus was 95% effective, but it's evolved and we had Alpha, tellDelta, Omicron and the vaccine is not as effective as it used to be and not even close.

But it's still effective at helping to ensure that you don't have a super bad outcome and that's why we see these infections increasing over the last three weeks and not a big increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

>> Ted: What about those who have had previous versions of Covid?

Same with with the vaccines?

>> Like if you had, you know, an infection of Alpha, let's say, that's going to provide you some protection and you're susceptible.

And I think we talked about this in march.

You said, will we have another wave?

And Ted, I think every six months and because you have waning immunity over the course of that period, and your antibodies drop over the six-month period leaving you stablesusceptible to reinfections and the last wave?

December, January and about six months ago and probably something around the holidays again as people's immunity begins to wane and they become susceptible to infections.

That's just the way it will be.

>> Ted: Will future waves, though, similar to the one where hospitalizations and fatality -- I mean, a gradual leading down?

>> If the normal pattern holds in that natural selection.

The goal of a virus is to reproduce and just wants to reproduce and it's less lethal because if you kill your host, you won't reproduce and natural selection pushes things towards more contagious and less lethal and people have had multiple infections and boosters and so forth and they have the residual T-cells and antibodies on board.

>> Ted: The Omicron Varient as far as future vaccines, went will we see the next round and B5.0 be a mart part of the mix?

>> Clinical trials to produce the R & A specific to Omicron and that's available around the same time that people are getting their flu shots.

>> Ted: OrOrellionwelion vision?

Yes.

>> Ted: Is it time to wear a mask?

>> If you have medical conditions, whether you're vaccinated or previously infected, you should be wearing a tight-fitting, good mask, not the simple cloth mask, but a good mask and make decisions carefully about where you go in public.

But for the general population, even if I asked people to wear a mask, they would be -- you would get the eyebrow and public health in the future will lose their street credibility with people.

I people, that's an important part of this.

You have to be reasonable in periods like this, because something will happen again and if we as a trade, public health appear to be too risk averse, people will say, we cry wolf and they won't listen to us.

>> Ted: That perception is out there.

Long Covid, what are they longing?

The BA5.0, how does that factor into long Covid?

>> It's too soon to know about B BA5 and a lot of case follow-up and definitely a thing and how common and how quickly, you know, those symptoms is an open question and super variable depending on the person.

>> Ted: Stories people infected multiple times with more of a chance with this long Covid and like a year later, for goodness sakes.

>> Yeah, that was published, I think, this week.

The more times you get infected, the more likely you can have the long Covid symptom.

Doesn't mean you'll get them, but it makes it more likely.

>> Ted: Flu shots in the fall as usual and likely to have the latest round of Covid shots in the fall and with the idea that in another six months, you might have to come back again?

>> But by then, the new version and a different vaccine or more tailored to Omicron.

>> Ted: We have a minute left here and the legislative session just ended and for you, as a health official and someone around health for so long, highlights, low lights and what did you see?

>> Good things and bad things and the good things associate The withassociatedwith the budget and maternal health and a lot of good things that happened during the budget negotiations and the big losses were around public health authority and the biggest of limiting losses and public health and governor Ducey enjoyed more than 500 days and that's a big loss of public health authority and there's losses of authority for school districts, in terms of masks and county health departments, for cities and for the state health department and public health authority was eroded this session and there was good stuff.

>> Ted: Will, always a pleasure.

Up next on Arizona horizon, we speak with a new CEO of valley metro.

Valley metro has a new CEO and slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels and long-standing transportation tax with sidelined by the governor and we welcome the new CEO, Jessica Miller to Arizona horizon and welcome, good to have you.

We forgot the show was going on.

What attracted you to valley metro?

>> The opportunities that are happening here in the valley with the tremendous growth that we're experiencing in all sectors and transportation.

The transit system is strong and it's growing and I wanted to be a part of that.

And I saw opportunities to bring my perspective and experiences to the 18 member cities in Maricopa county.

>> Ted: From St.Louis and compare that to the valley.

>> St.Louis is a system and not growing as we are in the valley and I know how to plan, design and operate into the future and we're still young in the valley.

>> Ted: First impressions and look things over and what did you think?

>> A lot of people committed to their community and a lot of economic development and growth and that is exciting and part of why I'm here.

>> Ted: You're seeing prop 400.

The transportation, long-standing transportation tax and county voters with a chance to vote on this slur legislature set.

Was that a surprise?

>> It was.

We expected a different outcome and property 400 on the plot in spring of 2023 and this is a bit of a setback.

>> Ted: Was does this affect?

>> It supports roads, bridges highways and public transit and this is not a new tax and we need this to not only build and operating our service on a day-to-day business.

>> Ted: Freeway maintenance and tax?

>> We're work as a region to prepare plans to do if it did not and I'm confident and remain apt mysticanother mistake that they know the importance of investing in the infrastructure and I'm hopeful the next governor and legislature will provide Maricopa voters to make this decision ourselves.

>> Ted: Indeed, I don't want to.com on what dwell, but not enough time on whether or not to tax themselves considering inflation and does that make sense to you?

>> we're experiencing inflation and we are the fastest growing county in the united states and one thing that our citizens need is transportation and that makes it difficult and one way to avoid pain is hopping on valley metro.

>> Ted: before the pandemic, things were going at the pace of x and dropped down to y.

>> we experienced ridership loss and growing on the light rail system and we have two expansions under construction right now and we just opened the streetcar in tempe in may and continuing bus service, almost pre-pandemic levels.

>> Ted: we've had a number of these folks and lightrail is a boondoggle and a homeless shuttle and how do you respond?

>> i would point to over $16 billion in economic development that has occurred around the valley metro lightrail since construction began.

we have so many excellent examples of transit oriented development and if you look at what's happening now, the one thing around us is cranes everywhere and building and investing and a great thing for myrrhmaricopa county.

>> Ted: arei talkedi talked to your predecessor and during rush hour you have that on there and not much a problem and ways to address that?

>> we have a comprehensive security program and university guards on every train thought our service day and we have a detail from the city of phoenix police department and then we have a team called customer experience coordinators on our system all day, everyday and meeting our customers where they are and connecting them with resources and providing information.

>> Ted: this is an odd question, but can you have too much mass transit?

like in tempe, you environment lightrail, you have the orbit translators and now you have the trolley car coming up and good goodness gracious.

>> i don't any it's a questionthis might be the responsive service in a lower sense community and like in tempe, when the asu students return, we have streetcar, circulators and biking, walking and dragging.

>> on the west side of town, a lot of concern regarding the growth and tons of growth and they want lightrail and can they get that, especially if -- let's just say prop 400 -- we didn't think it would be a problem and it is a problem and if that doesn't go through and a lot of things are at stake?

>> we don't have state funding in arizona and we have to environment local dollars to able to attract federal funding and seeing tremendous funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law.

that's the transportation bill, but we don't getty get any of it.

>> Ted: are you optimistic in the future?

>> very.

>> Ted: thank you for joining us.

thank you.

♪♪ >> a new interactive exhibit on fredocolla, an immersive immersive biography.

congratulations.

>> this is a good day.

>> Ted: this is a walk-through sort of a thing.

>> one thing to understand is the immersive experience and we have different rooms to be a part of the exhibit.

we have award-winning experiences which is great and we have a big 360 room to protect all of the visuals and audio and it's great.

>> Ted: there was a van gogh thing that came through, a big old room and there's a little bit of that and others.

the goal is to find out who she was as opposed to looking at her art.

we need >> we need to understand her pain, her life, why she was suffering so much because all of this reflects her paintings.

>> Ted: historical photographs?

>> everything all together.

art and technology meeting.

>> Ted: when you walk through, can you touch things and are there things to handle?

>> Ted: what got you involved?

>> i love art.

>> Ted: how long did this take to put it together?

>> to actually have it here, it takes about two or three weeks.

>> Ted: how long is the exhibit going to be here?

>> through the end of august so far and we could extend and we could be here longer.

>> Ted: i understand a group from spain was involved putting this together and how did that work?

>> the create creators are from spain.

and they're really, really amazing and they are the ones that are the creative ones.

>> Ted: the art experience is something and gives us a better indication of what's going on there.

>> no, we have to do that.

>> Ted: we have you here for a purpose and talk about it.

>> you have art and you are her her world.

we're working with the corporation and so they have everything.

they have, like, every picture that we need to and they have the rooms and everything, so yeah.

>> Ted: today was the american premiere in phoenix and actually, before coming to phoenix, it was one of the most interesting thing.

>> they love it.

>> Ted: what are they saying?

>> it's mistake!

>> Ted: you have to be an expert to understand what's going on?

>> you need to enter and the good thing is, everything has a beginning andbeginning and end and once you're finished, once you out, you will be an expert and it's a fun way.

>> Ted: these immersive activities and exhibitions where you don't just stand there and read something, this is the wave of the future?

>> this is fun to know about culture, history and art and the way to be?

>> Ted: digital aspects make a big difference?

>> yes, and in will keep evolving.

>> Ted: this is the kind of thing you can take on the road?

>> yeah, of course.

we're a tour and from here, we go to puerto rico.

>> Ted: you have plans to go elsewhere and puerto rico and where else?

>> we have some plans.

[ laughter ] >> Ted: i see.

have you ever worked on anything spectacular to this in the past?

>> yes, i have.

we did a couple other exhibits before.

>> Ted: but to this extent?

>> kind of, fog like nothing like this one.

>> Ted: and so i guess have to ask, you're an operations manager for this.

>> i have worked with artist.

>> this is her baby.

>> Ted: give folks information as to where this is and the times to see this.

>> this is on our website and here until the end of the august and open wednesday through sunday, different hours and open at 10:00 a.m. and during the weeks, we stay open later until 8:00 p.m. >> Ted: very good and here as long as people want to see it.

>> so good!

>> Ted: congratulations.

>> check it out.

thank you.

>> Ted: that's it for now and thank you so much for joining us and you have a great evening.

coming up on arizona pbs, a look at the impact home d.n.a.

test results an have on families.

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