>> Coming up in the next hour on Arizona PBS on Arizona horizon, a Covid update with the executive director of the Arizona public health association and later on break it down, the similarities between black and Asian American twists.

That's ahead on Arizona PBS.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

Terrible, terrible story out of Texas.

14 children and a teacher are dead after a shooting today at an elementary school in a town 85 miles west of San Antonio.

Shooting occurredAn 18-year-old gunman pulled up to Robb elementary school with a handgun and rifle and the shooter was killed and no word yet on the motive and he may have killed a relative earlier in the day and the worst shooting since the parkland massacre in 2018.

>>> Senator Kyrsten Sinema made the 100 most influential people of 2022 and Sinema is a, quote, champion of the supplement senate with republican senator Lisa Murkowski describes her as a smart person and credited her for passing pass the infrastructure bill and Sinema was the only U.S. senator to make time magazine's list and a couple of health note.

A CDC study finding adults who test positive will experience one Covid symptom.

The most common conditions were respiratory symptoms and body aches and Covid patients were twice as likely to have conditions affecting the lungs.

A new survey finds the number one reason people want to lose weight is to improve their health and the Mayo clinic said it expected physical experience to be the top reason and 83% of respondents say they're motivated for health concerns and the results suggest a new movement in weight loss improving blood pressure and cholesterol as opposed to chasing after a certain appearance.

A recent uptick in Covid cases around the country raising concerns about a possible summer surge as waiting for the next round of Covid vaccines and the latest is will humble, the executive director of the Arizona pub health public health association and what do we make of the uptick of cases.

>> If you remember the Omicron wave was between Thanksgiving and, say, the end of January.

And that's a few months ago now and so what happens when you have a big wave of infections, that your body, you know, makes a lot of antibodies during that infection and those wane over time and as your antibodies wane, it makes you susceptible to reinfection and not having a bad outcome and you're left more open to infection, the more months that go by after these big waves.

>> Are these severe cases?

Are they less than severe in.

>> What?

>> An uptick in Arizona and more than we know and more people are testing with home test kits and if you look at ICU hospitalizations, it's flat, flat, flat and has been for a couple of months now and no increase there and on general ward floor, so the general -- the regular floors of the hospital, we see an increase in new admission for Covid-19 and not dramatic, but it's measurable and what I think what's interesting is, we're not seeing any changes in ICU admissions and those would be patients that would be having a harder time recovering.

>> So with that in mind, for those who have been vaccinated and got their booster, is it time to get that second booster or should you wait?

The CDC is supposed to be testing for something in the fall that is a better vaccine or a different vaccine?

What do you do?

>> First, talk to your doctor.

And I'll just use myself as an example.

I got my booster shot in October of 2021 and eight months for me and I have an appointment on Saturday and so, you know, a bench mark is six months but talk to your doctor.

>> The ones coming out, tested in July and coming out in the fall for any cold weather surge that might be happening and will these be longer lasting where you don't have to go back every six to eight months.

>> The new vaccines that will be coming out in the fall, will those be a different vaccine where you don't need the boosters twice a year?

>> I don't know yet.

The thing we know about the virus, it has changed, the Alpha and Delta and we know this virus has changed a lot in two years and it's reasonable to expect it continue changing and I think there will be boosters.

>> It seems like it's engineered to dodge, isn't it, to dodge vaccines?

>> Natural selection.

>> People getting Covid now and vaccinated and boosted to some degree, are they experiencing Covid or too early to tell?

>> Most of the long Covid occurs with the initial infection and so that might have been a Delta infection last year and could have been an Omicron infection and seldom do you see long Covid from a reinfection.

>> Do you see long Covid from those who have -- the first infection, but they've been vaccinated and boosted?

>> No.

It tending tends to be the initial infection from those unvaccinated.

>> The Omicron antibodies aren't likely to protect against other Coronaviruses in the other unvaccinated.

Does that surprise you?

>> No, that makes perfect sense.

>> The antibodies are effective among those vaxxed, and it's a better playing field.

>> If you're vaccinated and you get boosted, you're jumping up your antibody tighter and that's what you're doing to give you a better chance at fighting it off initially.

>> That tighter drifts and goes down.

>> Because if you're not exposed, you're body has not seen it and why am I making proteins and then boom, you're susceptible.

But remember, you're always protected against a bad outcome and you just might get an infection.

>> How many times can you get an infection?

I hear people I have Covid again and I've been vaccinated and got Covid again.

>> The answer is, we don't know and the time interval seems to be six to eight months in between.

I don't have a clear answer.

>> Before you go, there's the newer port on Sid, a bio marker for sudden infant death in drop and this sounds from a distance, huge.

>> A study from a couple of weeks ago finding babies -- they compared babies with a Sid outcome with babies that didn't and compared the concentration of an enzyme and from those that died from Sides had a Sides had a lower concentration and with that knowledge, if it pans out and if further research shows there's a link, it's something to test for with the Arizona's newborn screening program.

When babies are born in the right hours, there's a blood spot that the doctors or nurses collect and put it on a piece of paper and that's analyzed at the state laboratory and test for dozens of disorders where you can intervene quickly and that lends itself to that if -- if we can find that link.

And it would allow parents to be hypervigilant about those crib hygiene things, sleep on your back, no stuffed animals in the crib and don't overwrap and no smokes in the house.

>> The enzyme helps wake the baby when you've stopped breathing and it's a natural thing and it goes off in your head and that alarm never goes off.

>> And then what can you do about it to prevent exit and that's the key.

>> Could it be a play here and maybe there might be a medication and a way to get these kids back up to normal.

>> Down the road.

>> That would be a thing down the road.

>> One more thing.

New auditor general's report on long-term nursing care and this was not good.

>> It's among the worst reports I've seen coming out of the auditor general's office in my whole career, about the performance of the state health department with respect to inspecting nursing homes with a complaint from family members and the worst part was, they've been reclassifying high risk complaintsescomplaints to low risk to meet the time frames and that's different from not being able to recruit and that's intentionally hiding the vault.

>> Ed >> An earlier report back in 2019 said X, Y and Z.

They had five recommendations to improve their performance with nursing homes and on top of that, they tried to reclassify complaints to not get caught and I hope they take responsibility for this and don't try to o obviscate and if that's what they do with this, help us all.

I >> Will humble, good to have you and thank you to much.

>> My pleasure.

>> Up next, a college scholarship program for third graders.

>> Tonight, the latest on the mass shooting in Texas leaving a dozen children dead after your hour of local news on Arizona PBS.

>> A local nonprofit is offering a full ride college scholarship to a group of third graders to college program for kids and families in need and to learn more we're joined by a principal of Bernard black elementary and rob Rostosi.

>> Nice to be here.

RobandRob Rosztoczy.

>> My father was an immigrant who arrived in New York and quickly learned the value of a college degree and so he passed that onto us as children and did get a degree here in the United States and so our family has been involved in education in the west valley for many years and the action behind this program was my brother, Tom, and his wife Jill who created this in 2012 and made the promise to a class of third graders in Avondale elementary school.

>> Those killeds are in college now.

>> In college now.

>> Who took up the offer?

>> 67.

67 of the students graduated and of the 67, we have 35 now that are freshmen and two-year or four-year college program.

>> Pamela, how did your school get involved?

>> So, the foundation reached out to our superintendent and I got a phone call from him and he was sharing with he that Bernard back had been selected.

>> How did you feel?

>> Honored and excited.

>> The reaction from parents when they heard about the plan, that must have been emotional.

>> There were mixed emotions and took awhile to gain attraction and once it sunk in, they were excited and they were crying and they were celebrating and they were cheering and the kids were jumping up and down and screaming and cheering with the excitement.

>> And this is tuition, books, room and board and colleges.

>> Yes, so if they want a four-year university, just what you said, tuition and room and board and if they want to go, some have gone to private schools we'll match the same amount for the public and if they want to go out of state, they can do that, as well.

>> Yeah and Pamela, when the kids found out about this and the parents, did you notice more attention and maybe more attention to the studies?

>> So I've had a lot of questions and in talking about what this means for them and our teachers had an opportunity to work with the kids and have them look at different colleges in Arizona and they started selecting colleges to go to and started planning what they would like to do after graduation.

>> The importance that you've seen just of incentives and education, how big of a deal is that?

>> It's a big deal.

It motivates the students and removes barriers.

>> But you see that and do you think the parents and the community see that, as well?

>> I think they do and I believe they do.

In the conversations that I've had with our families, they are very excited and they understand that this barrier for them has been removed and the importance of all of the opportunities that their children will have and any other program that people are providing for their children.

>> Rob, this happened ten years ago and happened again, did you monitor to see how everyone was doing?

>> I think what we learned is that when we created the program, the idea was not just to provide financial assistance to students, but to impact families and impact schools and communities and I think that's what we learned is that it did change the conversation in the household and that's why the program starts in third grade.

The conversations changes how you think about education from an early point.

>> Are you seeing ha, seeing that, as well.

The conversation about education, when you get something like this in there and this is a shiny object and that's got a lot of people's attention, I would imagine?

>> It does, it does.

And the families are really excited about it and the students are now, you can see the motivation behind them and the excitement and asking a lot of questions about what is college and what can I do in college.

>> Teachers, how are they affected about this?

>> So they're excited, too, and we have a plan in place and we'll prepare these students for high school.

>> Because they have to graduate high school to get through college.

>> In the high school district.

>> So ten years ago, you have this program going and how soon before the next one?

>> A great question.

The first one was sort of a pilot and we felt like it was a success and I think now our ambition is to grow it and we would love to not have to wait ten years to do it again and we'll need to find some philanthropic partners to make that happen.

>> Congratulations to both of you and a great program and changing a lot and it has to be rewarding.

>> It's a very humbling experience, too, and so excited and we're grateful for the opportunity.

>> Thank you both for joining us and we appreciate it.

>> Thank you very pitch much.

[ ♪♪♪ ] [ ♪♪♪ ] >> The grand canyon is a renowned dentist destination point.

And This is when is the busiest tourist time in.

>> Summertime, when people are coming with their families.

>> Day hikes, trips and tours and what's available?

>> With grand canyon conservecy, we have hikes trips, overnight trips, rim walks along the rim of the canyon if you don't want to hike and river rafting, photography, and there's a lot and if you take a trip with the field institute, that money goes back into grand canyon national park to help with the projects.

>> These are guided?

>> Scientists, gee oleses geologists.

>> The rafting trip takes a little bit and you have vet a little bit and you can't let my Joe jump on the raft, can you >> You can't have little children.

>> There's on site art classes?

>> Yes.

>> Talk to us about that.

>> We've partnered we doe Sedona art center and iPhoneography to teach you to employee how to take photos with your iPhone.

>> But with social media and such, has that changed?

>> The grand canyon is all over the Internet, right, and all over social media and we are tagged everywhere and it's great for what awareness need to be funded.

>> It's to be aware of safety and making sure you don't go too far in the wrong direction and hiking, safety and precautions what have you got?

>> So we fund a group called the preventative search and rescue and these are volunteers who go down the trails and talk to people as they're on the trail and let them know, how far are you going and how much water do you have and did you know that if you want to go to, you know, to Indian garn, it's garden, it's a few miles down.

>> That would be the best -- judging from my hiking experience, the best advice for people going down is to remind them that the more you go down, the more you climb out and I don't think people realize that.

>> Down is optional, up is mandatory.

>> People don't think of it, but it gets warm down there.

>> Very, very hot, like phoenix temperatures and if you start up at the top and it's 80°, it can be 120° at the ranch and be aware, water, salty snacks and prepare before you take a hike in the summer.

>> When reading up on this, I learned about hypernatrimia.

I've never heard of that before.

The body holds too much water due to a lack of sodium.

>> Correct.

And you should have salty snacks, Fritos and make sure you eat a lot of assault of salt.

>> And the top 12 common hazards at the canyon and heat illness is number one.

And traumatic falls and people have to be careful.

It's a hike, but you have to watch yourself.

>> People don't realize that the grand canyon is a difficult hike if you're going down the canyon and seven miles down and eight miles up and it's intense.

So you need to be prepared understand how difficult the hike actually is.

>> For people concerned that if they take a hike or get lost out there, that medical help may not be far and too far away, I should say and heart attacks and things like that and you have to watch out for that.

What's available up there in case of a medical emergency?

>> That's the number one we have the peace R volunteers to stop this and talking to people before they go down and making sure they have what they need and they know what they're in for and rangers.

If you're on the main corridor trails, there's a ranger or somebody around and there are stations at Indian garden and phantom ranch or somewhere where it will take awhile.

>> When there's a thunderstorm approaching or there, lightning strike and that's a real possibility at the grand canyon and are the trails limited or closed or do you have more volunteers saying watch yourself?

>> You need to understand yourself, you probably shouldn't be out there and if you happen to be out there in an exposed area, try to find cover and some areas that are exposed and just be aware of what the weather is as you're going into the canyon.

>> And be aware of flash floods.

>> Absolutely.

You know, check the weather and all about preparedness.

>> In book, how not to die in the grand canyon, how can people get ahold of this?

>> Grandcanyon.org and be aware of what you need to do to stay safe on the trail.

>> Obviously, Covid impacted a lot of things and how did it impact crowds?

>> We lost our national crowds which was half of our crowds and we halved our attendance in 2020 and we're back up again and people are coming back.

>> Grand Canyon conservancy and good to see you.

>> Later this hour -- that's it for now.

Thank you so much for joining us.

You have a great evening.

Later this hour on break it down, the similarities between black and Asian America Pacific islanderislander activists.