Record rainfall wreaks havoc on local roadways.

We've already started to strategize on how we're going to make those repairs, adapting to change during the pandemic, how to move forward.

We can only control what we can control, what we can't control.

We don't necessarily need to fixate on.

Vaccine mandates are headed to court.

What that means for workers.

So ultimately, the city has stopped enforcing that vaccine mandate as they figure out the legal grounds they have here.

Hello and welcome to Arizona 360.

I'm Tony Paniagua and I'm filling in for Lorraine Rivera.

Thanks for joining us.

This year's abundant summer monsoon has been a boon to plants and animals in the desert, but multiple storms have also toppled trees, destroyed public and private property or damaged roadways.

The Pima County Department of Transportation is responsibl for about two thousand miles of roads in its jurisdiction, and experts are assessing the damage before beginning repairs.

We spoke to an assistant division manager from that department.

We've seen things throughout the county, and it hasn't been in just one location.

So kind of every part of town has been touched this year with the amount of rain that we had.

We've seen potholes pop up.

Most of it has been sections of roadway that have come up in wash areas We've seen some wash outs and some other things.

Obviously, a lot of damage also to our unpaved roads as well.

You've been in the department for approximately 10 or 11 years.

That's correct.

Have you ever seen a monsoon like this one?

No, we haven't.

I was actually looking at the data for this area.

And over the last 13 years, we haven't seen a storm like -- storm events for this smart type of monsoon.

This is we all got almost twelve point four inches in this area alone.

I know people are celebrating the rain because it was needed, but it obviously can lead to other issues, especially for a Department of Transportation.

It does.

I think we're welcome the rain and we will deal with what the fallout is as it goes.

So where are we and what happened at the swash crossing?

We are on South, Jamie, and this was a newly paved wash crossing probably sometime this spring.

And what we suspect is the new pavement actually got lifted up, the water ran underneath.

And when it came back down, it caused kind of a cobbled effect It's almost like bubble wrap.

And there obviously there's a lot of damage and very uneven road.

And you can see the damage right there.

Yes, it's split right along the centerline.

And how does that get fixed?

What has to happen in this location?

We will come out and we'll mill the road back out and repave this section of the road.

We've also talked about locations where we have similar effects, where we'll pu concrete header curbs to help them hold the roadway where it's supposed to be and prevent that water from getting up underneath the pavement.

If somebody wants this fixed quickly or immediately after the storm, why does the county wait?

We have to let things dry out.

We obviously don't want to come back out here or schedule work when there's another storm coming right behind it.

There's also the damage.

You know, when you open up a road, it just allows for more water intrusion.

And if things don't have time to kind of settle in place, the damage can just come right back.

Michelle, how much roadway is Pima County Department of Transportation in charge of and how many people do you have working in that department for repairs, for example, such as here.

Maybe about 1900 miles of roadway that we were responsible for.

We have a staff of about a hundred in maintenance and operations that help maintain those roads.

How do you prioritize the repairs that need to be made?

Because I know, for example, some roads may be less traveled in others.

Correct.

Safety is our first priority.

So making sure that the roads can be passed safely or closed if they cannot.

And then we repair based off of obviously the arterial collector network is prioritized over the local roads.

This fall definitely will be out there making repairs.

We've already started to strategize on how we're goin to make those repairs.

A lot of it will be done in-house.

Some of it may be sent to our contractors to help out.

And what about budget?

How much money is available?

Do you keep a kitty for situations like this one, or does it come out of the general budget?

It comes out of our general operating budget.

So one of the things that we've benefited from with our payment preservation program is that we have a reduced cost.

We've seen a lot of less service requests come in for our pothole patching.

So some of those funds, I'm sure this year will be diverted to helping maintain and rebuild the roads that were damaged.

OK, and anything else you'd like to say about this topic?

I understand that there's still a lot of work to be done, and we recognize that and we are working towards that Our first priority has been always to maintain safety.

So when we go out and touch an area after a storm is to clean it up, to make it safe to pass, it may not be to the same level that they've expected or come to expect on our -- maintenance.

But that doesn't mean that we're done.

We will be going back to those areas and doing a full cleanup.

But we were kind of in firefighter mode there for a while.

And now that things are starting to dry out, things will start moving again.

Getting back to normal as far as repairs that will be happening this fall, we have a grading cycle of three months for our dirt roads and so on our unpaved roads.

Those will be getting touched within the next three months.

And then we are moving to repair all these pavement damages as we go.

OK, Michelle, thank you very much for joining us.

Thank you.

The Sunnyside Unified School District is moving along this academic year, despite challenges associated with COVID 19.

It is the second largest district in southern Arizona where nearly fifteen thousand students enrolled.

Earlier this week, we spoke with Steve Holmes, the superintendent.

Certainly one of the biggest requirements that I think we're seeing have a lot to do with cleanliness, keeping our buildings clean, disinfecting, certainly washing your hands.

And then equally important is the recommendation to wear masks, really trying to follow what the CDC has placed for guidelines for opening schools.

And that's what we continue to follow and recommend to our staff, into our students and parents.

And of course, there has been some controversy about mandating mask usage.

The universities are asking that students wear masks and staff.

What can the school districts do and how does that counter with what the state wants to be done So currently there's a there's a debate on and a court case around when the state legislators law becomes enacted.

In other words, there was a law that was passed last legislative session that said the school districts could not mandate vaccines and could not mandate the use of masks.

For students.

We started the year in compliance and asking that it b highly recommended that students wear masks.

Phenix Union was the first district to require masks, and subsequently there was a lawsuit that was filed.

That lawsuit has kind of placed the tentative hold on that law pending the technicality that the law doesn't go into effect until October excuse me, September 29.

So our governing board decided that they wanted to follow the CDC guidelines.

And because we had that window, we are now requiring masks of all students and staff up until when that legislation becomes law, which is, again, tentatively scheduled for September 29th, depending on what the outcome of the lawsuit will be.

And I would imagine you and other superintendents are hopeful that the case goes in your favor insofar as allowing the school districts to decide whether they should mandate masks.

I think the local control issue is something that we all superintendents want - - want that ability to do, particularly when it comes to health standards and different community transmission rates , right.

You know, you have a federal agency that's recommending the use of Matsson schools, yet you have different states who are saying that we cannot mandate masks at this point.

I definitely defer more to our federal health agencies and local control.

Another contentious point to consider is vaccinations.

Are you asking that your employees be vaccinated mandating that they be vaccinated?

We are not we're not mandating a vaccination right now.

There's certainly a difference of opinion.

There's different folks who feel differently about the vaccine and to their own personal healt right now is not a requirement.

It does not it's not something that we're looking at mandating here in our district.

And as far as socialization of team sports after school activities and so on, how are they moving along this new semester?

So it was great.

We had our first rivalry game between the sunny side, and that would be on Friday, very well attended.

It's outdoors.

So outdoors, we recommend that people still use masks.

It's not required, not even in our current.

Our current recommendation is for indoor use, only for the use of masks.

So outdoors, The outdoor activities people are wearing as they feel comfortable in that.

It was very well attended people.

We're following a lot of those rules.

Indoor activities are going to require masks even for our athletic events as well.

And we're trying to limit attendance in the indoor activities because that's where you have a close confined places, but outdoors.

It was great to have our first football game in over two years And how confident are you that Covid is being kept at bay For example, I noticed on your website that you currently have three staff positive cases when it comes to Covid and about seventy three students who tested positive.

Most of them in the high school.

Is that you think, because of their age and they're more active to engage in riskier behavior.

I think there's more independence with with high school students, so they're around a lot more kids.

We have larger schools as well.

And so their interaction with with more people is just kind of more common as they get older and they become more independent in how they spend their free time.

I think that's a big a big deal.

We on the onset, when we first opened schools, we were dealing with a lot more cases, specifically trying to make sure we're doing contact tracing and doing all the things necessary to notify folks when we found positive cases.

They seem to have tapered off over the last week.

We'll see what happens because of the Labor Day weeken if we see another uptick.

But we've sort of flatlined and have begun to see a little bit of tapering off in in in the number of cases.

So that's a good sign.

And then finally, what would you ask parents or the community at large to do to help you in your mission?

I think just to be patient with us as we make changes in decisions, some of it is our reaction to policy.

Some of it is our reaction to state and local health standards that, quite frankly, have changed over the course of this last 17 months for us.

And so sometimes it feels like we have weekly decisions.

So I ask for your patience.

And as that you you help us follow.

Health and safety guidelines and that we kind of find some agreement, even though we may have opposing viewpoints around this virus, that we find agreement specific for for our students and for our community, that they see us really trying to come together to beat this thing and to get through this and to get back to a semblance of normal that people want so desperately.

Superintendent Steve Holmes, thank you very much for joining us.

Thank you so much.

Adapting to change may be difficult for some students or teachers, and it's presenting its share of issues in homes.

But patience and understanding are key, says Amanda Tashijan.

She's a counseling program director at the University of Arizona College of Education Students are interesting because I think generally they're excited to be back with their peers, especially for those who are back in school face to face.

I think with students, it's again another transition.

So it's how am I going to manage my homework now that I don't have the same flexibility?

Maybe my teachers aren't going to be as lenient about me turning in that assignment late because I'm in school.

And the expectation went back to how it was pre Covid.

I think also, while it's a great thing that kids are able to socialize again, some of those social anxiety pieces kick up for some students.

Some students really liked having that alone time in that space, and they got use to it.

Other students are eager to be with their friends.

And so I think the message I would send to students is be cautious and be honest about how you're feeling about being with your friends.

What what do you want that to look like?

What feels good?

How are you balancing your homew Is it overwhelming?

Is it under Talk to your teachers.

I think schools are an incredible system with so many built supports.

We have amazing school counselors throughout all of Arizona taking advantage of some of our school counselors.

And the resources they have is a great thing for students to do at the collegiate level.

We have a ton of resources on our college campuses as well for students to use student services, counseling, support, peer groups, tutoring services.

And those are all outlets that are incredibly beneficial for students of all ages.

I think the same message applies to educators as it does to students and parents.

One of the the differences, I would say, about educators is really talking with other educators about their experiences, their feelings and how they're managing their classroom, for example.

I know that some teachers are juggling hybrid based settings, and that is a challenge in and of itself.

Teachers are often our front line workers.

They see students struggling with a variety of things, emotional, behavioral, family systems, related issues.

And they can take on that stress, too.

There's actually an organization called TREC.

They have amazing resources for teachers in particular, but educators really need a special space to talk to one another outside of maybe their family or their other social supports because they are experiencing such unique stressors, especially related to Covid.

And this new transition that we're all in.

You are a licensed professional counselor here in the state of Arizona.

Can you tell us a little bit about how Covid has come into play throughout the sessions that you've been having with some of your clients?

I think many of the clients that I work with, whether I was seeing them befor Covid or during Covid Covid has really exacerbated people's responses to stressors So things that maybe weren't stressful before are stressful now.

And so it's really illuminated how people cope and how they adapt to change when change is unexpected and feels very much out of control.

I would say my motto, working with clients, especially as it relates to Covid, is we can only control what we can control, what we can't control.

We don't necessarily need to fixate on because it's not helpful.

It tends to create more anxiety and more frustration along the way.

So, for example, you can wear a mask even of the people around you are deciding not to.

You can get vaccinated if others choose not to as well Exactly, and you can choose to make changes that feel good for you.

One of the big recommendations I have for people of all ages is just carving out 30 seconds, maybe three minutes of our day to really recognize how we were feeling and how did we respond to that feeling.

Most of the time, if we're feeling happy, we don't take too much time to really think about it.

We enjoy it.

We're very much in the moment.

But when we're feeling maybe anxious or sad or frustrated or overwhelmed, we--we often tend to push those feelings aside or work through them rather than saying this is really how I'm feeling and maybe I need this, maybe I need to go take a five minute walk, maybe I need to do some deep breathing.

Maybe I just need a few minutes to myself in a quiet space.

And just taking that little bit of time tends to make a big difference because it does reframe what we can control , but also it gives us space to acknowledg how we're feeling.

We were speaking ahead of this interview, and you mentioned that you are not particularly in love with the term the new normal.

Can you explain that, please?

I don't love that term, because normal to me means average as a counselor, as a researcher, that seems more like a stats term than anything else.

I think normal when we talk about it, especially as it relates to Covid, we're talking about how our routines have changed.

And it's that desire to have our routines back to what they were before.

And so normal is relative.

Average is relative.

I really prefer the term adaptation.

How do we adapt to change?

How flexible can we be?

How resilient can we be?

Maybe with the understanding that normal isn't going to be what it was before and it might never go back to that again.

And that's a really big concept to digest.

But if we think about it day to day, it becomes a little bit more palatable.

It becomes more understanding and reasonable to manage.

Dr Amanda Tashijan thank you very much for joining us.

Absolutely.

Thank you for having me.

Across the United States, Afghan refugees are settling into new homes.

It's the latest challenging chapter Afghans are facing in their long and complicated history, which motivated other Afghans to move here before them.

Various families began new lives in Tucson years ago, although they continue to worry about their friends or relatives they left behind.

This peaceful garden in midtown Tucson is a world away from the turmoil and violence of Afghanistan.

But for Marzieh Barbari, the events in her native country remain close to her heart and mind.

Barbari and her family have friends and loved ones in an isolated area of Afghanistan throughout that country.

She says the Internet and phone service have been intermittent or unavailable.

We are so worried about them because we can't contact with them.

We can't speak about the situation in my village in Afghanistan.

And maybe something so terrible happened and anybody can know about it.

Barbari and her sister are some of the refugees from different countries that meet weekly at this community garden on the University of Arizona campus.

Iskashitaa Refugee Network operates the gardening and art program.

It's an outdoor outlet where participants can practice English while making new friends.

Christina Early as a volunteer for a Iskashitaa We respect that culture, but we also are not shy about reaching out and letting folks know that they're welcome here.

We want them to be part of the community and we want to learn about their culture.

Iskashitaa has been around for nearly two decades, helping thousands of new Americans along the way.

We've had refugees go all the way and graduate fro the U of A.

We celebrate them when they get their citizenship You see people blossom.

You see people come in and they're quiet.

They're not sure what to expect.

And then before long, you see them, they're smiling, they're laughing.

They're-they're ready to help.

And it is heartwarming.

Gretchen Crossely is an art teacher who began volunteering when she moved to Tucson from Washington State.

She's now discovering new worlds, she says.

Last week, for example, we were doing watercolor pomegranates and a lot going on, obviously, with Afghanistan And it was very quiet.

But there's just this feeling of, you know, love and care.

We all care.

There's a lot of hugging and OK, that's just me.

But there's a lot of love for each other here.

And people like Bostan Ali, are grateful for the opportunity since he hasn't been with his loved ones for almost a decade.

Nine years, I not see, I not see my family.

It is really hard.

Bostan Ali crossed from Afghanistan to Pakistan in 2012, where he lived for less than three weeks.

From there, he made it to a refugee camp in Kenya before being able to migrate to United States in 2016.

His wife and children are still in Afghanistan, and he dreams of reuniting with at least some of them soon Salem aleykoum.

He's been told six of his relatives may qualify to move here, but with diplomatic relations deteriorating, everything is up in the air.

Every day, every day, I hear news about Afghanistan.

Every time, every time when I'm at the house, I go to the youtube I hear what they did, what they hear, what's this?

I thinking, I thinking about my situation about my country.

It's a different story for Marzieh Barbari because she's in Tucson with her three sisters and parents and much more settled.

Barbari has found two jobs since moving here in 2017 from Iran, where the family had lived for almost 30 years after they left Afghanistan.

Tap, tap, tap.

She's also attending classes, expressing herself and choosing her own future.

But she's also concerned about the women and girls who remain in Afghanistan.

Living in a system ruled by the Taliban, they have to stay at home.

So some women have higher education and can, and cannot use in the in the community.

I like to every experience I have in US, I hope one, one day my, my country, and woman and girl in my countr have this experience and they feel they are free.

She says she counts her blessings every day.

I am very lucky.

I come here and I am safe.

My family is safe.

I think I am very lucky.

Mandating masks and vaccines remains a controversial issue, and it's especially true in local government.

The city of Tucson has said its employees must vaccinate or they could be suspended.

And this week, Pima County supervisors approved vaccine disincentives.

Meanwhile, the State Attorney General says mandating vaccines violates state law.

Here to break it down for us is Nicole Ludden.

She has been covering the issue for the Arizona Daily Star.

My realm of coverage really focuses on Pima County, the Pima County Board of Supervisors and City Council in Tucson.

So both of these local jurisdictions have been approaching the way they want to get their employees vaccinated differently through this kind of carrot stick approach, a mix of incentives and disincentives So the Pima County Board of Supervisors has actually led with a more incentive approach.

They voted to incentivize our employees to get vaccinated Three hundred dollars and three days of leave to use as they want.

On the other hand, the city of Tucson led with a disincentive approach, and they ultimately voted to give all unvaccinated city employees who weren't vaccinated in August.

24th, they voted to implement a five day suspension for those workers.

However, the implementation of that vaccination mandate in the city of Tucson has been put on hold due to a decision issued by Attorney General Mark Bernovich on Tuesday.

So obviously, a lot of this is still being worked out.

What can you tell us about the incentives that Pima County is providing?

Any idea on whether that did encourage some people to get vaccinated?

Have you heard from anybody working for the county?

Yeah, you know, in my conversations with county officials, it does seem like those vaccination numbers have increased at the beginning of, you know, when county board of Supervisor were considering voting to make those incentives, to put those in place.

I think the county employees had about a 40 around 40 percent vaccination rate.

And as of yesterday, they had about a 66 percent vaccination rate.

So it does seem like that three hundred dollars, those three days of leave are encouraging more county employees to get vaccinated.

And what about the city of Tucson?

You think this incentives are working to try to get more people vaccinating or is that not as effective?

You know, it's it's difficult to tell at the beginning of this process.

It looks like after the city announced that it was going to be giving out these 5 day suspensions after city employees.

Verified their vaccination status with the study, it was about 80 percent of them were vaccinated.

However, I believe as of today there are about 83 percent.

So it's a little bit more difficult to determine within the city workers.

There may just be this unmovable group of workers who just don't want to get the vaccine no matter what and are willing to challenge that in court or whatever means they can.

Let's talk about you mentioned Attorney State Attorney General Mark Bernovich So where does he stand right now and what happens next with that?

Right.

So the attorney general actually issued a decision on Tuesday.

He ultimately found that the city of Tucson is violating state law by imposing this vaccine mandate for its workers And that's all based on a budget reconciliation bill that was passed in June, later signed by Governor Doug Ducey that says no local government can mandate vaccines.

And with the passing of those legislative bills don't take effect until 90 days after the legislation's legislative session adjourns.

So that year, this year, that would be September 29th.

So the city of Tucson has kind of been racing the clock, if you will, to get as many people vaccinated under this mandate as they can before that September 29 deadline.

However, the attorney general is saying they're still violating that law, even though it's not necessarily in effect yet, because any vaccine city worker get in the meantime, can't be reversed.

Governor Jack Dorsey also issued an executive order shortly after the Tucson City Council made the decision to mandate vaccines, saying no local governments can mandate vaccines kind of as an attempt to fill that gap between the September 29th deadline.

So ultimately, the city has stopped enforcing that vaccine mandate as they figure out the legal grounds they have here.

I mean, the next step would be to take it to the Arizona Supreme Court to challenge that decision.

Nicole Lutton from the Arizona Daily Star, thank you very much for joining us.

Thank you.

That's all for now.

Thanks for joining us.

A programing note, we'll be taking a break over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, you can keep in touch on social media or via email at AZ360@azpm.org