Good morning, Tucson. Your support is appreciated more than a beekeeper at a Diamondbacks game. Here’s your news roundup for May 3, 2024.
Fri ☀️ 89° • Sat ☀️ 90° • Sun ☀️🍃 89°
NWS Midtown forecast
🌵 Arizona lawmakers have repealed the state’s 1864 abortion ban.
Two Republicans crossed party lines to move the repeal through the Senate, after the House advanced it last week. Governor Hobbs signed the repeal into law Thursday afternoon. New laws typically do not take effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends, meaning there could still be a period where the 1864 law is active. Lawsuits are already in progress to close the gap.
🌵 Police clashed with pro-Palestine demonstrators on the University of Arizona campus.
Early Wednesday morning, law enforcement officers from UAPD, TPD, and Arizona state troopers pushed back protestors and cleared out a pro-Palestine encampment on the UA Mall. Four people were arrested during clashes, in which police used pepper balls and rubber bullets. UA President Robert Robbins later said the use of force was warranted.
🌵 Arizona ranks next-to-last in the country for access to adult mental health care.
The rankings come from the nonprofit Mental Health America, and are based on the prevalence of mental illness and access to care. Another contributing factor to Arizona’s low ranking is reduced access to health insurance.
For just $5/month, you can help us build a long-lasting Tucson news service.
🌵 The Desert Museum had to close Wednesday after a wild, potentially rabid fox bit an employee.
Just before the museum was scheduled to open, staffers encountered two foxes fighting each other. When one employee tried to intervene, a fox bit their leg, but did not break the skin. The staffer had already received a rabies vaccine, which is a common practice for people who handle wildlife. Both foxes were captured and euthanized.
🌵 Lastly, a beekeeper has gone viral after removing a swarm of bees behind home plate at an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game.
The start of the game was delayed due to a swarm of bees atop the protective netting behind home plate. Diamondbacks officials summoned Matt Hilton from a local pest control company, who was raised into the air on a scissor lift while fans cheered. After Hilton vacuumed the bees for relocation, he was asked to throw out the first pitch, while still wearing his beekeeper garb. The Diamondbacks won 4-3 in the 10th inning.