/ Modified aug 19, 2021 5:19 p.m.

COVID-19 in Arizona: Community spread, vaccines and education

Plus, a look at how and why the FBI has jurisdiction in some crimes committed in tribal lands.

Professor Michael Worobey, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona, discusses how COVID-19 cases in the state are close to entering "crisis mode." He also encouraged Arizonans to modify their holiday plans to just their immediate households.


With two vaccines claimed to be around 95% effective and preparations underway for distribution across the country, Lorraine Rivera spoke to University of Arizona law professorKirin Goff about possible COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Goff also discussed the history of vaccine requirements in different venues, like schools, and what Americans can expect in the future.


Ami Bunch, a teacher and parent in Tucson, discusses how she's holding up teaching her students online as her children also learn from home. Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin Williams said about 4,600 students are being homeschooled this year, almost 1,500 more students than previous years. Gabriel Trujillo, the superintendent for Tucson Unified School District, said kids leaving the district means less funding from the state.


Pam Betten, the chief academic officer at Sunnyside Unified School District, talks about how the pandemic has impacted enrollment, student performance, and student-teacher communication.


There have been several big news stories across tribal lands in Arizona this year, two of which are the killing of Tohono O'odham Police Officer Bryan Brown and a recent report detailing recommendations to decrease missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls cases across the state.

Lorraine Rivera spoke to Steve Patterson, an assistant special agent in the FBI based in Tucson, about when and why the FBI has jurisdiction for some crimes committed in tribal lands.

Arizona 360
Arizona 360 airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on PBS 6 and Saturdays at 8 p.m. on PBS 6 PLUS. See more from Arizona 360.
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona