By Allison Neri
Man sentenced for threatening McSally
Tucson resident Steve Martan, 58, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to threatening Rep. Martha McSally.
A TUSD campus monitor, Martan left six threatening voicemails at McSally’s office in May 2017. The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police traced the calls to a phone Martan had when he was arrested.
Oro Valley PD begins using drones
The Oro Valley Police Department will regularly use drones in search-and-rescue situations after they helped find an elderly woman who went missing.
A forfeiture fund has allowed OVPD to purchase three drones, one for $5,500 and two for $1,000 each.
Home destroyed by fire
An investigation is continuing into a blaze that damaged a northside Tucson home. Multiple agencies fought the fire in the home’s laundry room after its residents were unable to put out the flames themselves. They and their dog were safely evacuated.
Athlete competes in Boston Marathon
Tucson’s Sarah Sellers took second place at the Boston Marathon after training for seven months. The nurse anesthetist completed the marathon in 2:44.05 in high winds, rain and cool temperatures.
Sellers didn’t have sponsors, but that can possibly change. She now hopes to compete in the Olympic trials.
Rosie the Corpse Flower finally blooms
Rosie the Corpse Flower came alive, bringing a flood of visitors to the Tucson Botanical Garden. The flower, known as Amorphophallus Titanum, blooms once every decade and exudes a pungent scent, similar to a rotting corpse.
Man held on murder charges
Frank Eugene is being held in the Pima County Jail on multiple charges related to the death of 71-year-old Robert Belman, who was found restrained to a chair with neckties and belts during a welfare check.
The 34-year-old Eugene was found the following day in Belman’s truck and was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree burglary, kidnapping, and unlawful use of means of transportation.
Doctor indicted in opioid scandal
Dr. David Alan Ruben, 70, was indicted by a grand jury on 26 felony charges of unlawfully prescribing opioids.
The owner of the Healthcare Southwest in Tucson specialized in psychiatry and addiction. The state medical board found Ruben was prescribing unhealthy doses of opioids, putting patients at risk of addiction.
According to a press release, his medical license was suspended in April 2017.
Border patrol agent found not guilty in shooting
Border patrol agent Lonnie Swartz was found not guilty of shooting and killing Mexican teenager Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez through the fence between Arizona and Mexico in 2012.
Protestors closed exit ramps from Interstate 10, and blocked the intersection of Congress Street and Granada Avenue for 30 minutes. They marched to downtown Tucson, carrying signs in honor of the 16-year-old Rodriguez.
Burn ban hits Tucson
The Tucson drought has led to new fire restrictions that will begin May 1, according to an Arizona Department of Forestry announcement.
The new ban will include campfires, barbecues and wood stoves. Violations cost $5,000 per person, or $10,000 for organizations, and comes with a possibility of up to six months in prison. It is a Class B misdemeanor.
Pueblo High students protest TUSD
While some students and teachers are staging a walk-out, the Pueblo High School students planned a walk-in to support their principal Augustine Romero. He was involved in a grade-changing scandal in April, according to reports, and his contract was not renewed.
An investigation revealed he changed six students’ grades of an F to a D so they would graduate.
The high school students claim Romero has impacted their lives tremendously and want their voices to be heard.
