Pima News

Track athletes given the runaround
News, Pima News, Sports

Track athletes given the runaround

Story and photos by LANISSA PATTERSON While the Pima Community College track team finished competing in the NJCAA Indoor National Championship March 4 and 5, it has been two years since the Pima Community College West Campus track was closed to the general public.  The track’s surface is blemished with cracks, some of which span over three lanes. There are mounds where the track does not lie flat. Walking on the track is comparable to walking on bricks. In addition, the West side of the track is torn and unusable. PCC West Athletic Director Jim Monaco is well aware of the condition of the track, calling it “very dangerous.” While the final cost of the installation is still being assessed, Monaco states the lowest estimates start at $200,000. Despite the obvious risks of usin...
Results: NJCAA indoor track finals— Gardner a champion
News, Pima News, Sports

Results: NJCAA indoor track finals— Gardner a champion

By LANISSA PATTERSONPima Post The Pima Track and Field competed March 4 and 5 in Pittsburgh, Kansas, for the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. "Coming home with a national champion and 80 percent of our teams being All-Americans was awesome."Chad Harrison, Pima Coach According to the Aztec Athletics website, the men's team placed 14th overall and earned 17 points at the indoor championships. Sophomore Reece Gardner took home the NJCAA National title in the Heptathlon and earned All-American status. Gardner also set a new Pima pole vaulting record with a mark of 15 feet 5 inches. Freshman Joel Gardner received NJCAA All American honors by placing eighth in the 5,000-meter race, with a time of 14 minutes, 43.36 seconds. In the female division, the women’s tra...
Pima club to help homeless— and you can, too
Culture, Events, News, Pima News

Pima club to help homeless— and you can, too

By EMILY GASTELUMPima Post Volunteers are needed as Pima Honors Club is hosting RISE 2022 March 17 and 18 to help the homeless. The Honors Club is looking for volunteers to make care packages as well as to be a community resource and to provide food for the needy.  The club will host a meeting from 3 to 4 p.m. March 15 to discuss the planning of future meetings for RISE. Those who are interested can check out the Pima Engage link to join via Zoom. Volunteers can report at noon until 3 p.m. March 17 at the Amethyst Room in Downtown Campus for the set-up of the event, which will include making the care packages. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 18, help is needed in distributing the packages. These care packages will include backpacks, masks, toothbrushes, menstrual products, non-p...
PCC mask update: mask on, mask off
News, Pima News

PCC mask update: mask on, mask off

By KEVIN HARTUNGPima Post If you think the on-again/off-again mask mandates are just adding to the confusion, you are not alone. In 2021, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced on May 13 that vaccinated individuals could resume normal daily activities without wearing a mask or physical distancing, then qualified that guidance on July 27 by advising vaccinated individuals to continue wearing masks and observe physical distancing “in indoor spaces.”  While many of us are hoping for an end to COVID-19 mandates, it appears that for Pima Community College it is not in the cards—yet. In her response to an email inquiry, Libby Howell, Executive Director/Media, Community, & Government Relations for the college provided the current outlook for the college. “As for how the Co...
Pima beats Scottsdale to advance to Region I, Division II finals
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Pima beats Scottsdale to advance to Region I, Division II finals

Pima bench celebrating. (Photo by Stephanie Van Latum) By NATE MARTINEZPima Post The Pima College women’s basketball team advanced to the finals of the 2022 Region I, Division II tournament after beating No. 3-seeded Scottsdale Community College 54-45 in a highly physical game. “The main thing was we stayed composed; they were out of control,” guard Melissa Simmons said. “Family-wise, we stayed close with each other, (we had) great communication. We stayed together as a group from first quarter to fourth quarter.” The Aztecs played their second game without injured starting guard Angel Addlemann (Palo Verde grad), but other guards such as Melissa Simmons, Luisa Chavez (Rio Rico) and Priscila Varela stepped up in her absence. “I just felt like they did such a good job, collec...
Flood in West Campus’ J Building caused temporary closure
News, Pima News

Flood in West Campus’ J Building caused temporary closure

By KEVIN HARTUNGPima Post If you were like me on Monday, you woke up late, drove across town and hurried to get to class on time, only to find the second floor of the J Building was closed and your class was canceled. These classes and some offices in the J Building on West Campus were closed because of unexpected flooding. So, what happened? In an emailed response on March 2, spokeswoman Libby Howell for Pima Community College acknowledged the unexpected flooding. “The cause of the flooding was a floor sink faucet in the second floor custodial closet of J-Building that was left running overnight,” Howell said. “The community service officer found the faucet running on Monday morning at 6:25 a.m.” Howell said that classes on the second floor resumed Tuesday and ...
Audiences absorb ‘Spongebob Musical’
Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Pima News, Reviews

Audiences absorb ‘Spongebob Musical’

What: “The Spongebob Musical”Where: Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam RoadWhen: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday.ASL interpreters will be at the March 3 show. Cost: $12-$24Information: 520-206-6986 and online By EMILY GASTELUMPima Post  “The Spongebob Musical” makes you feel like a kid again. It was a chance to see your favorite characters come to life. Spongebob, who was played by Samantha Beamer, brilliantly brought the water sponge to life.  It seemed like Spongebob was actually there and that the audience was in Bikini Bottom trying to save the town from an active volcano. The rest of the cast also took their characters and brought them to life. It was exciting to see how the cast and director Chris Will portrayed the characters. “Spongebob ...
The Word: What are your thoughts on the U.S. involvement in Ukraine?
News, Opinion, Pima News, Politics

The Word: What are your thoughts on the U.S. involvement in Ukraine?

By JOSH BAILEYPima Post “The U.S. should intervene if necessary but ‘play Switzerland’ and avoid World War III in the meantime. I really hope we can avoid war.” Veronia VasqueraMajor: Translation Interpretation “Even though the U.S. tends to put its foot where it doesn’t belong, Russia being able to take Ukraine is a big issue for us. It sets the stage for further conquest, and no matter what we do, war is inevitable. Russia is very much so a threat and can start the next world war.” Emile HarrisMajor: Psychology “U.S. intervention can end up just like Vietnam, and look how that ended. We lost. Look at Afghanistan. We lost.” Adrian IbarraMajor: Digital Arts “I don’t think we should get involved, but if things get worse, we might have to.” ...
Divided board confirms contract extension for Chancellor Lambert
News, Pima News, Politics

Divided board confirms contract extension for Chancellor Lambert

By KEVIN HARTUNGPima Post “I voted to continue Chancellor Lambert’s contract based on his outstanding leadership over the past two years. His response to the COVID crisis was swift and seamless."Board President Catherine Ripley Pima Community College Chancellor Lee Lambert’s contract extension received a narrow favorable vote in October.  In 2013, Lambert arrived at a college that was struggling, a college on probationary status and a chancellor who left in disgrace. He took charge and set goals to turn the college around. The PCC Board of Governors voted Oct. 10 to extend Lambert’s contract for one year in an affirmative 3:2 vote. A 2% increase to his base salary was approved, taking Lambert from $342,093–in a prior five-year contract running from 2020-2025– to a base ...
Pima sports results for Feb. 13-17
Pima News, Sports

Pima sports results for Feb. 13-17

By NATE MARTINEZPima Post The Aztecs’ Men’s Track team broke three indoor school records and Pima Women’s Basketball forward Keara Felix earned the ACCAC’s Division II player of the week. At the Mesa Indoor Invitational Feb. 13, No. 1 ranked Orian Barger finished at first place in the 600-meter race with a time of 19.54 seconds, breaking Pima’s original indoor record.  No. 8 ranked Reece Gardner also broke an indoor record in the heptathlon with a total point score of 4,859. He finished first in the event and earned a national qualifier. And No. 13 ranked Joel Gardner earned a school record and a national qualifier in the 5000-meter race event with a time of 15:09.16. On the women’s team, three Aztecs earned first-place finishes in the same invitational. Jada Olsen h...