Arizona Weekend Recap: The Top Stories From The Past Week

It was a busy news week, with everything from the state of live music in Arizona to the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments making news.

The week that was had its fair share of newsworthy items, though we'll focus on the top-five storylines from the past seven days in this rundown.

Here are the top stories from the past week on Arizona Patch:

Arizona Music Venues Reach A COVID-19 Crossroad

It's no question that the live music industry has been especially hard hit by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Patch reported on how the pandemic has hurt locally owned venues, like the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, the Marquee Theatre in Tempe and the Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, on Tuesday.

Stephen Chilton, who runs the Rebel Lounge in addition to serving as the vice president of the National Independent Venue Association, said the bottom line is that venues will continue to struggle until COVID-19 vaccinations get to the point where herd immunity is possible.

"And venues are still not out of the woods," he said. "We still have not received federal funding. It's coming. We're hoping that opens soon. But venues are still struggling. We're still just barely holding on, and we still need support."

Moderna To Conduct Trial Vaccinations For Children In Arizona

Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced on Tuesday that the company would start a series of clinical trials in the U.S. and Canada to evaluate the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children.

The company's trial will vaccinate 6,750 children under the age of 12, with Arizona being one of the locations chosen.

"We are encouraged by the primary analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273 in adults ages 18 and above and this pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population," Stephanie Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said in the release.

Over 500K COVID-19 Given At State Farm Stadium Site

The Arizona Department of Health Services' COVID-19 mass vaccination site at State Farm Stadium hit a milestone on Monday.

The site has now given out more than 500,000 vaccine doses since opening its doors on Jan. 11.
The total at the home of the Arizona Cardinals is around 20 percent of the state's total number to-date, according to the AZDHS' COVID-19 dashboard.

Phoenix City Council Reopens Parks & Recreation Facilities

The Phoenix City Council voted to reopen outdoor recreational spaces on Tuesday for the first time in three months.

The council also allows parks to resume athletic field reservations and local tournaments later this month.
The council also approved additional restrictions for Easter weekend at the beginning of April for parks across the city.

Other city-owned facilities, such as golf courses, hiking trails and city parks have been open with normal operating hours since Oct. 8.

Sports tournaments and field reservations can resume on March 22, with both being paused since Dec. 3.

Any sports teams or organizations using the city-owned park facilities must follow safety procedures, with coaches and officials wearing face coverings, while maintaining six feet of distance between the field and spectators, and an on-site person that's working with city staff.

During Easter weekend, all parking lots at city parks will remained closed and grilling and large gatherings will be prohibited to prevent mass gatherings that could spread the virus, the release said.

Grand Canyon University Eager To Make NCAA Tournament Debut

The Grand Canyon University Antelopes will face a quintessential "David vs. Goliath" matchup in the team's first-ever NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance.

The 'Lopes, similarly to the biblical tale, will be tasked with beating a juggernaut with a dearth of tools at their disposal.

The difference is that David in this circumstance must face off against National Player of the Year frontrunner, Luka Garza, and an Iowa Hawkeyes team that went 21-8 overall and 14-6 during the team's Big Ten conference matchups.

GCU head coach Bryce Drew knows that the 'Lopes face daunting odds at springing an upset Saturday.

He also knows that GCU, just like David, has the right combination of faith and confidence on its side.

"All of our players know basketball, they're intelligent. We're a 15 seed, they're a two seed," Drew said. "In the history, 8-132 is the record. And so the percents are not with you winning that game.
"But it has been done, and it first has to start with a belief system, where you have to believe it. [Hopefully] we can be in a situation where these guys can hopefully go out and perform at a high level."

Arizona Could Get Wetter Than Average Monsoon In 2021

After one of the driest Monsoons on record a summer ago, there may be cause for celebration in 2021.

That's the initial takeaway from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, which released its precipitation predictions for the United States for June, July and August on Thursday.

The center found that most of the Grand Canyon State has an above-average chance of receiving more rain that normal during the summer months.