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Volume • Number August ,
Inside
This Week
The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson
OVPD’s mental health OV launches portal for has gone to the dogs Dial-a-Ride BY KAREN SCHAFFNER
BY TUCSON LOCAL MEDIA STAFF
Tucson Local Media Staff
FEATURES ................... 8 Who's a good boy? Rescue Me Tucson will tell you
FEATURES ................. 12 Cider house celebration quenches your thirst for fun
LIVEN UP ................... 14 Pandemic, parenthood inspires Lovett's latest show HOT PICKS......................................2 SPORTS..........................................13 DINING..........................................16 PUZZLE/HOROSCOPES...............19 WORSHIP/CLASSIFIEDS.............20
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ourtney Santiago has, by her own account, a very stressful—and distressing—job, one that can sometimes keep her up at night. As an Oro Valley public safety telecommunicator, she is one of the first people you will speak to on the worst day of your life. “We are responsible for answering the public’s emergency and nonemergency phone calls,” she said. “There are a lot of calls that stick with us… Anything involving a death is always very difficult; it’s very hard because you feel those raw emotions over the phone. “Anything involving a child is very difficult. That is something that sticks with me and, I’m sure, other dispatchers here as well. Just hearing the caller’s frantic voice and emotion is also something that does play back in your head quite frequently.” Answering those 911 calls is not her only task. “We’re also responsible for officer safety,” Santiago said, “which is handling all the traffic and making sure our officers are safe.” Add to that Santiago’s work space: enclosed, darkened, small. On any given day, her job is not easy. Then Ari trots in and everything, at least for a few minutes, is better. Ari is the OVPD’s latest “hire.” Handled by the department’s public information officer,
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Darren Wright, she is a 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever. Her job: to be a comfort dog. By being friendly and allowing department members to pet and chat with her, Ari brings comfort and instant relief from a stressful day.
ro Valley has launched an online passenger portal for residents to access its Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride service. The system, implemented by the town’s Transit Services Division, is intended to replace and enhance the current online reservation system, a release said. With it, passengers can directly book rides, review upcoming trips, and track where buses are in real time. To familiarize passengers with the new system, the town has scheduled two in-person training courses. The sessions are 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, and 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, both in the Bill Adler Meeting Room at the Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja. There’s also a YouTube video walkthrough available to residents. To find it, click here: https://bit.ly/OVRegisterandRide. Oro Valley partners with the Pima County Regional Transportation Authority to provide transportation by way of Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride to people of all ages and needs in the community. All rides are free of charge and operated point-to-point; drivers pick up passengers at their homes, take them to their
see DOGS page 5
see RIDE pagE 6
Darren Wright and Ari work as a team, bringing a bit of stress relief and comfort to the Oro Valley Police Department members. (Karen Schaffner/Staff )
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