Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com June 17, 2020 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Jackie Deal GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2018 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear DEADLINE : WED. J ULY 8 TH for the July 15 TH edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com COVID-19 updates "On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin." – Gregory S. Williams Between the pandemic, protests, and the heat, it's no wonder folks are feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. Arizona has been spotlighted in the national news recently with recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Just Tuesday morning, we were shocked to hear a record-breaking 2,392 new cases were reported in the state. For the past 75+ days (shortly after 9am) I've been sharing the state's corona- virus daily updates on Desert Mes- senger News Facebook page. I tell, ya, it's not a fun job, espe- cially when I don't get paid for it. I had no idea this is how every morn- ing would begin, when I vowed to myself to keep the public informed all those years ago. Nor did any other journalist realize they would be impatiently hitting "refresh" over and over again waiting for the State's website to update and hope- fully not crash. Some folks are an- gry that I post these numbers, while others are grateful of the informa- tion. But those who are angry with me get very vocal and loud. My mom always wanted me to be open to hearing from those of dif- ferent backgrounds, attitudes, and races. And those were the days when respectful communication was the COVID-19 Testing Blitz Here are the results from La Paz County Health Dept. 2-day COV- ID-19 Testing Blitz. Out of the 303 tests, we had fi ve positives. These cases have already been included in our daily totals. 6-16-2020 update: The La Paz County Health Department has been notifi ed of sixteen additional positive cases, bringing the total to 238. One individual is in the Ehren- berg service district and within the age range of 20-44 years old. Eight individuals are in the Parker service district and within the age ranges of under 20, 20-44, 45-54 and 55-64 years old. The remaining seven cas- es are in the Colorado River Indian Tribes service district. The La Paz County Health Depart- ment is continuing the process of interviewing close contacts of the reported cases, as well as recom- mending each person monitor for symptoms and quarantine them- selves, based on risk exposure. The health department is report- ing the cases entered into the state system. Please keep in mind, there may be a delay, from the time an individual is diagnosed, to the time the case is entered into the system. Please do your part and stay home when you are sick: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with un- washed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces For more information on La Paz County and the state, please visit the ADHS coronavirus website at www.azdhs.gov/coronavirus, the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/COV- ID19 , the La Paz County Health De- partment website at https://www. lpchd.com/ and the Facebook page @LaPazCounty.HealthDepartment norm, at least in my town. But now- a-days folks spew their discontent in language that if I used, my mom would have washed my mouth out with soap. Once was all it took for me. I'd like to see a world where disagreements were civil again, however I do recognize that civility does not always get the attention re- quired for deep and lasting change. We are in changing times for sure. But how will we respond to these changes? Will we continue to attack each other or recognize that we are actually all related and we can learn from each other's viewpoint? What if we looked at each other as Brother or Sister, Auntie or Uncle, Grandma or Grandpa, son or daughter? Yes, we have the pandemic. Yes we have strains our the economy. Yes we have protest, bringing up fears and unsettling emotions. But when we realize we are more alike than different, it's amazing what we can do together. And it sure helps our emotional welfare. And it's a lot more fun anyway! So let's get with it, folks! Reach out to someone who looks different, loves different, or lives different than us and LISTEN and learn about our si- miliarites. In turning to nature for wisdom, I'd like to close with this quote from Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientifi c Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. "The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don't yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together."

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