YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona State Representative Tim Dunn and Democratic Strategist Karl Gentles both tuned in and came away with  mixed reviews.

“I think it was classic Trump high on hyperbole very low on substance and policy matters,” said Gentles.

“President Trump came across very well he was very somber when he started,” said Representative Dunn.

During his speech Trump addressed the assasination attempt, and the firefighter who died that day.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others. This is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness,” said Trump.

He also accepted the GOP nomination.

Representative Dunn wanted to hear insight on the president’s goals, and he feel’s like he got it.

“I Think he touched the critical points that are important especially for Yuma, Arizona, when he said drill baby drill we’re going to reduce the cost of energy that is huge for Yuma, Arizona and our agriculture industry,” said Representative Dunn.

While Gentles feels the former president didn’t offer much new information. 

“Very very short on substance and policy from my perspective, I do think that the themes in his speech did mirror one policy perspective though which was project 2025,” said Gentles.

According to the project’s website, it’s goal is to help establish a conservative administration.

With the election less than four months away, Gentles advises voters to stay informed.

“Do your research and be an informed voter that’s what we need, and I think if you’re an informed voter you’ll make the right decision,” said Gentles.

The democratic national convention will take place in August on the 19th through the 21st in Chicago. 

Virgin Galactic’s future fleet of commercial space planes will now have a home where they will be brought to life starting next year.

Virgin Galactic’s new “Delta” class space planes are set to take flight no earlier than 2026. The final flight of their previous space plane, VSS Unity, took place on June 8 and saw a Turkish astronaut and three space tourists reach suborbital space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic has already named an international group of crew members for one of the first Delta class flights, which will include past Virgin Galactic American private astronaut Kellie Gerardi, who flew aboard Galactic 05 in November 2023, along with Canadian Shawna Pandya and Ireland’s Norah Patten to space no earlier than 2026.

To help build its fleet of Delta class vehicles, The aerospace company announced in a statement that its new multi-use facility has been completed in Mesa, Arizona, and preparations are now underway to make it the main location for building and assembling its next generation Delta space planes. 

Virgin Galactic expects to install final manufacturing hardware at the end of the year. After that, upon the arrival of major subassemblies such as the feathering system, fuselage, and wings, Virgin Galactic’s team anticipates the building to begin on its initial pair of Delta ships in 2025. 

Once production and ground testing are complete, the finished spaceships will head to Spaceport America in New Mexico to undergo a flight test before commercial operations are anticipated to start in 2026.

“The completion of our new manufacturing facility is an important milestone in the development of our fleet of next-generation spaceships, the key to our scale and profitability,” Michael Colglazier, Virgin Galactic CEO, said in the statement. “Tooling will begin arriving in a matter of months to support spaceship final assembly, which we expect to commence in Q1 2025.”

There are two hangars that include several bays at the multiuse facility, which will allow for utmost flexibility when it comes to the manufacturing and testing of space vehicles. Virgin Galactic uses a digital twin technology, which will allow a “seamless” connection with real-time collaboration between workers at the facility and the company’s suppliers.

Each of the Delta spaceships have room for up to six passengers and can carry out missions up to eight times per month. 

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A new study at the University of Arizona is proving that veterans with service dogs have fewer PTSD symptoms and a higher quality of life.

While this has always been believed, there has been a lack of research on using service dogs in medical care.

According to the National Library of Medicine, more than 20% of veterans experience PTSD in their lifetime, and suicide and thoughts of suicide are also closely linked to PTSD.

A report from Veterans Affairs shows more than 17 U-S military veterans die by suicide daily. Now, University of Arizona researchers believe their findings could lead to life-changing improvements in healthcare for veterans.

This study involved 156 service members, half of whom were paired with a dog. Researchers then checked in every single day and said it was incredible to see the impact these dogs had on people.

Veterans came back and said their quality of life was better and that they had lower levels of depression and anxiety.

This idea has been in the works for about ten years and was recently published in the medical journal JAMA.

Rescue dogs and shelter dogs were used for this, and researchers say that no breed in particular did better or worse than others. However, it was also added that when dogs are bred to be service dogs, labs and retrievers are usually the most successful breeds.

”We often find that they are so excited to reach out the day they get the dog and just share pictures and stories with us about how the dog is already making an impact in their life,” the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona Maggie O’Haire said. “For the team and myself, I think the most meaningful part of this work is really getting to hear their stories, to work with them, to talk to them every day of the week and learn how their life is and share that story in a way that could help make a difference for them.”

Research on this hasn’t been done yet. Next, they want to do a similar study with more veterans and follow them for about a year to see how much more those dogs can help them.

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