2,000 1,000 0 Volume 131 | No. 34 Home delivery pricing inside Subscribe 800-332-6733 ©2020 $3.00 SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020 PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Up to the minute Get the latest news at azcentral.com 2018 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER QEAJAB-53120t TRUMP IN TULSA NEWS, 24A Supporters cheer during President Donald Trump’s rst campaign rally in over three months at the BOK Center on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Weather High 108° z Low 81° Sunny, hot. Forecast, 2A Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is receiving criticism for waiting until data and public pressure are overwhelming before implementing measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 16A Governor criticized for response to pandemic Arizona Department of Public Safety arrests a man suspected of throwing paint on a memorial to Con- federate troops at the state Capitol on Friday. 3A Arrest in defacement {N}POWER ® SPECIAL OFFER · FATHER'S DAY · JUNE 21 st VISIT NATURALGROCERS.COM/FATHERS-DAY FOR MORE DETAILS FREE EPIC ® SNACK STRIP OR PRIMAL ® STRIP 1- 0.8 oz. Epic Snack Strip or 1 - 1 oz. Vegan Primal Strip Seedless Watermelon Thank You Card Price 4 $ 1 L B S Offer Valid through Tuesday, June 23, 2020 He did nothing wrong. When he learned of the girl’s birth, Don- ald Williams took a paternity test that con- rmed he was the father. He said he wanted to raise her. But it would not be that simple. The baby was in Arizona’s child-welfare system, born substance-exposed to a moth- er who had chronic drug problems. He lived 600 miles away, in Sacramento, California; he had little money; and the Arizona Depart- ment of Child Safety did little to help him bond with his child. After 3 1 2 years of missed visits, reports and evaluations, the Juvenile Court in Mar- icopa County severed his parental rights. It was the second time DCS had moved to do so; the rst attempt failed because, the judge said, “You shouldn’t lose your child because you are poor.” But being poor complicated things. After the ruling that said he was no longer the little girl’s dad, he vowed to keep ght- ing. ‘ALL I KNOW IS I AM THE FATHER’ The state took a child he didn’t know he had. He spent 5 years getting her back Donald Williams is shown with his daughter, Melody, at church, after picking her up from her foster mother in Arizona and then moving her to California. Williams had fought his case with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, saying, “I'm going to ght and get her.” PHOTOS BY NICK OZA/THE REPUBLIC Jacque Watley talks about her journey as a foster parent to Melody Williams for the ve years the case was in the courts. Mary Jo Pitzl Arizona Republic USA TODAY NETWORK See FATHER, Page 6A INSIDE TODAY SUBCRIBER-EXCLUSIVE Find a special section chronicling the accomplishments of America’s presidents, from the country’s founding to modern times. Available exclusively for home-delivery subscribers. Maricopa County took the lead in sending a clear message to every resi- dent in the county: Wear a mask no mat- ter what city, town or unincorporated area you live in. The County Board of Supervisors, which voted unanimously late Friday, said it acted because the number of re- ported COVID-19 cases continues to climb. The supervisors and other local lead- ers across Arizona over the past week debated the practical issues of enforce- ment, the philosophical issues of indi- vidual liberty and personal responsibil- ity and the reality that more people are County now requires masks Paulina Pineda Arizona Republic | USA TODAY NETWORK See MASKS, Page 22A Supervisors vote to mandate face coverings to stop growing spread of COVID-19 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases announced in Arizona Data as of June 20, 2020 SOURCE: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES *Note: Arizona's official tally likely does not capture all cases of COVID-19 in the state. ILLUSTRATION BY NICCOLE SCHAPER/ USA TODAY NETWORK HAPPY FATHER’S DAY