With turnout in the tens of thousands and lines moving slowly for President Obama’s “Together We Thrive” address in Tucson, University of Arizona officials report that the basketball stadium will exceed its 14,000 seat capacity. Overflow seating is available in Arizona Stadium, and a live stream of the upcoming speech online at Arizona Public Media. The event’s official program, to include UA president Robert Shelton, ASUA president Emily Fritze and student Daniel Hernandez Jr., Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Attorney General Eric Holder, is available here.
Meanwhile, local news reports that President Obama, who landed in Tucson around 3:30, has paid a surprise visit to University Medical Center, where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and five other victims of Saturday’s shooting remain hospitalized, and is now on his way to McKale Center.
The stadium is filling up quickly as students and VIPs stream in. The UMC trauma team and survivors of the shooting just arrived and received a standing ovation from the crowd. We’ll be covering the President’s address as soon as it commences. Follow us on Twitter at @desertlamp for short updates.
Connor Mendenhall blogs for the Desert Lamp. He is a contributor to the SFPA.
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