Hopefully, you were already planning to attend the Project White House Beer Summit tomorrow night, but if not, we're now able to sweeten the deal a bit. Not only will you have the opportunity to meet actual presidential candidates and drink delicious Tucson beer, but you can also get some food from two of Tucson's food trucks. MaFooCo will be there serving their blend of Korean and Mexican food and Animal Farm will serve their dishes focused on locally raised meat and produce. Food, beer and citizen democracy...what more could you ask for? See you at Borderlands from 4 to 6 tomorrow.

I think we should be ok in Arizona for awhile, but I think as a country, it might be time to cut Florida loose, build a giant wall keeping the snakes in, and save the other 49 states while we still can:

Burmese pythons are eating machines. An adult snake can grow to nearly 20 ft., and it can eat everything raccoons to bobcats to deer to alligators, killing its prey by constriction and then swallowing them whole. On the jungle food chain, Burmese pythons rest near the top....

Now a new study published in this week’s Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences suggests just how big a threat the invasive Burmese pythons have become. Researchers led by Michael Dorcas of Davidson College in North Carolina looked at the distribution of mammals in the Everglades nearly 20 years ago—before Burmese pythons established themselves in the area—and then more recently. They found a drastic reduction in the number of small mammals that are typically part of a python’s diet, and they also discovered that the remaining mammals tend to be most abundant in areas that are either clear of pythons or where the snakes have only recently been spotted. The evidence is strong enough to suggest that invasive Burmese pythons are causing significant wildlife loss in the Everglades—and that the problem could worsen as the snakes continues to grow.

John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants are celebrating their thirtieth year as a band, touring again for adults, after a few stints performing music for children. Last night, they performed at the Rialto Theatre, where they played music from their most recent album Join Us, along with some of their classics.

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They Might Be Giants at the Rialto Theatre, Jan. 30

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Reacting to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's finger-wagging at President Obama at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Pinal County Greens co-chair Richard Grayson, one of six candidates for the Green Party presidential nomination on the February 28 Arizona presidential preference primary ballot, said, "If I'm president next year and Governor Brewer wags her finger at me, I'll freaking bite it off."

"That'll be the last finger she wags at anyone," added Grayson, attending the World Economic Forum and taking part in the Occupy demonstrations in Davos.

"Everyone here at Davos has been wonderful and we've been learning a great deal from others," said Grayson. "There's no finger-wagging here in Switzerland. We've had great conversation with people from all over the world."

Thanks to Hank Stephenson for witnessing this particular exchange on the Arizona House floor yesterday, as first, Rep. Richard Miranda stood up for some sort of state official holiday and committee celebrating Hispanic culture, and then Rep. Jack Harper says something sort of dumb about Cesar Chavez, then Rep. Ruben Gallego fires back, but then it gets really good when Rep. Cecil Ash hopes that white people will have a holiday when they become the minority. One might assume that the audience might be unwilling to applaud such a ridiculous and possibly bigoted idea, but nope, the applause ensues. Another great legislative session, everybody!

State Rep. Matt Heinz tells The Range he is officially entering the special election to complete the term of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8, as well as the regular election to represent Congressional District 2 later this year.

“Southern Arizona needs representation and we have a very short timeframe to get somebody like Gabby back in there to represent us in DC,” said Heinz, who has no plans to resign from his seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. “I think with my record of moderate, bi-partisan, consensus building and my background as a physician, I’m the best candidate to do it.”

Heinz, who has sent off his paperwork to the Federal Elections Commission, is the first Democrat to announce plans to run in the special election to replace Giffords, who resigned last week to concentrate on her rehabilitation from a gunshot wound to the head on Jan. 8, 2011.

But Heinz, who said he has no plans to resign from his state House of Representatives seat at this time, says that he would give up seeking to complete Giffords’ term and focus on the regular election for the new Congressional District 2 later this year if Ron Barber, who was Giffords’ district director and close confidant, gets into the race.

“I can think of no better person than Ron Barber to complete Gabby’s term,” Heinz said. “I’d start circulating petitions for him.”

Barber’s name continues to circulate as a likely candidate who would receive Giffords’ endorsement in the special election.

Barber, who was shot twice on Jan. 8, is still dealing with a damaged left leg that remains numb below the knee as a result of his gunshot wound. If he were to get into the race, it’s unlikely that he would seek to serve in the new CD2 next year.

• Photo by Marylee
• Rose Standard in a Pot

For more information on potted gardens in the desert, visit The Contained Gardener. Have a question? Email Marylee for a quick response!

The Range hears that state Rep. Matt Heinz is expected to announce his plans to run in the special election to fill out the remainder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords today.

Heinz is one of several Democrats considering a run in election, which will include an April 17 primary election and a June 12 general election. Candidates have until Feb. 27 to turn in their nominating petitions.

Other potential candidates include state Sen. Paula Aboud, state Rep. Steve Farley, pecan-grove owner and attorney Nan Stockholm Walden, and Cox Communication's Lisa Lovallo (who faces a steep challenge in a Democratic primary, given that she's a registered Republican).

The Range continues to hear persistent rumors that Ron Barber, the district director of Giffords' CD8 office who was shot twice on Jan. 8, may get into the race for the special election.

Republican candidates include state Sen. Frank Antenori (who announced his plans to run last week), former congressional candidate Jesse Kelly and UA sports broadcaster Dave Sitton.

If you're heading to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show at any point, you might consider stopping at Mercado San Agustin for a bite or three. The market has MaFooCo, Animal Farm, Guero Loco's Bubba-Que and Cyclopsicle and other food trucks down there on a roatating basis to serve the nearby gem-show crowd.

In other food news at the market, the cool little outfit Sonoran Sno Cones has added a juice bar at the request of those who wanted more healthy things to eat, and a nice cup of fresh juice is a great way to kick off any day. If you're headed down to the gem show early, you might consider having a breakfast burrito at Taqueria El Pueblito, too. It opens at 7 a.m. and the burritos are big and tasty.

As I mentioned a few days ago, the deadline to register to vote in for the Arizona Presidential Preference Primary is tonight at midnight. If you want to vote on February 28th for one of the Project White House candidates, you'll need to either be a Republican or Green by the end of the night.

Since we love democracy here (and we're generally sick of being broke), the Tucson Weekly staff is now largely comprised of Republicans and we're so excited:

Editor Jimmy Boegle:

Mari Herreras:

Me, finally embracing my Southern Baptist roots:

Not pictured, Irene Messina, who left her registration confirmation at home.