Cover Story
The Foilies 2018
In its fourth year, The Foilies recognizes the worst responses to records requests, outrageous efforts to stymie transparency and the most absurd redactions.
The Red and the Black
We may have one thing to thank Trump for—if our democracy survives his presidency, that is. Protests have seen a resurgence in numbers, frequency and intensity since he’s been in office. Even if they’re not all about the Trump agenda, the anger and anxiety he fuels on a daily basis is finding outlets in a…
Laughing Stock: Game Show Block Party
Since Kurt Lueders is the only actual rocket scientist we know, we like to imagine all of them share his love of bad puns, old game-show references and classic lines from popular movies. Lueders coaches Tucson Improv Movement’s Throwdown team, the family favorite in the 7:30 p.m. slot Saturdays. That show’s fast-paced, faux-competitive games inspired…
The Weekly List: 21 Things To Do In Tucson This Week
Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo. Art Sculptural Gourd Vessel. Admit it. You’ve always wanted a sculptural gourd vessel to display in your home. And what better sculptural gourd vessel to display in our home than one you’ve stippled, couched and papered yourself? If you don’t know what a sculptural gourd…
Minx Needs a Home
Remember me? My name is Minx! I am a 2 year old girl looking for the purr-fect family! I can be shy at first but once I get to know you I love attention! I am a very sweet girl who enjoys talking with my favorite humans. Do you think I could be a part…
Is Education the Best Message For Democrats To Boost Voter Turnout?
Maybe it’s as simple as a mother saying, “My kids are going to get an education, start a business, earn a good living, make me proud. Education is my priority. That’s why I’m voting Democratic.” That was the most effective message among African Americans in Alabama’s recent Senate election pitting Democrat Doug Jones against the racist, child…
Interior Department Boss Visits Border Wall
U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke rode horseback along the border wall in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge during his first official visit to the border, on March 17. He rode alongside Tucson Sector Border Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch to discuss border security. “Clearly border protection is mine and the president’s priority,” Zinke…
SXSW 2018: The Boys Are Back In Town
Our boss, Jim Nintzel, wasn’t wrong when he wrote in his last blog entry that the there’s lots of good girl power vibes at this year’s SXSW. Today, we saw Luna Lee, in all the way from Korea with her traditional (and insane looking) Korean string instrument, the Gayaegum. She started her set with a…
SXSW 2018: Low is an Oasis in the Frenzy
Whereas many outdoor concerts go for being as frantic and in-your-face and attention-grabbing as possible, indie rock outfit Low takes it slow and steady. This was especially clear when they followed-up the electropop freak-out of Superorganism at SXSW. Since 1993, Low has reacted to noisy rock shows and rambunctious audiences by turning their volume down.…
AZ Republican Legislators Say No To 17 Minutes of Silence
They were in a political bind on March 14. The Arizona House Republicans could have stood for 17 minutes in silent remembrance of the 17 students killed in Florida and risk angering the Second Amendment absolutists who vote for them, or they could leave and risk showing disrespect for the slain Parkland students and the local students…
SXSW 2018: Josh T. Pearson Works with the Chaos of SXSW
Nothing should have worked with Josh T. Pearson’s set at SXSW: He lost his voice the previous night, there were some technical difficulties, he revealed he was working on probably an hour of sleep, and to top it off, his four-piece band was only about three days old. Despite all of these setbacks, Pearson delivered…
SXSW 2018: “Thank You, Music Lovers!”
Los Lobos guitarist Cesár Rosas shouted his thanks across SXSW outdoor stage in downtown Austin: “Thank you, music lovers!” It’s a city full of music lovers. You can see it in the way that people play their music: During country artist Josh T. Pearson’s set (which pretty much broke all of our hearts and put…
Our Future is Marching: Local Students Call for an End to Gun Violence
If the wave of pro gun-regulation youngsters is any indication of what the U.S. electorate will look like in one to five years, the NRA is in trouble. Across the nation, students protested gun violence on National School Walkout Day—the one month anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. And in…
Arizona Basketball: Dusan Ristic, Rawle Alkins ready for one last Dance
BOISE—Members of the Arizona Wildcats gathered around the semi-circular row of lockers tucked deep inside Boise’s Taco Bell Arena, ahead of their final walkthrough on Wednesday. The fresh-faced cadre of stars assembled in the undersized, sterile locker room will soon do battle with an undersized, scrappy cast from far-away Buffalo, but for now strike a…
SXSW 2018: Bring on the Funk—and the Chicha
I don’t know if it’s just another sign of the political climate or my own poor luck in scouting bands, but I heard a lot of sad and depressing music Wednesday at SXSW. It wasn’t necessarily bad music, but it sure as heck wasn’t uplifting: Acclaimed bands like Low (at a surprisingly underwhelming NPR showcase…
Editor’s Note
This week’s cover story is an amusing-but-enraging piece that shines a light on how governments across the country are going to great lengths to thwart the people’s right to know.
Police Dispatch
A day-drinking southwest-side man learned an expensive lesson but at least avoided jail after breaking into his own (former) apartment.
Danehy
Unfortunately, instead of the attention being focused on whether Virginia’s stifling defense can lead the Cavaliers to a title or if another dark horse can make it to the Final Four, all the talk these days is on whether college athletes should be paid.
Taste Over Trend
In the not-so-ornery neighborhood of Winterhaven, there is a food joint that has withstood the ravages of three decades serving up large plates of chuck wagon style grub and, as it turns out, not a whole lot of folk knows that it even exists
The Reel Indie
Movies this week.
Westward Ho!
On St. Patrick’s weekend, the Bill Ganz Western Band will play cowboy tunes for “Saddle Up!” a Wild West ballet that debuts at Ballet Tucson’s annual Dance & Dessert concert.
Three of a Kind
The group has given the show a very good production thanks to the three actresses who portray the women referred to in the title.
History & Hope
Even more than being a musician, Lucy Dacus considers herself someone who chronicles, catalogs, captures. A historian.
XOXO…
This week in music.
Broken Dreams, Broken Promises
The deadline Trump created when he ended DACA last September came and went with little acknowledgement from Congress. In D.C. and around the country, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and their allies marched, protested, chanted and were arrested.
Walking for a Cure
This year, the MS Walk has two routes through the Reid Park Zoo. Participation is free, but donations that go to MS research are encouraged and rewarded.
Trigger Unhappy
The group of teens in a science class room at Tucson High are not there to talk biology. They’re talking about how fear of being shot hinders their studies.
Wasted Time
Movies this bad should never happen, especially with this level of talent involved.
Know Your Product
These psychedelic punks are fresh off the release of their self-titled debut album and sounding at equal points fresh and revivalist.
Maybe it’s Marijuana
Arizona’s anti-marijuana forces have been railing against one of the biggest examples of the plant’s medical efficacy: decreasing opioid addiction.
