Cover Story
A Broken Community
What I remember most about the UNIDOS action that took place on April 26, 2011 is how fast it happened. That and the face of the Tucson Unified School District police officer as he tried to keep Leilani Clark from sitting down with the eight other students who took over the school board meeting that…
Grijalva Seeks Apology After Lobbyist Calls Him and Tribal Leader an “Enabler” and a “Liar” via Twitter
Rep. Raul Grijalva has gotten into a spat with a lobbyist that mocked a tribal chief Grijalva has known since high school — one that’s attempting to open up a casino in Phoenix. The trouble seems to stem from a bill supported by the Gila River tribe and their lobbyists, which would ultimately prevent the…
I Have Discovered Fezkitt and Now It’s All I Care About
Just this morning, I thought I had a pretty good life. Editor of an acclaimed weekly publication. Husband, father. But then I realized what my life’s been missing. I discovered a hole in my heart that I didn’t even realize was there. Oh, Fezkitt, the “realistic ferret sim where you can raise, train, show, breed…
Rep. King Says Latino DREAMers Are Drug Mules
This week’s Skinny column notes that House Speaker John Boehner is adopting a kinder, gentler approach to the DREAM Act kids. The political calculation may be less about compassion and more about finding a way to undermine the Senate’s comprehensive immigration-reform package, but Boehner and other GOP leaders are hoping to give the impression that…
The Anthony Weiner Sexting Debacle (Part II!) Is Still Hilarious
If you’re into dick jokes and politicans making stupid decisions, I imagine that you’re already a big fan of the latest Anthony Weiner situation. Weiner, whose name is pronounced exactly like you think it is, is a disgraced Congressman who got that way by sending sexual text and picture messages (hereafter referred to as “fuck…
AFSC Ask Guv to Establish Prison Oversight Committee, Investigation
Yesterday, House Minority Leader Chad Campbell called for the immediate resignation of Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan. Today, the American Friends Service Committee has asked Gov. Jan Brewer to create an oversight committee over the ADOC. The Phoenix Democrat has been a vocal advocate for prison reform and private prison issues alongside AFSC.…
Win Tickets to See Fitz and the Tantrums in Phoenix
Fitz and the Tantrums, the indie pop/hipster R&B hybrid act from LA, released their second album, More Than Just a Dream, in May and are stopping by the delightful Crescent Ballroom on August 4, with Hunter Hunted and the Colourist. However, if you were planning on going and don’t have a ticket yet, tough luck.…
So Ted Nugent Is Coming to the Fox, Because That’s A Great Idea
Get your bags of tea ready, folks: you only have little more than a month to see “Wildman” Ted Nugent at the Fox Theatre. I mean, if you’re into people who have staved off declining relevance as musicians by revealing themselves to be wildly, insanely, vehemently right-wing. Let’s be honest: At this point, the Nuge…
They’re Here: Frankie’s Finally Has Tastykakes
Heads up Tastykake lovers: Your favorites are back at Frankie’s South Philly Cheesesteaks. There is a limited amount but more are on the way. For those who haven’t been following the Tastykake conundrum, the beloved East Coast treat disappeared from Frankie’s late last month when changes at Tastykake corporate took Southern Arizona off the distribution…
UA Football Player Faces Drug, Weapons Charges
University of Arizona defensive back Patrick Onwuasor was arraigned Monday on felony drug and weapons charges, Tucson police announced Tuesday. Onwuasor, 20, was set to be a junior on the UA football team this season. His name is no longer on the team’s online roster, a move that in the past has been associated with…
Arizona Basketball Launches Twitter Account, Already Close To Outpacing ASU
The UA-ASU rivalry never dies. In fact, it just keeps forming new tentacles and plotlines. The latest comes via Twitter, where Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller announced today the launching of the UA’s official Twitter account @APlayersProgram. Miller’s tweet went up about 11 a.m. Tuesday, and by 4 p.m. the account already had more…
Cinema Treasures A Blast From Tucson’s Theater Past
No matter what your opinion on actually heading out to the movies or the state of the film industry today, there’s nothing quite like seeing a movie on a huge, theater screen. Unfortunately, your choices as to where you can catch a new, first-run flick have dwindled a bit over the years, leaving us with…
I Know You Want It: The Gender Swapped “Blurred Lines” Video Is Still Great
Robin Thicke’s controversial and catchy single “Blurred Lines” has been attracting a lot of attention this summer for being antifeminist. Seattle-based boylesque troupe Mod Carousel decided to respond with their own, gender-swapped version of the video. They reworked the lyrics, staged the set of video, and put some guys in thongs and heels From the…
Eat With the Weekly!
Or at least, eat near the Weekly. We’ve got food trucks outside Weekly World Central, 3280 E. Hemisphere Loop, from now ’til 1:30 p.m. Come over and grab food from Jackie’s Food Court and Christo’s Greek Food, serving up such delicious items as the Greek combo, jalapeno poppers, Jackie’s Cheesesteak, and sweet potato fries. Mm,…
Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston Walked Around San Diego Comic-Con in As Walter White
The astoundingly revered Breaking Bad is wrapping up soon, and fans are desperately awaiting the second half of the final season to roll through, after which they can debate whether or not Breaking Bad is better than The Wire, or whatever TV fans debate these days. So, what better way was there for Breaking Bad…
Rodrigo y Gabriela Reinvent the Acoustic Guitar Sound
Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performed for an enthusiastic crowd at the Historic Rialto Theatre on Thursday, July 17. According to the Rialto’s website, the pair has … … brought an unique instrumental blend of metal, jazz and world music to audiences all over the US. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have…
Answer Some Questions, Maybe Win a HUB Gift Certificate
After the jump, there’s a survey that should only take a few minutes. Basically, we get a little bit of info about how you interact with the Weekly and you get a chance to win a gift certificate to HUB. One lucky survey taker gets $100, someone else with get $50, and I’m pretty sure…
Today in Disconcerting “Help Wanted” Ads, Some Dude Wants a Hitman
Well. This is weird. I mean, my first response is a loud and confused “what the actual f—k??” But let’s back up: There’s sure to be a reason behind this, right? Look at the username: it’s an obvious Game of Thrones reference. But at the same time, why would someone post this to such a…
Let’s Listen to Marvin Gaye Sing “Heard It Through the Grapevine” A Capella
In an instance of something taking the crown of being among the coolest videos I’ve watched since I started working at Tucson Weekly, it’s time to take a look at this video of Marvin Gaye performing “Heard It Through the Grapevine” in an empty room, with no backing — and sounding amazing. Seriously. Check the…
Cicada Video Project Shows Why They Are Coolest Insects
Once monsoon begins in Tucson, so does the constant hum of the cicadas. It’s our summer desert soundtrack, just like thunder and the rain against a good tin roof, if you’re lucky enough to have a tin roof. Anyway, when I saw the video for filmmaker Samuel Orr’s hour-long documentary on the 17-year lives of…
Billy Sedlmayr Brings an All-Star Band to Hotel Congress
It turns out Billy Sedlmayr’s solo shows over the last couple of years offered mere sketches, albeit intense and sometimes wrenching ones, of his poetry and orchestration aesthetic. Set in full arrangements, his songs, sometimes overwhelming in their anger and regret, found a context in the kind of awe and hope that sustains us mortals…
Kromko Comes Up Short on Initiative To Ban Red-Light Camera Enforcement
The Weekly mentioned a few weeks ago that the marquee issue of this year’s city election could the initiative to ban those traffic cameras that bust speeders and drivers who run red lights—if it made the ballot. It’s a good thing we qualified the story—because city officials today rejected the initiative because it does not…
Tucson’s Militant Baker on Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’: (NSFW)
Yes, as you know we at Weekly World Central love The Militant Baker. So when we recently hopped on her blog and read her analysis of the controversial Robin Thicke video and lyrics of “Blurred Lines,” we were happy to read the kind of thoughtful, intelligent, fun and open-hearted analysis the Baker is known for:…
[UPDATE] DREAMers Test Obama Policy and Try to Return Home
[UPDATE] The deported students who tried to return home to their families today over the Nogales border were allowed to go through, but were immediately detained by ICE. There were supporters on both sides of the border cheering them on. Check out the livestream to keep posted as this action continues to unfold. This morning…
Child Being Born to Heirs of Monarchy Our Forefathers Valiantly Fought Against, and Too Many People Care
So, the child of Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has apparently sprung from the nethers of the former Kate Middleton, and is now on his/her way to being the Most Important Baby In the World since Blue Ivy Carter and North by-North West, who most recently claimed the title that…
Heritage Foundation Scorecard is No Big Surprise
Not that it will surprise you, but just in case you missed the Heritage Foundation’s legislative scorecard, we’ve got it for you below. Go here to read the results for Arizona and to take a look at how the conservative think tank ranks other G.O.P.-ers across the country. As for Arizona, the rankings are practically…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Downtown Hotel, Rosemont Mine & DREAMer Driver’s Licenses
On this week’s AZ Illustrated Politics: Pima County Democratic Party chairman Don Jorgensen and Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries talk about Rio Nuevo’s tentative agreement to loan downtown developer Scott Stiteler $4.3 million for a boutique hotel project; whether the Rosemont Mine project will get all of its permits by the end of year;…
Justice for Trayvon Vigil Saturday Morning
As part of the National Action Network’s 100 City “Justice for Trayvon” Vigil, Tucson folks are gathering from 9 to 10:30 a.m., El Presido Park, 160 W. Alameda St., downtown Tucson. Still pissed? Still hurting? Still thinking about The Wire’s David Simon wrote right after the Zimmerman verdict? Then show-up. From Simon in Salon: Behold,…
FC Tucson’s Final Game of the Season is Tomorrow
FC Tucson, the little semi-pro team that could (and has, and will continue to do), is playing their final game of the season tomorrow — and, for that matter, the final game at their current field, before they move into their new digs next season. And for tomorrow’s game, they want you, Tucson, to join…
Let’s Watch Neko Case Try To Be Funny
Hey, remember Neko Case? That person who decided to up and leave Tucson because there’s such a thing as “social vampires” or whatever? Well, apparently, did some thing with Funny or Die relating to a poorly-thought-out web series, involving playing music in a dressing room. It was…uh…”funny.” Dressing Room Sessions: Neko Case from Neko Case…
Southside Labor Center Fasters to Deliver Letter to TPD Chief: Stop US Border Patrol Collaboration
In less than an hour, nine fasters and other community members plan to deliver a letter to Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor to demand an end to the collaboration between TPD and U.S. Border Patrol. The fasters will be at Tucson Police headquarters Yesterday, I went down to Southside Presbyterian Church where the fasters having…
The Sonorous Desert Project Gives Tucson the Chance To Listen To Itself
There’s a lot to take in when one starts paying attention to their city: sights, smells, tastes…but when you’re walking through downtown, through Reid Park, or through the University, do you ever just…listen? The Sonorous Desert City Project, funded by a grant from the Tucson Pima Arts Council, wants you to do just that, creating…
John McCain: The 2013 Moderate Model
Talking Points Memo examines the role of John McCain in moving the Senate in a more moderate direction: Whether it’s immigration reform, the budget, or President Obama’s nominees, a faction of more moderate Republican senators are increasingly splitting from both their leadership and the tea party and partnering with Democrats on key issues. The growing…
Controversy Erupts Over Rolling Stone’s Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover
This week’s cover of Rolling Stone features an unlikely subject: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect in the Boston Marathon Bombing — and it’s made some noise: New Rolling Stone cover turns the Boston bomber into Jim Morrison. A comparison: pic.twitter.com/UJKhAMJSGO— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 16, 2013 “It’s a total disgrace, that cover of Rolling Stone,” Menino told…
The Diamondbacks’ New Mascot is a…Luchador?
The Arizona Diamondbacks, the one “Arizona” pro team that appears to be doing it right, according to our sports columnist, unveiled a new mascot yesterday in time for the post-All-Star-Game home stand: a luchador. Jon Willey/Arizona Diamondbacks The D-Backs Luchador Why yes, that is a masked Mexican wrestler. According to the release the D-Backs sent…
Beat the F—k Out of Your Thirst With Thug Kitchen’s Spiked Citrus Iced Tea
It’s hot as hell. We’ve been over this before, as you might know — hell, even Danehy went over his one lamentation regarding our incredibly hot June — and you’ve presumably been outside, so you know the score. But, after diligently surfing the Internet for solutions and cat videos, we’ve found something (not a cat…
New York (and Lewis Black) Tear Down Texas on the Daily Show
Now, I’m not one to get in the middle of fights (apparently I just start them) but this love letter from The Daily Show’s Lewis Black to Texas is just too damn good to pass up. The backstory: Apparently, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is blasting ads all over the country, telling businesses to pull up…
Randy Travis Show at Fox Cancelled
As you might have figured would happen, the Randy Travis show at the Fox Theatre, scheduled for August 26, has been cancelled. Travis, if you recall, has been in recovery from brain surgery intended to relieve pressure caused by a stroke suffered earlier this month. From ABC News: “As a result of his heart condition,…
MCAA Nentions Da’Keem Carey As One Wo Tatch for Rollege Cunning Ack Baward
Good news, everybody! Apparently, another local boy done good, according to the NCAA! Apparently, Arizona running back and Canyon Del Oro product Ka’Deem Carey has been named to a watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running backs in college football! This has got to feel good, considering the tumultuous summer…
Court Rules That Tucson Man Can No Longer Receive Royalties For His Spider-Man Toy
A Tucson man is no longer receiving royalties on his “web-shooter” toy patent, according to the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals — for now, anyway. Back in 1990, Tucsonan Stephen Kimble came up with an idea to replicate the webshooters used by Marvel Comic’s Spider-Man — but on a silly-string-shooting, kid-friendly level. He patented it,…
Pima County Libraries Named One of the Top Innovators in the Country
Be proud, Pima County: your libraries are doing things right. According to the Urban Library Council, the Pima County Public Libraries are innovators in the field of health, wellness and safety for their Library Nurse program, which places public health nurses in libraries to help treat medical issues of library patrons. Before the program was…
One of the First Pressings of The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ Is Up For Auction
What seems to be among the first pressings of The Beatles’ self-titled double-album, widely known as The White Album thanks to its all-white cover with “The Beatles” embossing, is going up for auction. The opening bid: $10,000. From Dangerous Minds: The album comes with all of its original inserts, and a letter of authentication from…
Some of Them Are Old: Little Boys (SELF-RELEASED)
More than anything, Some of Them Are Old explore the intricacies of pure sound and the struggle to articulate it. The collective owes as much to classical composers John Cage and La Monte Young as it does to any rock tradition. On their latest album, Little Boys, Some of Them Are Old are a bit…
Live
Marking the Tucson Rock Alliance’s fourth anniversary of staging concerts, the TRA and Miss CJ Promotions held another “Tucson’s Best” showcase at the Rialto Theater—this time without any genre theme—featuring five local bands they presumably wanted to celebrate with. Up first were Whiskey Knuckles, a quartet with a self-consciously dangerous stance. While they’re obviously going…
Danehy
I see numbers everywhere. When I was a teenager, I would go to sleep and dream of math equations, as though there were a whiteboard in my head being written upon by an invisible hand. I would wake up exhausted because my brain wouldn’t shut off. That hasn’t happened in quite a while, but I…
Nine Questions
Curtis McCrary is the executive director of the Rialto Theatre. In his spare time, McCrary enjoys whitewater rafting, partial jet ownership and several grandchildren. He also has been an occasional contributor to the Tucson Weekly. What was the first concert you attended? Eddie Rabbitt, the Oak Ridge Boys and Boxcar Willie (who no-showed) in like…
Underperformer
Five Palms Steak and Seafood 3500 E. Sunrise Drive 615-5555; fivepalms.com Nino’s Bar and Grill: Open 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday Fine dining: 5 to 10 p.m., daily Dovino Wine, Cigar and Gourmet Shop: noon to 11 p.m., daily Pluses: Friendly and prompt service upstairs; great…
Top Ten in Music
1. The Pork Torta Casual Living 2. Os Mutantes Os Mutantes 3. Alice Bag Violence Girl 7″ 4. Bad Antics The Wave 7″ 5. Captain Beefheart Safe as Milk 6. U.K. Subs AWOL 7. Man Is the Bastard Thoughtless 8. Minutemen 3-Way Tie for Last 9. Social Distortion Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes 10. The…
Top Ten in Cinema
1. Admission 2. Spring Breakers 3. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 4. Dead Man Down 5. The Host 6. The Call 7. Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor 8. Upside Down 9. 6 Souls 10. The Gatekeepers
Noshing Around
Rattlesnake Espresso opens on the east side … two more restaurants lock their doors … Playground plays with their menu … and Tucson helps honor the 19 fallen firefighters.
Who Needs Actors?
An open letter to Hollywood from CyberNex Phantom T-40. Dear Hollywood, We’ve had some fun times and we’ve had Bicentennial Man starring Robin Williams. But I never thought we’d get to this point: There are just no good roles for robot actors anymore. My database is full of them: Metropolis, The Day the Earth Stood…
A League of Their Own
Armed with protective gear—including teeth guards—and roller skates and fishnet stockings, the Tucson Roller Derby girls are not your average athletes. Founded in 2003, the all-girls nonprofit league features fierce women from all types of backgrounds, including lawyers, teachers, bartenders and marketing executives. This weekend marks an especially exciting time for the roller derby community.…
God Forgive This Mess
This year, Ryan Gosling has returned to the well to work with two directors who came up aces for him on their last films. Earlier this year, Gosling gave a magnetic performance in The Place Beyond the Pines for director Derek Cianfrance, maker of the excellent Blue Valentine. Pines is one of the year’s best…
Never the Same
Suzanne Westenhoefer: All the Right Moves with Two Left Feet Rialto Theatre 318 E. Congress St. 8 p.m., Saturday, July 20 $27-$29 740-1000; rialtotheatre.com Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer says she has played Tucson and Phoenix within the last year with material that appeals to a wide audience—lesbians, gays, straights and beyond. But that doesn’t mean that…
House Shuffle
After the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration-reform package was loaded up with security measures—doubling the ranks of the Border Patrol and building another 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border—it passed the Senate with 68 votes. But now that it has reached the House of Representatives, the bill appears to be dead on arrival.…
Border Ghosts
Unpacked: The Art Fair at Home 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, through Saturday, Aug. 31 (Gallery is closed from July 16 to July 20.) Free Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave. 624-7370; ethertongallery.com Tucson Weekly arts editor Margaret Regan reports on the arts twice monthly on The Buckmaster Show, which airs from…
Toxic Trains
Diesel cranes rise against a cloud-riddled sky, their low groans echoing past warehouses and open fields. One by one, they are righting freight cars that stretch like dead insects along the downtown rails, wheels dangling midair or sunk in the trackside mud. It is Friday, July 12, and as Union Pacific workers methodically clear the…
Soundbites
This week, Camper Van Beethoven rocks Club Congress … the Rialto stays eclectic … Eddie Spaghetti keeps it interesting … and more!
City Week
This week, we look to the stars … carefully read rare poetry … support art with a cause … and more!
T Q&A
Inside her office at Fed by Threads, a clothing line and retail store where profits are funneled into feeding the hungry, co-founder Jade Beall discusses her latest venture, A Beautiful Body Project, which is an upcoming self-published book. The aim of the book is to examine what constitutes true beauty. It features photographs Beall took…
Police Dispatch
Bath salts are no joke, kids.
Pedersen On Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks get it. Yes, they play in Phoenix, smack dab in the middle of a market with 3 million people, more than enough to sustain their bottom line. But unlike the rest of the Grand Canyon State’s professional sports franchises, the Diamondbacks understand that there’s more to Arizona than just “the valley.” It’s…
Downing
Back when my husky mix, Fu, was a rowdy young dog, I used to spend a lot of time at the Reid Park dog park, which back then was on the south side of the park, near the zoo. We went in the morning, when there was a quiet, regular crew of people who worked…
The Skinny
This week: Steve K loses endorsements … Martha McSally considers another run at Ron Barber … will Ed Martin enter the race? … Terry Proud switches districts to run again … and more!
True TV
Just as with country songs, it’s getting more and more difficult to tell the legit from the parody when it comes to reality-TV shows. (Heard “Redneck Crazy”? It’s a bullet to satire’s skull.) Since The Only TV Column That Matters™ hasn’t a damned thing to write about this week—it’s a cruel, cruel summer, leaving me…
Deadline Deluge
Things are happening lightning-fast these days on the cannabis front in Arizona, largely because of a deadline for dispensaries to open, and I am a huge fan of that. Last August, the state held a pingpong ball lottery and issued just shy of 100 dispensary registration certificates. The clock started ticking that day, leaving operators…
Media Watch
Craig Thomas is pumped about Tucson … looking into Tucson News Now’s mic flags … Greg Newton moves over to KOLD … and what’s the deal with answering machines?
Editor’s Note
This week’s edition of Editor’s Note on the road comes from New Orleans’ Warehouse District, as my vacation winds down and I head back to Tucson. The Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference wrapped up on Saturday with events including the organization’s annual meeting, where two new publications were inducted, including former-editor Jimmy Boegle’s Coachella Valley…
Powerdove: Do You Burn? (CIRCLE INTO SQUARE)
Annie Lewandowski, the guiding force behind Powerdove, creates arresting chamber-folk into which is folded layers of dissonance and electronics. She wrote about half of the album in England and half in upstate New York and recorded it with a pair of improvising collaborators: John Dieterich of Deerhoof and Thomas Bonvalet of the French project L’Ocelle…
Ask a Mexican!
This week, the Mexican discusses how immigrants affect millennials … and why do Argentines distance themselves from the rest of Latinos?
Transplants: In a Warzone (EPITAPH)
When Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Travis Barker of Blink-182 and emerging rapper Rob Aston struck out as Transplants in 2002, they did more than just ignore the boundaries of punk and rap. Transplants found enough inspiration to reel off a debut record that not only sounded fresh, but also had more than a couple of memorable…
Blast From the Past
House Rockin’ Blues Review featuring The Paladins plus Bob Corritore, Mike Eldred, the Bad News Blues Band, Tom Walbank, Mike Hebert, Johnny Strasser and the Rockabilly Strangers 8 p.m., Friday, July 19 El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th St. $10 for KXCI members, $12 for nonmembers; available at KXCI, Antigone Books, The Folk Shop and…
House Leaders Say They Now Support DREAM Act, At Least in Theory
As the Senate’s immigration-reform bill stalls in the House (more on that in this week’s print edition), Talking Points Memo reports that House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor are speaking up in favor of some kind of DREAM Act legislation: House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Wednesday backed the principles of…
