Cover Story
Riches and Division
Even as a relatively bigger Tucson was being contemplated during World War II, some local residents were raising objections about the community they then called home.
Cinema Clips: Alleluia
Mother of God, is Gloria (Lola Duenas) one of the craziest characters to hit screens in years. Major applause to Duenas, who encapsulates pure insanity as a quiet woman who reluctantly goes on an outing with online dating guy Michel (Laurent Lucas). The two have a one-night stand. Gloria, who isn’t all that quiet after…
‘The New Jim Crow’: Another Important Book on Race and Racism
Right now, the country is having the most public, detailed discussion about race and racism we’ve had in decades, which is a good thing. The heat generated by the discussion is intense on both sides, or I should say on all sides, since you hear such a wide range of viewpoints. Look at the passionate and…
University of Arizona Joins Forces with Uber for Research on Driverless Cars
Uber is giving the UA’s College of Optical Sciences $25,000 to research and develop lenses and sensors for car navigation, which could eventually lead to driverless cars being tested in Tucson, according to UA News. Gov. Doug Ducey visited the college Tuesday, and called the partnership, “A great day for Uber, for the UA and for…
Help Human Behavior Recoup Losses After Scumbags Stole Their Valuables on Tour
It’s never fun to report when a local band gets their gear jacked. Unfortunately, that happened to Human Behavior and Karima Walker near Humboldt and Mendocino counties while touring. On Aug. 24, the band’s van was broken into while they were swimming in a nearby river. The band estimates about $5,000 in equipment and personal…
Gender Pay Gap: Tucson in the Shit List, According to an Analysis
Yeah, it’s not so great to be a full-time working woman in Tucson—especially in terms of salary inequality. The website SpareFoot.com analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau to find the best and worst metro areas for gender pay gap, and found that Tucson is in the bottom 10. In 2013, full-time working women earned…
Bite Nite Tucson Combines Local Food Love with Philanthropy
If you didn’t feel like dumping a bucketful of ice water all of yourself last year, you still have the opportunity to join in on some group fun to benefit Arizona’s chapter of the ALS Association. On Saturday, Sept. 5, Bite Nite will hit up Tucson for an evening of food, wine and charitable giving.…
Complete Your Summer Reading with this Sci-Fi Classic
My friend Ron was halfway through a Kurt Vonnegut novel when he decided to reach out via Facebook for assurance that his particular book would get better. I replied, “It doesn’t.” A while later he replied saying that I was right. The subject of Vonnegut reminded me of one of his recurring characters, Kilgore Trout.…
Here I Go, Defending Diane Douglas Again
I can’t help it. I find the AZ Board of Ed vs. AZ Dept. of Ed train wreck endlessly fascinating. Diane Douglas is so much fun to watch. If someone can show me how she’s done harm to Arizona education during her tenure, how, say, things would be better for our children, teachers and schools…
TUSD, Community Food Bank & Local Farmers Partner to Bring More Fresh Produce to Schools
Tucson Unified School District wants to bring more local, healthy eats to its schools, so the district is partnering up with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and a network of local farmers. The purpose is to provide students with fresh meals, as well as help out farmers from Tucson and other Southern Arizona…
‘Between the World And Me’: An Important Book on Race and Racism
I rarely read a book that I find to be transformative, that not only adds to my knowledge and understanding of an issue but significantly alters my way of thinking about it. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of those works. It’s a new book and currently sits at number two…
In the Day We Sweat It Out on the Streets…
Born to Run turns 40 years old today. Slate looks back at Springsteen’s struggle to get the album recorded in the early days of his career: Bruce kept struggling to get on tape the sound he had in his head, and at times it seemed like he was ready to give up. Long nights at…
Sun Tran Strike: Day 20, Another Route is Added to Limited Bus Service
Sun Tran says they were able to add a ninth route to the limited weekday service they’re providing because of the bus drivers’ and mechanics’ strike that’s been going on for 20 days now. Route 9 (Grant Road and Campbell Avenue, as well as downtown) will start running today, thanks to a combination of transit…
E.W. Has an Update for the ‘Serial’ Obsessed
I was so late to the Serial* bandwagon. I listened to the entire series in two days, only taking a break when coworkers would approach my desk demanding attention. When I finished the final episode, I was unsatisfied. I, having been a big reader/television watcher all my life, wanted a satisfying answer. A well throughout,…
Kitrus Needs a Home
Hello everyone! My name is Kitrus and I’m searching for my purr-fect home. I love to lounge with my humans and take lots of afternoon naps. My favorite place is a warm bed in a sunny window. I would love a home that is ready for a calm cat to join their family. I have…
Remember Kandis Capri and Stop The Killing
Kandis Capri was murdered last week. This added her to the list of trans women of color being brutally destroyed at a rate that continues to increase. This calendar year is far from over and we have already passed the number of hate-fueled murders of trans women from last year. What we don’t know is how accurate any…
Ruby Needs a Home
Ruby—2-years-old —Pit Bull Mix—F—#724594 Ruby is the definition of a love-bug! This goofy gal is bounding with energy and enthusiasm; she has a joy for life that is simply contagious. Ruby came to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona as an owner release and is in need of a family to shower with hugs and…
Is Skepticism About High Stakes Testing Reaching a Tipping Point?
When my principal first introduced high stakes testing for sophomores at the Oregon high school where I taught—it was 2000 or just before—he told teachers, “Don’t wait around for this to go away. Trust me, this one isn’t going away.” He was referring to the tendency of teachers to slow walk some changes suggested by…
We’ve Got Four Tickets to Wednesday’s Diamondbacks Game
We’ve got four tickets to Wednesday’s Diamondbacks games against the St. Louis Cardinals. The game starts at 6:40 p.m. in Phoenix. We’ll draw the winner Tuesday (“tomorrow” from when this was published, “today” if you’re seeing this in your newsletter) at Noon. You have to be able to pick the tickets up at our office…
It’s Almost Time for Stephen Colbert to Take Over the Late Show
It’s still too hot to be outside, but summer is over and that means it’s just about time for Stephen Colbert to step back into the spotlight. Colbert will slip into the host’s chair on Sept. 8, and CBS just announced who’ll be sitting opposite him. The CBS website hates me, so I’ll throw it…
An Update On High Stakes Test Cheating Stories
Arizona is getting ready to go all in on last year’s AzMERIT scores. We already know the overall passing rates for the state. Scores are down from the AIMS test. And we know why: because the bar was intentionally set higher. But we have yet to learn the individual school scores. Before we see the…
Zona Politics: Trump’s Immigration Plan, Bus Strike, O’Halleran Enters Race for CD1 & More
Zona Politics Eps.38 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s episode of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Pima County Republican Party chair Bill Beard and Pima County Democratic Party chair Cheryl Cage talk about Donald Trump’s immigration plan, Tucson’s bus strike, whether former lawmaker and Republican-turned-Democrat Tom O’Halleran can win the…
Here’s a List of 45 Municipal Leaders Who Are Fighting Against Marijuana Legalization (None from Tucson Thus Far)
In less than a year, we will know which legal marijuana initiative gets the spot on the November 2016 ballot (if any measure actually makes it. It’s really too early to tell). Campaigns on both sides are in full swing, with organizations like the Marijuana Policy Project spending big bucks to ensure their measure lands…
Attorney General Brnovich Just Got Back from a ‘Successful’ Trip to Mexico’s Attorneys General Conference
Attorney General Mark Brnovich says it was an “honor and privilege” to attend the annual Conferencia Nacional de Procuración de Justicia, an annual attorneys general conference in Mexico. While there, Brnovich got to meet President Enrique “El Chapo Escapes from Maximum Security Prison While I Conveniently Am in France” Peña Nieto and Mexico’s federal Attorney General Arely…
Tucson’s Cutest Hotel, The Downtown Clifton, Is Throwing a Cowboy Luau
The Downtown Clifton (485 S. Stone Ave.) is melding the worlds of yee-haw and aloha to celebrate to summer rains. The small boutique hotel’s Cowboy Monsoon Luau might seems a little muddled in concept, but you know what? Who cares? Grab your cowboy boots, slap on a grass skirt and do the hula or a…
Play Video Games, Support the Community Food Bank
Remember when playing a video game with someone meant being in the same room as them? This Saturday, the people who used to run Arcade-in-a-Box are putting on the 1st Annual Offline Multiplayer Game Festival (also known as OMGFest). The event, which will feature games such as Windjammers and NBA Jam On Fire Edition, will…
Get a Taste of Southern Seafood at Kingfisher
Starting today, Kingfisher Bar and Grill (2564 E. Grant Road) is going to be serving up Southern fare as the final stop on their summer Road Trip menu series. Of course, since it’s Kingfisher, the menu highlights the best Southern seafood options with a distinct focus on Cajun and Creole cuisines. Chef Fred Harris designed…
Community Forum Tonight at Alliance for Global Justice Will Focus on Sen. McCain’s Border Security Bill SB 750
There is going to be a community forum this evening to discuss Sen. John McCain’s border security bill, SB 750, and what it means to the Southern Arizona borderlands. The so-called Arizona Borderland Protection and Preservation Act—which was first introduced in March, then backed off after being approved by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and…
Sun Tran Strike Opinion Piece: The Bus Buck Stops Where?
The Sun Tran strike’s been on for 15 days now, without many changes regarding the negotiations. I wrote a recap this week involving the different voices there are in the issue. A few days ago, someone in the negotiating table reached out to the Tucson Weekly with his insight. Dan Linhart is with the Teamsters…
Happy Birthday, Tucson! Happy Birthday, Baby Elephant!
Peaceful farming Jesuit priest and local legend Father Kino founded the Mission San Xavier del Bac in 1700. Before that, different Native American cultures were known to farm the lush Santa Cruz River floodplain as far back as 12,000 years ago. However, on August 20, 1775, Hugo O’Connor decided to begin building the military fort Presidio…
Weird Al: Parody Pastor
As long as music as a medium has existed, there has been someone there to mock it. As soon as someone wrote the “Seikilos Epitaph” (the oldest surviving musical composition in history), someone most likely wrote their own version using burps and fart noises.
Karuna’s Thai Plate: Thai’d Down
Good Thai can be hard to find in Arizona and, truthfully, visiting Karuna’s Thai Plate, located off Grant Road just east of Campbell Avenue, is not without its faults.
B-Sides: Che’s Birthday
This weekend, you can celebrate all of those reasons for digging this Tucson institution and more when the lovably divey little joint hosts its 15-year anniversary.
A Night to Re:Member
If you always dreamed of being a member of Giant Sand, now’s your chance.
B-Sides: DJ Nathaniel Knows
Sometimes, you just want to dance. I get it. Why not indulge your baser instincts and get down to some sick electro bass beats when DJ Nathaniel Knows takes over the Rialto Theatre (318 E. Congress St.) for a special dance party.
S750 Community Forum
Listen in on a panel discussing Sen. John McCain’s SB750—a border security bill that he’s been trying to push since the spring.
B-Sides: Kulululu
For those looking to spend their Saturday night nestled up to fellow music lovers listening to fuzzy, grungy rock and roll music, Tiny Town Gallery.
Die Wise
A day-long workshop with author Stephen Jenkinson on his new book Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul, takes place Sunday, Aug. 23 at the Galactic Center.
News21: America’s Weed Rush
Most Native American tribes are opting not to legalize marijuana, though at least two are poised to try it—just six months after a U.J. Justice Department memo indicated federal authorities likely would not interfere with growing marijuana on tribal lands if other federal crimes were not committed.
Art at the YWCA
A show of the latest work from Elizabeth Frank and Teresa Villegas opens Friday, Aug. 28, at 6 p.m. at the YWCA’s gallery, 525 N. Bonita Ave.
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Gabacha: You should definitely get yourself an hombre, but not for taking care of kids.
Old Guy Love
Sometimes old rock and blues guys need love too.
Pleasure Activist
Anal sex just may be one of the most divisive sexual activities. It draws in some of the most enthusiastic practitioners, sexual adventurers, and curious dabblers. At the same time it evokes some of the most scorn, fear, and outright condemnation.
Dance Troupe Arrives with “Impetus”
Artifact Dance Project has built its reputation on narrative dance: in the last six years, it’s staged story concerts based on everything from “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” to real-life tales of the Roaring Twenties.
Strike Out
In November, Kirk was stabbed twice while on the job—once in the chest and another in the neck. A young man at the Roy Laos Transit Center attacked him, while he took a break from his night shift driving route 11. Kirk, who asked that we not share his last name, says there was only…
By George
George Rosenberg, who died last Tuesday, Aug. 11, at his home just a few months after his 99th birthday, left behind his wife, Barbara Rosenberg; two sons and three daughters; 10 grandkids; and a great grandchild.
The Skinny
McCain and other Republicans threaten to shut down government over Planned Parenthood.
Media Watch
Rosenberg left a lasting impression on the Citizen, and Tucson, Stockholders not enamored with latest Lee financials, R-Dub finds a new home and Scripps is in the market for new engineer.
Danehy
Long-time reader/provocateur Vince suggested the other day that Tom was falling prey to the dog days of summer and lashing out accordingly. This, of course, is nonsense because Tom lashes out all the time, but he is right about the dog days stuff. August just flat-out sucks
Happy Birthday, Baby
When a funky arts group providing a place for off-center, unpredictable and sometimes just flat out weird experimental theater turns five, you can bet there will be a big party with cake and clowns.
Bittersweet Jest
In 1996, Rolling Stone writer writer David Lipsky spent just under a week living and traveling with author and University of Arizona graduate David Foster Wallace.
