Cover Story
D.O.A.
Dr. Bruce Parks puts on a pair of deep dark sunglasses before he steps into the back lot behind his morgue. The sun is blazing as usual in Tucson in August, and the truck he’s walking to is outside in the heat. Housed under a giant steel ramada to ward off the sun, the big…
Kelly Campaign: It’s a Boy!
Congrats to Republican congressional candidate Jesse Kelly and his wife Aubrey. This just in from the Kelly campaign: Jesse and his wife, Aubrey, are proud to announce the birth of their second son, Luke Samson Kelly, at approximately 1:00 am on September 1st, 2010. Luke was 7 lbs, 11 oz, and measured 21 inches long.…
Republican No Shows?
It’s been a long day at Weekly World Central. We were just about to go home after getting the paper out to press, when we decided to do a little Facebook time-suck. According to a post from Adam Kinsey, Pima County Democratic Party executive director, no Republicans showed up to the NAACP candidate forum tonight…
40th Anniversary of Rubén Salazar’s Death Remembered
Sunday, Aug. 29 was the 40th anniversary of the death of Latino journalist Rubén Salazar. Salazar was killed on August 29th, 1970, when he was struck in the head by a tear gas projectile fired by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy into an East Los Angeles bar. Salazar was covering the National Chicano Moratorium…
Noche de Luz Flashlight Parade
There’s still time. Get home, gather the kids and/or dogs, put some tissue paper over the flashlight, grab some water and help end Tucson’s birthday month at Noche de Luz. The flashlight parade starts at 6:30 p.m. on Mission Road at the foot of “A” Mountain, and is an organized flashlight procession to honor “those…
Az Democratic Party: Republicans Recruiting “Sham Green” Candidates
Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic reports: The state Democratic Party is alleging possible voter fraud in what it called a scheme to undermine its candidates by recruiting “sham” Green Party hopefuls. In a complaint filed late Monday, the party seeks an investigation by federal, state and county law-enforcement officials. The complaint names Rep.…
Thomas Concedes To Horne in AG Race
AP reports: Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas conceded Tuesday to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in the Republican primary for Arizona attorney general. Thomas said it was clear that Horne, who had a lead of 887 votes, had won the race. There are an estimated 900 ballots statewide that have yet to…
Horne’s Lead Over Andrew Thomas: 892 Votes
The latest count in the Republican Arizona attorney general race shows that Tom Horne now has an 892-vote lead over Andrew Thomas. Matt Benson of the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office reports that as of Monday afternoon, there are roughly 900 provisional ballots statewide that are yet to be processed and counted in Gila and…
Republican Tom Horne Declares Victory Over Andrew Thomas in AG Race
Republican Tom Horne has declared victory over Andrew Thomas, who has yet to concede in the GOP primary for Arizona attorney general. At last count, Horne was leading Thomas by 853 votes.
Arizona Republic: Jesse Kelly is a “Really, Really Angry Guy”
Arizona Republic columnist Doug MacEachern on Republican Jesse Kelly: I met Kelly in an Editorial Board meeting. Honorable fellow: war veteran, like all the district’s GOP candidates. Indeed, he was a Marine combat platoon leader, the most dangerous job on earth. He is an honest conservative. And a really, really angry guy. When asked about…
Post-Pimary Punditry, Part II
GOP pollster Margaret Kenski helps the gang on Arizona Illustrated’s Friday Roundtable sort out the primary results and upcoming general election.
Rasmussen: Brewer Leads Goddard; Arizonans Pessmistic About the Future
Rasmussen has new numbers on the Arizona governor’s race: A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds Brewer leading Goddard by a 57% to 38% margin. That’s little changed from a month ago and two months ago. Just three percent (3%) prefer another candidate while five percent (3%) are undecided. Another tidbit: Most Arizona voters…
The Morning After: Artists for Action Voter Registration Concert
Last night’s free Artists for Action Voter Registration Concert and Rally at the Marquee Theatre in Phoenix featured local acts including Calexico, Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta, Salvador Duran and Miniature Tigers. The 1,500 people that showed up signed pledges to vote Nov. 2 and new voters registered at the door before jamming out. We’ve…
Colbert on McCain’s Primary Victory
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c John McCain’s Victorious Defeat www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News Stephen Colbert might be the conservative alternative to Jon Stewart, but they both offered congratulations to McCain on his primary victory earlier this week.
Post-Primary Punditry
I wasn’t able to join the Roundtable gang today, but I did visit with Bill Buckmaster and Christopher Conover of Arizona Public Media to talk about the primary election on Wednesday.
Daily Show Covers McCain Primary Victory
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Indecision 2010 – Arizona, Alaska & Florida www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party More context than our local TV news stations!
Even The Onion Thinks We’re Lame
From The Onion: Following a series of embarrassingly backward laws recently enacted in Arizona, Texas governor Rick Perry pledged Wednesday to do everything in his power to reestablish his state as the most regressive in the nation. “I commend Arizona for its commitment to exceedingly draconian social policies, but [Arizona Governor] Jan Brewer should know…
Metropolitan Grill Reopens With New Name, Décor and Menu
Metropolitan Grill (7892 N. Oracle Road) reopens this weekend with a slightly different name, a revamped menu and an overhauled interior featuring work by several local artists. Gone are the white walls at what is now Metropolitan Grill: America’s Kitchen. Art by Joe Pagac, the man responsible for those incredible murals on the side of…
The Skinny
Post-primary posts … Watch your step! … Koch problem.
Painting Poetry
The University of Arizona Poetry Center has been celebrating its 50th anniversary by highlighting some of its ongoing programs. September will showcase artwork by Maja Nostrant. Nostrant began painting at the age of 17, and was raised in an artistic family. Her father, Frank Franklin, was a painter and a carpenter; her mother, Anna Franklin,…
Police Dispatch
The clash of the Justins; Phantom cash better than none; That guy from masturbation called
All Room, No Class
Having closed nine schools already this year, the pain felt in the Tucson Unified School District might not be over. At the same time, affected neighborhoods wonder about what will happen to the now vacant buildings. District planner Bryant Nodine confirmed last week that a TUSD task force should be reconstituted shortly to look at…
City Week
The Dover Road; Some Like It Hot screening and party; “Poisonous Creatures of Rincon Valley” presentation; A Combo of Three
Nine Questions
Zachary Toporek hails from Phoenix. He plays guitar and sings with Tucson’s own Young Mothers, proud papas of a 7-inch single on Fort Lowell Records called “Come on, the Cross.” Toporek is obsessed with pop music and will never get over the Beatles. Most mornings he can be found running around the Fourth Avenue area…
T Q&A
Maribel Alvarez
Water Wait
Before the Tucson City Council voted unanimously on June 8 to delay a request to annex the almost 300 acres in the saguaro-covered Painted Hills property, it looked like any hope to preserve the area was finally lost to development. According to Councilwoman Regina Romero, even after the council voted to delay annexation, it still…
Witches, Vampires and Soldiers, Oh My!
Check in at the box office. Find your seat. Turn off all electronic devices and unwrap your cough drops. Lean back and savor the excitement. Are you ready? You’d better be, because the curtain is going up on Tucson’s new theater season. In the next nine months, 18 local theaters will produce more than 50…
Live
Greyhound Soul, Gram Rabbit
Deathship Earth
Climb aboard the Death Ship. Mitch Tobin’s lively and intelligent new book, Endangered: Biodiversity on the Brink, takes us on a grand tour through the world of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A sort of statutory Noah’s Ark for species on the edge, the ESA is described as the nation’s toughest environmental law, and it…
Roll Acosta: The Dawn EP (Self-Released)
Jacob (Roll) Acosta is a singer-songwriter and classically trained guitarist who fronts an acoustic folk-pop trio that bears his nickname. After recording Three self-produced albums, Acosta has joined with drummer Andre Gressieux and strings player Kevin Frederick to record this sweet four-song recording with production by Craig Schumacher, engineer to the stars, at Tucson’s famous…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books best-sellers for the week ending Aug. 20, 2010
You Make the Call
As the dust settles from Tuesday’s primary election, the candidates who survived the winnowing process will be gearing up for the Nov. 2 general election. On that same ballot, voters will also decide 11 ballot propositions, ranging from establishing a right to refuse to buy health insurance to letting lawmakers take control of cigarette taxes…
Going-Out Party
Get Low is an interesting sort of mystery film, because, unlike the standard mystery movie, the question is not “who dunnit?” but “what done he did?” Robert Duvall stars as Felix Bush, an ornery old hermit who, like all the best ornery old hermits, lives on the outskirts of a small town in 1930s Tennessee.…
Sia: We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle)
During Sia’s performance at Club Congress back in February 2008, she spoke openly about her struggle with record labels that wanted to pigeonhole her as a “downbeat artist.” So it’s no surprise that her fifth studio album, We Are Born, finds her on Monkey Puzzle Records (which is still distributed by Some People Have Real…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week ending Aug. 23, 2010
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul (Capitol)
The buzz was instant: Danger Mouse (né Brian Burton) and Sparklehorse (né Mark Link-ous) were collaborating on some sort of project with director David Lynch. It turned out to be a book of photographs by Lynch with an accompanying CD spear-headed by Burton and Link-ous, but featuring a huge cast of guest vocalists including Iggy…
Call Me Fishmeal
It’s been more than 30 years since Joe Dante made Piranha for producer Roger Corman. In his commentary on the new DVD release for the original, Dante says Corman kept demanding “more blood” when he watched the dailies. If Corman should take the time to visit a theater, put on the goofy glasses and behold…
For Your Fall Calendar
The college students are back in town and going to class. The number of calendar listings we’re running is on the rise. Yes, it’s still hot as hell, but cool(er) weather is on the way—after all a month ending in “ber” starts this week. Fall is on its way—and here are some fall (or almost-fall)…
Weekly Wide Web
Smartphone, distracted person; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; Best of WWW
Now Showing at Home
The Red Riding Trilogy; Lost: The Complete Sixth Season; Max Headroom: The Complete Series; The Simpsons: The 13th Season (Blu-ray)
Danehy
Thomas Jondall left Tucson for the Continent over the weekend. He’ll be in Europe for a month or so, competing as a member of the USA Junior cycling team in events in Belgium and Italy. It wasn’t that long ago that he was basically homeless and parentless, sleeping in the park, not going to school,…
An Goes North
Mr. An is back in the ‘hood, specifically the near-Northwest side in a building he occupied some time back. The site—formerly the home of a variety of eateries that included a coffee house, a Mexican joint and a big chain teppan/sushi place—is humongous. There’s a bar that’s bigger than many full restaurants in town, more…
Messina
As I write this, it’s a few days before the primary elections. I imagine candidates are gearing up for the big day, getting out that lucky suit and writing acceptance speeches. Will winners thank the voters, campaign workers, their spouses? Or will they look skyward, wave and thank God for their victory? The faith-based life…
Media Watch
Zlaket bounced as Clear Channel Tucson GM; KQTH names new PD; Rough run for Andy Taylor; Bradford and jazz outlet sever ties; Really? Even more media reporting
Noshing Around
California Pizza Kitchen; Back-to-School Beer Tasting; The Feast Blog; Salud Oyster Bar and Grill; Pinot Festival
Mailbag
Those Kids Brought Here Illegally by Their Parents Are Law-Breakers!; Want to Build Community? Put a Walmart Downtown!
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Oye, I’m a Mexican con un pie aquí y un pie allá, and I have to admit that it is difficult to be a Mexican these days. I’d like to make the argument that it is one of the worst times ever to be a Mexican. I even think it is worse now…
What’s in a License?
A few years back, local venue Plush used to do something called Tribute Nights, where local musicians would learn the songs of a featured artist, and perform three-song sets. But then one day the Tribute Nights just stopped. Rumors surfaced about legal issues pertaining to copyright infringement. And local musicians who wanted to play a…
Guest Commentary
On July 29, some bills that passed the state Legislature and were signed by the governor became law. Included in these was SB 1070. Of course, there was a SB 1070-related protest, and counter-protest, downtown. I like a good protest as much as anyone, but I had a celebration—of other laws going into effect—to attend…
Soundbites
Pumpkins Rise UP; Benefit Bevy; On the Bandwagon
Mexico City Blues
It was late afternoon and we were on the bus bound for nowhere. In a classic Mexico City mash, our driver was facing off with a panel truck, which had turned crossways against a sea of cars. Years before, looking down upon the madness from a roadside perch was Cuitláhuac, an Aztec leader best known…
Top Ten in Music
The 17th St. Guitar and World Music Store top sales for the week ending Aug. 20, 2010
Got Shoes?
TUSD is having a student shoe drive on Saturday, Aug. 28 at Buffalo Exchange, 2001 East Speedway Blvd., from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. More info from the press release: The start of the 2010-2011 school year finds many Tucson Unified School District students’ families suffering during these difficult economic times. These families are aided by the…
No Big Brewer Surprise Here
Immigrants’ List, a bipartisan political action committee working on immigration reform, has a Hall of Shame candidates list on its website. No surprise that our own Gov. Jan Brewer is No. 4. Senator John McCain’s former challenger JD Hayworth came in at No. 3. Since he’s out of the picture now, I wonder if the…
GOP AG Race Unknown: Horne Has 454-Vote Lead Over Thomas
They’re still counting votes in the GOP AG race between Tom Horne and Andrew Thomas. Jeremy Duda of the Arizona Capitol Times reports: Tom Horne holds a razor-thin lead over Andrew Thomas in the Republican primary for attorney general, but with about 124,000 votes left to be counted, the final outcome may not be clear…
Election Updates and a Huppenthal Reminder
Michael Schennum/The Arizona Republic Since it’s official John Huppenthal is going to be the Republican challenger for Superintendent of Public Instruction, I thought it would be good to remind everyone of last year’s court hearing when the Hup defended taking on an old lady over a political sign. Somehow I don’t see Democrat Penny Kotterman…
Glassman on Maddow Blog
Rodney Glassman wants to beat John McCain from The Rachel Maddow Show on Vimeo. Remember when Rachel Maddow Show producers visited the border a few weeks ago and stopped by Hotel Congress? Well, Democrat and U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman rangled an interview. Here’s a taste, but you can also read the entire entry here:…
Mini’s Cupcakes Opens at New Location
Mini’s Cupcakes is open for business at its new location at Casas Adobes Plaza (7051 N. Oracle Road.) The new location also sells cakes made by owner Jaynie Rossi’s other outfit, Ambrosia of Tucson. Here’s the press release: Tucson, Arizona — August 24, 2010 — More delectable news on the cake front: Mini’s Cupcakes moved…
CD8: Team Giffords Calls Jesse Kelly “An Ideologue With No Interest in Governing”
Team Giffords lays out its frame for the CD8 race: To: Interested PartiesFrom: Rodd McLeod, Campaign Manager, Giffords for CongressDate: August 25th, 2010In Re: State of the AZ08 Race With the defeat of lobbyist/insider Jonathan Paton in yesterday’s Republican primary, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ prospects for re-election have brightened significantly. The Arizona Democratic Party’s effort to…
John Dougherty: “I’ll be Back”
When John Dougherty walked into Hotel Congress tonight it was like Paris Hilton walked into your brother’s eighth grade gym class – he was the Dem celebrity. After pushing through the crowd to get to the podium, he said, “We’re going to be around for more races in the future.” He said he’d consider running…
Gabby Speaks
With about 20 people standing behind her holding Giffords placards, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords told the Dems at Hotel Congress tonight that the race against her opponent, which is looking tonight like it’s going to be Republican Jesse Kelly, is going to be about values. “They don’t reflect the values of Arizona,” Giffords remarked about…
