Cover Stories
Fall Arts Preview: Theater Arts
Tucson hoards theaters like an old coot might hoard cats. There is a whole bunch of them, and every time you turn around it seems there are more.
Fall Arts Preview: Music, Literature and the Stuff of Life
Even when it’s 110 degrees outside, we still love and think about arts in Tucson. It just happens to be, that once the temperatures drop and life seem more civilized in our part of the world, that arts and gathering together as a community become a priority. That’s when we stop whining and start singing…
Fall Arts Preview: Visual Arts and Dance
Tucson is a photography town, and one of the reasons is the Center for Creative Photography. The CCP celebrates its 40th anniversary with an all-star show, “The Lives of Pictures: Forty Years of Collecting” at the Center for Creative Photography, Oct. 10 to March 20. Over 80 artists, including Ansel Adams, Harry Callahan, Garry Winogrand,…
6th Arizona Farmer + Chef Connection Pairs Food Education with a Vendor Market
Despite what the name might seem to suggest, the sixth annual Arizona Farmer + Chef Connection isn’t just for industry professionals. Sure, the vendor marketplace is a great way for Tucson’s restaurants and hotels to find new local vendors for their wholesale accounts, but the whole event is jam packed with informational sessions focusing on…
Bus Strike: City Denies Sun Tran ‘Replacement Employees’ Ads, Ensures (Again) It Cannot Intervene
The City of Tucson reasserted time and time again at a press conference this afternoon that they cannot stick their hands in negotiations between Sun Tran and the Teamsters Local Union 104. City Manager Michael Ortega also said that the city isn’t saving nearly as much money as the Teamsters allege for every day the…
Bisbee Becomes First City in Arizona to Approve an ‘Aid in Dying’ Resolution
On Tuesday, Bisbee became the first city in Arizona to approve a “Death with Dignity” resolution. The city council vote was close: 4-3. Bisbee Councilwoman Joan Hansen’s proposal doesn’t change the law, but it at least acknowledges the increasing support for “humane and dignified” end-of-life options in the state and around the country. It also asks…
Cinema Clips: Listen to Me Marlon
There is a hypnotic quality to Listen to Me Marlon. That stands to reason, since the documentary is a quilt of Marlon Brando’s life stitched together from hundreds of hours of his home recordings—including self-hypnosis sessions. In his final years, Brando was a parody of his former self. Fat, isolated, bizarre, there was barely a…
Can You Be Both Pro-“Black Lives Matter” and Pro-Police? Yes, Says Newark Mayor. (or: Former High School Principal Makes Good, So Far)
Last May I wrote about the mayoral election in Newark, New Jersey, because it was, among other things, a referendum on the “education reform”/privatization movement. The former mayor, now Senator Cory Booker, is pretty much in the ed reform camp. So was one of the two candidates, Shavar Jeffries. On the other side was a somewhat…
Bus Strike Day 28: Teamsters Say Sun Tran, City Might Be Searching for ‘Replacement’ Drivers Out of State
Sun Tran and the city of Tucson may be in the market to hire “replacement employees” from out of state, according to the Teamsters Local Union 104. The bus strike is entering its 28th day with no resolution in sight. The Teamsters allege that ads were placed in Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Orange County…
Cinema Clips: A Walk in the Woods
With combined ages a few years beyond Lemmon and Matthau in Grumpy Old Men, you may have a pretty good idea what you’re getting with the seasoned comedy travelogue, A Walk in the Woods. At 79 and 74 years old, respectively, there are a lot of miles on Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. On the…
Share Your Thoughts on Arizona’s Transportation System at a Community Forum Later This Month
The nonprofit Arizona Town Hall wants to hear from people who known a thing or two about transportation issues in the state—i.e. bus riders effected by a certain bus strike that is close to hitting the 30 day mark. The talks aren’t just happening in Tucson but throughout Arizona with the purpose of getting citizens involved,…
Human Behavior Returns to Tucson with a Wooden Tooth Performance
Last week, I told you about the jerks that smashed in Human Behavior’s tour van windows in California and stole about $5,000 worth of cherished instruments and personal effects. In an effort to make some extra scratch to replace what they can, the band launched an Indiegogo campaign, which, at the time of this blog…
It’s the Last Week to Complete Your Summer Passport
Remember that Summer Passport we’ve been telling you about all summer long? Well, I hope you’ve been earning your stamps because school is back in session and that means it’s just about time for us to select a winner. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention: Do you love drinking and buying things…
New Exhibit at Tiny Town Gallery Will Showcase Artwork Created by Immigrants
For 18 months, the immigrants’ rights advocacy group Corazón de Tucson worked on a project that involved providing immigrants and their families with arts therapy. Some really nice pieces resulted from that venture, and now organization is ready to showcase them in an upcoming exhibit. Throughout the project, called Resolution Through Arts Engagement in the Era…
Monte Needs a Home
Hi friends! Remember me?! My name is Monte and I’m this week’s transformation spotlight! When I first came to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, I was very scared and defensive. I was so nervous when the staff would try to get close to me and I would sometimes scare strangers away on accident. I’ve…
Fire & Flavor: A Beer That Lives Up to its Name
When thinking of beer, its not often that the first thing that comes to mind is spice. However, Tucson cuisine sometimes inspires the local breweries, leading Iron Johns Brewery to make their signature green chili ale for the second time. Made with mesquite smoked Anaheim chiles, this beer is complimented on the sweet side with apple cider…
Nevada’s Education Savings Account Will Have Its Day in Court
Nevada has a new Education Savings Account law. It’s pretty much the same as Arizona’s law, with one difference. Every student can use it, so long as the student has been in a public school at least 100 days. In Arizona only a limited number of students qualify. The Arizona folks who pushed our ESA want…
Chicha Dust Announces Name Change, Focus on “Tucson Roots” Sound
HoCo Fest 2015 is resurrecting some of Tucson’s favorite bands of yesteryear and even presenting a visual history of the music scene by way of the Tucson Rock and Roll History Museum pop-up exhibit, all culminating in a celebration of 30 years of Hotel Congress (stay tuned for more on all of this in our…
Poppy Kitchen Closes at Westin La Paloma Resort
According to a Facebook post, Brian Metzger’s Poppy Kitchen is closed. Metzger, who was regarded as an up-and-coming Sam Fox-style restaurateur, could not immediately be reached for comment on the closure of his restaurant, which was announced the evening of Friday, Aug. 28. The Facebook post said simply, “Poppy Kitchen is currently closed. Please accept…
Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva and Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll
ZonaPol8-27Final from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Congressman Raul Grijalva talks about Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, Wall Street’s influence on financial regulation, the Black Lives Matter movement, his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, the battle over Planned Parenthood funding, the Iran nuclear agreement…
ACLU of Arizona Sues City of Surprise Over an Ordinance That’s Pretty Terrible to Domestic Violence Victims
The City of Surprise has this ordinance in place that allows a landlord to evict tenants who place calls to the police more than four times in 30 days, and there are no exceptions if the tenant is the victim of said crime. Well, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona have…
Bus Strike Day 22: Teamsters Reject Latest Sun Tran Proposal, Wonder When City Will Intervene
The Teamsters Local 104 has said no to Sun Tran’s latest offer, and even called it a “worse proposal” than the one originally rejected by the 530 bus drivers and mechanics, who are now entering a fourth week on strike. This new offer was presented to the Teamsters Wednesday by the federal mediator on behalf…
Head to Wooden Tooth Records Saturday for a Back to School Vinyl Sale
There’s no mistaking the traffic on Speedway Boulevard—the kids are coming back to school. Whether you’re in the ranks of degree-seeking people or you’d just like to get some perks for having to put up with a more crowded Old Pueblo, anyone can benefit from a massive vinyl and turntable sale at Wooden Tooth Records…
Trump Leads in Latest Poll But No So Much With Latino Voters
Another day, another poll showing Donald Trump leading the GOP field. The latest Quinnipiac poll shows that 28 percent of Republican voters are leaning toward Trump, with Ben Carson in second place with 12 percent and everyone else in single digits. There’s plenty of analysis out there about whether Trump can actually win the nomination…
Who Wants Diamondbacks Tickets For Friday Night?
We’ve got two pairs of tickets to Friday night’s Diamondbacks game against the Oakland Athletics. The game starts at 6:40 p.m at Chase Field in Phoenix. We’ll draw the winner Friday (“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…
Cinema Clips: American Ultra
Jesse Eisenberg, having himself a great summer with his career best performance in The End of the Tour, spreads his wings a bit as a stoner with a secret in this sporadically fun one from director Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) and writer Max Landis (Chronicle). While enjoying a fine cup of soup, convenience store clerk…
Occupying Our Space
Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry with the UA Press returns with their Show and Tell series at Playground Bar and Lounge, 278 E. Congress St. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m. with “Occupying Our Space: Revolutionary Mexican Women Journalists and Activists.”
Poetry Returns to the Ave
Words on the Avenue returns for a new season of poetry on Sunday, Aug. 30 at Café Passe, 415 N. 4th Ave., 6:30 p.m. The open mic is open to all community writes to share just about everything they’ve put in their heads or on a piece of paper.
Blue Moon Festival
Those wonderful Saturday summer nights continue at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Saturday, Aug. 29, 5 to 10 p.m. with the Blue Moon Festival.
News21: America’s Weed Rush
After waiting in line for hours at a booth during a medical marijuana convention in San Francisco, Jeff Harrington needed only a two-minute consultation and a written recommendation to become a medical marijuana patient in California.
Exploring Life
Tucson Circus Arts and Flam Chen present Colony on Friday, Aug. 28 through Sunday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m. at 250 S. Grande Ave. Colony is an exploration of life on a planet far off in the universe.
Police Dispatch
A trailer-park woman who’d just quit smoking wielded an apparent rifle—later judged to have been a BB gun—at her neighbors’ family due to her annoyance with their barking dogs.
Paws and Pints
Looking for a new four-legged friend or want to drink some beer with them? Then head down to Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road, Friday, Aug. 28, 7 to 10 p.m.
Ask a Mexican
Dear Mexican I recently received the biography of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Woods.
Political Inferno
Perhaps the high point in left v. right political debate happened in 1968. That same moment also unwittingly launched the cable news shout fests that masquerade as informed, civilized discourse today. In the documentary Best of Enemies, that summer—and two towering icons of conservative and liberal thought—are put under the microscope
Police Dispatch
Someone, or more precisely several people, took a considerable amount of trouble to steal a very valuable quantity of … well … bees.
Bright Star: Purity Ring
The year 2012 saw the dark and glittering debut for indie electro pop duo Purity Ring. Comprised of singer Megan James and producer Corin Roddick, the band’s debut hooked in listeners in, with some referring to the sound as “lullabies for the club.” Three years later, James and Roddick released a second album, and, while…
Pleasure Activist
An Anal August recap.
Living Live: ON AN ON
On one side, there’s the easy path, the comfort zone, the formula. The other side is uncertainty, exploration and a bit of fear
Unnecessary Measures
Nellie David is concerned for the Native American youth growing up in what she sees as an increasingly militarized Tohono O’odham Nation.
B-Sides: TFA Soundsystem
This just might be the last time you’ll ever get to see Tucson’s own LCD Soundsystem cover band. That’s because TFA Soundsystem’s singer Sean Hughes is leaving the Old Pueblo and his dance worthy cover band along with it.
Final Frontiersman
Chris Impey is the deputy head of the UA Astronomy Department and the author of several books, including Beyond: Our Future in Space, which explores how private-sector companies are shaping the future of space exploration.
B-Sides: Tom Walbank
U.K. export and adopted Tucsonan Tom Walbank knows the blues. As a guitar and harmonica player, his emotive performances are pretty mesmerizing to watch with a style clearly influenced by the greats for the genre.
The Skinny
GOP challengers struggle to keep up with Democratic incumbents on the money, Enough of this year’s City Council races—let’s look ahead to 2016.
Media Watch
Germano concludes News Director run with KOLD, Fox Sports cutbacks change local sports reporting dynamic
Danehy
Why do people risk their lives by hiking in the Arizona desert in the middle of summer?
