Cover Story
Tucson at Its Best
Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter was the first no-kill, cageless shelter in the entire United States when it opened in 1965. It started with the animal-loving Sister Seraphim, a Russian Orthodox nun. Her order in Northern California wouldn’t allow her to keep animals. To solve this problem, Sister Seraphim relocated to Tucson,…
Maker House Hosts Granny’s Holiday Hoedown This Friday
Photo from Maker House Facebook page. Maker House is getting creative and hosting a x-mas party at 4 p.m. this Friday, December 20, at its downtown mansion on 283 North Stone Ave. There will be happy hour drink specials, adult jumping castles, rides in the real fire party truck and there will be a Santa…
A Few Local Options to Replace the Lost Kennedy Bust of El Presidio Park
Last night, Weekly Web Lord Henry Barajas noted that the bust of John F. Kennedy appears to have been stolen from Downtown’s El Presidio Park, and offered his suggestion for a replacement: President Barack Obama. Now, I’m not necessarily disputing Henry’s claim that Barry O is the best President that we’ve ever had, but I’m fairly…
Update – Shooting at Bella Sirena Condos in Rocky Point Today
In what is certainly a harrowing experience for anyone in the area, a shootout occurred at the Bella Sirena condominiums this morning, with blog reports stating that a helicopter gunship was seen firing into the complex itself. Currently, the U.S. Consulate is advising that American citizens in the area shelter in place. Reports of large…
Let’s Replace The Stolen Kennedy Bust with Obama’s Head
Photo from shutterstock.com Some thieves walked away with the John F. Kennedy bust that was located in El Presidio Park during the weekend, according to the Daily’s Darren DaRonco. It’s highly unlikely that we will ever see the bulbous, granite Kennedy head again. We need to find another face to fill the void in the…
Linda Ronstadt Joins The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class 2014
DANA O’SULLIVAN Linda Ronstadt, age 11. Linda Ronstadt is the first Tucsonan (besides Paul McCartney) to be inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame*. Nirvana, Kiss, Hall and Oates, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens and the local hero will join the legendary class of 2014. Unfortunately, Ronstadt is unsure if she can attend the ceremony…
Heavy Marijuana Use Causes Memory Issues and Abnormal Brain Structure Among Teens, Study Says
Photo from shutterstock.com Teenagers who smoked a lot of marijuana daily for three years responded shoddily on memory exercises and showed abnormal alterations in brain structure, according to a Northwestern Medicine study. These abnormalities were recorded two years after the teens stopped using marijuana, possibly indicating long-term effects, and look similar to schizophrenia-related brain abnormalities.…
NSFW Photo of the Day: Lenny’s Sign Will Change Your Life, Forever
We received a photo of The Besmirchers’ frontman Lenny Mental counter-protesting a man of God at the Fourth Avenue Winter Street Fair, but don’t click through if you’re offended by strong language. Regular folks like you and me just walked on by, ignoring these religious people damning the innocent atheists, masturbators, faggots, freaks, dykes, cameltoes,…
Image Teases David Lapham’s ‘Stray Bullets’ Return
Photo from Image Comics Image Comics’ Ron Richards shared David Lapham’s infamous Stray Bullets logo on the publisher’s website and various social media outlets earlier today. The award winning black and white noir masterpiece has been been out of print for many years, and goes for big bucks on eBay and Amazon. The series was…
Shady Dell #1 Airstream Hotel in the US of A
Photo from The Shady Dell Facebook Page Are you looking for romantic trailer park getaway? Thrillist named Bisbee’s Shady Dell Trailer Court the world’s coolest mobile motel of 2013. Who needs a cookie on your pillow when you can get lawn flamingos on freshly cut astroturf. 1. The Shady Dell Trailer Court — Bisbee, AZThis…
Food & Wine Names Penca One of the Best Bars in America
The Chile en Nogada from Penca. Photo by Briana Sanchez Food & Wine named local Penca, downtown Mexican restaurant and pub, one of the best bars in America. Inspired by owner Patricia Schwabe’s Mexico City roots, Penca offers authentic dishes like poblano chile rellenos and agave-based cocktails from bar manager Luke Anable. pencarestaurante.com Weekly food…
Having a Blast with your Desert Potted Gardens
The Potted Desert Winter Color with Mexican Bird of Paradise Hopefully you have heard me say that you should ‘blast´ your flowers and potted plants with a jet-spray of water on a regular basis. I know many in my potted gardening classes have looked at me funny when I tell them to do this. So…
Learn a Little Something About Asteroids
Last week, I wrote about the UA’s OSIRIS-REx space mission to gather samples from an asteroid. One of the OSIRIS-REx’s mission is to teach us earthlings about the mission via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Here’s a short video full of fun facts about asteroids.
AZ Illustrated Politics: Fed Budget Deal, Upcoming Legislative Session, Gun Background Checks & More
On last night’s AZ Illustrated Politics: State Rep. Bruce Wheeler, former lawmaker Jonathan Paton and attorney Jeff Rogers talked about the federal budget deal that passed the House of Representatives this week, looked ahead to the upcoming legislative session, debated why a push to expand background checks fizzled out this year, weighed the chances of…
Don’t Miss 12 Hours of Terror at The Loft Tonight
You don’t want to miss the 12 hour ho-ho-horrifying Christmas-themed marathon tonight at The Loft Cinema, 1103 N. Camilla Blvd. The All-Nite Scream-O-Rama Holiday Horror Show will start with Black Christmas at 9 p.m. Following that will be Santa’s Slay, “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” Gremlins, Don’t Open Till Christmas, Jack Frost and Christmas Evil at approximately…
The Real Story Behind Lisa Frank
The world of Lisa Frank isn’t just filled with colorful hearts, bears dressed as painters, seals swimming in tie-dye oceans and unicorns dancing on rainbows surrounded by musical notes. Fame and fortune are apparently tainted by drugs and infidelity in the secrecy-cloaked convergence of people and events behind the colorful 90s phenomena. And it turns…
Bell Needs a Home
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Bell, a 5-year-old, female, Shepherd mixReference no.: 767568 Bell always has a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. This sweet people-centered pooch was found roaming the streets and scooped up by a good samaritan. Although her past remains a mystery, Bell must have been someone’s beloved companion…
Barber and Kirkpatrick Support Federal Budget Plan
The budget plan cooked up by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) made it through the House of Representatives last night on an 332-94 vote. The proposal provides some relief from the sequester spending limits and provides a budgetary framework for the next two years. That will prevent some cuts to…
‘Netflix Adultery’ Impacts 51% Of Relationships, According To Netflix
Do you hate it when your partner watches a television show on Netflix without you? Do you often catch yourself putting on your “fake shocked” face because you swore you wouldn’t start watching the second season of Battlestar Galactica without him or her? You are suffering from what is commonly know as “Netflix adultery.” You are…
‘Broken Heart’ Defense for Tucson Man Charged in Girlfriend’s Death
When Arnold Granillo sat on the bench outside of courtroom 478 on Thursday afternoon, the passersby — save for the jurors in his trial — probably didn’t realize he was being tried for the murder of his girlfriend. Granillo, who was out on $10,000 bail, was clean-cut, and wore a suit: a gray jacket and…
Why Marriage Matters Arizona Community Meeting Tonight
Why Marriage Matters Arizona will hold an open community meeting today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Himmel Park Library,1035 N. Treat Ave. Why Marriage Matters Arizona (WMMAz) will host an open community meeting to discuss the campaign’s progress in Arizona. WMMAz is a grassroots public education campaign to build support for the freedom…
Cinema Showdown: Smaug and Robert Ford Edition
Mid-World revelers, it’s time to rejoice! On December 12, gather your brethren, hop in your ride, pop in some Led Zep and head on over to either Century Park Place, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd, or Century El Con, 3601 E. Broadway Blvd, for The Hobbit 3D double feature! Starting at 9 p.m., you can check…
Arizona Wildcats: Golfing on The Res
Today marks the official opening of Casino del Sol’s golf complex, known as the Sewailo Golf Club, a long-in-the-works project that’s slowly converted several acres of open desert south of the casino into a 7,400-yard course. It’s now also the home of the University of Arizona’s golf teams, the school announced this morning. The Wildcats’…
The Doors’ John Densmore In-store Book Signing at Zia This Saturday
The legendary Doors drummer John Densmore is coming to town for a book signing at 2 p.m. this Saturday at Zia Records, 3370 East Speedway. Phoenix New Times music writer Serene Dominic interviewed Densmore about his new book The Doors: Unhinged and shared some of Jim Morrison’s insecurities regarding his musical talents and involvement with…
The 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair is Coming
It won’t be long until 50,000 Tucsonans head down to the 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair this weekend. Food vendors have already started setting up the on North Fourth Avenue and East Seventh Street. The infamous PIGGLY’S BBQ and Grill didn’t waste anytime setting up shop, and the only thing missing is the auroma from…
Grijalva: “I Strongly Oppose a Budget Deal That Asks Federal Employees To Endure Another Pay Cut”
When you have a deal, sometimes you have to move fast. And so the House of Representatives will be voting later today on the small-ball budget deal hammered out by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). Here is a breakdown on the deal, which would essentially set a spending plan for the…
Little-known Visa for Trafficking Victims is Chronically Underused
By PEI LI Cronkite News Service WASHINGTON – Visas to enter the U.S. are typically a hot commodity: The government stopped taking applications for its 2014 allotment of 65,000 H-1B work visas after just four days, for example. But not the T-visa. Of the 50,000 T-visas that have been offered over the last 10 years,…
Video of Calexico and Friends Performing ‘Fairytale of New York’ on ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’
Last night Calexico, Iron & Wine, Kathleen Edwards and Glen Hansard covered The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Did you miss the whimsical performance because you were playing drunken Scramble at The District last night? Don’t worry because you can watch it right here on The Range at your leisure. I…
Danehy
I recently had the opportunity to coach a foreign-exchange student from Germany. The young lady’s name is Eva (no, really) and you pretty much knew she was from Germany before she even opened her mouth. Her grasp of English was quite good as long as she was being spoken to slowly and clearly. That’s why…
Dragon Drama
A curious thing happens about two hours and 40 minutes into the latest Hobbit movie: You don’t want it to end. More curious still: There’s enough story left that it arguably shouldn’t end. After the debacle of the first Hobbit adaptation, The Desolation of Smaug is more than a welcome change of pace. It’s reason…
Media Watch
WEEKLY ENDS THREE-DECADE RELATIONSHIP WITH VANDERPOOL Tim Vanderpool started writing articles for the Tucson Weekly in 1985. But that ended in October when the Weekly severed his role with the paper. And while neither party wanted to get into specifics, it’s clear the split was not particularly amicable. “Obviously, I am very disappointed in how…
Behind the Bombshell
While I can’t remember the person I spoke with or the exact time I had my first Bettie Page conversation, I do remember some details. A girl I knew was wearing her hair a certain way, and she had some sort of book or memorabilia with Page emblazoned on it. I had seen Page popping…
The Skinny
GRIJALVA: STOP DEPORTATIONS NOW With comprehensive immigration-reform legislation stalled in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Raul Grijalva joined 27 other Democrats to urge President Barack Obama to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to all undocumented immigrants now in the United States. Obama established the DACA program, which allows potential DREAM Act…
True TV
Christmas On the Bayou Saturday, Dec. 14 (Lifetime) Holiday Movie: Blowing away Hallmark and ABC Family in sheer Original Holiday Movie output this season, nearly all of Lifetime’s Christmas cheese-doodles follow the same template: Workaholic urban Career Woman/Single Mom with a Precocious/Sullen Son retreats to Small Town USA to find a flannel-shirted Mr. Right and/or…
The Countdown Begins
At 5:43 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, UA Professor of Planetary Science Dante Lauretta unveiled the countdown clock for the OSIRIS-Rex mission. At that point, exactly 999 days remained until the launch window opened for the UA’s latest foray into the final frontier: A robotic space probe designed to swing up next to an asteroid,…
Now Showing at Home
The Family When witness protection relocates a Mob family (including Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer) from Brooklyn to France, wackiness, violence and the usual wise guy caricatures ensue. Directed by master of comedy … Luc Besson? (Fox) Ghost Team One Two roommates (Carlos Santos and J.R. Villarreal) and a random girl (Fernanda Romero) become ghost…
Monitoring the Situation
A U.S. Department of Justice motion asking the federal court to allow a Tucson magistrate to monitor the Tucson Unified School District’s ongoing desegregation process rather than the court-appointed special master was recently denied by Ninth District Court Judge David C. Bury. Last month the Tucson Weekly published a guest commentary by the last members…
Deli Delights
As a general rule, I like simple food. The most frequent questions I get when people find out that I have this food-writing gig is, “What’s the best restaurant in Tucson?” or “What is your favorite restaurant?” Both are impossible to answer because there are thousands of factors that can affect my response. However, one…
Police Dispatch
HAMMERING THE KEYS SOUTH BROSIUS AVENUE NOV. 9, 4 P.M. A man said a woman with whom he’d had sexual relations (apparently after a monetary transaction) had accused him of “cheating” and took a hammer to his piano, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. The man told a deputy that a woman had…
Noshing Around
Not Your Typical Tacos Gio Taco has announced its opening date, which comes just in time as a Christmas present for taco lovers. It’s Saturday, Dec. 21. Gio has also unveiled its inaugural menu. And, wow, it sure isn’t your average taqueria lineup. For instance, the “Smoky Bird” consists of a homemade corn tortilla shell,…
Making It Out
As a high school freshman football player, Ruben Bravo loved it when an opposing player was defenseless against his hard hits. Football was a way for him to productively express his fighter personality. During the offseason, Bravo didn’t sit around. He was in the weight room at 5:30 a.m. doing squats, deadlifts and bench presses.…
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
Carolyn Berk has grown up largely in public since her beginnings as an acoustic-based singer-songwriter more than a decade ago. Although soft-spoken, the frontwoman for the Portland, Ore.-based band Lovers hasn’t been shy about documenting her desires, joys and heartaches in song since her debut album, Star Lit Sunken Ship, in 2002. But she still…
Pedersen on Sports
Of course, this is a column. Obviously, it has words. And if I try hard enough, I might set a new record for the use of unnecessary word usage. If the people broadcasting sports on TV and radio can do it, why can’t I? I’ve always had a soft spot for stupidity, usually taking joy…
Soundbites
SERIOUSLY, GO DO THIS If you’re one of those people who reads this paper as soon as it hits the red boxes or is posted online, good news: You’ve still got time to attend the first night of the three-night local music extravaganza known as The Great Cover-Up! Head over to Plush on Thursday and…
Nine Questions
As bassist for Discos, and guitarist for both The Resonars and Lenguas Largas (the latter of whom he co-founded), Ricky Shimo is an extraordinary musician. The long time Tucson resident is among today’s most imaginative and distinctive guitarists, and we’re not just talking locally. What was the first concert you attended? My brother Beto Poo…
Honoring the Virgin
The story goes that on the morning of Dec. 9, 1531, on a deserted hill near Mexico City, a man named Juan Diego saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. The mother of Jesus asked that he have a church built on that spot in her honor. Juan Diego wasted no time and hurried to…
Live
For a variety of reasons, the idea and inherent problem with singer/songwriter music—the obsolete baby boomer era form that nearly always exists for purely narcissistic purposes—has been occupying far too much of my time. The upside to this quandary is the great artists whose work is subverting this self-absorption while adapting some of its stylistic…
City Week
Under the Twinkling Lights Holiday Nights at Tohono Chul Park 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14 Tohono Chul Park 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, Oro Valley 742-6455; tohonochulpark.org Tohono Chul Park, one of Southern Arizona’s top outdoor attractions, rarely opens its doors for nighttime visitors. But when it does, it’s…
Ryanhood: Start Somewhere
On their fifth album—and after a few years of struggling with various obstacles—Cameron Hood and Ryan Green have pressed the refresh button. And the opening track, “Red Line Reel,” acts as something of an introduction to the latest phase of the Tucson-based duo’s career. The spritely 1 1/2-minute instrumental track has the quality of a…
TQ&A
Rebecca Barten and David Sherman have turned a small warehouse storefront into “an exhibition and presentation space for contemporary and historical visual, sonic and film arts” called Exploded View Microcinema and Gallery, at 197 E. Toole Ave. The couple met in San Francisco, where they organized the first microcinema experience of its kind in the…
Tracy Shedd: Arizona
On her fifth album, Tracy Shedd goes acoustic, but these stark arrangements only serve to heighten the intensity of her songwriting. Shedd may have left Tucson, but if Arizona is any indication, the seven years she and guitarist/husband James Tritten spent here made lasting impacts. The stripped-down intimacy of Arizona is a departure only in…
We Are Magic
What do leg warmers, tube socks, a single sequined glove and mirror balls have in common? They are all relics of a period in pop history, not so very long ago, that in retrospect gives us a lot to laugh about. This is especially true if they are unapologetically celebrated in a wonderfully wrought exercise…
Sky Ferreira: Night Time, My Time
As Miley, Gaga and Katy wage tepid culture wars with their latest studio chaff, the best pop has moved off-charts. It’s been a year of remarkable alt-pop albums – led by CHVRCHES’ spectacular The Bones of What You Believe, AlunaGeorge’s nearly-as-good Body Music and Charli XCX’s unfairly overlooked and under-appreciated True Romance—so it’s a formidable…
Cabaret, Triumphant
Life is not a cabaret and Sally Bowles knows it. But here she is in the spotlight, strangely and perfectly still, flat-out begging us to leave our troubles at the door and come inside. The party’s over, sure, but we can get it started again, right? It’s a desperate invitation, delivered with heart-stopping urgency by…
Moving to Montevideo
I thought about moving to Uruguay once. The South American nation just this side of Argentina has some amazingly white beaches populated by sea turtles in winter, and you can buy property there for pennies on the dollar just a couple of hours from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Uruguay is a fairly progressive place that is…
Shock and Spill at Etherton
In a startling photo at Etherton Gallery, a veiled woman holds up a heavy tray of milk-white pitchers. Besides the lacy white napkin that covers her face, the only thing she’s wearing is a dainty embroidered apron. And she’s in a strange modernist space, standing in a stark pool of milky white light. The mysterious…
Ask a Mexican
Dear Mexican: You mocked and didn’t answer the legitimate questions raised in a letter to you a couple of weeks ago, about the guy who didn’t see a rosy future for a Mexican-led America. The writer correctly referred to serious problems in the Hispanic community, such as poor academic performance and births out of wedlock.…
Editor’s Note
I get it, it’s a crazy time of year. I don’t even really have any friends and I think there are 17 events I’m supposed to be at on Saturday. SIDENOTE: Pace yourself, people! Has anyone considered having an Arbor Day party instead of jamming up everyone’s calendar with another event in December? Just throwing…
Now on Shelves
Out of Their Minds: The Incredible and (Sometimes) Sad Story of Ramón and Cornelio by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite; Translated by John William Byrd Cinco Punto Press 167 pages, $14.95 paper. So you’ve got two music-loving, young guys knocking around Tijuana who decide they want to become a famous band and impress girls. Since it’s just…
Sen. Linda Lopez Resigning Next Month
The Range has heard from a few sources today that Sen. Linda Lopez is planning on resigning her seat in the Arizona Legislature next month. Lopez, a Democrat who represents District 2, was first elected to the Legislature in 2000. A few names that are floating around as possible replacements in the district, which includes…
