Cover Story
The Quick Rise of UA Women’s Basketball Under Coach Adia Barnes
Before last season, the University of Arizona Wildcats’ women’s basketball team had not made the NCAA tournament since before the iPhone had been released. George W. Bush was still president and Twitter was nothing more than the sound a bird makes. Following their Round of 32 loss to Louisiana State in 2005 until the time…
Feds – Again – Deny Endangered Species Status to Sonoran Desert Tortoise
WASHINGTON – The Sonoran desert tortoise has been denied endangered species status for a second time after a 14-year battle waged by advocates to protect the “ancient, iconic species of the desert.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that after a scientific review of the Arizona tortoise and its habitat, it determined that endangered…
High School Graduation Would Be Tied To Studying the Evils of Communism
Arizona high school students wouldn’t be able to graduate unless they are taught how communism and totalitarianism conflict with the American “principles of freedom and democracy” under a proposal backed by Republicans Tuesday. The bill also creates an oral history library to be used for civic education called “portraits in patriotism” in the bill that…
‘Broken Promise’: Hoffman Implores Lawmakers To Lift K-12 Spending Cap To Spare $1.1B In Cuts
Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman used her annual State of Education address to urge lawmakers to raise a constitutional spending limit on K-12 schools before they face major budget cuts in a few weeks. Speaking to the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Hoffman, a Democrat elected in 2018, said she’d originally planned to give…
Republican Lawmakers Aim To Do Away With Vote-By-Mail
Driven by false claims that the 2020 election was plagued by fraud that changed the outcome in statewide races — but not their own victories — Republican legislators on Monday gave initial approval to a host of proposals that critics say will make it harder for Arizonans to vote. The changes include doing away with…
The Daily Agenda: Tick Tick Tick…
As Arizona’s education doomsday clock continues ticking down, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman served up a pointed State of Education speech to the Senate Education Committee yesterday detailing exactly how much money schools located in lawmakers’ districts stand to lose if lawmakers don’t lift the education spending cap. And honestly, it’s worth repeating those numbers. But first, ICYMI, the…
House Republicans Pass Bill to Prohibit Sexually Explicit Materials in Schools
The Republican-controlled House passed a measure that would ban sexually explicit materials in K-12 classrooms across the state. Rep. Jake Hoffman, a Queen Creek Republican, said the bill would shield children from inappropriate content. “This (bill) is about nothing more than protecting the innocence of Arizona children from sexually explicit materials,” he said during a…
To Expose ‘Critical Race Theory’ in Classrooms, Republicans Move To Have Teachers Post All Lesson Materials Online
To allow parents to scour lessons for elements of “critical race theory,” Arizona teachers would be required to upload a list of every book and worksheet they use in their classrooms online for parental review if a Republican-backed bill becomes law. The goal, says state Sen. Nancy Barto, is to increase transparency for parents who…
GOP Ballot Measure Would Restrict Early Voting To Speed Up Ballot Counting
Nail-biter elections that last two weeks after the polls close could be a thing of the past under a proposed measure that could be on the November ballot — with the trade-off that Arizonans will have fewer options for casting their votes. The proposed ballot measure is called the Easier to Vote, Harder to Cheat…
To Stop the Most Onerous Election Restrictions from Passing, Democrats are Relying on GOP Defectors
WASHINGTON – Arizona Democratic Party Chair Raquel Terán concedes that Democrats don’t have the numbers on their own to rebuff Republican election reform bills so she turned Thursday to an unlikely source for help: Republicans. Terán, speaking on a panel of Democratic leaders from swing states, said it will likely take help from across the…
The Daily Agenda: Vote Like Your Ability to Vote Depends on It
You can vote for both, but please don’t … Judging at the speed of business … And the man just loved craps. The future of voting in Arizona could be decided at the ballot box this year as two dueling ballot measures that are attempting to qualify for the ballot offer visions of voting that…
The Daily Agenda: Never Stop Never Stopping the Steal
It’s never boring to live in Arizona (and that’s not a compliment) … Brnovich should tell us his settlement with the Bar … And the national press discovers Paradise Valley. If you need more proof that Arizona was the hub of the attempted coup to overturn the 2020 election and install the former president for four…
The Friday Edition: Vaxxed and Relaxed at the Front of the Class
This week, we invited local teacher and fellow substacker Billy Robb back to write today’s top item about teaching during the pandemic. He wrote about a similar topic for us a few months ago. Now, after getting hit with the virus himself, he’s trying to forget about the trolls and focus on the kids. Down…
Century Room Hosts First Jazz Performance at Hotel Congress This Weekend
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The Daily Agenda: We’re Naive Enough To Be Optimistic
The Arizona Legislature could, maybe, finally act on Arizona’s affordable housing crisis with a bipartisan compromise bill from Arizona Reps. Steve Kaiser and César Chávez that attempts to peel back some barriers to affordable housing. House Bill 2674 declares housing affordability as a “matter of statewide concern,” which is legislative-speak for preempting local entities from regulating in ways that…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Editor’s Note: While we are delighted to see Tucsonans once again gathering for fun events, we are also aware that variants are in widespread circulation. Please consider getting vaccinated against COVID if you haven’t yet. Sense of Place: Opening Reception at Philabaum Glass Gallery. The new exhibit at Southern Arizona’s only all-glass gallery features three…
Desert Debut: Ellanora Dellerba Traverses the Music Industry and her Youth on Debut Album
Southern Arizona folk singer Ellanora Dellerba’s debut album is both a musical and personal journey more than eight years in the making. Dellerba, 24, began writing Lost To A Coastline when she was only 15, and reflects the growth of the musician as well as life in the desert. “It sums up all my heartaches…
XOXO: Mark Your Calendars
Thursday, Feb. 3 Guitarist Jesse Cook grew up between France, Barcelona and Canada, so it’s no surprise his music merges worlds. He’s come to love flamenco, world music, jazz, pop, Brazilian samba, and Persian music. His style is unique, a reflection of his many travels. He composed his first album, Tempest, in 1995. Part of the…
A Taste of Justice: Cheba Hut Donates to Effort Dedicated to Freeing Prisoners of The War On Drugs
Cannabis-themed sandwich franchise Cheba Hut celebrated its 24th anniversary on Jan. 20 by donating $1 of every sandwich purchase to the non-profit organization Last Prisoner Project. Cheba Hut renamed its anniversary, “Smoke Out Injustice Day” to commemorate its new relationship with the Last Prisoner Project (LPP), an organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform. General…
Cannabis New Nuggets: Joint Effort
Speaking of efforts to fund criminal justice reform on the cannabis front: Curaleaf recently released a new two-pack of pre-rolls, with 10% of sales going to organizations that work to help people who have been arrested on minor drug charges. The pre-roll pack is dubbed the B Noble, after Bernard Noble, a Black man who…
Capitol Crimes
The Arizona Legislature is less than a month into the 2022 session, but we’re already seeing plenty of terrible bills making their way through the process. In this week’s Currents section, we bring you an Arizona Mirror report about a bill that would require teachers to out LGBTQ kids to their parents. We wish we…
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Sonoran Explorin’: The Furniture of Your [Fever] Dreams
The used alarm clock is blinking 9:10 p.m., but it’s really 10:42 on a Saturday morning, and we’re at Liquidation Pros, Inc. I saw an ad for this business on Facebook that made me feel like I was in a hotel during remodeling, or some other time when I’m not supposed to be there. (I…
Forced Out: GOP Bill Would Force Teachers To Tell Parents About LGBT Students
Arizona Republicans last week lined up behind a measure that would discipline teachers and open them up to lawsuits if they don’t tell parents everything a student tells them—even if the student confides that he or she is gay or transgender. The legislation, House Bill 2161, would make it illegal for a government employee to withhold…
Tucson Salvage: Jeremy, Portrait In Cardboard and Marker
I was looking for the woman in the wheelchair and who plays the ukulele. Amputated legs, a Mary of Guadalupe crest on her bag, wedding band. Flies a sign that reads: “Husband died, need money for mobile home.” She lives out here somewhere. Her friend too, the one who busts out songs on acoustic guitar,…
