Cover Story
Surrogate Sanctions
At age 27, Claudia Arévalo wondered if she would survive the aggressive, stage 2 breast cancer she was diagnosed with in October 2004, and, after the potent chemotherapy she was about to endure, she wondered if she’d be able to ever have children. Her caregiver at the time suggested she consult a fertility doctor quickly,…
BBC Pop Up’s Tale of Tucson
The BBC Pop Up crew left us behind at the beginning of the month, but the last of their Tucson coverage has still been been rolling out. This is what they told the world about Tucson: We may have left Arizona, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about this place! A timelapse from the #GrandCanyon. https://t.co/aj5mhgzWMp…
Bill That Wants to Ban Use of Photo Radar in Arizona Gets Initial OK
I read on The Associated Press that the state Senate Public Safety Committee has given initial approval, 5-1, to a bill that could ban the use of photo radar in Arizona…which kind of has become a yearly attempt at this point. SB 1167, introduced by state Sens. Kelli Ward, a Republican from Lake Havasu City,…
Opt Out Week on the Range: Day Three (Louisiana)
The Opt Out momentum has picked up in Louisiana this week. The reason: Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Friday saying the zero test scores of students who opt out of state testing by refusing to bubble in answers on the test shouldn’t be averaged in with other scores. Friday, just a day after Gannett…
Sign Up for Health Insurance Saturday with the Help of TUSD, Pima County
If you find yourself doing things last minute more often than not, and forgot that if you don’t have health insurance, you have to sign up by Feb. 15, keep reading. Tucson Unified School District and the Pima County Health Department are going to help people sign up for health insurance Saturday, Feb. 7 at…
Blake’s Lotaburger to Bring Iconic Green Chile Burgers to Tucson Soon
If you’ve spent any extended period of time in Albuquerque, there’s a good chance you’ve stopped into Blake’s Lotaburger by now, seeing as the fast food spot has been there since 1952. Blake’s also already has restaurants in Texas, however Tucson is about to get the first location in the state for the New Mexico…
Financial Audit Report Says Pima Community College is On the Right Path, Still Lacks in Some Areas
Pima Community College has been on probation since April 2013 over allegations of corrupt hiring practices, alleged sexual misconduct by the former chancellor, lack of collaboration between the board and the administration, wrongdoings in the financial management, among other concerns listed on a letter they got at the time from their accrediting agency, the Higher…
Talking Comics: “Don’t Call it a Comeback!” Edition
Talking Comics is back! Cynthia, Jenny, and Malcolm are on board for the whole season! Kicking off the new year, Cynthia & Malcolm review Uncanny Avengers #1, written by Rick Remender with art by Daniel Acuna. The Avengers are on Counter Earth a place where there are no humans, and “Tiger-face Man-Body” creatures rule the…
HighWire Lounge to Bring Molecular Mixology to Downtown Tucson
So by now you probably know Johnny Gibson’s Downtown Market and Independent Distillery will be opening in a couple months off of Arizona Avenue, breathing new life and plans for walkability into the area which functioned more as an alley in recent years. Both spaces will have joint use to a large patio area when…
DJ Dirtyverbs’ El Tambó: Bringing Cumbia to the Hearts of Tucson for 2 Years and Counting
Logan Phillips—widely known in the Old Pueblo, the Arizona-Mexico borderlands and beyond as DJ Dirtyverbs—got hooked on cumbia in the early 2000s while living in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. Particularly Cumbia sonidera (which has humble beginnings in the poorer barrios of Mexico City) became the unofficial soundtrack of Phillips’ Querétaro life and the many other years…
UA Film Series Looks at Lesbian Representation in Movies
The Lesbian Looks Film Series is back thanks to UA’s Institute for LGBT to screen four different films that give insight into love, race, rights, immigration and more all within the scope of the lesbian point of view. Now in its 22nd season, the film series is kicking off with “Tru Love” this month—a story…
No, Raising Taxes to Pay the Bills Won’t Bring About Doomsday
Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I don’t remember “Raising Taxes” being one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. War, Famine, Pestilence and Death are more traditionally mentioned. But an AZ Capitol Times article warns in its headline, K-12 funding suit could bring fiscal doomsday scenario. So, maybe the prospect of raising taxes in…
State Education Department Wants Your Input on Updated Standards for PE, Foreign and Native Language
The Arizona Department of Education is seeking people’s comments on drafts of updated state standards for physical education and foreign and native language. “This is an excellent opportunity for Arizona parents and teachers to have a direct impact on standards that affect our children,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas said in a statement. “I…
Tear It Up at a Cat-Themed Dance Party on Feb. 5
If you’ve ever been accused of being a crazy cat lady, no worries. Brush that dirt off your shoulders, put on some cat ears, and saunter over to Club Congress on Thursday for a very special cat-themed dance party. The Girl Party crew is taking over Opti Club, giving you the opportunity to put on…
A Reminder to be a Good Person, Even if You’re on the Internet
At the end of January This American Life, my favorite NPR program, produced a show that I think everyone allowed on the Internet should have to listen to. I found this particular episode through a piece Lindy West, the woman running the first segment, wrote for the Guardian. West is a feminist, body positive…
Opt Out Week on the Range: Day Two (New York)
Jia Lee – Senate Hearings Reauthorization of NCLB Jan 2015 from nLightn Media on Vimeo. New York is one of the hotbeds of the national Opt Out movement. Last April, an estimated 33,000 students opted out of the state’s annual standardized tests. What was done to all those children, parents and schools as a result…
ICE Refuses to Kill Deportation Order Against Rosa Robles Loreto; She’s Been in Sanctuary at Church for 6 Months Now
After nearly six months living in sanctuary at Southside Presbyterian Church, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it is not closing Rosa Robles Loreto’s case and that her deportation order is still in place, but she and her family have decided to keep fighting, which means Rosa will continue living at the church until a resolution…
RuPaul’s Drag Race will be at the Rialto Tomorrow
RuPaul is headed our way, and bringing along the largest touring drag show in the world. The Condragulations tour hits the Old Pueblo Tuesday night at the Rialto Theatre. Performers at this stop in the tour include Alaska 5000, Adore Delano, Ivy Winters, Manila Luzon, Phi Phi O’Hara, Raja, Sharon Needles, with Bianca Del Rio…
Oink Cafe Opens in Tucson to Help Spread the Bacon Gospel
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s about to get pretty un-Kosher on the Northwest corner of Broadway Boulevard and Kolb Road. That’s because the Phoenix-based Oink Cafe just opened their second porkatorium at 7131 E. Broadway Boulevard. The restaurant has made a name for itself already up north by putting all things porcine on their full breakfast…
Gem & Jam Fest Blends the Love of Electronic Music with Shiny, Pretty Rocks
No one is encouraging anyone to do drugs here, but putting a bunch of sparkly, colorful stones in front of folks who are fans of a music that is pretty much synonymous with taking ecstasy sounds a little like a recipe for rolling to me, but what do I know? If you’re really just in…
EPA Happy About Obama’s FY 2016 Budget Proposal for the Agency
Today, President Obama sent Congress his nearly $4 trillion budget for fiscal year 2016. The budget suggests raising taxes for the wealthier folks and new tax credits and other initiatives for education, child care, paid leave, as well as breaks for the middle class. In the midst of all of that money, Obama proposes $8.6 billion…
Pastry Chef Garst Bavier Signs On at Maker House
According to Art Fire, Maker House has a new full-time pastry chef and he’s a Tucson favorite already. Garst Bavier signed on to be the in-house baker, rather than working on contract for a few places, which is what he was doing before the new Maker House deal. Sadly, that means places like Stella Java…
New Pima County Consolidated Justice Court Open for Biz
Pima County has a new courthouse. The county’s Consolidated Justice Court on 240 N. Stone Ave., northwest corner of Stone Avenue and Alameda Street, opened its doors this morning after a small ribbon-cutting ceremony before 8 a.m. It’ll house the staff and services from the historic dome on 115 N. Church Ave. and its satellite…
‘Forensic DNA Analysis’ Starts PCC Speaker Series Tomorrow
Pima Community College’s annual Speaker Series is getting started Tuesday night with a talk about DNA and how it is used to in police work. The talk will be given by Christian Wilson, a Biology instructor at the college. The free event will take place at Pima’s District Office, 4905 E. Broadway, at 6 p.m. The other…
Opt Out Week on the Range: Day One
Last week was School Choice Week, the privatizers’ national love fest for vouchers and charters, spiced up with a touch of scorn for “government schools.” I’m declaring this Opt Out Week on the Range, on my own. The Opt Out movement is growing in reaction to our national obsession with high stakes testing, and I figure…
Sneak Peek: “Zona Politics” Talks Prez Race 2016, US-Iran-Israeli Relations, McCain’s 2016 Battlefield, McSally’s Border Bill and Much More
Zona Politics Eps.16 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. This week on Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Republican National Committeeman Bruce Ash and former Pima County Democratic Party chairman Don Jorgensen talk about what the GOP’s recent winter meeting means for the 2016 race, whether John McCain will face a primary challenge, why…
New Bill Would Establish an Industrial Hemp Study Committee
State Sen. Lynne Pancrazi, a Democrat from Yuma, has introduced a bill asking for the creation of an industrial hemp study committee to examine the economic opportunities associated with the industry and to review actions the federal government and other states regarding hemp. The one-page bill, SB 1225, lists the people who should be a…
Feds to Start Accepting DACA Requests Under New Guidelines Mid-February
Immigrants who came to the U.S. before they were 16 years old and have lived in the country continuously since Jan. 1, 2010 can start applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals under its new set of rules starting Feb. 18. In November, President Obama expanded the deferred action program to undocumented parents of U.S.…
At Indianapolis’ Carpe Diem Charter School, You Can Seize the $100
A story about an Indiana charter school doesn’t sound relevant here in Arizona, except that the school is a branch of a Yuma charter much loved by conservative “education reform” advocates and much touted by our previous Ed Supe John Huppenthal. Carpe Diem charter in Indianapolis wanted to increase its enrollment mid year, before the…
Borderlands and Zona78 Are Joining Forces on a Beer Dinner
It’s almost Arizona Beer Week, which mean you’ve likely been sifting through the schedule of planned events to plan a full week of local brews, collaborations, seminars and more. Chances are you’re probably getting pretty excited about the inaugural Tucson Craft Beer Crawl on Saturday, Feb. 21 that will take attendees around to some of…
Arizona: “Big Mo” in Education?
The AZ Capitol Times has an op ed, Arizona has ‘Big Mo’ in education. Not if by “Big Mo,” he means “Mo Money” that would give teachers the resources they need to maximize the education they give their students. The only momentum we have is digging ourselves deeper and deeper into an educational hole. The op ed…
150th Birthday of “The Nation” Will be Celebrated in Tucson in March
The magazine, The Nation, has been around for 150 years, created, according to its website, “by anti-slavery abolitionists four months after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.” The magazine is doing a victory lap with birthday celebrations around the country, and it’s landing in Tucson during the 2015 Tucson Festival of Books, March 14 and 15. Tucson…
Jeff Flake Among Bipartisan Group of Senators Who Want to Kill Sanctions for Traveling to Cuba
Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake is among a bipartisan group of senators who sent a letter to President Obama saying they are committed to expand trade and travel between the U.S. and Cuba. They argue lifting sanctions and modernizing other policies between the two countries could help create change in the communist island. From a…
More UA, ASU Students Joining Sugar Daddy Sites and That’s a Good Thing?
At first, I thought this email was to inform me that it’s terrible more female university students are joining websites to connect with sugar daddies—men, usually way older who may or may not be married, who’ll pay for your stuff in exchange for your “company”—but then I kept reading, and realized the email was more…
More Projectors Than You Know What to Do with at Exploded View Microcinema
Experimental filmmaker Roger Beebe is bringing his iconic multi-projector film performance to Tucson for the first time. As a part of a four-month North American tour, Beebe’s “Films for One to Eight Projectors” includes his best known six-projector work “Last Light of a Dying Star” as well as the following other pieces: “Famous Irish Americans”: looks…
Feds OK Controversial Power Line Project That’ll Go Right in the Middle of the San Pedro River Valley; Environmentalists Are Angry
Afters years of debate, the feds have finally approved a high-voltage electrical transmission lines project known as the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project that will go through the middle of the San Pedro River Valley, and this has environmental advocates very unhappy. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s approval of the project means miles of roads and 135-foot-tall…
Watch Gabriel Sullivan’s New Music Video for “Hollow Hunter”
It’s been a busy couple weeks for video premiers popping up in the Old Pueblo, but hey—I’m not complaining. That just means there’s more great local stuff to watch. This time Gabriel Sullivan’s solo work is up to the new video plate with a video for “Hollow Hunter” off of his most recent release “JVPITER.”…
Savor Festival Brings Some of Tucson’s Best Chefs to the Botanical Gardens
If you fancy yourself a serious local food snob, take note. Savor Food & Wine Festival is hitting the Tucson Botanical Gardens on Saturday, Feb. 7 and some of this town’s best food, beer, wine, cocktail, and coffee makers will be serving up samples of their delicious wares for crowds to try. The second annual…
“What Is It about Gays?”
Russian-American Jewish journalist and lesbian Masha Gessen is in Tucson as part of a series of events sponsored by the LGBT Jewish Inclusion Project with the Jewish Federation of Tucson. Gessen is known for her work critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and gay rights advocacy. Monday, Feb. 2 is “A Day With Masha Gessen,”…
Rugrat Race
Last year, the big scandal at the Arizona Legislature revolved around the revelations that thousands of reports to Child Protective Services had gone uninvestigated. Lawmakers, who had cut back on safety-net programs designed to prevent cases of neglect and abuse, moved to completely revamp CPS, removing it from its position within the Department of Economic…
She Blinded Me With …
Yes, science. Glad you remembered. The UA Science Lecture Series returns and even if you aren’t a science geek you should still rejoice. This series is well-loved for it’s interesting lectures that make you want to go back to school, at least for that evening. It begins on Monday, Feb. 2 with Planet Formation and…
Open Letter to Governor Doug Ducey Regarding Civics Testing
Dear Governor Ducey, Congratulations on the passage of your first legislation requiring all Arizona high school students to take and pass a civics exam. It is an important step for the state to be recognized as the most civic literate place in the country. However, I am afraid that you have set the bar far…
Time to Stand Up
On Friday, Jan. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the YWCA Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave., some Tucson folks are starting their organizing early in reaction to the new Arizona governor’s proposed budget cuts to K-12 education and state universities. Oh, yes, and giving more to the Department of Corrections to spend on private…
Speak Out About Your Air and Environment
The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) held an open house on the proposed Materion Ceramics, Inc. revised air quality operating permit on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Sunnyside High School. PDEQ held this meeting to get public comment on this proposal. The Materion plant, the nation’s largest manufacturer of beryllium oxide products, is at…
Bring on the Projectors
Those great film curators at EXPLODED VIEW Gallery/Microcinema, 197 E. Toole Ave., host filmmaker Roger Beebe and his, “Films for One to Eight Projectors,” Friday, Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. Beebe is known for his multiple-projector performances. This month he’s on the road on a four-month tour of several of his best-known projector performances (including the…
Media Watch
Lee CEO Schmidt to retire Lee Enterprises, the Davenport, Iowa publishing chain that owns the Arizona Daily Star, will be in the market for new management at the top by the summer. Carl Schmidt, the company’s vice-president, chief financial officer and treasurer, announced his plans to retire by July. Schmidt joined Lee in 2001, which…
Historical Place
After a delayed opening, prompted by the death of a close family member of one of the cast, “Five Presidents” officially opened last weekend at Arizona Theatre Company. Actually the show had been running with a substitute on book, but after several days of finding and breaking in a new actor, ATC decided the show…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Why is rock en español so mellow? You’d think that with so much injustice, Mexican rock bands would sound angrier. Gigante de Anaheim Dear Anaheim Giant: You’d think so, right? Back in the Mexican’s rockero days, groups like Maldita Vecindad, Café Tacuba, El Gran Silencio, and so many more were laying down tracks…
Humdrum Love Story
The 2003 Tony Award for best play went to “Take Me Out,” about a professional baseball player who decides to come out at the height of his career. I mention Richard Greenberg’s drama, which is set mostly in a locker room, because of its exquisite title. Like the play, the title has multiple meanings, from…
The Skinny
A Growing Problem Big banks cut off border agricultural biz Santa Cruz County’s produce importers are facing a major challenge: The big banks that have extended them millions of dollars in credit lines have started to close down those accounts. The credit lines are crucial to the companies’ ability to do business, said Lance Jungmeyer,…
Keeping Tucson Awake Since 2003
To Kristen Nelson, writing (and other artistic expressions, of course) forces us to be aware of our surroundings. The constant scribbling—it’s a vessel that saves us from being sucked into the dark side, also known as not giving a shit. More than a decade ago, Nelson founded Casa Libre en la Solana to be a…
Danehy
Ruben Silvas is alive and well, and pursuing his basketball dream in Fairbanks, Alaska. (And don’t ever say that the Tucson Weekly won’t go that extra mile to get the story.) A little background first. My daughter, Darlene, holds the title of Big-Shot Project Engineer, although, on her business card, for brevity, it just uses…
Finding Lumet
Sidney Lumet passed away in 2011, not too far removed from a surprisingly strong swan song. Although the years had been slim for a while leading up to it, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” was a withering motion picture, expertly and energetically directed by a man in his 80s who had nothing to prove.…
Despicable Man
Period pieces can often be boring, idealistic, stodgy affairs with performers impressed with the sounds of their own voices and an attention to authentic exterior detail that buries and smothers truths and emotions. Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner” is, in many ways, one of the most beautiful period pieces I have ever seen. It has garnered…
Roots Inspired
As Dave Alvin tells the story, it all started the day his older brother Phil brought home a Big Bill Broonzy record. As kids, the brothers who would go on to form The Blasters, drawing together roots music and punk, found themselves entranced by Broonzy, a towering figure in blues from the ’20s until his…
Playing It Her Way
Typically a side musician, Amy Mendoza has played in a stunning variety of bands over the years. As a songwriter, Mendoza has harnessed influences from across the spectrum—hard-driving rock, blues, punk and acoustic rock—into her impressive new album, “Suicide On The AM Dial.” “My major focus in music has always been as a side person,…
No Medicine
When James Ball went to St. Mary’s Hospital he assumed he would be able to consume some medical marijuana edibles he had with him to help control the pain. He has a medical marijuana patient card, issued by the state, so he figured it wouldn’t be a problem. However, he was told the only thing…
Soundbites
Some folks may only know of bluegrass music from the movies, like the gristly banjo throwdown in “Deliverance,” or T-Bone Burnett’s almost scholarly compendium for “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” Those folks probably aren’t from around here. Tucson enjoys an Appalachian holler-full of bluegrass year ’round, including weekly jams and nationally-recognized semi-annual festivals hosted by…
Food Truck Riches
You might have a clear picture in your head of what Venezuelan food should be, and, if you do, you’re definitely ahead of the curve in that respect. Seeing as how there isn’t a single brick-and-mortar Venezuelan joint in Tucson, it’s not surprising if you aren’t sure what to expect. However, the family behind the…
Editor’s Note
Comments and emails have made it clear (they always make it clear), there are a few of you out there who aren’t happy that I’ve taken News of the Weird out of the Weekly. This, you’ve said, is the only reason you’ve read the paper these past few decades. I’m sorry. Sorry that this decision…
Quick Bites
REALLY SPECIAL TACO SPECIAL A great free show featuring under-the-radar local acts is only one reason to head to Funporium nights at La Cocina. If you’re not a music junkie, consider the taco special. The weekly changing offering dreamt up by Kyle Araishi, who mans the grill, is something inventive and totally delicious. Taking some liberties…
Pleasure Activist
Beyond “50 Shades of Grey” Whether you are a fan of “50 Shades of Grey” or not, I’m sure by now you’re aware of all the hype. With the movie coming out on Valentine’s Day, interest will swell even further. Obviously, there is something about that book that has captured the hearts, minds, and desires…
Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
It’s that time of year again when our city is taken over by rock hounds and jewelry designers … and we get to pretend for a couple of weeks that we’re rock hounds and jewelry designers—and yeah, long lost fossil hunters, too. That’s what makes gem show season so special, and everyone has a special…
Police Dispatch
Golf Cart DUI Green Valley Jan. 2, 8:51 p.m. A uniformed chef was caught with his fly down after drunkenly crashing a purple golf cart into a water main, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report stated. Sheriff’s deputies received a call from a Shell gas station employee in Green Valley saying that an intoxicated man…
