Cover Story
A New Grind: Trouble’s Brewing on Java Row
Anyone cruising down busy Speedway roughly between Country Club and Alvernon Way has seen the deluge of espresso entrepreneurs lining the boulevard: On the west end sits villainous caffeine overlord Starbucks, and on the east, the laid-back, loft-like Black Crown Coffee Co. Fighting it out in the middle are a new-ish Dutch Bros chain venture,…
Now what? Uncertainty of Paul, others leave big questions about Suns’ future
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 28 years. They revealed the foundation of a championship team, but uncertainty looms as key players are headed to free agency, leaving more questions than answers for the near future. The biggest question? Chris Paul, who has a player option…
It’s Here! Round 2 of Voting in Best of Tucson®: Legends of the West!
Yee-haw, Tucson! It’s time to cast your ballots in the second round of voting in Best of Tucson® 2021: Legends of the West! Vote here for the Best of Tucson awards! That’s right, pardner: We’re down to the final showdown! Earlier this summer, we took your nominations for Tucson’s best shops, parks, restaurants, bars, coffee…
Jobs of desperation: How rideshare, food delivery workers lose in the gig economy
Peter Young was napping between blood draws when his ringing phone woke him. He was lying in a hospital bed in Los Angeles as part of a five-day clinical trial that required his blood to be drawn every two hours. It’s not a job most people sign up for eagerly, but for Young, 27, it…
Arizona Democrats call for audit probe, as federal panel starts its own
WASHINGTON – Arizona Democrats called on Attorney General Mark Brnovich to investigate the state Senate’s audit of Maricopa County election returns, which they said Friday is little more than a “sham audit” disguising a series of politically motivated attacks. Their demands come as a congressional panel has launched its own investigation into Cyber Ninjas, the…
No end in sight for Maricopa election audit, or for feuding over it
WASHINGTON – The private firms auditing Maricopa County elections told senators Thursday they have finished reviewing the more than 2 million ballots, but will not be able to deliver a complete report without cooperation from county officials. That led Arizona Senate President Karen Fann to threaten to take the county “back to court” to force…
Get a free Reid Park Zoo pass and COVID-19 shot on Saturday
A free COVID-19 clinic will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday in conjunction with the Reid Park Zoo’s Summer Safari Nights. The first 100 people who get their first COVID-19 shot will receive a free daytime admission ticket to come back and visit the Zoo, 3400 E. Zoo Court, according to a Reid…
Direct child tax credit checks start for thousands of Arizona families
WASHINGTON – Gilbert resident Lori Ament said she and her husband both work full time to support themselves and their 5-year-old son and are getting by. But not much more. “We can barely afford child care which my son needed, and some regular doctors’ appointments, which meant medical care copays,” Ament said. “And I didn’t…
Editor’s Note: Congrats
I’m pleased to say that Tucson Weekly brought home three awards in the annual Arizona Press Club journalism competition. Tucson Salvage columnist Brian Smith won first place in personality profile category among medium publications for “He’s Having a Baby” (Jan. 16, 2020), a profile of trans man Cain Pierce, who got pregnant with his female…
Germ Lawfare: Arizona legislature bans mask requirements in schools as Pima County hits 70% vax mark
On June 30, the Arizona Legislature approved the budget for next fiscal year, which bans public schools throughout the state from requiring masks or COVID-19 testing. This ban comes a few weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order banning state colleges and universities from doing the same. The ban does not affect private…
Stepping up to the plate: A new era in PAC 12 Softball as Caitlin Lowe becomes UA head coach
Following longtime coach Mike Candrea’s retirement announcement, the University of Arizona announced last month that Caitlin Lowe would become the next coach of the UA softball team. The legendary softball coach Candrea accrued an NCAA record of 1,674 overall wins, 11 Pac 10/12 conference titles, eight Women’s College World Series titles and two Olympic medals…
Rad Science: University of Arizona Breaks Ground on $85M Science Lab
The University of Arizona is strengthening its focus on engineering, space science and optics with a new Applied Research Building just off Speedway Boulevard. Construction on the three-story, $85 million building broke ground on Tuesday, June 29, and the university expects the building to open for occupants by spring 2023. The 89,000-square-foot facility will be…
The Skinny: Modest Proposals: The Arizona Legislature delivers for the ruling class, again
Times have been tough for many of us, but Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Legislature really came through with the recently completed legislative session. Let’s talk about some of the winners! If you’ve been scraping by on just a million bucks a year (after taking advantage of all those loopholes to lower your income),…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Queen of the Night. She’s also called La Reina de La Noche, or the Night Blooming Cereus, or in Latin, Peniocereus greggii. This cactus looks like a sad, dead stick all year long, and then bursts into beautiful bloom in the early months of summer. With 400 of them onsite, Tohono Chul possesses the largest…
Teatro Carmen Rising: At Long Last, the Historic Theater Is Set To Be Restored
In 1914, a determined tucson woman by the name of Carmen Soto de Vásquez set out to create a theater that would showcase Mexican culture. The Old Pueblo was small in those days, with about 15,000 residents. More than half were Spanish speakers, but only a few of the town’s 10 or so theaters showed…
A Swine Mess: Refreshingly Somber Cage Seeks Missing Truffle Pig
Have you seen the trailer for Pig, the new Nicolas Cage movie that’s seemingly about a hermit (Cage) seeking bloody revenge for the kidnapping of his beloved truffle pig? If you are thinking it’s just a John Wick rehash with a mushroom-sniffing swine replacing a precocious beagle, you wouldn’t be alone. The trailer is a…
Rock Reborn: Tucson’s downtown theaters receive federal grants and are set to reopen with lots of live music
Downtown’s Rialto and Fox theaters have landed major grants from the federal government’s relief programs and will soon be reopening with a slew of shows on the horizon. The Fox received $1,448,389 Shuttered Venue Operator’s Grant from the Small Business Administration’s program. “Having just revealed our 2021-2022 Return to the Fox season of 50+ shows,…
Back From the Dead: A few good cannabis bills passed into law this month
State lawmakers have finally wrapped the 171-day legislative session—one of the longest in history—and at first blush, the news wasn’t all bad for legalized cannabis. A few of the bills actually do some good. It looked like several weed-related bills had died after Gov. Ducey vetoed nearly two dozen bills to strongarm state lawmakers into…
