Cover Story
Tales From the Outskirts
On July 3, 2003, we published our first set of Tales From the Outskirts. Chris Limberis told the story of the interesting characters who can be found at the Triple T truck stop. Irene Messina described Oracle artist Jerry Parra’s art made from discarded car parts and other recycled items. James Reel wrote about a…
Tucson Youth Earn Scholarships for Volunteerism
Two Tucson students have been named Kohl’s Kids Who Care Regional winners, and have been awarded $1,000 scholarships toward their post-secondary education. They are now in the running for national scholarships worth $5,000. See the details from the Kohl’s press release below: On Thursday, July 9, Kohl’s Department Stores honored nearly 200 kids for their…
“I Have the Pig. The One With Wings.”
I couldn’t let the week go by without props to Anna Mirocha, who delivers an awesome Police Dispatch. I thought last week hit new heights with the “shed fucker,” but she topped it with this latest pig caper: The victim gave sheriff’s deputies an envelope containing what appeared to be a typed ransom letter for…
Do I Hear an Amen?
I knew I always like that man. Former President Jimmy Carter recently gave sexism in religion a good thumping. Carter severed his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention: So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the…
Rialto’s Day In Court
The Rialto Foundation is scheduled to be in court today to find out whether Don Martin and Scott Stiteler will be successful in getting an order to evict the non-profit organization from the space it’s using as a green room, office space and storage. We’ll have details following the hearing. Meanwhile, negotiations continue with Martin…
“We Completely Understand the Public’s Concern About Futuristic Robots Feeding on the Human Population”
Press release of the day: POMPANO BEACH, Fla.— In response to rumors circulating the internet on sites such as FoxNews.com, FastCompany.com and CNET News about a “flesh eating” robot project, Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. (Pink Sheets:CYPW) and Robotic Technology Inc. (RTI) would like to set the record straight: This robot is strictly vegetarian. On July…
UA Prof Robert Glennon on the Daily Show
In case you missed UA law prof Robert Glennon talking with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Robert Glennon www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day
Grand Win For Grijalva
Congresssman Raul Grijalva has scored a victory in blocking an effort to continue uranium mining on public land near the Grand Canyon. Here’s the release from Grijalva’s office: Washington, D.C. — One year after House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) and Subcommittee Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) initiated efforts to force the…
That’s The Way It Was
He was always part of our lives. My mom would be ironing my school uniforms, and I’d be coloring on the floor, and there was Walter, on the big Zenith TV set. He was always there. My generation is probably the last to have such affinity with a newsman like him. After Walter, we watched…
Wingspan Leaving Current Building; ED Resigning
Wingspan, Tucson’s LGBT community center and advocacy organization, is going through some major changes due to the economy. The Range confirmed some difficult news this morning with Wingspan Executive Director Jason Cianciotto, after the organization held an emergency stakeholder meeting at the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona last night. Cianciotto confirmed he has resigned, but…
The Tiki Head is Up
The giant tiki head (pictured here at its former location at the now defunct Magic Carpet Golf) has been set in place in front of its new home, The Hut, the infamous tropical drink watering hole at 305 N. Fourth Avenue. The monolith, which some reports say was the tallest sculpture in town, fits right…
Cougar Prototype
Lust, infidelity, murder. All good stuff,” says Jeff Yanc, program director at the Loft Cinema. He’s all but salivating over a Loft special presentation this weekend: Jean Racine’s classical stage tragedy Phèdre, with Helen Mirren in the title role. Unusually for the Loft, this isn’t really a movie, but a play, recorded before an audience…
Homes Over Death
Jay Dee Sheets owned his dog, Jaeger, for 11 years. Then one day, Jaeger turned up missing. After scouring the neighborhood, Sheets discovered his pet on a Web page run by the county’s Pima Animal Care Center. But when he called, a staffer told him there was no such dog at the shelter. “I told…
Out of Touch
Chris Columbus made his directorial debut 22 years ago with Adventures in Babysitting, a funny high school comedy that benefited from the extremely hot Elisabeth Shue and the underrated comedic timing of Keith Coogan. (He ruled! Where is that guy?) With I Love You, Beth Cooper, Columbus tries to revisit his debut-film glory days ……
Let’s Share
Mike Hines just wanted someone from Tucson’s City Hall to listen to what he has to say, and not make him feel like a punk kid who doesn’t know better. The reality is that Hines is hardly a punk: He’s 28, employed and married with a 16-month-old son. He also happens to be a lifelong…
Tales From the Outskirts: Kitt Peak
My childhood could only be considered “normal” using very generous standards. While other kids were watching movies with plucky heroes and Disney princesses, my parents put on 2001 and The Twilight Zone. Our dinner-table conversations were full of acronyms like NSF, AAS and WIYN, and peppered with theories about the origins of the universe. When…
Now Showing at Home
The Seventh Seal, Waltz With Bashir, Reno 911!: The Complete Sixth Season (Uncensored)
Batter Up?
Pima County youth sports might end up benefitting most from the drive to save spring training baseball in Tucson. “I’m not sure which is most important to the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority,” says authority chairman Tom Tracy about spring training and youth sports. Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed House Bill 2572 into law.…
Tales From the Outskirts: Topawa/Sells
If you drive west on Ajo Road, you may wind up having an almost mystical natural experience—an attractive alternative to the haphazard urban clutter which defines metropolitan Tucson. Having become Highway 86, the road goes past the idle Central Arizona Project water-treatment plant and beyond the mishmash of structures at Robles Junction. Finally, on the…
Nine Questions
J. Lugo Miller
Media Watch
Michaels, Lee Launch pocast
Tales From the Outskirts: Bisbee
I must confess that after getting a flat tire 20 minutes before reaching Bisbee—and then discovering that my spare tire was flat as well—I was pretty much over my entire trip before even setting foot inside the Shady Dell trailer court. I arrived annoyed and quite a bit overheated—and I was far from impressed. I…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week ending
The Party’s Over?
State Sen. Jonathan Paton was delighted to hear on Monday, July 13, that Gov. Jan Brewer had signed a bill eliminating partisan elections in the city of Tucson. “I am very happy, because I feel like in 2011, candidates, for the first time, are going to have to appeal to everyone in their wards instead…
Tales From the Outskirts: Arivaca
To reach Arivaca, you take Interstate 19 south and hang a sharp right at the tiny burg of Amado. From there, you’ll follow a winding road through history, controversy and camaraderie to this tight-knit town, hunkered alongside the Atascosa Mountains. On most mornings, you’ll find Roger Beal chatting folks up in his neat and lively…
Not So Stuffy and Formal
Grill in downtown Tucson is a grungy retro spot that’s perfect for cheap, greasy grilled-cheese sandwiches, tater tots and … wedding photos? Yes, wedding photos. It’s all part of the photography movement known as Trash the Dress, in which the bride and groom celebrate the end of the nuptial circus (also known as the wedding)…
Police Dispatch
PAY UP, OR IT’S PORK CHOPS SOUTH DESERT MOTIF ROAD JUNE 16, 3:35 P.M. A lawn ornament depicting a pig with wings was stolen from a local woman—and then held for ransom, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. The victim gave sheriff’s deputies an envelope containing what appeared to be a typed ransom…
Gaily Down the Aisle
While gay marriage is not legal in Arizona, it is recognized in six states—and, hopefully, Arizona (and the other 43 behind-the-times states) will pull their heads out of their antiquated, homophobic asses and stop clinging to irrelevant biblical tenets and the skewed notion that a “family” is defined by its ratio of penis to vagina.…
The Skinny
SCRAMBLEWATCH ’09: DO THE HUSTLE One thing that marks a serious political candidate is an ability to squeeze dollars from contributors. Without money to reach voters with your message, you’re not going to win at the ballot box. In this year’s city election, candidates are aiming to raise roughly $50,000. That’s because they’ve all signed…
Mailbag
Claim: It’s Offensive to Call Sensei a ‘Stubborn White Guy’ In a recent story about Odaiko Sonora founder Karen Falkenstrom (“A Different Beat,” Performing Arts, July 2), her partner referred to their former teacher Stanley Morgan as a “stubborn white guy.” I am very offended and upset that they would express such disrespect and disdain…
Connected Departure
Finn Andrews says that he’s flattered that anyone would pay attention to his work. “I sometimes wonder why anyone enjoys anything I do,” says the singer-songwriter and leader of the London-based rock band The Veils. “I just find it odd. It always surprises me when there are people at our shows,” Andrews says via recent…
T Q&A
Charles Alexander
Clones and Lust
If you’re the sort of person who does not want to go to the theater to see guys stick their hands down each other’s jeans, Kitty Kitty Kitty may not be for you. Or perhaps this is exactly the play you need to see, for its story transcends gags about hand jobs and may tell…
Soundbites
TUCSON’S TOP 50 VENUE Congratulations are in order for the Rialto Theatre. Although, by press time, a deal still hadn’t been reached with the downtown developers who own the space the theater uses for offices, storage and a green room, the theater saw its status as a world-renowned venue grow earlier this week. Pollstar, the…
Danehy
It’s been rough as of late for some of the used-to-be wealthy. Many were paraded in front of the cameras, telling their sad stories, as Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for (ahem) single-handedly running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. I felt moderately sorry for most of them, but I feel…
Viva Violence?
Call it a libertarian, Western guy’s nightmare. James Gaitis’ dystopia is a post-testosterone, government-looks-after-you world. The Nation’s Highest Honor opens with a languid description of a federal government employee driving into the wilds of the Southwest. It’s so languid, in fact, that you wonder if the unnamed driver in the government-issue sedan will ever reach…
Dinosaur Jr.: Farm (Jagjaguwar)
Pre-grunge, slacker-era alternative rock doesn’t age as badly as other trends, since American indie bands before Nirvana mostly strived to sound different. For Dinosaur Jr., the goal was always pure bubblegum pop buried beneath layers of crushing guitars, with catchy melodies nearly rendered moot by singer/guitarist J Mascis’ distinctive Tom Petty-with-a-head-wound vocal delivery. Mascis and…
Messina
The big “o” has been in the news recently—that is the “o” in organic. When Michelle Obama planted an organic garden on the South Lawn of the White House, it generated plenty of headlines and photos. Many heralded the news as a gesture in teaching the public about local, sustainable food. Mrs. Obama talked at…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books best-sellers for the week
Portland Cello Project: The Thao and Justin Power Sessions (Kill Rock Stars)
The Portland Cello Project is made up of anywhere from eight to 10 Oregon-based, classically trained cellists who get together and put a cello spin on all kinds of nonclassical music, from Justin Timberlake to Salt-N-Pepa—basically, what you’d expect from a group that calls themselves an “indie cello orchestra.” So, it follows that a record…
Guest Commentary
Most Tucson Weekly readers know that there is a dispute over property between the Rialto Theatre Foundation, a not-for-profit organization for which I work, and the Downtown Tucson Development Corporation (DTDC), which owns the Rialto building (but not the theater). The property in question—two small storefront bays on both sides of the Rialto’s entrance and…
City Week
Hello Kitty! “Wines and Felines” wine-tasting event 5 to 7 p.m., next Friday, July 24; advanced reservations preferred Pastiche 3025 N. Campbell Ave. 571-7839, ext. 3; hermitagecatshelter.org A quick visit to the Hermitage Cat Shelter’s Web site will offer enough real Lolcats-like photos to draw a sigh from even the most narrow-minded dog person. The…
Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti-)
Three years after the breakup of Grandaddy, Jason Lytle returns with a collection of dreamy pop songs about nature and modernity, bathed in quirky pathos. Sounding very much like a new Grandaddy album, Lytle’s solo debut waltzes between tempered exhilaration and grandiose gloominess with a winning bipolar swagger. The album starts strongly. “Yours Truly, The…
Vendetta-Free Zone
Adam Borowitz, our City Week listings dude, recently noticed something: A venue that holds events on a fairly regular basis wasn’t sending us any information about those events. Therefore, Adam did what every good City Week listings dude (or, um, dudette) would do: He called said venue to ask if they could start sending us…
Kinks in the Food Chain
Take a good look at your dinner tonight, and try to figure out where it actually came from, and what exactly it is. Americans today often don’t know much about what it is they’re eating, and the food industry wants to keep it that way—because if you actually knew what was in your food, you…
Live
Harlem, Tambourines
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: How can I get Mexicans to arrive to a meeting ON TIME? Punctual Pete Dear Gabacho: Tell them you’re offering green cards on a first-come, first-serve basis. And then diles a gabachos to eliminate the concept of arriving “fashionably late” the same way they did the Polish joke. I was reading through the…
Hip but Not Exclusive
The old train station at 400 N. Toole Ave. has long been a scene of failure: first, the failure of American railroads, and more recently, the failure of a restaurant whose inexperienced owners blamed street construction for their own lack of success. But for the past several months, the station has been the scene of…
Noshing Around
Chicken and Waffles Soul food has returned to Tucson, says Pat Freeman, one of the owners of Auntie Dora’s Porch, which recently opened in the old Molly G.’s location at 903 E. Fort Lowell Road. The family-owned eatery specializes in Southern staples—catfish, ham hocks, fried chicken, corn muffins and greens, to name a few—and Auntie…
Got Dick?
Brüno makes one thing clear about American cinema today: You can show dicks without threatening an R rating. Back in the day, showing big cock was as forbidden as giving kids pot brownies, chased by vodka, for breakfast. These days, dicks are flying like doves in a John Woo movie. If things keep going at…
Big Brothers Big Sisters Needs Your Help
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson would like to do a historical tribute about its founder, Dr. Hugh C. Thompson, Jr. They are requesting help in order to do this. Please see the request below from Genie Gekas Patterson, director of major and annual gifts. For more than 45 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has…
