Cover Story
The Six Pack
With Gov. Jan Brewer stepping down, a half-dozen Republicans are running for the open gubernatorial seat in the Aug. 26 primary. Here are brief profiles of the candidates and a look at what’s going on with their campaigns. We’ll have more on the candidates and their proposals in the weeks ahead. Ken Bennett Arizona Secretary…
Ice Cream Showdown
Maynards Market will host the first Ice Cream Showdown from 6 to 8 p.m., on Saturday, July 12, in conjunction with National Ice Cream month. The competition is open to creameries throughout Arizona. Tickets are $10, and you get 10 tasting tickets. Additional tasting tickets cost $1 each. A portion of the proceeds with go…
Free Healthy Eye Screenings
Get your vision checked at no cost. The UA Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, in conjunction with the UA Medical Center (UAMC) sponsor free monthly Healthy Eye Screenings at St. Elizabeth’s Health Center. The next screening date is Saturday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Call 694-1471 to make an appointment. St. Elizabeth’s is…
A Huppenthal/Stormfront Connection? Probably Not, Says Phoenix New Times’ Stephen Lemons
In an earlier post, I asked whether Huppenthal visited or made commments on the white supremacist website Stormfront.org. Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times looked into it and decided the answer is, probably not. Lemons is a good journalist who was one of the first to write about Huppenthal’s anonymous posts and certainly doesn’t…
Wiffle Ball Mania
As someone who spent many a summer afternoon playing a few innings of wiffle ball around a swimming pool, I really enjoyed Explorer News reporter Brad Allis’ recent profile of Catalina High School teacher John Faruolo, who has built himself quite a ballpark: That first year morphed into an annual tradition and the Tucson Round-Up…
Help a Local Filmmaker Win Dairy Queen’s Music Video Contest
Michael “Microphone” Jones is one of the top three finalists that’s competing for the S’mores Music Video Contest. The video with the most votes will get $10,000. The second place winner will get a $1,000 gift card and third place consolation is a free blizzard per month for a whole year. According to the press…
Tucson’s Sadistic, Mostly Harmless Tarantula Hawk Wasps Return to Mesquites
It’s that time of year again, when Tucsonans can see dozens of two-inched metallic midnight-blue or burnt-sienna creatures scampering under our mesquite trees in a methed-out manner, as if perpetually looking for an imaginary missing lighter. They are the Pepsis and Hemipepsis wasps, aka the tarantula hawk, which normally come out of hiding in July,…
Food Conspiracy Co-Op Eat Local Challenge
The Food Conspiracy Co-op is launching a campaign this summer to help shoppers eat local. Through July 14, shoppers can take the Eat Local Challenge and explore our region’s locally sourced foods. Here’s more from a Food Conspiracy Co-Op press release: To make things a little bit easier, we’re putting local food on sale. All…
Latest Update on Wingspan/SAAF
The following press release was prepared on July 8th by the Boards of Directors of Wingspan and The Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF): ” A message from the Board of Directors of Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation and Wingspan The Board of Directors for SAAF and Wingspan met again on Monday, July 7 2014 to further…
Yahoo! Pits Tucson Against Phoenix For its Sick Pleasure
The ongoing cultural war between Tucson and Phoenix has been taken from the streets to the failing web portal known as Yahoo!. The idea of having this conversation with a Phoenician makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. No one ever wins the discussion, but we do it anyway. Leave it to Seattle…
Addie Needs a Home
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Addie, a 5-month-old, female, shepherd mix Reference no.: 782860 Meet Addie, a 20-pound precious pup who’s packed with potential. Found as a frightened stray, Addie was scooped up by a kind stranger and offered a second chance at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Addie is still nervous, but…
You Can Still be Part of History: Get Your UNITY Sign
At the height of the SB 1062 nonsense, did you get your Open for Business sign and sign the UNITY pledge? You still can: Every movement has a story, this is ours. ONE Community, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, has been educating, empowering and connecting LGBT and allied individuals and businesses since 2008.…
The O’Connor House Wants You To Register To Vote
The O’Connor House is working to get more people to register to vote by chasing unlikely voters. [O’Connor House President and CEO Sarah] Suggs said the organization plans to reach voters through a primarily digital strategy by placing links to register to vote in public library computers and working with a variety of partners to…
UA Astronomy Prof Chris Impey Receives $1M Grant to Improve Undergrad Science Education
UA News and Tucson Weekly contributor Eric Swedlund shared the news that UA Astronomy Professor Chris Impey was recently named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, an award that comes with $1 million to support undergraduate science education. Impey is the first HHMI professor from the UA and first astronomer selected: A total of 15…
Jimmy Eat World Is Bringing Their “Futures” Anniversary Tour to the Rialto
While not quite the sales juggernaut that their previous album, Bleed American, was, Jimmy Eat World’s album Futures features some of their most memorable songs and features the crisp, big rock sound that producer Gil Norton is known for. The reviews were good and the album continued the Mesa group’s progression from notable emo act…
Get On Down To MegaMania!
Pima County Library’s free comics convention, MegaMania!, is back on Saturday, July 12. This is the fourth summer the library has sponsored this popular event for teens, those in their 20s and those who just love celebrating all things comics, anime, cosplay and art. See photos from last year’s event here and the complete MegaMania!…
DREAMers and Driver’s Licenses: Candidates for Governor React
Gov. Jan Brewer lost a round in federal court earlier this week, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an injunction blocking the state from enforcing her policy of denying driver’s licenses to so-called DREAM Act youngsters. Brewer announced in 2012 that the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles wouldn’t give licenses to teens and…
Queen of the Night Flash Mob Bloom at Tohono Chul is Nigh
2013’s Queen of the Night in full bloom at Tohono Chul Park A magical summer occurrence unique to the Southwest and Tucson is almost upon us. We’re not talking about July’s watermelon eegee’s; our late-afternoon monsoon showers; or making more than two lights in a row on Ina Rd. Bloom Night is nigh. According to…
A Letter from Pamela Williams
In this week’s issue we ran a story on how brothers Miguel and Diego Carter (Bright Spot) met their father because of a story published in the Tucson Weekly about their mother’s trial and case in Pinal County (Fighting for Mom). Their mother Pamela Williams has written to me several times since the first story.…
ACLU and Border Action Network Create Border Reality Checkpoint
ACLU of Arizona and the Border Action Network have put together a clever way to respond and teach folks their rights when stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint. The project, Border Reality, is Wednesday, July 9, from 7:39 to 10:30 a.m. at Armory Park, 221 S. 6th Ave.: Communities border-wide, report feeling treated with suspicion…
Grijalva Extends Wounded Warrior Congressional Fellowship Application Deadline
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva’s office is participating in the Wounded Warriors Program that offers a veteran the opportunity to serve his district Congressional office for two years. The application process was recently extended to Thursday, July 23. Details: Job Summary: The position is for a Veterans Affairs constituent services representative in Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva’s…
Monsoon Storms & Fireworks Light Up 4th of July Skies
While an Independence Day weekend filled with free entertainment over the skies of Tucson was expected, the Old Pueblo got a bonus treat as the long-awaited monsoon storms finally delivered. Here is a collection of photos and videos found ’round the net. A time-lapse of Saturday evening’s monsoon storm whipping through the UA campus, as…
US Court of Appeals Sides with DREAMers (No Surprise: Brewer Looking at Options)
Could sanity be returning to Arizona? Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of immigration advocates and against Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s policy denying driver’s licenses to DREAMers who’ve qualified and filed for federal deportation deferrals. From The Hill: Brewer had issued an executive order in August 2012 directing…
Artifact Dance Needs Help for New Warehouse Home: Fill the Space
Artifact Dance Project has identified a space of their very own—a 3,000-square-foot studio in the warehouse district in downtown Tucson. The space—like all those wonderful old warehouses—needs some work and the dance company needs $10,000 to make it happen. Go here for more on their Fill the Space campaign: On the night of June 7th…
We Forgot to Upload This Mursday Review, So Here It Is for Your Enjoyment
[Editor’s note: We screwed up and forgot to upload this week’s CD review to the web on Wednesday. Since Eric did a solid job writing it, we figured we’d put it on the blog. – DG] Murs’ first album since signing to Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label is a cross-coast collaboration with Miami crew ¡Mayday!…
2 Tucson Crowdfunding Campaigns Worth Your Support
1) After losing 200+ pounds, Tucsonan Amie Gabusi wants to fully enjoy her new body and the outlook that comes with it, but the weight loss has left her with loose skin and the need for surgery and a breast augmentation. She needs $15,000. From her gofundme page: In no way am I exaggerating, my…
Is There A Huppenthal/Stormfront Connection?
A month ago if someone speculated that John Huppenthal was a reader of and commenter on the white supremacist website Stormfront.org, Huppenthal could have answered simply, “I won’t dignify that allegation with a response.” And that would have been the end of it. A number of months ago, before my former colleagues at Blog for…
Bum Steer on Auction Block Next Month
According to the folks at AuctionAZ, the Bum Steer or what used to be that beer-soaked establishment at 1910 N. Stone Ave., will be auctioned in an online bidding process August 1-6, with a preview on July 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. From AuctionAZ: The restaurant was founded by a group of airline…
Nick Johnson’s NBA Career Is Off to a Solid Start
Who knows if former Wildcat Nick Johnson will make the Houston Rockets’ roster next season after being drafted with the 42nd pick in last week’s draft but at least he created some buzz with a ridiculous left-handed dunk in yesterday’s Orlando Summer League on German league player Tim Ohlbrecht. Something worth mentioning: Johnson is 6’…
Tucson Rounds Out Forbes Top 10 US Capitals of Influence
Café Desta I have seen the future, and it comes in triangular, meat-stuffed pastries. You can thank local restaurants like Zemam’s and Café Desta for putting Tucson on the latest national media’s “Top 10 Cities We’re Clickbaiting” list. In an article published online earlier this week, Forbes cites Tucson’s Hispanic millennials, its strong college-based community,…
Mental Health Community Forum
Join moderator Tucson City Council member Steve Kozachik and panel members Congressman Ron Barber, State Representative Victoria Steele, State Senator David Bradley, NAMI Director Clark Romans, and Pasadera CEO Chuck Burbank at 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 7, at Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club Road. Call 791-4601 for info. The event is free.
Henry’s Guide to 4th of July
We are going to take the day off at the Weekly offices, so don’t expect much from us this Independence Day (unless something terrible happens). We will be too busy hanging out with family, friends and drunken strangers at our favorite dive bars. That last one might just be me, again. You might find me…
Fox News Features Borderlands Brewing
Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com Fox News’ Charles Payne featured Myles Stone and Mike Mallozzi at Borderlands Brewing on his business show. Payne talks about how the duo took their $2,000, found some investors, renovated an old warehouse and now are looking to can their beers. It’s a brief and enlightening highlight on a…
Hobby Lobby Decision: Barber & McSally React
Congressman Ron Barber and Republican Martha McSally have responded to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, which supports the right of closely held companies to deny birth-control coverage and other medical services if the owners have a religious objection. Barber is upset by the decision; McSally says the issue “is not whether women should have…
Bat Interpretations Discontinued at Tucson Bat Bridges
The bats are still flying at our “bat bridges” but docents will not be available on Thursday nights this summer. A notification from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: For several years, the Desert Museum’s docent corps has been conducting bat interpretations at two bridges along the Rillito River, one located at River & Campbell and the…
Welcome to The Range, TucsonScene James
I’d like to officially welcome James Hudson, a.k.a. Tucsonscene James, to The Range. Hudson is no stranger to the Weekly. You might remember his blurbs for the Club Crawl events, review live shows and new CDs in our Rhythm & Views section. Hudson is a valuable source to local journalist when it comes to local news and…
Puppets Amongus Presents Legend of Washwalker
Follow Crogg and his clan as they uncover the mysteries of their ancient world. It’s a Paleolithic puppet show — only in Tucson! The show is presented on July 5 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; July 6 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; July 7 and 8 at 11 a.m. $6 for kids, $8 for…
Friday’s EPA Haze Ruling on TEP Power Plant Means End to Coal Combustion by end of 2017
According to a press release from Dan Millis of the Sierra Club in Tucson, an Environmental Protection Agency ruling Friday declared that Tucson Electric Power must address our haze (go up Tumamoc in the morning and you’ll see what the fuss is about, but imagine living near the sources) and end coal combustion at the…
Rot At The Top. The Culture Of Intolerance At The Arizona Department Of Education
The Mexican American Studies program is the equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan and its teachers are skin heads, John Huppenthal wrote. A teacher who writes op eds against the Common Core is a “f*cktard,” according to an email from a Department of Education employee. These wildly inappropriate comments indicate a level of hatred and…
Soundbites
SOMEDAY, WE’LL ALL BE FREE Nothing says America and freedom and whatever like rock and roll, so thankfully, there are a few options out there Friday night to see some music after you’ve had hot dogs off the grill this Fourth of July. Complete with a promise of fireworks at midnight, Club Congress is hosting…
Shifty Proposal
So does getting rid of the state income tax sound like a great idea? Before you answer, consider this: Unless you are in the top 15 percent of Arizona’s tax filers, you probably wouldn’t see much of change in your tax bill at all—and if the government made up the difference with new sales taxes,…
DVD Roundup
10 Rules for Sleeping Around A couple with an “open relationship” coaches their uptight couple friends into getting freakier; a crazy Hamptons party, booze, drugs, 10 rules you already knew and a whole lotta naked Dylan from Modern Family (Reid Ewing) ensue. (Screen Media) Don Peyote An unemployed artist (Dan Fogler) becomes obsessed with doomsday…
Waiting for Superman
The challenges facing Tucson’s LGBT community center this past year haven’t been a secret, and at times they’ve probably only added to the frustration of its board of directors and former executive director as they worked to figure out how to turn things around—a challenge the agency has faced since the 2008 economic downturn. But…
Live
En route to the first performance in 14 years by the storied and epochal Arizona hardcore band Malignus Youth, it would be fair to say I was more than a little excited. Car windows down, blasting “Missa Brevis,” my favorite piece of music by the group, from the car stereo—it was just like old times.…
Cinema Showdown
If you’ve got a teenager at home who’s constantly sulking, take him or her to Cinema La Placita this month to show ’em how it’s really done. All month long Cinema La Placita presents “It’s Not Easy Being a Teen,” a series devoted to teen angst on screen. First up is the immortal Rebel Without a…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: The tragedy currently playing out on the U.S. southern border has reminded me to once again ask my three-years-ago-posed and perhaps-more-relevant-than-ever question (slightly tweaked): If the U.S. had sponsored and funded infrastructural, educational, social and economic development in Mexico and Central America during the 1950s to the 1980s in the way the more prosperous countries of Europe…
The Skinny
Border Breakthrough President Obama says he’ll take exec action on immigration after House of Reps fails to act on comprehensive reform President Barack Obama brought together two of the GOP’s favorite topics this week when he assailed House Speaker John Boehner for not acting on immigration reform and vowed to use whatever executive authority he…
Consider the Coronet
Located in on the corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street, this tiny bistro seems a bit out of place. Neighboring businesses include The Shanty and Maloney’s. The best dive bar in town, The Buffet, is just down the street. The restaurant is also the cornerstone in a building designated for low income housing. In…
Wilderness Wonder
When Debra Bloomfield was first pitching Wilderness, her book of Alaska photos, to University of New Mexico Press, the publisher was dubious. New Mexico had published her sumptuous book Four Corners in 2004, and those stunning images of the Southwest landscape were more in line with the publisher’s list. “UNM was not interested in a…
Meticulously Crafted Chaos
In certain areas of Western Europe, in particular, Germany and France, there resides a romanticized and semi-fictional notion of the American Southwest and its music, evoking wild-west fantasies and country-punk outlaws. In other words, the transgressive and defiant rock ‘n’ roll band Texas Trash & The Trainwrecks, and the series of synchronicities, both unsettling and…
We Believe That We Will Win
This issue goes to press before the outcome of the U.S. vs. Belgium World Cup match has been decided, so we’re not sure whether the FC Tucson game on Friday, July 4 will be a continuing celebration of soccer in America or a “hey, let’s still enjoy this game that we decided that we like…
Off to Oakland
The songs on Jacob Acosta’s new album are about meeting people in bars, about traveling, about facing down personal changes, about letting great loves go and finding new ones. The record comes largely out of Acosta’s experiences last summer, touring the country by himself, playing shows and couch surfing, making new connections and learning more…
True TV
Bad Teacher Saturday, July 5 (CBS) Return: When CBS canceled Bad Teacher in May after five weeks, it was implied that you’d never, ever see the final eight of 13 produced episodes—but here they are! Ari Graynor’s take on Cameron Diaz’s toxic film gold digger was more light and likable at first, but it became…
Nine on the Line
Tucson native, Aric Mussman, along with his brother, Joshua Mussman, are co-owners of the “new Tucson classic” restaurants, Vero Amore and Noble Hops. Aric prides himself on bringing hand crafted food and drink to Tucson’s diners, as well as being owners of Tucson’s only certified authentic Neapolitan Pizza oven. Let’s take a look at his…
Casino Celebration
Yes, young people, there was a time here in Southern Arizona when there were no casinos and the only way to pull a slot machine handle or double-down on a hand of blackjack was to head to Nevada. Casino Del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Road, one of the big players in Arizona gaming, is celebrating…
Feeling Gravity’s Pull
When the comet Hale-Bopp passed by Earth in the late nineties, I went out on a camping trip to observe it in the sky. That night, my right shoulder was seized with a great pain, making me unable to sleep and really annoying my jerk girlfriend. The pain went away a couple of days after…
Media Watch
VILLARREAL LAID OFF BY STAR What does 17 years of being among the most versatile writers at the local daily newspaper get you? Out of a job if you’re Phil Villarreal, and if those 17 years happened to be spent with the Arizona Daily Star. “I had worried about layoffs for many of the past…
Noshing Around
FALORA-TH OF JULY The Margherita pizza, the tomato, basil and cheese topped classic of any wood-fired oven pizza joint, was created in 1889 honor the Italy’s beloved Queen Margherita. While it’s hard to complain about a classic, that combination might not be the most patriotic here stateside, so in honor of good ol’ ‘merica, Falora, 3000…
Let Freedom Sing
With budget cuts in schools and communities, arts are sometimes becoming the exception rather than the rule. Fortunately, there are organizations such as Arts Express, Inc. whose members believe the arts can change lives and build a better community. They create opportunities for children and adults to learn and experience the power of the arts.…
Troubled Train
Who is Bong Joon-Ho, and why should you get to know him? Well, for starters, he made The Host, a monster movie with more guts, brains, and polish than any of its American contemporaries (Cloverfield and the remakes of The Thing and Godzilla immediately jump to mind). Bong changed gears in 2010, opting for the…
Danehy
A few questions about people in the news: • IS it possible that John Huppenthal isn’t just some insomniac racist blowhard, but is actually smart enough to have anonymously posted all that drivel we’ve been reading over the past couple weeks to distract us from the real reason he should not be re-elected in the…
Editor’s Note
First off, before our devoted crossword fans head to the office with torches and pitchforks in hand, there’s only one crossword this week. Ben Tausig, the creator of the Inkwell puzzle that we added last year, ended that crossword’s run last week to focus on his actual job as a professor (you might have noticed…
Police Dispatch
police dispatch Anna Mirocha THE SERIAL CEREAL VANDAL Rincon Beat June 3, 5:17 a.m. Someone repeatedly terrorized a neighborhood at night by dumping various breakfast foods, from dry cereal to eggs, into people’s front yards for them to find in the morning, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. The alleged victim of…
Primer
WHO IS HE Along with contemporaries Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, the Swedish born Yngwie Malmsteen largely defined the equally derided and celebrated ’80s phenomena of the guitar shredder. Building on the technical breakthroughs of Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, Malmsteen fashioned a playing style informed by 19th century classical violinist Niccolo Paganini (whom…
Bright Spot
Sometimes when you’re in the middle of a big fight for those closest to you, an unexpected bright light comes through, which is what happened recently to Tucson musician Miguel Carter and his brother, Diego. Via a Tucson Weekly story on their mother’s conviction and imprisonment, the brothers discovered that their father is still alive.…
A message from the Boards of SAAF and Wingspan
In this week’s issue of the Tucson Weekly, we talked to local community leaders and recapped what we reported earlier in the Range on the transitions happening at Wingspan. Yesterday, the board of directors of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation and Wingspan issued this statement by email, social media and their websites: The boards of…
Rialto Theatre Brings Visual Feast Downtown with R Bar
JAMES HUDSON R Bar’s sprawling steel mural. Patrons at the Rialto Theatre’s new side-bar, R Bar, are immediately greeted by an impressive, back-lit steel sun rising over a stark, blood-red wall. Flanked by iron birds and modern winged machines, the disc beckons one to a glass-lined balcony view above its angular bar, all housed in…
