Cover Story
To Russia with Love
Russia wasn’t a random choice, no matter how odd it might seem for this sort of voluntary escape. It’s no Tahiti, for example. But going to Russia is always comforting to me.
J&K Heritage Museum Cafe Serves Up Satisfying Soul Food on the Southside
Once you’ve had soul food, and I mean really good soul food, it always sits in the back of your mind. You think about creamy grits and crispy fried chicken. You try to go to places that offer up Southern specialties, occasionally met with high-priced items that are, well, less than soulful. If you’re looking…
What If It Was an NAACP Meeting?
I’ve been following the Charleston massacre and its aftermath on TV and in the print media, and I’ve been amazed at the capitulation by Republicans on the Confederate Flag issue. They’ve generally tried their damnedest to steer clear of making negative comments about the Civil War era flag. When they were forced to discuss the topic…
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Brings Four Beers and Three Beards to Tap & Bottle
Last year there was a lot of buzz surrounding the new Phoenix-area Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. A piece in Esquire and a best new brewery recognition from the online community of beer geeks over at RateBeer.com proved the Kickstarter-funded brewery was churning out some of the tastiest and most inventive brews in the world. With…
DHS: We Need to Make ‘Substantial’ Changes to Apprehension Practices of Migrant Families, Children
Department of Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson said today there needs to be “substantial changes” to DHS’ detention practices when it comes to immigrant families and children. Among his proposals was releasing detained families who post bond or meet other conditions of release, and can establish a solid case of fear of persecution in their home…
Naim Amor Pumps Up the Volume on the Newest T-Town Sessions Video
Well, Abril Castillo, St. Cecilia Studios and Cloud Microphones are at it again. The folks that make up the T-Town Sessions team just released the first in a new series of locally-made live music videos. Since the videos are recorded downtown in a professional studio by professional videographers, you can expect another crop of visually…
A Discussion on Entertaining Out-of-Towners (Plus Some Best of Tucson Clarifications)
On Friday, we released the second round* of Best of Tucson® voting. We’ve already had a ton of ballots submitted and pretty much** all of them (93 percent!) include a vote for “Best Place to Take Friends Visiting Town.” And the nominees are… Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Sabino Canyon Mount Lemmon Gates Pass Unscrewed Theater Tucson,…
UPDATED: Looks Like Tucson Police Might Still Call Border Patrol Over Minor Traffic Stops
Twelve-year-old Jose Escobar Perez spoke at the City Council meeting this evening on behalf of his father, Roman Escobar, who was apprehended by immigration officials in the beginning of June, after Tucson Police officers allegedly called Border Patrol during a minor traffic stop. “I wasn’t there, but my mom came home crying and I was…
The Arizona Republicans Who Support Obamacare
Gus Garcia-Roberts of Talking Points Memo profiles Republicans who support at least parts of Obama, including state Sen. Steve Pierce: A Republican lifer in Wranglers and cowboy boots, Pierce is his party’s old school ideal: a self-sufficient small-business owner living off the land, growing steaks for people who can afford them. He’s also a prominent Arizona…
Sticky Subject: Spider-Man & the Supreme Court
Cronkite News Service catches up with Tucsonan Stephen Kimble, the inventor of a Spider-Man web shooter who lost his case for ongoing royalties when the Supreme Court ruled against him yesterday: The Supreme Court ruled against the Tucson inventor of a Spider-Man web shooter toy Monday, saying Marvel Entertainment no longer has to pay him…
Step Aside Big Mac, Vegetarian Gets the Drive-Thru Treatment
Fast food joints have a place in our culinary history, if we like it or not. Some would say it started as far back as 1921 when White Castle opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas. Others say McDonalds, the Mac Daddy of fast food, was the originator in 1948. Whatever its true origins, perception and…
Read My Lips: “Now! New Taxes!”
This post is about an article that appeared in Monday’s Star: “Republicans can’t stick to no-new-tax pledge” (I can’t find the Star online link, so here’s the original article on Bloomberg Politics). But first, a digression to something I remember from a Reagan campaign stop in California when he was first running for president. What…
Grijalva: Dept. of Homeland Security Should Have Alternatives to Detention for LGBT Immigrants
Some members of Congress are worried about the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender immigrants in Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led detention centers. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, and a group of more than 30 other colleagues, are asking Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Jeh Johnson to consider releasing LGBT detainees, and instead to use parole or other…
NASA Tracks Lake Powell Water Levels
NASA’s Earth Observatory tracks the ebbs and flows of Colorado River and Lake Powell in a series of images that show how dramatic the drought has been on the Southwest. Watch the water recede here. From NASA: Changes in the northeastern reaches of Lake Powell are documented in this series of natural-color images taken by…
Tucsonan Competes in History Channel’s ‘Forged in Fire’
Okay folks, I am now allowed to say "yes, that's me that you see" and I will be on the premiere episode of "Forged in Fire" airing Monday at 10/9 central on the history channel!! So watch it please and continue watching cause as I understand it, some amazing stuff happens in the other episodes…
ACLU Study: Great Recession Placed Black Homeowners At ‘Severe’ Economic Disadvantage
The recent collapse of the country’s housing market placed black homeowners at a “severe” economic disadvantage, and furthered fueled the major racial wealth gap in the U.S., according to a study released today by the American Civil Liberties Union. The study—ran for the ACLU by the Social Science Research Council—looked into data on black and…
Steff Koeppen Breaks Out with Debut Solo Single “Celebrate”
You might know Steff Koeppen as the piano-playing songstress fronting one of Tucson’s more popular acts, Steff & The Articles, but Koeppen is working on something completely different now. With a new solo EP to be released, she’s given listeners a sneak peak of what to expect from her new musical endeavors. While her band…
Uh Oh: Symbolic Petition to Recall Doug Ducey Still Going Around
The change.org signature gathering effort to eventually file a recall petition against Gov. Doug Ducey is still making its rounds. This symbolic petition, along with two Facebook pages (dun, dun, dun) emerged in March, around the same time Ducey signed a shitty state budget into law that, among other terrible decisions, cut roughly $99 million…
Riley Needs a Home
Riley—1 year-old —Pit Bull Mix—M—#799022 Riley is a handsome man! He has a big goofy grin and absolutely loves the camera. This boy loves attention! Riley is looking for an active home that can offer him plenty of exercise. He has been successfully housed with children and cats before. He will greatly benefit from patient…
John Kasich vs. Randy Kendrick on Obamacare Expansion
Politico flags a fiery exchange between GOP presidential hopeful and Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Republican moneybag Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondback owner Ken Kendrick, over Medicaid expansion for low-income Americans at one of those big Koch Brothers getaways: Kasich’s temper has made it harder to endear himself to the GOP’s wealthy benefactors. Last year,…
WaPo: “Teachers Are Fleeing Arizona in Droves”
This is not good news: Teachers have been fleeing Arizona in droves, resulting in such a serious shortage of experienced teachers that state officials are warning of serious consequences if the exodus continues. Over the last five years, thousands of teachers have left the state, according to a 2015 report by the Arizona Department of…
Thoughts on Sanchez’s Gift to the District
TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez is giving a total of $17,000 to two schools. A couple of thoughts on the gesture. First. I don’t know if Sanchez timed the gift to lessen the impact of the complaints about his overly generous new contract, but if he did, it won’t do much good. His gift is close…
Is Screen Time Bad for Kids?
I’m pretty much winging this dad thing, so I’m not someone to take any parenting advice from. But I try not to turn on the TV when I’m playing with my nearly 2-year-old kid because I worry about somehow messing up her developing mind (and I’ll often give in if she’s particularly insistent about watching…
“Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food” Tour!
We Tucsonans know that the best Mexican restaurants north of the border are found right here in the our town, but it was not until recently that the vortex of sabor Mexicana was identified with “The Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food”! With the skill of a corrupt redistricting commission, all of the best Mexican…
Zona Politics: Climate Change, Space Travel & More with UA College of Science Dean Joaquin Ruiz
Zona Politics Eps.34 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s episode of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: UA College of Science Dean Joaquin Ruiz stops by lay some science on us about climate change research, space missions, the Biosphere and other cool stuff happening at the UA. Then author and Edible…
The 2015 Best of Tucson Finalists Have Been Decided
Round 2 of this year’s Best of Tucson® ballot is ready for you! What’s this “Round 2” you might be asking. We tallied your votes (Well, I did) and we gathered finalists in every category. “The Best” will be selected (by you!) from these champions. I know, I know, many of you preferred the old…
Smokin’ Showdown Pits BBQ Hot Shots Against Each Other at Hotel Congress
How do you like your barbecue—dry rubbed and smoked or slathered in sweet and tangy sauce? Well, regardless of your ‘cuin’ preference, you’re going to want to head to the inaugural Smokin’ Showdown cookoff event. For the first time ever, Hotel Congress will be putting local barbecuers in head-to-head competition to try to determine who…
Get To Etherton Gallery To See the Artists of Citizens Warehouse
Citizens Warehouse, on Sixth Street just west of Stone Avenue, is a hotbed of creativity. Etherton Gallery is celebrating 21 of the artists who use the warehouse as studio space with Citizens Warehouse Artists, a show continuing through Sept. 12. The gallery is throwing an opening reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 20,…
Juneteenth, 150 years
With the horror of the shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, a little more than 24 hours old, and with the racial hatred that led the murderer to fire on the members of a devout Bible study group so palpable, I feel that it’s more important than usual to point out that…
Vigil for Charleston Tonight at Prince Chapel AME
The Tucson community is invited to a vigil tonight (Thursday, June 18) in support of the shooting victims at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The vigil, at 6 p.m., is at Tucson’s Prince Chapel AME Church, 602 S. Stone Ave. #PrayforCharleston
Coming Soon: Arizona Title 15 Education Regulation “Reform”
Is that a scalpel or a butcher’s knife in Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas’ hand? This is something to watch, warily. From today’s Capitol Times Yellow Sheet (actually this is the teaser, since I don’t have access to the Yellow Sheet itself): Douglas told our reporter she has chosen the group that is going to…
Pima Animal Care Center is Waiving Fees for Adult Animals in June
Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Road, has a severe overcrowding problem right now. In an effort to reduce the number of critters in their care, PACC is waving adoption fees through the month of June. Adoption fees for all adult animals at the Pima Animal Care Center are being waived for the remainder…
Mark Zuckerberg is Down with DREAMers, Donates $5M to College Scholarship Fund for Undocumented Students
Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg donated $5 million to thedream.us, a college scholarship fund for undocumented young immigrants. He posted this message on, well, Facebook: Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants are part of our communities and attend school legally in the United States. Many of them moved to America early in their lives and can’t…
MOCA (Art) Pools
On Saturday, June 20, MOCA’s Summer season continues with the highly anticipated Macro Sea Mobile Pools. The New York-based real estate development firm, Macro Sea, with MOCA, will present three code-compliant, street legal mobile dumpster pools in the Great Hall, the former garage where Tucson’s Fire Department No. 1 parked their fire trucks. At MOCA…
Dust Devil
June: Guffawing over the ancient histrionics of Foghorn Leghorn and his fellow animaniacs, our tushies squeak on smooth leather, adding comic effect.
Being Mindful
#MINDBODYSPIRIT
Police Dispatch
A man was found not only living in squalor, but also having spread food and paint around his house in the belief that it would protect him from trespassers, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report.
People Power
Those wondering people from Living Street Alliance return with Whimsical Bike Ride #3.
World Above, World Below
A fantasy forest is occupying Joseph Gross Gallery. Sort of.
Painting and Preservation
Tucson artist Dirk J. Arnold’s neon “Gateway Saguaro” made the New York Times’ Travel section last weekend, in the form of a dazzling colored photo that easily took up two-thirds of the section’s front page. The story it illustrated was titled “Tucson: An Unsung Architectural Oasis.”
Live and Kicking
The All Together Theater is a no low-rent treat for the kiddies. It’s actual theater, performed by adults that both kids and adults can enjoy. And its work is going to get a chance to shine in prime-time for a few weeks as it proudly presents a show as part of the main stage season.
Free At Last
While in detention, Nicoll Hernandez-Polanco says she was allegedly physically and emotionally abused by guards. During the first few weeks in detention she had to shower with other men, and consequently was sexually assaulted by another detainee
Fairly Unfunny
David Letterman bid a much-ballyhooed farewell last month, capping 33 years of late night TV. That’s a huge accomplishment. Yet it pales, at least in terms of calendar years, to the run of Saturday Night Live, which recently hit the big 4-0, although most fans probably prefer earlier models of each late night show.
The Skinny
Gov. Ducey and his allies are preparing to battle a proposition to legalize recreational use of marijuana, State lawmaker Victoria Steele explores congressional race while other Dems take a pass and unding is available for public-access station until new operation launches
B-Sides: Dutch Holly
Jen Juniper and Tres Ikner craft tunes that fit somewhere between Fleet Foxes and Jon Brion, adding sultry electronic flourishes to the bones of a harmonized vocal duet—their website pins it as “psychadellic indie folktronica,”
Media Watch
Holly out as Operations Manager at Scripps radio and Gabe Encinas is no longer a racist
B-Sides: CJ Boyd
Marathon-like songs span 10 minutes centering on intricate bass lines, not quite telling a full-narrative, but definitely painting a picture and setting the scene.
Danehy
Does anybody actually know how stupid he/she is? Tom tried to approach it scientifically.
B-Sides: Blueprint
King No Crown is creating a buzz with its smooth, clean production (though entirely self-produced), sci-fi-like synth and ass-shakin’ beats layered atop socially conscious rhymes that reflect on life, the status quo and the state of hip hop.
Guest Opinion
In early June, the Tucson City Council voted to fund the organization for two more months, according to Access Tucson Executive Director Lisa Horner, the details—including the actual budget—are not yet worked out.
Dog Party: Sister Sister
Putting together a punk band, writing songs, recording an album, securing a label and heading out on tour all before turning 20 is difficult enough, but the Giles sisters of Dog Party—17-year-old Lucy and 19-year-old Gwendolyn—are already veterans. This month they are releasing their fourth album—a joint project for Asian Man Records and Burger Records,…
Guest Opinion
Driving back towards town, it’s greener than I remember it. My kid says we’ve gotten more rain. Picacho Peak looks like broken beer bottle glass; the sun low on the horizon smoothes out the landscape as the saguaros disappear into the shadows
Morgan James: More than a Cover Girl
Don’t hate on Morgan James just because she’s burst out of YouTube as an internet sensation. Or that she’s as sexy and beautiful as Jessica Rabbit (She was, apparently, just born that way).
Weed Recap
Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy last week chose the new political lobbyist and communications firm Axiom Public Affairs to represent their movement against the state’s recreational marijuana legalization initiative.
Bam Bam Food Truck: Driving Fusion
When done well, fusion has to be subtle. While chasing the latest fusion trends like sushi burritos and ramen burgers might be initially eye catching for guests, the novelty and kitsch factor of those dishes do tend to wear out quickly—it’s not necessarily the key to a sustainable business.
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I’m not sure if this is solely an Orange County thing, but as a high school student in SanTana, I can’t help but realize that the great majority of rockabilly kids are Mexican. Why is this? Weren’t the ’40s and ’50s kind of a bad time for Mexicans?
Monsoon Gladness
You don’t have to see triple digits to know that monsoon is right around the corner
Pleasure Activist
The motor is the actual mechanism that makes the vibrator vibrate! Here are some things to keep in mind when browsing over the different vibrations.
MOCA Summer 2015
MOCA’s summer season opens Friday, June 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. with 6 Artists, invited to create site-specific installations in each of the East Wing’s six galleries.
Editor’s Note
Seems like when there is little real legitimate debate left in politics, we can always count on some folks from the right bringing up that single mothers are what’s wrong with our society.
Package Deal
As attorney Larry Hecker looked out across the dozens of people assembled for the county bond campaign kickoff at a downtown hotel, he spied three people in particular: Tucson Metro Chamber President & CEO Mike Varney, Southern Arizona Leadership Council President & CEO Ron Shoopman and tireless homeless advocate Brian Flagg.
