Cover Story
Out Of This World
The UA’s Lunar and Planetary Lab has been involved in the NASA’s space program for more than half a century, but sometimes it seems as if it’s one of Tucson’s best-kept secrets
Tucson 23 Brings Diverse Line-Up of the City’s Best Mexican Food and Drink
Whether it’s upscale tacos with unexpected ingredients or a good ol’ fashioned red chile burro done right, Tucson certainly has some fantastic Mexican eats. To showcase a little of everything the Old Pueblo has to offer, SAACA is back to present another year of the Tucson 23: Mexican Food Festival. Celebrating the 23 miles of…
Summertime Outdoor Film Series: A Tucson Tradition
Head over to the Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave, for a movie under the stars every Thursday this month. The Cinema La Placita Outdoor Film Series, which has shown classic films for 16 summers in the plaza of La Placita Village, is moving to the historic Pima County Courthouse. Starting this week there…
Netflix Releases ‘Binge Scale,’ Basically Plans This Weekend For You
I know I have wondered, as I remove my glasses and slowly stumble into bed, if perhaps I’ve been over zealous on my Netflix binging. Well, if I am, it turns out I’m not alone. Today Netflix released a “binge scale,” offering a little insight into the streaming habits of the Netflix community at large.…
According to Conservatives, We Need to Keep Cutting Education Funding
I wrote a long post yesterday saying, basically, that Ducey and other Republican political leaders will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into increasing funding for education. Vocal public support for education and outcries against budget cuts are the reasons we haven’t had more education cuts in the last two state budgets, and it’s…
Cinema Clips: The Idol
This is the true story of Palestinian Mohammed Asaf, who overcame many obstacles to win Arab Idol in 2013. The film starts with Asaf as a kid, playing music for weddings for his little sister. She dies from kidney failure, giving Asaf the motivation to leave Palestine and audition for the show when he grows…
It’s Hot, You Should Eat a Lot of Ice Cream
Today is, miraculously, not quite the scorcher yesterday was. Even so, it is hot as all hell outside and you should get some ice cream. But from where? Well, maybe from one of the five (or five of the five) local ice cream places Tucson has deemed the best. We’ve just opened the second round…
Sammy Hagar & The Circle Ticket Giveaway
Busy Friday? We’re giving away one pair of tickets to see Sammy Hagar & The Circle at AVA Amphitheater. AVA has this to say about the show: For almost forty years, Sammy Hagar has been one of rock music’s most dynamic and prolific artists. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band…
Raising Taxes Is Front Page News (and It’s About Damn Time)
Monday, the Star decided to run a story about many states’ refusal to raise taxes on its front page. For me, the placement of the article is bigger news than the story itself. Front page. That means the editors think it’s something people want to read about. It may be sinking in, finally, that we need to…
A Note of Resignation: Pima County Supe Ally Miller’s Communications Aide Calls It Quits
Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller’s embattled communications staffer, Timothy DesJarlais, quit his job on Friday, June 3. In case you’re counting, that makes at least 11 staff members that Miller has burned through since taking office three-and-a-half years ago. DesJarlais, 19, had been in the media spotlight every since a strange news website, the Arizona…
Desert Discovery Days
Grab the kids and head over to Tohono Chul Park every Tuesday this month to explore the desert. Explore, learn and have fun as Tohono Chul Park showcases different parts of the desert each week, explaining how important they are for our ecosystem. Each week there will be something new to discover from 8 to…
Arizona Transgender Man, ACLU Sue Country’s Fifth Largest Health Care System for Discrimination
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing one of the biggest health care systems in the U.S. for denying transition-related coverage to transgender employees, according to an ACLU press release. The federal lawsuit was filed against Dignity Health on behalf of Josef Robinson, a transgender man who works as an operating room nurse at Chandler…
Cinema Clips: The Lobster
This is as brutal a satire you will ever see. Writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos gives us a world where being single is so frowned upon, you will be transformed into the animal of your choice if you don’t find a partner in an allotted time. Colin Farrell stars as David, a recently dumped man who must…
The Second Round of Best of Tucson Voting Has Started
It’s time! Thanks to everyone who voted in the first round of Best of Tucson®! Our number of voters grows every year and we are delighted you’re helping us provide this annual guide to Tucson. Now, down to business. We’ve tallied your votes from round one and compiled a list of finalists so it is…
Bank of America Cardholders Get Free Admission to the Tucson Museum of Art this Weekend
This weekend Bank of America is giving its cardholders a nice summer treat with their monthly Museums on Us program. Museums on Us allows any Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders free admission to more than 150 participating museums in 33 states and 101 cities the first weekend of every month. Participating here in Tucson is the…
Something Needs to be Done About Gun Violence
This past Wednesday afternoon I received frantic calls and texts from my mother and sister, asking me if my childhood friend, a UCLA student, was alright. Without any knowledge that a shooting had happened on the campus I somehow immediately knew that was the scenario my family members were referring to. My friend is fine, but this isn’t about…
New Biography Tells the Story of the of Rock and Roll Great Keith Moon
A new biography on rock drummer Keith Moon compiled by Ian Snowball is set to be released on June 13. The name of the book, Keith Moon: There Is No Substitute, pays homage to Moon’s unique role in the rock band The Who by referencing one of their popular songs “Substitute.” Moon is arguably one…
Scenes from Phoenix Comicon
Phoenix Comicon started yesterday, and our man-on-the-job Scott Smith sent these photos along to mark the occasion. More to come!
A Libertarian View on Pima County’s World View Deal
There has been much fretting over the suit that the Goldwater Institute has brought against Pima County over the deal it made with World View Enterprises. Let’s try to separate the hysteria over economics from the issue of legality. Missing or Avoiding the Point County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry (named in the suit along with three…
Joe Forkan Homecoming
Joe Forkan, whose Staggering Heights comic once graced the pages of the Tucson Weekly, returned home to the UA Museum of Art.
Media Watch
The latest winter radio ratings reflected well on KMXZ, 94.9 Mix Fm, which claimed the top spot in the overall 12-plus category. Lotus-owned classic rocker KLPX 96.1 FM vaulted to fourth during the ratings period and Lotus new rocker KFMA FM 102.1 enjoyed a significant surge as well.
Lemondate and Poetry
SALT+BONE is a reading tour with Muriel Leung and Grace Shuyi Liew traveling the South and West.
Feed Each Other
Most dates are boring, so do this instead: The Grate Date.
Water Wars (Zombies Not Included)
The Fourth Annual Water Wars is Sunday.
Round and Round
The good folks at Odyssey Storytelling present “Wheels.”
Art Cruisin’
Imagine a hot summer night in Tucson and a quartet of skeletons hungry for chili dogs. Where would they go? Pat’s Drive-In, of course.
Child’s Play
Does your child seek out the least visible spot when in a group? Well, you may just have a kid in the early stage of becoming an actor.
Chicken Love?
Some movies are so weird, the vibe they put out can’t really be conveyed by the written word. Men & Chicken is weird. It’s seriously, freaking weird. Let’s see if its weirdness can be sufficiently conveyed in this here column.
Feminine Touch: Chick Magnet
Rather than accepting isolation as a byproduct of her craft, Lano chose to build a community of female artists.
B-Sides: Leon Russell
It seems the deeper we delve into the annals of rock history, the less names like Mick Jagger and John Lennon are the focus.
B-Sides: Hocus Bogus Vol. 2
It’s a zine, it’s a record, it’s Hocus Bogus’ second issue and this time, it’s Katterwaul.
B-Sides: R.Ariel
Equal parts haunting and sultry, R.Ariel offers up calming, yet emotive songs on her two most recent releases.
Editor’s Note
JobPath grads improve their lives, and at the same time they improve our community. We can’t think of a better relationship or tradition—other than payday dinner.
Dust Devil
Riding in a tour van the scent of oranges filled the air.
The Skinny
Judge rules that state violated AZ Constitution when it transferred school costs to Pima County and Ally Miller makes a federal case out of the strange and anonymous online blog linked to her communications staffer
Pretty on the Plancha: Latin It Up
The phrase “Latin sandwich shop” might not immediately paint a clear image of the menu at Latin It Up, and, indeed, the small counter service restaurant isn’t really serving just one type of cuisine.
Tucson Salvage
Meet Skip Blum. Little serpents are dancing in the air above his head.
Toilet Politics
It was just a couple of weeks ago that Dena, the mother of a 6-year-old transgender girl, felt like she could finally breathe. She no longer had to fear the possibility of her daughter being forced to use the boys’ bathroom at school.
