Cover Story
Never Going Back to Tucson
Dan Stuart is a habitual expat as well as a musician and author. His latest record, The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings, will be released in late July.
“Hey Buddy, Can You Spare $200 Million?” If Your Buddy Is the Walton (Walmart) Family, Then, Yes
The charter school movement owes its current level of success to its friends in high tax brackets. Lots of friends. We wouldn’t have as many charters as we have now, by a long shot, if deep-pocketed donors hadn’t contributed billions to get them started and prop them up. And they’d get far less press without all…
Laughing Stock: Going with the flow
“I like how shocked people are when you say ‘c*nt.’ It’s like I have a nuclear bomb in my underpants, or a mad tiger or a gun.” So says Caitlin Moran, London Times journalist and author of “How to Build a Girl.” She recently confirmed that “Lady Bird” star Beanie Feldstein will play the lead…
Four Great Things To Do in Tucson Today: Thursday, July 5
Smiles of a Summer Night. Before diving headfirst into the harrowing bleakness of classics like The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman made this romantic comedy, which also served as his break-out international film. This is the first screening in The Loft’s celebration of what would have been Bergman’s 100th birthday, stay tuned for…
8 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Wednesday, July 4
10th Annual Fourth of July 5K Freedom Run/Walk. If you have the day off for Independence Day, it might be tempting to sleep in. But think of it this way: The earlier you get up, the longer your holiday will last. This short race takes you through the Golf Links Sports Complex, so you can…
3 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Tuesday, July 3
Red, White and Brews at the Maverick. Start your Fourth of July celebrations a day early at the Maverick. Get your groove on with dance lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. for $5 each, and then the Jack Bishop Band will take over at 7 p.m. for live music. Sip on domestic beers, house wines…
2 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Monday, July 2
A Salute to America. If you thought the Gaslight Theatre wasn’t going to do anything for the Fourth of July, we don’t know what you were thinking, but you were definitely wrong. They’re going all out with this tribute to all of the brave members of our country’s armed forces, hosted by Armen Dirtadian and with…
18 Great Things to do in Tucson this Weekend: Friday June 29-Sunday July 1
Triple Divide. The Tucson Movie Club and State Bar of Arizona are screening a documentary on the controversial subject of fracking. The film features interviews from affected citizens, oil executives and all the middlemen in between. After the screening, panelists will hold a discussion on current environmental and industry laws, and their effect on Arizona.…
3 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Thursday, June 28
The Misandrists. Picture this: A man on the run in the wilderness discovers a secret stronghold for the “Female Liberation Army”—a radical feminist terrorist group that plans to have women take over the world. What happens next? This showing at The Screening Room is based on the wild counterculture and exploitation films from minds like…
Schools, Teachers, Taxes, Elections—And a Wet Finger in the Wind
We have a collision coming in our state elections. The until-now irresistible force of the #RedforEd movement with meet a usually immovable object, the anti-tax, anti-public school Republican party. Something’s gotta give. Before we look at Arizona, let’s take a trip to Oklahoma, a state that hates taxes as much as Arizona—it hadn’t passed a…
Letter to the Editor: Proposed 20-Story Tower at Speedway and Campbell “Symbolizes Total Power”
We got an old-school letter to the editor in the mailbox today from Michael Cajero, who is unhappy with the mixed-use tower planned for the intersection of Speedway and Campbell. Read all about it!
Meet Your Candidates: GOP Congressional Hopeful Brandon Martin Hopes to End Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid
Motivated by a dissatisfaction with the inner workings of Washington, Army Instructor Brandon Martin has thrown his hat into the ring for Martha McSally’s open seat in Congress. He believes it is his mission to educate the people of Congressional District 2 about what roles the federal government is supposed to have. A self-titled “constitutional…
Michael Franti Encourages Rialto Crowd To Stay Human
A gigantic multi-colored peace sign served as theatrical backdrop. A near capacity throng of approximately 1,150 stared at it blankly, on occasion, in between idle chatter and sips from plastic cups. Expectantly, they awaited Michael Franti & Spearhead to take to the Rialto Theater stage. It was a sweltering Friday night, June 8, and for…
Claytoon of the Day: Face-Punching Civility
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3 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Wednesday, June 27
Tucson Bicycle Service. There are places where you buy a bicycle. There are places where you get your bicycle fixed. And then there’s Tucson Bicycle Shop, which does both! After 18 years of experience as a Shimano certified bicycle mechanic, Mario Lizarazu is bringing a service-focused shop down to Fourth Avenue. They offer everything from…
False Equivalence: A Primer
Sal jaywalks. Tom slips a candy bar in his pocket at a 7-11 and leaves without paying. Jim robs a bank. Chris kills someone in cold blood. Sal, Tom, Jim and Chris are all criminals. They all broke the law. So, if jaywalker Sal condemns killer Chris for the murder he committed, does it make…
Reward Offered in Javelina Poaching Case
The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief program is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to an arrest for the illegal killing of a javelina found June 17 northeast of 491 W. Hammerhead Way, accessible from South 12th Avenue. Game and Fish determined that the javelina had been shot.…
Claytoon of the Day: R U Being Served?
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6 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Tuesday, June 26
Fantastic Negrito. Surviving hardship makes a smart person kinder. Enter Xavier Dphrepaulezz, who suffered through a tough, impoverished childhood, gunpoint robberies, and a car crash that about killed him off. He rose as Fantastic Negrito in 2014 and nabbed a contemporary blues Grammy the next year. And now with Please Don’t Be Dead, he’s made…
New Poll: McSally and Sinema Likely To Be This Year’s Senate Match-Up
Let’s dive right in to a newly released survey from Emerson College with key polling of some of the big races in Arizona’s Aug. 28 primary election: • Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally are shaping up to be the front-runners their respective primaries in the race for Jeff Flake’s Senate seat. • In the governor’s…
Dart Needs a Home
“I am a sweet boy who is searching for a patient family that can show me how great life can be!” – Dart (854604) Come meet Dart at HSSA Main Campus at 635 W. Roger Rd. and bring your family, including dogs! You can also leave a comment or give an adoptions counselor a call…
Volunteers Assist County Supervisor to Spread Fire Safety on Mount Lemmon
Fifteen years after the Aspen Fire devastated much of Mount Lemmon, volunteers are taking action to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. A group of county sheriff’s auxiliary volunteers have begun setting up at the base of the mountain every Saturday and Sunday, distributing fire safety fliers to passing motorists. The fliers, created in collaboration…
A Homegrown Candidate with an International Mindset
Casey Welch is about as unconventional as a politician can get. He’s got quite the resume that ends with a bid for Martha McSally’s open seat in Congress this upcoming primary election. Welch grew up near Page, Arizona in Vermilion Cliffs, when the population was just 25 people. But when he was still a young…
Claytoon of the Day: Real Fake News
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8 Great Things to do in Tucson Today: Monday, June 25
Baseball Nights at Kino Sports Complex. “Take me out to the ballgame! Take me out to the croooowd!” Don’t you just love the United States of America’s national anthem? Okay, so maybe that’s not the real anthem, but what’s more patriotic than eating a hot dog and popcorn at a baseball game, and cheering on…
Welcome To the World Cup
As a kid growing up in Mexico loving soccer is part of your childhood. Since I can remember, soccer matches where a must see in my family home, and it’s a tradition that persists today. I was 10 years old during the 2006 World Cup in Germany when David Beckham appeared on my TV screen…
Tucson Makes Appearance in New Cooking Channel Series
Fair food takes center stage in a new television show that pits a Michelin-starred chef against revered carnival chefs around the country, and the show’s premiere is set in none other than Tucson. Chef Richie Farina heads to the Pima County Fair in the first episode of “Carnival Kings,” a new Cooking Channel series. There,…
Demanding a New Way to Deal with Gun Negligence
Gun-regulation advocates are re-invigorating the gun violence discussion with a call to hold people responsible for firearm related deaths that came out of negligence. #URResponsable is being held on the six-year anniversary of the death of 27-year-old Genna Ayup, who was shot by her boyfriend. He said he was putting a rubber grip on the…
Claytoon of the Day: Baby Prison Nightmares
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31 Great Things to do in Tucson this Weekend: Friday June 22-Sunday June 24
Summer Safari Nights at Reid Park Zoo. For all the wildlife in Tucson, the first thing you think of when you think of the city probably isn’t a safari. But anything is possible at the Reid Park Zoo, especially when it takes place on a summer evening, when the weather is much more bearable. This…
After Her Immigration Bill Fails, McSally Crows That It “Nearly” Passed
They say that “almost” only counts in horseshoes or hand grenades, but today, Congresswoman Martha McSally (R-AZ02) tried to add lawmaking to those exceptions. After her hardline immigration bill gathered only 193 votes, Team McSally sent out a press release crowing: “McSally Legislation to Secure Southern Border Nearly Receives Votes Needed to Pass House.” Last…
UA Has Plenty of Cool Attractions for Summer
Temperatures are on the rise in Tucson, and here are some choice ways to keep cool this summer at the University of Arizona: Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd., 621-4516, flandrau.org. Flandrau is open all summer with planetarium shows, family-friendly science exhibits and the dazzling specimens of the Mineral Museum. The laser…
Tucson, You Have Some Ugly Pets!
Note from Lulu’s human: Lulu is a Chinese crested and Japanese Chin mix. She is the last of her clan. She is 15 years old and a lovely old girl. When she gets excited she twirls around. She lives on a goat farm in Arivaca but gets to come to Tucson every Tuesday and Friday…
Claytoon of the Day: Space Balls II
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Editor’s Note
It’s been a while since a Tucson Weekly cover story had an accompanying soundtrack, but this week, musician Dan Stuart provides us with both.
Reel Indie
This week’s movies in indie theaters.
Quick Bites
Fun food offerings this week.
Musical Munchies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a rock star in possession of a successful career must maintain a diet of only cigarettes, bourbon and drugs.
Medical Muzzle
Dr. Samantha Varner says it would be a “fundamental corruption” of her medical training and professional ethics if she couldn’t inform her patients of all their family-planning options
XOXO…
Music this week in Tucson.
Saints and Sinners
Years ago, when the island of Manhattan was the domain of Native Americans, a band of Dutch fur traders quietly sailed into New York Bay.
Soak the Rich
Marea Jenness, a Tucson High School biology teacher, keeps a megaphone in the boot of her Mercury Mariner. Jenness stays ready in the event of more protests.
Nightcrawler
A few choice music shows to catch this week.
Know Your Product
Born from the aggressive yet fun-loving mind of former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan, Street Dogs keep the punk vision alive with their anthemic shouts and distorted wildness.
Bud Banking Bust
The cannabis industry generates billions of dollars across the nation every year, and due to federal banking restrictions, that means billions of dollars of unprotected cash.
City Week
Things to do this week in Tucson.
Police Dispatch
When a woman was caught driving quite obviously drunk one weekday morning, she put a lot of time and effort into fruitlessly trying to convince law enforcement she was just a regular morning commuter.
Texas Roast
Tuna is a town in Texas. It’s also the subject of a series of plays created by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams.
Super-Powered Sequel
After a 14-year hiatus, the Parr family returns for more superhero shenanigans in Pixar’s Incredibles 2, a sequel that continues the zippy, funny spirit of the original.
The New Doghouse
Created in the 1960s the Pima Animal Care Center is the only open-admission shelter in the county.
The Skinny
This is what it’s come to in Trump’s America
Critter Care
Brenda Suneson knows her love for senior pets can be consuming. She knows they need love and attention regardless of the high medical care costs.
Danehy
Having completed my grueling morning workout (it’s damned hard work maintaining this physique!), I now sit down to write my bi-weekly column.
Bitter Cup of News
Revolutionary Grounds Coffee and Books, the small storefront on Fourth Avenue near the corner of Fifth Street, closed its doors on Sunday, June 17. But a revival may be on the horizon.
A Dog’s Eye View
A book recently published in Tucson might hold a few local records, including one for youngest author: nine years old.
