Cover Story
Arizona Burning
More on this story from this issue: “Out of Control”, by Leo W. Banks, “Prevention, Not Suppresion”, by Roy Keene and Tim Hermach, and the editor’s note, by Jimmy Boegle. The borderlands of Southern Arizona have burned, and the destruction is stunning. Thousands of acres of land along the line blackened. The Chiricahua Mountains scorched,…
Saguaro Harvest Celebration
Sure we see saguaros just about every day, but how much do we really know about these majestic, green-armed creatures? This Saturday, July 9th, go check out the Ha:San Bak Saguaro Harvest Celebration at La Posta Quemada Ranch facility in Colossal Cave Mountain Park! Learn more about the saguaro fruit summer harvest with saguaro facts…
Sure, Fugazi + Wu-Tang. Why Not?
Sleep Rules Everything Around Me by WUGAZI The novelty of the mashup probably died long before Glee did a theme episode based around the idea, but yet, whenever a new one of these semi-clever mixtapes comes out, I end up finding the idea amusing for another week, so I’ll definitely download Wugazi’s “13 Chambers” when…
Cheerwine at Mother Hubbard’s Cafe
I love the new version of Mother Hubbard’s Café (read Jimmy Boegle’s review of the joint here), and have eaten there frequently during the past couple of months. It’s the only place in town brave enough to add red chiles to the biscuits-and-gravy, and the quirky little details they layer on traditional diner fare keeps…
This Friday at the Loft: “Page One: Inside the New York Times”
Page One: Inside the New York Times, a documentary on the future of journalism from inside the belly of its biggest beast, will open at the Loft on Friday. Here’s more from the Loft website: At the film’s heart is Times columnist David Carr, a former drug addict who is both the paper’s strongest advocate…
Pan African Music Festival: A Review
What’s that? You like shaking your ass? Me, too! There is one problem, though: They didn’t teach such things on the goat farm that was my childhood home, and it wasn’t until I reached the big city of Green Bay (population 96,000 back then) that I realized the joys of ass-shaking, especially group ass-shaking. But…
A Girl Named “Lazy,” And Other Tales Of Misspelled Names At Starbucks
If you’ve ever had your first name egregiously misspelled on a Starbucks cup, this website is proof that you haven’t suffered alone. As you take in your nonfat vanilla latte, feel some empathy for Lacey (“Lazy”), Jackie (“Shaggy”), Aline (“Alien”) and poor old Molly, whose name was misspelled above as “Pollen.”
A Profile of Marijuana Critic William Breathes on “The Daily”
“William Breathes” of Denver’s Westword does a great job of explaining why the Weekly is looking for a marijuana critic and mentions that it isn’t necessarily the free ride of smoking all day that it might seem to be.
Flankenstein’s Is No More
Flankenstein’s: R.I.P. Good morning, Tucson. I am sad. One of our best local food trucks, Flankenstein’s, is no more, and our roadside food scene is all the worse for it. From a July 3 post on the truck’s Twitter feed: Flankensteins is closed due to unforeseen occurrences. Thank you for your support tucson Having spent…
Scorpion Stings Man on Airplane, 80-year-old Woman Busted for Smuggling Drugs and More: Rynski Radio at Party934
Update with playlist and download at bottom of post Art and photo Ryn Gargulinski Tucson and drug smugglers may go hand in hand, although the smugglers are not usually 80-year-old women smuggling drugs for their drug addicted sons. Such was the case in Austria, where an octogenarian was arrested with narcotics worth more than $11,000…
Dance Music to Help You Survive Your Wednesday
HOT ERA Mix # 1 by HOT ERA Tucson DJ collective O/W/L/S have been hosting Hot Era, a dance night at Sky Bar on Fridays, since late May, and while my own sedentary/parental lifestyle means I haven’t been down there to experience the jams for myself, I appreciate that they’ve put together a “pump up…
Listen to The Range in Radio Form Tomorrow Morning
For a remarkable second week, newish KFMA morning show host Fook has allowed me to come on his program and discuss pop culture news or something. Plus, I have a really awesome theme song. Tune in at 8:10 for my appearance, and stay tuned for TucsonWeeklyTV.com star Michelle Lesko (a.k.a. Cardboard Shell) at 9.
Meet the Greens Running for Mayor Tonight!
Also, a potential bonus candidate…it appears Democratic Party write-in candidate/Sabado Gigante enthusiast David Karr will be there! The next meeting for the Green Party will be Tuesday July 5, 7:15pm, at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E University Blvd. The program is described as a “Mayoral Candidate Mixer” and will be an opportunity to meet the…
Artistic Range: Rick Satava at Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio
“Jellyfish” by Rick Satava is on display in Philabaum & Phriends through Sept. 30 at Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio, 711 S. Sixth Ave.
Now Showing at The Loft: “Buck”
From now until July 15th, you can watch the award winning documentary, Buck, at The Loft. The film profiles Buck Brannaman, a real-life horse whisperer who uses gentleness, patience, and sensitivity to train horses. The film has received rave reviews, including an Audience Award for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival: “EXTRAORDINARY! An exceptional slice of…
Best/Worst Rock Moving Idea Ever
Sadly, this photo was taken in Michigan and not Alabama (so we could continue our tribute to the Southern state), but I think the same sort of purely American brilliance is at work here. [Reddit]
Thanks for the Blister and Blindness Causing Plant, Nature
I don’t know if you’re planning on leaving the state this summer, but if you travel to New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine, don’t mess with the Giant Hogweed, a plant apparently designed by Mother Nature, God, Gaia, whomever, as some sort of punishment for something humanity…
Kentucky Tea Party T-Shirt Guy Not Helping Their Cause
While I think the Tea Party movement has manifested itself in some wildly unfortunate ways – the whole “birther” thing, Michele Bachmann as vaguely legitimate political force – I try to assume that most of the people associated with it are reasonable people frustrated by not being heard. Then you’ve got this guy, selling shirts…
Tucson Weekly’s Celebration of Alabama Continues
All we got were a bunch of boring tents set up across town and a TV ad starring N*SYNC’s Joey Fatone. I feel cheated.
A Monkey Is Better At Self Photography Than You
I make an effort to keep photos of myself off the internet, not because I’m concerned about privacy because I gave up on that long ago, but mostly because I’m not capable of that relaxed-and-ready-to-photograph smile that people actually like to see in photos. Mostly, I end up tagged somewhere on Facebook looking like an…
This Is How You Do It Courtesy of Alabama’s Karaoke Stars
I’m not sure why YouTube user “Tomatohedd” uploaded a series of karaoke performances from Alabama or why these videos have the production aesthetic of 80’s public access programming, but I will say that Montell Jordan might need to step up his game to compete with this guy. Bonus karaoke performance, complete with matching airbrushed t-shirts!…
A Great Deal From the Rialto
I’m not generally inclined to mention those daily deal sites on here, even if they’re for establishments I’m a fan of, for a few reasons, but the $10 for $20 deal Groupon is offering for the Rialto is probably one worth picking up in the three days the deal will be available. If you’re planning…
Tork’s Café and Grocery Is Changing Owners
I stopped in at Tork’s Café and Grocery at 3502 E. Grant Road this weekend—only to discover that the place is in the process of changing hands. I was on a lunch date with my honey and had to stop short of conducting a full interview, but I did chat with the owner for a…
Fire on Mount Lemmon: Road Closed
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department reports that Mount Lemmon Highway is closed and only open to residents and employees due to a fire at milepost 21, which is Spencer Canyon. Conditions on the Catalina Highway and Mount Lemmon are subject to rapid changes. Conditions may have changed since the last update, especially overnight or during…
Artistic Range: Harry Callahan at Etherton Gallery
“Chicago,” by Harry Callahan, is on display in Masters of American Photography, continuing through Aug. 27 at Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave.
Fourth of July Fireworks!
Happy Independence Day from your pals at the Tucson Weekly! If you’re still trying to figure out where to see fireworks tonight, here’s the lowdown: 1) The Convention Center: watch the 15th Annual A Mountain Fireworks from Parking Lot B, of the Convention Center. Cost is $5/person. Or you can start early with a picnic…
Baseball and Fireworks at Kino Stadium Tonight!
Samantha Sais The Tucson Padres are on a hot streak! They’ve won eight in a row and return to Tucson tonight for a game that will be followed by one of the few (legal) fireworks shows in town this year. The team’s Facebook page reports that there are still tickets available, so what are you…
UA Scientists: Warming Water Will Melt Away the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets
Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce This view of the seaward edge of Antarctica’s floating Ross Ice Shelf shows a region where the ice is cracking and may produce an iceberg. UA scientists are part of a team that suggests that the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are…
Ron Barber Talks About Returning To Work for Congresswoman Giffords: “I’m Really Confident, Having Seen Her, That She’s Going To Be Back to as Close to 100 Percent as She Can Get”
Photo courtesy of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office Before the rampage: Ron Barber (left) with Gabe Zimmerman, who was slain on Jan. 8, and Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin Ron Barber is ready to go back to work at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office. “I just can’t wait to be back and be alongside a great staff of…
Mark Kelly Knocks Down Rumors of Political Ambition
Maggie Pingolt of Cronkite News reports that Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, will not run for office: WASHINGTON — Astronaut Mark Kelly said Friday he will not run for an open U.S. Senate seat from Arizona but will focus instead on the recovery of his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Kelly, speaking at an…
Idiot Boksen – Fall Television Preview (The Good)
Fans of innovation and originality in television probably don’t expect either from the major networks, and a scan of next fall’s slate of debuts won’t convince them otherwise. There are supernatural, J.J. Abrams-esque sci-fi mysteries along the lines of Lost (Alcatraz, Person of Interest, Awake, Grimm). There are Mad Men-style period piece dramas depicting the…
Reason Mag: Obama Administration “Reneging on Their Promises To Respect State Law” Regarding Med Marijuana
Reason Magazine examines the Obama administration’s decision to reverse course and prosecute medical-marijuana operations just as Arizona’s program is getting off the ground: As Mike Riggs noted on Thursday night, the Justice Department’s new medical marijuana memo (PDF) confirms that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are reneging on their promises to respect state…
Mayoral Quasi-Candidate Marshall Home Arrested for Bankruptcy Fraud
Looks like Marshall Home won’t have much to celebrate on Independence Day weekend. Home, who kind of ran for mayor for a few weeks, has found himself under arrest by federal authorities thanks to his quasi-legal mumbo jumbo—in particular, his effort to place the United States into bankruptcy and claim $3 billion. In other Marshall…
More Big Ideas From Write-In Candidate David Karr
Write-in candidate on the Democratic ballot David Karr offered some clarification via email about his plan to bring Univision to town, but in the process offered even a bigger idea. Who cares about spring training when we could just get a major league team (or an approximation thereof) in town? I am sorry I made…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com A rider performs a trick at Barrio Trails, which will be demolished soon. Tucson’s only dirt BMX park is about to be destroyed to build a drainage basin. The county says it can be rebuilt, but it might be a lot less awesome. Check it out. Want to watch the Tour de France,…
See A Bunch of Great (Revolutionary Minded?) Bands on Saturday
I’ve probably said a little too much on the subject of the whole Baja Arizona thing, but regardless of whether you think the exercise, the list of bands playing on Saturday night at the Rialto is worth ignoring your opinion on the matter for a night. For $10 ($5 if you sign the Start Our…
State Rep. Matt Heinz to Feds: Deny Brewer Adminstration’s Effort To Cut Health Insurance for Poor Arizonans
Democratic state Rep. Matt Heinz of Tucson urges the federal government to deny the Brewer administration’s request for waivers to cut back on health-care insurance for low-income Arizonans and charge new fees for various services: As a practicing physician I know firsthand the devastating consequences that the pending Medicaid waiver will have on our most…
Help An Abused Poodle Get the Surgery It Needs
Effie Craven A toy poodle named Franklin needs your help. Arizona Desert Rotti and Pals Rescue found the dog on the street and found that he had a badly infected facial wound, apparently from having rubber bands wrapped tightly around his snout, said John Rorke, one of the dog’s owners. “It had its snout bound…
Possibly The Only Review of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” You’ll Need
Seems about right, although “Will It Blend” was a lot of fun, so maybe it’s worth $9. Transformers: Let’s See What Happens When We Blow Up Chicago in 3D is in the theaters today.
Underdog Will Not Get His Shinebox
This is not at all how I remember Underdog, and the writing seems pretty sharp and the voiceover work is solid, but I’m not sure I’d let my kids watch this a second time.
Want to Listen to Some Music Today?
As I referenced in my Weekly Wide Web column this week, I’ll be on Turntable.fm playing some music today during the work day, mostly to justify playing around with the site. Stop by and pick some songs yourself. What else are you going to do with your workday? [Note: You have to have a Facebook…
Want Affordable Health Care? Take Cue from Man Who Robbed Bank to Get Free Medical Care in Jail
Photo Ryn Gargulinski Affordable health care is more elusive than the Loch Ness Monster. At least we know for a fact good ol’ Nessie exists. Health care plans, especially for the self-employed or unemployed, can only be had for some ridiculous monthly fee or containing ridiculous coverage — like only being covered for emergency care…
‘I Never Gave Her the Correct Sauce Recipe’
I’m opting out of further participation in the ruckus in the comments section of this story about Mr. K’s Barbeque, but I did pick up one interesting little tidbit this morning that seems worth sharing. I spoke with Ray Kendrick, who has handled the day-to-day operations of the original Mr. K’s on South Park, and…
James Brown Stars in the Best YouTube Video Ever Possibly
There’s nothing I can say to enhance this video in any manner whatsoever. Just take it in. Enjoy every fleeting moment. Trust me, it’s just as enjoyable the tenth time you watch it. [The Awl/Ego Trip]
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Food Truck Diaries, Volume 18
You might have seen the Sonoran Snoballs trailer at Broadway and Campbell, but you haven’t heard the story from inside the blue stuccoed shaved ice establishment on wheels. Allie Leach interviewed John and Stacey Roads, who will celebrate the 19th anniversary of their business in September.
Go See Jonathan Goldstein at Club Congress on Saturday
I’ve personally attempted to pitch people on seeing Jonathan Goldstein at Club Congress for a few months now, since the show was announced by Stateside Presents, and the general problem is explaining what it is he does exactly. He has a radio show in Canada (Wiretap) that you can hear in Arizona only on satellite…
Free Screening Of “Hook” At Valley Of The Moon This Saturday!
We can’t think of a better place to watch Hook than at Valley of the Moon. Think about it: A fantasyland full of fairy lights and enchanted gardens? A world of legend and lore? A place once home to “children, thousands of children, and those who were still young at heart” (via our very own…
Happy Trails, Glenn Beck
Goodnight, sweet clown prince. Glenn Beck ends his Fox News program tonight. It’s like a perfect storm, a Archduke Ferdinand moment, and a socialist conspiracy on fire all in one. You won’t be the only one tearing up tonight, Glenn. Well, maybe you might, but you’re still just a man who loves his country, maybe…
Fourth-o-July Weekend Movie Explosion At The Loft
It’s hot-as-hell and you’re not gonna take it anymore! Okay, drama mama, why not head over to the Loft? Not only do they have AC (what! what!), but they also have a grab-bag full of movies playing. Take your pick! On Friday, join Red Meat’s Max Cannon as he hosts “the biggest, baddest short film…
The Jokes Write Themselves: Arizona Capitol Filled With Vermin
It almost just seems too easy. Basketball players generally don’t celebrate when they get a wide open layup, so it’s barely even worth making jokes about the Capitol’s rat problem. The House of Representatives, the Senate and the executive tower where the governor works have been magnets for the little (and not-so-little) rodents, who have…
Stephen Colbert Gets His Super PAC
The Colbert ReportGet More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive I really like Stephen Colbert, I think his show is quite funny, but I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry, now that he can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in future elections with very few restrictions: Colbert’s request…
Ron Barber Returning To Work in Giffords’ Office
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office announces that District Director Ron Barber will be returning to work on a part-time basis next week: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ district director, Ron Barber, will return to work next week, almost six months after he suffered serious injuries in the Jan. 8 shooting. Barber, who supervises 11 employees in Giffords’…
Adventures in Bad Ideas: FBI Edition
NPR’s Morning Edition ran a story yesterday that was a little surprising, to say the least. As part of training in how to stay focused when dealing with a person you have a “strong, visceral disagreement” with, the FBI invited representatives of a certain Kansas based hate group to speak to their trainees: At a…
Follow the Money: Democrats Lead Republicans in City Council Campaign Fundraising
When it comes to fundraising in the Tucson City Council races, the incumbents definitely have the advantage, according the latest campaign finance reports covering contributions and spending through May 31. Take Ward 1, where Democratic incumbent Regina Romero is facing a primary challenge from Democrat Joe Flores. Romero had already raised $43,500 as of May…
Scientology Had Their Own Terrible 90’s Religious Music
Nearly all music from 1990 has a weird distant feel at this point, but this leaked video from the Scientology archives is particularly bad. Catch organization head and very nice man (according to several terse emails I received) David Miscavige wearing a very strange sweater around 2:45! [Laughing Squid]
TQ&A
Tucsonan Giovanni Dominice took first place in the imperial category at the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships in Trondheim, Norway. By night, Dominice is an electronic music producer who also performs as DJ Datwop. During the day, he runs the video post-production department at Pink Visual, an adult-entertainment studio based in town. Dominice grew…
Out of the Clouds
From a forbidding black corner of the sky, a streak of light cascades over the Tucson Mountains, sweeping golden sunshine across the desert. The scene inspires awe, reverence and even fear—and in John Edwards’ panoramic photograph “Light Conversation,” the moment is captured forever. “It’s probably a sky I’ll never see again,” Edwards said at the…
The Skinny
The U.S. Supreme Court clobbers Clean Elections … The Arizona Supreme Court clobbers poor Arizonans without health insurance … Sen. Jon Kyl walks out of debt-reduction talks in D.C. … and much, much more!
Soundbites
Your guide to Fourth of July related concerts; Cass McCombs; and much more!
Tackling Taboo
Within the first few minutes, you begin to feel ill at ease. As the story progresses, you feel uncomfortable, but invested. By the end, you feel profoundly unsettled. This is the effect How I Learned to Drive, currently onstage at Live Theatre Workshop, can have. It’s a difficult piece, provocative and disturbing, and director Sabian…
Nine Questions
Native Tucsonan and former Tucson Weekly intern and contributor Aleksa Brown has two passions: music and fashion. She graduated from the UA School of Journalism in December and has been working at the downtown Buffalo Exchange since it opened. A live-music fanatic, Aleksa once aspired to be the purple Fanta girl and is currently planning…
A Little Bit ‘Psycho’
University of Arizona creative-writing instructor Manuel Muñoz makes heavy reference to the movies in his new debut novel about love, longing and murder in the 1950s. He even writes the redoubtable Alfred Hitchcock into the text. Press-released as if it were a film (“Horror! Mystery! Thriller!”) the novel seems like an exercise in literary expansion,…
Top Ten in Music
1. Bon Iver Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar) 2. Tech N9ne All 6’s and 7’s (Strange) 3. The Black Dahlia Murder Ritual (Metal Blade) 4. In Flames Sounds of a Playground Fading (Century Media) 5. Sublime With Rome “Panic” (Fueled by Ramen) 6. Foster the People Torches (Columbia) 7. The Dayton Family Charges of Indictment (Hatchet House)…
Weekly Wide Web
At this point in the lifecycle of the Internet, whenever a new music service pops up, I assume that I’m going to become attached to the concept and then have it cruelly snatched away from me. One of my favorites was Muxtape, a site that briefly allowed users to create online mix-tapes that streamed from…
Noise vs. Jobs
Critics say that the presence of a few F-35 Lightning II aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base might negatively impact the community. On the other hand, military supporters hope to attract more defense-related jobs to Tucson. On Friday, June 17, the Pima County Bond Advisory Committee heard a brief presentation on a proposed aerospace and…
Live
Johnny Rawls proved to be a bluesman after my own heart when I noticed that his red Stratocaster displayed a sticker with one of those traffic-sign slashes through the song title “Mustang Sally.” Clearly, he’s opposed to such a moldy, house-rockin’ tune—a cliché to many fans—played to appeal to the drunken masses. On the other…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 2. Smokin’ Seventeen Janet Evanovich, Bantam ($28) 3. Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, Thomas Nelson ($16.99) 4. SEAL Team Six: Memories of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper Howard E. Wasdin and…
Police Dispatch
Safety last; Drunks unplugged
Father, Son and Dog
Richly detailed and obviously personal, Beginners is one of the year’s more resonant films. The “beginners” of the title are Oliver (Ewan McGregor), who in one timeline is coping with his father’s death, his father’s dog, and his trepidations about moving forward with his own life; and Oliver’s father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), who in a…
Bon Iver: Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
When we’re 13 or so, someone shoves a copy of Thoreau’s Walden into our hands, and suddenly, the idea of losing ourselves in nature takes root. We remember the dark thrill of reading Hansel and Gretel when we were children. In the woods, there may be witches and wolves, but there’s also no one to…
Top Ten in Movies
1. The Adjustment Bureau Universal 2. True Grit Paramount 3. Unknown Warner 4. Red Riding Hood Warner 5. Battle Los Angeles Sony 6. The Eagle Focus 7. Just Go With It Columbia 8. Hall Pass Warner 9. Biutiful Roadside 10. Cedar Rapids 20th Century Fox
Bill Frisell: Sign of Life: Music for 858 Quarter (Savoy Jazz)
A monster guitarist, Bill Frisell is adept at playing bebop, rock, free jazz, blues, noisy skronk, pop, country and bluegrass. For this outing, he convened a chamber-jazz ensemble featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang and cellist Hank Roberts—all righteous avant-garde players on their own—to play 17 Americana-influenced compositions that combine the influences of Kronos…
Editor’s Note
More on the wildfires from this issue: “Arizona Burning” and “Out of Control”, by Leo W. Banks, and “Prevention, Not Suppresion”, by Roy Keene and Tim Hermach. I was not surprised when Sen. John McCain was criticized by media sources and activists for his remarks that undocumented immigrants are to blame for some of the…
Prevention, Not Suppression
Arizona State University wildfire historian Stephen Pyne calls the Wallow Fire a “monster.” “Burning along the trajectory that every major fire in the region has followed, it will burn until the rains come,” he predicted a few weeks ago. As of Tuesday, June 28, the fire in Eastern Arizona was 89 percent contained. Since starting…
Foster the People: Torches (Columbia)
This Los Angeles band’s name reminds me of a similarly-titled James Taylor song (“Shower the People”). But the shiny, insistent dance rhythms on its heralded full-length debut—featured recently on that bastion of respectability, NPR—will immediately hip listeners to the fact that this band has little to do with the venerable folk troubadour, except for endlessly…
Danehy
So, this pickup truck is rolling through a Tucson neighborhood when it hits a big pothole, and all but one of the would-be mayoral candidates go flying out. (We’ll assume that it’s in Republican Councilman Steve Kozachik’s neighborhood, because he says that the Dems on the council won’t let him use funds to fix potholes…
Repairs Needed
In 1995, Pixar films (now owned by Disney) started an amazing feature-film run with Toy Story, beginning a streak of 11 movies that were all good to great. With Cars 2, Pixar’s 12th effort, that run comes to a screeching, tire-shredding halt. This is not only the worst (and only bad) Pixar feature film to…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Just suppose that all of the Southwestern United States had remained in Mexican hands. Would the Mexicans have done any better with it than they have with the present confines of Mexico? Reversible Reconquista? Dear Gabacho: The gran parlour game! If we turn back the clock and changed a couple of things—if Austin,…
Messina
I recently came across a blog focusing on “the real truth about Arizona, its people, and its failing economy.” The blog is aptly named “Arizona Sucks” (arizona-sucks.com). There are plenty of negative comments about living here. Topics include the economy, jobs, real estate, immigration, bad drivers, weather and so forth. The blog writer apparently lives…
Guest Commentary
Arizona State Superintendent of Instruction John Huppenthal recently ruled that an investigation that he commissioned was flawed, and that the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American studies program was out of compliance with state education laws. His enigmatic decision is not the subject of this piece. In the furor surrounding what I saw as a forgone…
Now Showing at Home
Louie: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray/DVD Combo); Sucker Punch: Extended Cut (Blu-ray); The Eagle: Unrated (Blu-ray)
Media Watch
Lorraine Rivera switches assignments; Ryan Recker starts a podcast; KOLD replaces Oprah with more news
On the Griddle
Earlier this year, the newish owner of Mother Hubbard’s Café told the Tucson Weekly’s Adam Borowitz that she was putting a slightly different spin on the longtime Tucson diner. “It’s still a breakfast-and-lunch joint, but I’ve taken some of the greasiness out of the spoon,” said Kelzi Bartholomaei. Hmm … from the shelves of insane…
City Week
Smooth music for the three day holiday; FDR back from the grave; Lasers and more!
Noshing Around
A new sports bar for the Eastside; Another frozen yogurt place; Renamed pho joint; Local coffee roaster opens another location; Mr. K’s a vast improvement over Chili’s
History Deteriorating
Joanne Garver sits in her apartment, located in a building built in the 19th century. Her eyes drift along its graceful adobe walls; at 79, Garver adores these antique downtown buildings for their roots, their endurance and their defiant nod to history. For all of those reasons, she’s also troubled that next door, another old…
Natural Cultivation
Much has been written about the beauty of the California coastline. It has starring roles in plenty of songs and albums. Mountains giving way to oceans, the historical promises of bounty and salvation, the constant threat of earthquakes—it all makes for expressions charged with awe. For Santa Barbara’s Gardens and Villa, the experience of living…
Greenhouse Gift
Twenty years after the original crew sealed themselves inside of Biosphere 2, the University of Arizona is set to be the new owner of the massive greenhouse north of Tucson. CDO Ranching and Development has agreed to give Biosphere 2, located off of Oracle Road north of Catalina, to the UA College of Science, which…
Out of Control
More on the wildfires in this issue: “Arizona Burning”, by Leo W. Banks, “Prevention, Not Suppresion”, by Roy Keene and Tim Hermach, and the editor’s note, by Jimmy Boegle. The Murphy Complex Fire, which torched more than 68,000 acres of Coronado National Forest land north and west of Nogales, was started by a man in…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Inside Al’s Barber Shop
Bilal Muhammad looks at life for a female barber in the male dominated world of the barbershop.
Chicago Tribune: Marshall Home’s Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Continues
I don’t have much time to spare on former “mayoral candidate” Marshall Home and JB says Gibson can’t take over the beat, so we’re outsourcing the coverage to Rum, Romanism and Rebellion, which is doing a fine job of keeping track of Home here and here. We appreciate your efforts, Tedski, especially when they lead…
Rothschild Raises More Than $160K for Mayoral Campaign
Mayoral candidate Jonathan Rothschild has raised more than $160,000 for his mayoral campaign—which is a whole lot of cheese, especially since, as it now stands, he’ll only face a Green Party candidate. (Republicans are talking about fielding a write-in candidate in the primary in order to get a GOP candidate in the general election.) If…
Welcome to Tucson, WWE Smackdown
While CM Punk won’t be there tonight (he isn’t part of the Smackdown brand that’s taping tonight at the Convention Center, plus he’s ostensibly suspended or fired or something), I would like to thank the WWE for this moment on Monday night’s Raw, nearly drawing me back into watching the show and giving a writer…
The New Mr. K’s Barbeque
From left: Steve Sargent, Charles Kendrick, Rhonda Kendrick and John Foster Charles Kendrick stands in what will soon be the new Mr. K’s Barbeque and shoves his hands in his pockets. This new eatery is a world away from the tiny restaurant he opened years ago on South Park Avenue, and this talk of a…
