Cover Story
10 Terrible Bills at the Arizona Legislature
Things are going pretty much as you’d expect at the Arizona Legislature: Public schools are under assault, Planned Parenthood funding is in jeopardy, dark-money campaign groups are getting more protection, low-income Arizonans are facing the loss of benefits that help them put food on the table, special interests are having their way and so on…
AZ’s Election Day Disaster
Arizona is in the national spotlight again because Election Day turned into a total shitshow, particularly in Maricopa County. Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell has taken the blame and apologized for shutting down so many polling locations that people ended up waiting in line for hours. You can read about in the Arizona Republic, but here’s…
Head to PACC This Month If You Want to Adopt a Pet
Spring has sprung, which means the world will soon be filled with new kittens and puppies—many of whom will, one way or another, find their way to an animal shelter. To make room for these impending new arrivals, Pima Animal Care Center is waiving adoption fees for the last six days of March on animals…
UPDATED: What the Hell Happened in the Arizona Primary Yesterday?
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won the Arizona Presidential Preference Election Tuesday. Both races were called by 11 p.m. This morning, with the great majority of precincts counted, Trump got 47 percent of votes, or 249,842, and Clinton had 57.6 percent, or 235,667 votes. In the GOP race, Cruz got 24.9 percent, or 131,972 votes, and Kasich only 10…
Five Dollar Food Festival Stops in Tucson to Celebrate Cheap Eats
Eating out can get expensive really quickly, but on Saturday, March 26, you can go to a place where every dish you could possibly order is just $5. The touring Five Dollar Food Festival seeks to keep dishes cheap across the U.S., so you can afford to try as many as you possibly can. With…
Samantha Bee Reminds States They’re Not Auditioning for ‘Hoarders: Rape Kit Edition’
You’ve probably heard before about the nation’s rape kit problem: Rape kits often go untested or are destroyed before the case has been closed. That’s right. We put sexual assault survivors through a long and invasive exam to gather evidence before putting that evidence in a box, never to be opened again. Luckily, we’re seeing…
#NoFilter: Trump’s Speech Has (Again) Gone Way Too Far
The other day, my dad (a conservative-leaning independent) and I (a liberal-leaning independent) were discussing freedom of speech in regards to Donald Trump. We both agreed freedom of speech is probably the quintessential American right, and it shouldn’t be censored. That being said, we also both agreed that Trump’s signature pompous and oftentimes discriminatory speech…
Cinema Clips: Hello, My Name is Doris
Sally Field plays the title character, a 60-something office worker who gets a crush on John (Max Greenfield), a much younger co-worker. The two become friendly, and then Doris gets a little carried away into a fantasy world regarding him. Yes, she’s a bit of a stalker, but it’s Sally Field doing the stalking, so…
New York State Regents Elect an Opt-Out Chancellor of Education
This story takes place far away from home, but it’s part of a growing trend toward high stakes test skepticism we’re seeing in Arizona and around the country. New York’s new State Chancellor of Education is Betty A. Rosa, a former New York City principal and superintendent. Unlike our Superintendent of Public Ed, NY’s Chancellor isn’t elected…
Penelope Needs a Home
Hi I’m Penelope, the pocket pitty! I’m still living in the shelter and it’s been over 3 months! The Humane Society of Southern Arizona staff cannot believe that I haven’t been adopted, I’m the sweetest little girl and love to give nice kisses. Don’t forget that I’m deaf so I need a home who understands…
Glimpse Inside Donald Trump’s Tucson Rally (SLIDESHOW)
Donald Trump stopped in Tucson for a campaign rally on Saturday, March 19, ahead of Arizona’s March 22 presidential primary. Trump’s rally drew both supporters and protesters—with the two groups literally coming to blows at one point during the event. Trump was welcomed by former Arizona governor Jan Brewer, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former…
Scenes From SXSW 2016 Including XIXA, Katterwaul, Cash Lansky and More (SLIDESHOW)
Well, another year of SXSW has come and gone with tons of panels, swag bags and, of course, live music. This year, seven different Old Pueblo artists headed to the festival to show off the diversity of Tucson’s music scene. Playing alongside national and international acts for crowds of folks devoted to live music certainly…
Cinema Clips: Pee-wee’s Big Holiday
It’s been 28 years since Pee-wee has had his own movie (1988’s Big Top Pee-wee), and the world’s happiest man child has not lost a step. Paul Reubens still effortlessly slides into his alter ego Pee-wee, even as he gets deep into his sixties. That’s right, Pee Wee Herman is almost 64 years old. That’s…
Into the Mild: Rednecks For a Better World
Houston, Texas – December 2015 Could first impressions be worse? There they were, the four of them talking so loudly to each other that they were almost yelling. Their Cajun accents were so strong that they would have better fit in a cartoon. Their voices drowned out the conversations in the seats next to them.…
Phoenix Area Not Keeping Its College Grads? The Record is Corrected
The Republic ran a story, picked up by the Star, about a study saying Phoenix is the worst city in the country at retaining its college grads. It turns out the study forgot one minor major detail. Phoenix is the home of the University of Phoenix which has students all over the country. Naturally, lots…
Zona Politics: Grijalva on Trump: “I Have To Take This Man Seriously”
March 20th, 2016 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s episode of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-CD3) talks about Trump’s wall, why he supports Bernie Sanders and whether we can save Tucson’s postal-processing center, along with some other topics. Then J.P. Holyoke, the chair of the initiative…
A Future To Believe In: Bernie Sanders Visits Tucson (SLIDESHOW)
Presidential candidate hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders visited a crowd of nearly 7,000 supporters at the Tucson Convention Center on Friday, March 18. U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva introduced Sanders and was preceded by speeches from Pima County Working Young Democrats president Morgan Abraham and Jesus Magaña.
SXSW Diary: Let’s Hear It for the Living Legends, Still Going Strong
SXSW is for the young, or at least the young at heart: Loud music, late nights, lots of free alcohol, and so many kids running around, trying to hit the jackpot now that they learned how to make a guitar talk. But last night featured sets by two living legends: Loretta Lynn opened the BBC…
AZ Is Trump Country!
It sure looks like Arizona is Trump country. Sen. Ted Cruz certainly has better organization and more endorsements among state lawmakers—but none of that appears to matter in 2016. Trump has very little in the way of traditional campaign infrastructure—although he does have endorsements from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former governor Jan Brewer—and…
District, Charter and Private Schools: A Primer
Sometimes I see comments on my posts or I hear education talk from friends and others that let me know, lots of people are confused about the difference between district schools, charter schools and private schools. So here’s a basic—very basic—description of the three types of schools. There’s lots more to say, lots of subtle and…
UA Baseball Ticket Giveaway
Well UA sports fans, now that basketball season is over (sorry), it’s time to switch gears and start cheering for our Wildcats on the baseball field. We’ve got tickets to four games next week, and you could take ’em home! We’ve for four tickets to each of the following games: – Tuesday, March 22 against…
Until Next Fall, Arizona Basketball…
Jake Allen (the UA fan pictured above) resigns himself to the No. 6 seed Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team’s inevitable fate on the second floor of Gentle Ben’s Brewing Company in Tucson. The Wildcats lost 65-55 to No. 11 seed Wichita State in the first round of the 2016 men’s basketball NCAA Tournament “I did…
SXSW Diary: You Really Should Listen to Wild Feathers
Pluck yeah! Wild Feathers ruffled up the crowd at the SXSW Radio Day Stage this afternoon with a jolting set that reminded me the songs on Wilco’s AM and Dawes’ Nothing Is Wrong—smart, sharp and sometimes world-weary songwriting backed with rambunctious guitar, keyboards and drums. Sample the recently released Lonely Is a Lifetime here.
UPDATED: Bernie Sanders is Making a Campaign Stop in Tucson Friday; Donald Trump Will Be Here Saturday
Bernie Sanders is coming back to Tucson for a campaign stop Friday evening. He was the first presidential hopeful in the two leading political parties to pay a visit to the Old Pueblo. The progressive Democrat dropped by back in October, where he attracted approximately 11,000 to Reid Park. Sanders was in Phoenix Tuesday night,…
SXSW Diary, Day 2: Chicano Psychedelic, Old-School Soul and Up-and-Coming Country Rock
Wednesday was great night out last night at SXSW, beginning with the incomparable Charles Bradley at the annual NPR Music Showcase at Stubb’s Barbecue. The 67-year-old Bradley belted out a set of horn-heavy soul music and told the crowd: “All I want to do on my journey back to my father’s house is show all…
Wide Open Spaces
Patricia Schwabe freely admits that she never expected to go into the restaurant industry.
César Chávez March for Education
Join hundreds of students from across the nation and march in support of protecting education in Arizona
Indigenous Lessons for the Future
Attend the free lecture event (Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m.) focusing on the lessons indigenous groups of the Southwest can teach us all about sustainable living.
Poetry and Blues at MOCA
The event will feature poet Patricia Smith and musician Tom Walbank.
Three Nights of Bhagavad Gita
Dive into ancient Indian texts as a part of the Cultivating Peace Within Retreat
Serving Serenade
Ballet Tucson has scored what baseball fans might call a home run, and basketball lovers a slam dunk.
Gardeners, grab your trowels
Get some dirt on your green thumb.
Vaudeville Variations
If clothes make the man—or woman—can a building make a dance?
Of Men and Sets
Samuel Beckett has nothing on John Steinbeck.
Cloverfield Continued
Just as he did with the first Cloverfield, producer J.J. Abrams has managed to sneak a movie into multiplexes under a shroud of secrecy and mystery.
Editor’s Note
Recommendation: Every time you see Borderlands Theater’s artistic director Marc David Pinate and staffer and playwright Milta Ortiz, thank them for joining Borderlands and calling Tucson home.
Senior Sound: Junior Boys
Taking a few detours into solo work, producing and collaborations, Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus of Junior Boys found themselves reinvigorated when it came time to make a new record
Dust Devil
The original recipe was in Tohono O’odham.
Sacrilege and Ascension: Holy Mountain
Hey, you can either lay down and die or you can try to create your own reality.
Police Dispatch
A 60-year-old man and his older female friend (and former Cub Scout Leader) got in an argument on their way back from an outing in Bisbee, resulting in the man going to jail and the woman being arrested for drunk driving.
B-Sides: Mommy Long Legs
Following in the Pacific Northwest legacy of sardonic feminist punk, Mommy Long Legs arrives on the scene as loud and unrelenting as you’d expect.
Divided
Last Tuesday evening, in front of a packed room and after a public hearing that lasted nearly two hours, the City Council approved an amendment to the Houghton East Neighborhood Plan that will allow construction of a grocery store.
B-Sides: The Sword
It seems like any genre of music heavily associated with drug use is kind of having a moment right now.
Frontera Formations
Nogales, Sonora, rumbles with noise and motion near the international border.
B-Sides: Luke Sweeney
Do you remember that time, maybe about 2007 or 2008, when the pop music consciousness turned to esoteric Jon Brion-esque synth, crooning and moody vocals, dreamy melodies and plucky rhythms?
The Skinny
You’ll now be committing a crime if you drop off your neighbor’s early ballot at the polling place in this year’s elections—and Why on earth is Sen. Andy Biggs refusing to let senators debate the restoration of KidsCare?
Is Arizona the Next State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana?
Many states are hoping to have votes on marijuana laws this election.
Media Watch
There probably isn’t a radio professional in the market who has dabbled with attempting to make an Internet broadcast model work more than Jim Parisi. And he’s giving it a go one more time, hoping this is the incarnation that finally takes hold. Parisi’s 18 years in Tucson have resembled a ping-pong ball, and getting…
T Q&A
Today, Cord Boyd is a still a guy in a band, but he also owns, runs and manages TLMS, now known as Gary’s Place.
Danehy
Wow, we suck worse than Mississippi in both election and education.
