May 28 – Jun 3, 2015

May 28 - Jun 3, 2015 / Vol. 32 / No. 15

Cover Story

The Giant Magellan Telescope Is a Go

The world’s most powerful telescope is going to get built in Chile. The UA New Service announced today that the Giant Magellan Telescope has the funding to be built in Chile. The seven mirrors for the scope are being built by the UA’s Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. UA News Service notes: The GMT aims to…

Charters Misspend Lots of Money in Ohio. In Arizona: Who Knows?

We need some good old investigative journalism like this, courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal, here in Arizona. No sector — not local governments, school districts, court systems, public universities or hospitals — misspends tax dollars like charter schools in Ohio. A Beacon Journal review of 4,263 audits released last year by State Auditor Dave…

Win Tickets to See Shuggie Otis This Saturday

You know the drill. Fill out our form to be entered to win a pair of tickets to see Shuggie Otis. We’ll pick a winner at 2 p.m. on Thursday.  Fill out my online form. var q1im9ix40ubsgvg;(function(d, t) { var s = d.createElement(t), options = { ‘userName’:’itzdigital’, ‘formHash’:’q1im9ix40ubsgvg’, ‘autoResize’:true, ‘height’:’597′, ‘async’:true, ‘host’:’wufoo.com’, ‘header’:’show’, ‘ssl’:true}; s.src…

Movies in the Park Brings Free Screenings to Reid Park this Summer

Grab your biggest blanket and head to the Demeester Performing Arts Pavilion at Reid Park this summer for free movie events that are fit for the whole family.  From June 6 until August 14, the Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance and Cox Communications will be showing five movies in the park. The free, all…

Soul Singing Karaoke Legend and Teacher Burney Starks Dies

Over the weekend, Tucson lost one of its legendary performers and educators, Burney Starks. A longtime teacher at Pueblo Magnet High School, as well as an actor and singer in many local productions, Starks touched the lives of many in town—a fact that became evident as many spent the last two days voicing condolences. News…

A Recap of Congressman Grijalva’s Trip to Cuba

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva traveled to Cuba last week with a handful of other members of Congress.  He said on his Facebook it was an opportunity to see first-hand the many opportunities Cuba and the U.S. have to benefit each other. “We are the only nation in our hemisphere that doesn’t deal with Cuba, and that…

Zona Politics: Mike Shupe and Shufang Su

Zona Politics Eps.31 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. In case you missed yesterday’s broadcast of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on KGUN-9: UA physics professors Mike Shupe and Shufang Su stopped by the set to talk about their work with the Large Hadron Collider, which has recently started back up, and author…

Trying to Make Sense of Arizona’s Small School Rule

It’s confusing, this small school rule and how it affects funding at charter schools. Unfortunately, some of the reporting on the topic hasn’t un-confused the subject as much as it should. So let me give it a try. TUSD’s Drachman Primary Magnet School has about 300 students. State law says that schools with less than…

Ruby Needs a Home

Ruby—2-years-old —Pit Bull Mix—F—#724594 Ruby is the definition of a love-bug! This goofy gal is bounding with energy and enthusiasm; she has a joy for life that is simply contagious. Ruby came to HSSA as an owner release earlier this month and is in need of a family to shower with hugs and kisses. This…

Hip Hop Event Highlights Apache Youth Activism at Oak Flat

Saturday’s event at Oak Flat Campground featured Apache rhymers and their colleagues from Dine (Navajo), Ogala Lakota, Sicangu Lakota and Yaqui cultures, presenting both native traditions and the more contemporary rhyming and new soul of 21st Century pop and hip hop, all with messages driven home by beats as insistent as those of the traditional…

Meet Gipsy Kings on June 3

Hey, there! Did you know that Gipsy Kings are coming to the Rialto Theatre on June 3? Well, they are. And, if you’re lucky enough to be the winner of our little giveaway, you (and a guest!) can meet them the day of the show. Fill out our form and get excited for Wednesday. We’ll…

UA/Biosphere 2 Researcher Killed by Drunk Driver

Raphael Sagarin, a UA associate research scientist, was killed on Thursday, May 28 around 6:37 p.m. while riding his bicycle on State Route 77, Milepost 99.3 near Oracle. He was 43 years old. A pickup truck driven by Gary L. Colvin, 44, from Tucson is said to have swerved partially off the road and struck…

Head Down to Oak Flat for the Weekend: Concert & Advocacy Conference

There is a two-day camp and educational conference (hosted by Apache Stronghold) this weekend to learn about future actions in the fight to protect Oak Flat.  Drive down there early tomorrow morning. The Protect Sacred Oak Flat Conference and Apache Stronghold Spiritual Gathering starts at 11 a.m. with traditional Apache songs, followed by a free…

The Loft Cinema Forced to Pull Team America from July 4th Event

Back in December the country was ablaze with the news from Sony Pictures that Seth Rogen and James Franco’s North Korean comedy The Interview would no longer be allowed to screen due to terrorist threats surrounding the movie’s release. Around that time The Loft Cinema was planning their annual fourth of July movie sing-a-long bash featuring…

The Year’s First AzMERIT Test Cheating Story

In recent news, we learned of allegations that seven Arizona schools cheated on AIMS tests in past years by erasing wrong answers and replacing them with correct answers. Oops, make that eight as of a week ago. Now we have what looks like the first report of a school cheating on the new AzMERIT test…

The More You Know…About Your Breasts

It all started really innocently. I laid there on my bed in the familiar comfort of my home, one arm cradled under my head, the other drawing small circles across my right breast. Everything seemed to feel right, though somehow at the age of 25 I seemed to know so little about what was “normal”…

RIP, Margaret Kenski

Political pollster Margaret Kenski was one of my favorite political titans in Southern Arizona. I always learned something new in our conversations. I had the good fortune to work with her when the Tucson Weekly did some polling in the 2006 congressional race to replace Jim Kolbe and she was a joy to work withl.…

Get Ready, It’s Almost June

Once again, a month has come and gone impossibly quickly. June starts on Monday, meaning it’s time to brace your bank accounts for your impending rent payment, your wardrobe for 100+ degree weather and your hearts for June 15—the day the first round of Best of Tucson® balloting ends.  In case you’re new here, Best of Tucson®  is…

No Scissors

Staying in shape doesn’t always take priority in our lives. While watching Netflix, sitting in the breeze of the swamp cooler, it’s easy to ponder, “If only there were a way I could make working out more like a party.” On Saturday, May 30, downtown Tucson will be transformed into a runner’s block party with…

Book Fare

Katharina Fritzsche walked into the Pima County Board of Supervisors’ meeting last Tuesday with 64 letters and a petition with close to 200 signatures, demanding to salvage the Santa Rosa Library—one of four the county proposed to shutter last month.

Izzard Wizard

Hailed as the lost member of Monty Python by none other than John Cleese, British comedian Eddie Izzard has made his own unique place in stand-up comedy.

Tales from the Dark Side

“Dark money” was one of the watch words of the 2014 election as groups with anonymous contributors spent millions of dollars influencing races for Congress, governor, secretary of state and other offices.

Desert Desserts

Sample notes of the desert’s music, food and sunsets at the Desert Museum’s Desert Delectables Night Saturday, May 30. The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, has partnered with Tucson Originals to feature food from over 15 local chefs that include ingredients from the Sonoran Desert.

Media Watch

In the April 30 Media Watch column, we misidentified the deletion of Twitter posts related to a story on AJ “Ace” Thakore’s PointGuardU website. In response to that, Thakore left five messages in succession on our writer’s answering machine, each increasing in tenor and rage as the machine cut him off every 60 seconds.

Philabaum 40 Years

Artist Tom Philabaum is the man who built Arizona’s first glass art studio in 1975. Forty years later, his work is being celebrated with a glass art exhibition at the Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio, 711 S. sixth Ave. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday…

The Skinny

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick wants a shot at John McCain’s seat and it looks like Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild is headed for an easy re-election

Renegade Roller Rebels

You want to just punch someone in the face if you get called sweetie one more time? Harness that energy, strap on your roller skates and enter the high contact world of roller derby.

Tomorrowland: Wild Ride

The future is a little confusing and convoluted—but kind of cool anyway—in Tomorrowland, the latest Disney attraction to get its own movie, this time courtesy of director-writer Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles).

B-Sides: Troy Rogers

If you’re feeling uninspired by those typical and traditional music stylings you’ll find at most concerts, why not check out Troy Rogers? The self-proclaimed semi-nomadic robot herder is all about making noise in a very unique way.

B-Sides: Guantanamo Baywatch

Take a trip to a seaside town and dive into the ocean. Once there, make some friends with some sea creatures and you’ll understand the general aural aesthetic that Guantanamo Baywatch has accomplished on its most recent album Darling…It’s Too Late.

Crab Legs: A Crab’s Life

Dimitri Manos and Ben Schneider are more than just friends, they have also seen behind the red curtain and their minds have melded to become Crab Legs. It’s that special breed of friendship that can sometimes involve writing songs about crabs living amongst humans and still more crabs that work at the Centers for Disease…

Danehy

Comedian Dave Chappelle created the classic character Clayton Bigsby, a blind-since-birth African-American who was the reclusive leader of the White Supremacist movement. Bigsby had been brought up in a group home for blind kids and the operators of the home felt it was easier for everybody if they told Clayton that he was white. (You…

Dish for Dosha: Custom Elixir

Dish for Dosha’s ayurvedic juices are made specifically for the individual

There isn’t a lot of love given to juice in the culinary world. While it’s an unmistakable trend to go on a week-long juice cleanse and pretend you don’t miss solid food, there is something special about the way Dish for Dosha…

Editor’s Note

This month the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, of which the Tucson Weekly is a member, joined 52 other media companies and organizations to sign a letter drafted by the American Civil Liberties union in opposition to Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. The ACLU letter asked that Congress not pass the current legislation now…

Adventures in Fun

Tis summer, the season for cinematic superheroes who flash fancy gadgets to protect the world from devastating forces. But there are a couple of theaters in town in which there are always superheroes saving the day

Dust Devil

Dust Devils are reader-submitted fictional stories, 70 words exactly, that reflect on our Tucson life and times. Send your 70-word stories and, if selected, we’ll print them in the Tucson Weekly: mari@tucsonlocalmedia.com. Looking forward to what you create, Tucson.

“Livin’ Large”

Three art students, dressed in black and sporting nose studs, were dazzled one afternoon last week by the “Livin’ Large” exhibition at the Tucson Museum of Art.

Police Dispatch

A man who’d taken an unknown controlled substance got extremely high in a way such that he seemingly acquired superhuman strength—breaking down his apartment’s heavy-duty front door and (according to his mother) actually throwing his large electric scooter, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report.


Recent

Gift this article