Cover Stories
Summer Survival 2017
While there are some advantages to summertime in this town—a whole lot less traffic, monsoon rains to dance in, the weird ghost-town quiet that settles over the city as half the population seemingly vanishes in the rapture.
Hot Rocks
Keep your ears happy this summer.
Nine Books To Read This Summer
This is the time of the year when we finally have time to crack open a book on vacation, right?
The Weekly List: 12 Things To Do In Tucson In The Next 10 Days
Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo. Celebrating Moms The Mamma Mia Sing-A-Long. With the main auditorium getting a makeover, the Loft is taking its show on the road and hosting a huge Greek wedding you won’t want to miss. Spend Mother’s Day with singing along with the music of your favorite…
How To Treat Mom Right on Mother’s Day
This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 14, and as usual, a lot of Tucson eateries are doing something special to honor the woman that gave you life. To make your moments with mom even more enjoyable, it is well advised to call ahead and be sure they can fit you in. Neo Malaysian…
Ducey’s ‘Education Budget,’ Part 2: 17 Percent of Schools Will Get A Big Bonus (Hint: It Helps to Have Lots of Rich Kids)
Governor Ducey signed a new program into law, Results-based funding. It will give 17 percent of the state’s schools a sizable chunk of change, enough to give their teachers a 5 to 10 percent raise and still have half the funding left over to put to other uses. Before I begin, let me admit most of…
Cinema Clips: A Quiet Passion
History has already told us that poet Emily Dickinson had a lonely, isolated life. Writer-director Terence Davies has made a film that also shows us she may’ve been completely miserable. Cynthia Nixon is heartbreaking as Dickinson, one of the world’s most infamous poets, a title she didn’t get to enjoy during her life. Her poems…
Ducey’s ‘Education Budget,’ Part 1: A 25 Cents an Hour Raise for Teachers
It’s no surprise Ducey wants it to be known as his “education budget.” He can read the writing, and the polling, on the wall. Education is Arizona voters’ number one issue, and for all his posturing in that direction, Ducey hasn’t exactly earned himself a vote of confidence. A recent KTAR News/OH Predictive Insights poll…
Dakota Needs a Home
Hi, I’m Dakota! I’m a pretty 1.5-year-old girl, and I’m looking for a home! I was transferred to HSSA from a different shelter, and am so happy to find a family in Tucson. I’m a very active girl, and love to go for my daily walks and to play group! If you have a current…
Tonight on Zona Politics: Scientist Geoff Notkin, Urban Fellow Diana Rhoades & Saying Goodbye to Kathryn Ferguson
Tonight on Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: We talk to action scientist Geoff Notkin, the former host of Discovery Network’s Meteorite Men, about the recent March for Science, his new plan for a Tucson science museum and June’s upcoming Spacefest. Then we talk with Diana Rhoades, the National Park Service’s Urban Fellow for Tucson, about…
Got a Bachelor’s Degree? There May Be a Public School Teaching Job Waiting For You.
Sitting at your college graduation trying to decide what to do next? Why not teach in a public school? You don’t need any education classes. You don’t need to demonstrate subject matter proficiency. Just take off that cap and gown and stow it in the back of your car, drive to the nearest school district…
Laughing Stock: How to Play With Kids? FOMP!
Zack Armstrong already is known to a generation of Tucson kids for his play in Wonderfools and Emergency Circus, and a host of smarter-than-they-need-to-be birthday clown appearances. It turns out he was also an improv pro all along, having trained with Chicago’s storied iO Theatre as well as with clowning genius Avner Eccentric, star of…
AP: McSally Urges Colleagues To Vote for This ‘Fucking Thing,’ aka Zombie Trumpcare
Martha McSally stood up in GOP conference meeting and said let's get this "fucking thing" done. Yes, direct quote — per members and aides. — Erica Werner (@ericawerner) May 4, 2017 After declining to inform the public of where she stands on the Zombie Trumpcare bill, it appears that Congreswoman Martha McSally (R-AZ02) is fully…
Exit Interview
Tucson metro chamber president & CEO Mike Varney recently announced he’d be stepping down at six years leading the region’s largest chamber.
Too Much Junkie Business
‘Johnny Thunder lives on water, feeds on lightning. Johnny Thunder don’t need no one, don’t want money. And all the people of the town, They can›t get through to Johnny, they will never, ever break him down. Johnny Thunder speaks for no one, goes on fighting. And sweet Helena in bed prays for Johnny.’ “Johnny Thunder”—R. Davies In…
Noise Annoys
It’s not often that one individual can be pinpointed as a catalyst and principal contributor to an artistic community, but David Rodgers—who doesn’t even live in Tucson anymore(!)—is one who can.
Vintage Vinyl
Pueblo High School students Gary Dudo, Daniel Ponce, Guz Ruis, Jim Hubbard, and Ennis Lemmos started playing together in 1962, and by ’63-’64 the combo was playing show after show in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
Editor’s Note
One last message from outgoing editor Mari Herreras.
Know Your Product
Tucson native Roger Clyne is still a tireless road warrior, and it’s no wonder he’s called Arizona’s Springsteen.
Dust Devil
Cracked Earth beneath my feet
Beetle Songs
In early March, Karima Walker took to the road solo in a 1974 marina blue Volkswagen Beetle.
Lamer Lame Lame
The Circle is a clueless movie based on the novel by Dave Eggers, a lame attempt at satire in regards to social networking and the invasion of privacy during the digital age.
Cannabis: A conflict in cash
Doug Ducey doubled down, defending doobie deniers at an anti-marijuana summit in Atlanta April 20.
Police Dispatch
A random young woman on a journey throughout the UA campus was suspected of an odd—but also somehow oddly appropriate—theft from a University of Arizona bookstore.
The Weekly List: 15 Things To Do In Tucson In The Next 10 Days
Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo. Cinema Sesame Street Live. Elmo Makes Music. Calling all parents with little kiddies who love Sesame Street’s favorite puppet: You won’t want to miss Elmo’s upcoming visit to the Tucson Convention Center. The Sunny Seats package even includes premium seating and a meet-and-greet before the…
Police Dispatch
Two kids were scared but prepared when they became targets of an unfunny gag pulled by creepy teenagers spoofing creepy adults.
Breakthrough or Reckless?
While many college students were frolicking on the beaches of Mexico this past spring break, Adam Denoyer lost his friend to suicide early one March morning, but not before leaving behind notes on doorsteps for different people in his life.
Summer Samplers
The summer heat can be brutal on us Tucsonans, but the season is also rough on local restaurants, who can see a precipitous drop in cash flow in the summer months.
The Skinny
Back From the Dead? Can zombie Trumpcare eat enough brains to escape the House of Representatives? The GOP’s so-called zombie Trumpcare bill—the American Health Care Act that was left for dead last month after President Donald Trump warned House members that if they didn’t vote for it then, he was moving on—is shambling around Washington…
Brave New Masters
Until last week, I’d never even thought of buying fries in an art gallery.
Piece of Work
“What a piece of work is a man.”
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: What do you think of the affirmative action in the education system?
