Cover Story
Beyond the Bump and Grind
Go to any of the local burlesque performances and it’s easily understood by the standing-room-only crowds that there’s a following and that Tucson is a burlesque kind of town. Yet that doesn’t mean most people understand the difference between full-out stripping around a pole and the art in the creation of a striptease. It is…
Who Wants Tickets to See 3BallMTY at the Rialto?
The fine people of the Honda company are bringing Latin DJ trio 3BallMTY to the Rialto Theatre on Tuesday, November 25 and we have a pair of tickets to give away. Send me an email (dan@tucsonlocalmedia.com) and I’ll pick a winner on Thursday night. The tickets will get sent to you via the mail and…
How Ann Kirkpatrick Won Big on Election Day
Roll Call looks at how Arizona Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick survived when so many other Democrats lost on Election Day: Republican operatives called her race “cooked.” One national news organization put her chances at 12 percent. After all, Arizona 1st District voters already fired Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick once before in a toxic climate in 2010.…
Tomorrow Is the Big Immigration Day
The Washington Post reports that on Thursday, President Barack Obama will roll out his executive action on immigration reform: President Obama will announce Thursday that he will use his executive authority to expand temporary protections to millions of undocumented immigrants, according to several individuals who have been briefed on the decision. Obama will travel to…
Remembering Gabe Zimmerman
Roll Call remembers Gabe Zimmerman, the aide to Gabrielle Giffords who was killed in the massing shooting at Giffords’ Congress on Your Corner event on Jan. 11, 2011: Capitol Hill pays tribute to Zimmerman each time someone books HVC-215, the Capitol Visitor Center meeting room dedicated in his memory on April 16, 2013. It is…
What Happened to Tucson Artist Moises Orozco on All Souls Procession Day?
Discussion of what took place on Sunday, Nov. 9, the day of the All Souls Procession out at the finale lot near the Mercado, has at times only recently taken to the Facebook internets only to be taken down in an hour or so. It’s understandable. Moises Orozco, a loved local artist, allegedly jumped from…
Computers Grading Common Core Essay Questions? What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Image courtesy of shutterstock.com The high stakes tests for Common Core are supposed to emphasize thinking more than the tests for, say, AIMS. One way to do that is to emphasize written analysis as an important component of the tests. But grading papers is a slow, expensive process. You have to hire people, train them…
And The Award For Best Spin Of The Day Goes To . . . K12 Inc.
This is PR at its finest. K12 Inc., the for-profit, publicly traded online school corporation has been on a serious stock market slide for the past three months, though it really began more than a year ago, as you can see on the graph above. It’s been hovering in the $12 to $14 range lately,…
Ally Miller’s Personnel Problems
Here’s the latest twist in the ongoing war between Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller and the other four members of the Board of Supervisors: One of Miller’s former employees said last week that Miller pressured him into filing a bullying complaint against fellow Supervisor Ray Carroll. Joe Cuffari, who was fired by Miller in August…
“The Theory of Everything” Is Another Tortured Genius Film
The striking resemblance actor Eddie Redmayne bears to physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything” definitely makes you take notice. And while the film takes great pains to show Hawking’s diminishing physical abilities as a result of a motor neuron disease that struck him almost 50 years ago, as well as Redmayne’s remarkable transformation,…
Tom McNamara to Leave KVOA
After 18 years at the desk at KVOA, Tom McNamara will be leaving the station at the end of his contract in mid-December to pursue real estate investing. News 4 Tucson is sad to announce that our longtime anchor Tom McNamara will be leaving when his current contract expires. “Investing in real estate has been…
Mexican American Studies Student Achievement Research: A Second Look
Back when TUSD’s Mexican American Studies crisis was at its high point, the central debate was whether the MAS program was fomenting student discontent and inciting revolution or helping students learn more about Mexican-Amerian history and culture, and about themselves. Meanwhile, in Arizona and around the country, educators were searching for ways to improve students’…
Here’s the “UHF” Oral History You Didn’t Know You Needed
Somehow, this year is the 25th anniversary of the cinematic release of UHF, Weird Al Yankovic’s attempt to expand his media empire. The film came out on Blu-ray this month, but even better, you can see the movie on the big screen this weekend at the Loft Friday and Saturday. If you want to go…
Seashell Radio Is Back for One Night Only Sunday
It’s been 617-ish days since the last Seashell Radio show, since multi-instrumentalist Fen Ikner left for New York City and cellist Esmé Schwall headed off for the Pacific Northwest, but hey, on Sunday, Nov. 23, the chamber pop band will be back at Flycatcher for a night with New Zealander-turned-New-Yorker LIPS. Should be a great…
The New York Magazine Article on Emoji Is Spectacular
For me, I think the best writing is when you find yourself in the middle of an article fascinated about a subject you wouldn’t otherwise find interesting. Adam Sternbergh’s cover story for New York magazine on the evolution of emoji falls into that category: IT’S EASY TO DISMISS EMOJI. They are, at first glance, ridiculous.…
Billy Bates Screening at Loft Today with Director/Producer Q&A
Today at the Loft Cinema, a screening of “Billy Bates,” a movie from director Jennifer DeLia and producer Julie Pacino will be followed by a special Q&A with DeLia and Pacino and the movie’s lead actor, James Wirt, moderated by yours truly. The Billy Bates crew are on a 10 city tour of their movie…
Sneak Peek: “Zona Politics” Digs Into Why the Democrats Had a Lousy Election Day
Zona Politics Eps.5 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod and attorney Jeff Rogers talk about why Democrats got thumped on Election Day, discuss the impact of dark money on the campaigns, examine why turnout was so low in the election and…
Obama Administration Poised To Act on Immigration
President Barack Obama is poised to take executive action on immigration, according to The New York Times: President Obama will ignore angry protests from Republicans and announce as soon as next week a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration enforcement system that will protect up to five million unauthorized immigrants from the threat of deportation…
R.I.P., R. A. Montgomery, Author and Publisher of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” Series
I suppose this one of those Gen X/Gen Y things, but the Choose Your Own Adventure series, generally purchased via the Scholastic Book Club, were a big part of my reading youth as I kept a finger on the last choice, turning to page 77 to see if I managed to avoid the clutches of…
Basically All of the Bands Are Playing in Bisbee This Weekend
If you enjoy music – in whatever manner you wish to define that word – you’ll probably want to head to Bisbee tonight, Saturday and/or Sunday for the Sidepony Express Music Festival. It is free, starts tonight at 4 p.m. and includes approximately 8,000 bands (well, maybe not, but geez, look at the list). There’s…
Last Weekend of “The Arab Israeli Cookbook” play at Cholla High School
This weekend is the final curtain for Cholla High Magnet School’s production of “The Arab-Israeli Cookbook,” a play by Robin Soans that was directed by Cholla’s theater director Julian Martinez and produced in partnership with the Qatar Foundation International. The cookbook as play translates the first-person interviews that bring together views from Jerusalem, the West…
Grijalva: Obama Administration “Should Act Swiftly and Comprehensively” on Immigration
Southern Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva joined his Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Keith Ellison (D-MN) to urge the White House to act on immigration: The Congressional Progressive Caucus calls on President Obama to provide comprehensive relief to immigrants residing in our nation through executive action. Expansive and robust action that addresses the economic, family, community and…
Vox Urbana Debut New Album at Tanline, Tomorrow
Vox Urbana is one of my favorite Tucson bands, but that’s not the only reason I’m telling you to see their show tomorrow night, Friday, Nov. 14 at Tanline Printing Studios, 14 W. 35th St., 8 p.m., $5 cover. You should see this show for two reasons: because you understand the value of dancing your…
From the “We Almost Forgot” Department: DJ Jazzy Jeff Is at Hi Fi Tonight
I’m not sure why this seems so weird, but DJ Jazzy Jeff – who, yes, you probably remember from backing The Fresh Prince, but should be know for being a straight-up great DJ – is performing at Hi Fi at either 11 p.m. tonight, as part of a Throwback Thursdays event there. Even better, there’s…
The Trailer Park Boys Are Coming to the Fox
The gentlemen of the Sunnyvale Trailer Park, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia are coming to Tucson in what might be the most surprising concert announcement in some time. The Trailer Park Boys’ Still Drunk, High and Unemployed tour is scheduled for the Fox Theatre on Feb. 20, 2015, with Ricky, Julian and Bubbles from the Canadian…
Let’s Go See Billy Sedlmayr Tonight at Tap & Bottle
Due to the changes with our distribution, sometimes not everyone has a copy of the Weekly on Thursday, so in an attempt to make sure you know about the best things happening around town tonight, here’s a knowledge jewel for you: Go see Billy Sedlmayr tonight at Tap & Bottle. Here’s what Mari Herreras wrote…
Same-Sex Ruling Brings Changes to Wedding Planning
Photo by Cheryl Smith / Courtesy of Angela Soto Angela Soto and Linda Dols held their first commitment ceremony on April 8, 2006 in Tucson. Their second ceremony on Nov. 13 will mark their legal union following Arizona’s new ruling allowing same-sex marriage. When Angela Soto and Linda Dols get married Nov. 13, it’ll be…
For-Profit K12 Inc. Continues Its Stock Market Slide
Things aren’t looking good for the publicly traded K12 Inc., which runs online charter schools in states around the country (Its Arizona Virtual Academy has more than 4,000 students). The schools are funded by taxpayer dollars, like all charter schools, so the corporation’s profits and its CEO’s $5 million salary come from taxpayer money it…
CD2 Update: McSally Claims Victory, Team Barber Says Not So Fast
With Republican challenger Martha McSally 161 votes ahead of Democratic Congressman Ron Barber, McSally is claiming victory even though a December recount still appears on the horizon. McSally’s statement: All ballots are now counted and the voters have made their choice. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve seen from across Southern…
Nine Questions
NYC-born Adiba Nelson moved to Tucson at age 11 and vowed to move back but never did. Luckily, she stuck around to work on her writing career and raising her daughter. Her first children’s book, “Meet ClaraBelle Blue” can be purchased at that toy palace Mildred and Dildred and online through Amazon. “This spread-out city…
Hey, Who’s Helping People?
While I was hoping we’d have some sort of solution to the whole Barber/McSally race by now, we’re still trying to wrap up the election in this week’s issue (page 4) even though the recount will likely drag out a decision in CD2 for awhile. However, now that the election season is already over, we’re…
Celebrating Corazon
Coalición de Derechos Humanos’ 10th Corazón de Justicia Awards Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m., at the El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th St., will honor 12 Tucson activists who have demonstrated their “heart of justice” through their work in the community. The nominees this year are incredible (Javetta Clemmons, Pancho Medina, Miquiztli Valenzuela, Richard…
Police dispatch
SPICING THINGS UP (AND DOWN, AND UP…) FOOTHILLS AREA OCTOBER7, 7:14 P.M. A bipolar man used the recreational drug “spice” to self-medicate—and it unfortunately didn’t work very well, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. The mother of the 27-year-old man called sheriff’s deputies to their house, where she told them her son was…
When Bikes, Art and Tweed Collide
There are two goals for the upcoming VelociPrint Show: Get more people excited about bikes and get more people excited about Tucson art as different artists were invited to create a print that celebrates the joy of being on a bicycle. This is the third “bike art” show, so in addition to the nine new…
Recount
Republican challenger Martha McSally held a slim 133-vote margin over incumbent Congressman Ron Barber with nearly all of the votes counted as of Tuesday, Nov. 11. But that tight margin in one of the hardest fought and most expensive congressional campaigns in the country means there will be an automatic recount—and because of the nature…
Walking For Your Rights
Well, we could just call him He Who Should Not Be Named, or give him the name “asshat,” but at the Tucson Weekly, that belongs to someone else. But if you keep up with feminist happenings in Tucson, then you are familiar with that guy who seems to show up every Slutwalk with a megaphone…
The Skinny
Why Does It Take So Long to Count Votes? It’s Complicated. We’ve heard a lot of complaints in the last week about how Pima County is taking too long to count the votes, so we thought it would be helpful to explain how the ballot-counting process works. (Of course, those who are convinced that cheating…
Billy and the Boys at the Bottle
If you haven’t heard Tucson musician Billy Sedlmayr perform songs from his first solo debut, “Charmed Life,” this is your chance. And, if his songs weren’t enough, the intimacy of a little venue like Tap and Bottle is absolutely perfect for his style of storytelling. The little pub’s music nights have been brilliantly booked lately,…
Development Dilemma
The Pima County Board of Supervisors will decide next week if a proposed guest ranch for bicyclists can be built near the entrance of Saguaro National Park. For the developers, it’s a far better use of the ecologically sensitive land than another subdivision. For the opposition, it’s a threat to a pristine swath of desert…
A Lit Night You Don’t Want to Miss
If you take our advice, you could be thanking those incredible word folks at POG for their latest evening of magic. On Saturday, Nov. 15, at Conrad Wilde Gallery, 101 W. 6th St. National Book Award finalist and professor of English at the University of California Riverside, Fred Moten (whose book of poetry “The Feel…
Media Watch
LOW POWER FM 99.1 LOOKS FOR FUNDING ASSISTANCE There’s a pretty good chance you won’t hear The Long and Winding Road on Downtown Radio’s non-commercial rock format, but it would certainly be fitting given the organization’s struggles to get approval for a low power FM station. That road now has a viable destination, an on-air…
City Week Events
City Week Guidelines. Submit event listings online at tucsonweekly.com/tucson/Events/AddEvent. The print deadline is Monday at noon, 10 days before the Thursday publication date. Send corrections to listings@tucsonweekly.com. Because of space limitations, we can’t use all items. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes…
Danehy
Far too many people I run into mistakenly believe that I sit around the house all day, writing. Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, I don’t write every day. That would be crazy. Writing every day would make me, like, a writer. I learned very early on that I wasn’t going…
Beating the Drum
Most people remember the first time they saw Julia Roberts in a movie. It was “Pretty Woman,” not the first film in which she appeared but the common introduction. Tom Cruise, for most people, sprang up out of nowhere in “Risky Business,” though there were “Taps” and “The Outsiders” and a couple others before that.…
Tales of Travel
Carlos was pushed out of his home in Jalisco by NAFTA. After the free trade bill rolled out in 1994, Carlos and other small Mexican farmers couldn’t compete with the subsidized U.S. corn flowing into their country. They had no choice but to migrate north to the United States to find work. In “The Migration…
Life on the Edge
If you didn’t go to Razorz Edge, at 427 N. 4th Ave, in preparation for the festivities over the past few weekends, you messed up. Upon stepping into the shop, you might think you’ve mistakenly walked into a Hot Topic. The most prominent clothing color is black. There is a fair amount of leather and…
Soundbites
DELIVERY BOY It’s been nice having Prom Body around for awhile lately, playing the Rialto’s Halloween extravaganza and the second Night of the Living Fest (following a run of shows at the CMJ industry fest in New York City), but hey, that might not last forever, so be sure to enjoy a band doing something…
Flashing Lights
It’s hard not to get caught up in the flashing lights and celebratory sound effects that make D&D Pinball, located on Seventh Street just east of North Fourth Avenue at 331 E. 7th St., a living, breathing kaleidoscope built into a converted garage. And judging from his energetic, enthusiastic demeanor, the same could be said…
Live
Club Congress Monday, Nov. 10 It seems fairly incredulous that a ska-punk band like Los Angeles’ the Interrupters would even exist in 2014, let alone have any kind of audience or positive response. But as long as Epitaph Records and its subsidiary Hellcat Records are in business to sign them, there will always be a…
This Week in Craft Beer
As if with the flip of a switch, cooler weather has finally descended on Tucson, changing everything from the way we dress and the schedules we keep to the food we eat and the beverages we drink. Similarly in flux is the world of craft beer, which, with winter’s arrival, favors big, complex and robust…
Smashing the Stigma
For medical marijuana dispensary owner Cathy Mead, opening up Cathy’s Compassion Center in December 2012 wasn’t just a business decision. Mead’s father died from lung cancer, but Mead saw first-hand how his passing was made more bearable through the use of marijuana. “It changed the quality of his life,” said Mead. “He could drink, he…
Noshing Around
LOCO FOR LOCAL The second Viva La Local Food Festival is happening this Sunday, Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rillito Park (4502 N. 1st Ave.) If you missed the first one, this jammy jam is the be-all and end-all of fun foodie events! There will be over 80 Baja Arizona vendors…
Ask the Mexican
Dear Mexican: I’m interested in a job that says it is a plus to have an understanding of Latin, Spanish and Mexican music. I found out some names of musical styles such as Tejano, norteño, nariachi, banda, cumbia, merengue, flamenco, and so on. I’m wondering if there is a way to form a “good ear”…
Nine on the Line
Susan Fulton is co-owner of Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro and vice president of the group for locally-owned restaurants, Tucson Originals. She comes from a family with a passion for food and always fantasized about owning her own restaurant. The road to owning a bakery/bistro was not straightforward, with a career path that included studying…
Two Plays, Many Ideas
Two vastly different plays opened here last weekend. Winding Road Theater Ensemble has taken on Arthur Miller’s 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Death of a Salesman,” and the Rogue Theater brings us a wild romp by Jez Butterworth, “Jerusalem.” The plays offer huge contrasts in many ways, but they are both chock-full of ideas and fireworks…
Sylvie the Shapeshifter
Sylvie Simmons and Howe Gelb are of two minds on the subject of their initial meeting. There’s the one they both are certain happened, in London in the early ’80s, when Sylvie interviewed Gelb about his Tucson combo Giant Sand for The Guardian, and then there’s the other one, a run-in shrouded in rock &…
Hope Doesn’t Always Float
“The Overnighters” starts out as a documentary about a church trying to give some unemployed men a place to sleep. It appears as if it will be a story about a small town’s astonishing generosity, and the charitable spirit of one man in particular. By the end of the film, it has become something altogether…
Drawing Names Out of a Hat
Bands don’t usually start by picking names out of a hat. But neither do bands tend to write their first songs and play their first show all on the same day. In its third year, the Tucson Rock Lottery throws down the gauntlet on both accounts. A diverse group of 25 musicians get together—at the…
Man on the Street: Talking Football
Our sister paper, the Explorer, sent a writer out on the town to find out what teams average folk like you follow.
Man on the Street: No Shave November
Men all over town are skipping shaving this month, but does the average guy at the barber shop know why? Our sister paper, the Explorer, asks the tough questions.
