Cover Story
Razing Arizona
There’s been no shortage of headlines in this year’s race between Gov. Jan Brewer and her Democratic challenger, Attorney General Terry Goddard. There have been arguments over whether drug dealers have been beheading people in the Arizona desert. There have been fights over whether Brewer should meet Goddard in a debate. There have been stories…
Writer’s Block: William Esmont
Local author William Esmont’s book The Patriot Paradox has been published in Kindle format ($2.99). Summary (per a press release): Ex-CIA analyst Kurt Vetter and enigmatic foreign agent Amanda Carter race across Europe in a quest to unearth the truth behind the murder of Kurt’s brother. Trying desperately to stay ahead of a government that…
Salvador Sings for Goddard: Teritoria!
Pamela Powers at Tucson Progressive made a great video at the Democratic Party volunteer party at Club Congress on Sunday, Oct. 24, of Salvador Duran.
Writer’s Block: Andrea Hernandez Holm
Local writer Andrea Hernandez Holm has had a story published in the anthology Wisdom of Our Mothers from Familia Books ($14.95, 296 pages). Summary (from a press release): The mothers profiled in the stories are human. Their virtues are balanced by their flaws, and in some cases, the lessons learned from those flaws form the…
New Gilman Vid on Brewer
New video from Phoenix’s Dennis Gilman on our incoherent Gov. Jan Brewer. The Phoenix New Times named Gilman best videographer in 2009, and for good reason. Check out his other videos on his YouTube channel Humanleague002.
Arizona Executes Death Row Inmate
The state has executed convicted murderer Jeffrey Landrigan. From The Associated Press report: Arizona has executed Jeffrey Landrigan for a 1989 murder in the state’s first execution since 2007. Landrigan died by injection at a state prison in Florence at 10:29 p.m. Tuesday after a stay issued by a federal judge was lifted by the…
Private Prison Hearings Start Tomorrow in Tucson
The American Friends Service Committee, Private Corrections Working Group, UA Latino Law Students Association, and St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church have organized a series of private prison hearings across the state that kick off tomorrow in Tucson at Pima Community College, Downtown Campus at 1255 N. Stone Ave., in the Amethyst Room…
Sen. Allen Endorses Kotterman
This just in from campaign central for Penny Kotterman: Republican state Sen. Carolyn Allen of Scottsdale is endorsing the Democratic superintendent of public instruction candidate: Now more than ever, during the difficult and challenging time Arizona now faces, a candidate has stepped forward with the skill set and on-the-ground experience teaching in classrooms in the…
McClung and McCain: Office Mates
Kyl, McClung & McCain LLC The Huffington Post took a glimpse at Ruth McClung’s campaign against U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva, and the extra help she’s getting from John McCain, which includes some office space (of course, don’t forget the ad for McClung with Jon Kyl and McCain in formal undertaker wear). You can read the…
Writer’s Block: Iris J. Arnesen
Local author Iris Arnesen’s new book, Nine Famous Operas: What’s Really Going On, has been published by McFarland and Company ($35, 202 pages). Summary (from publisher): Opera, for those not acquainted with its conventions, can be confounding. This book contains analyses of the stories and music of nine beloved operas, presented in chronological order from…
All I Really Needed For Today To Be Awesome: Tron! Daft Punk!
My wife, who isn’t (to her credit) a colossal nerd, doesn’t really understand why I would be excited for a sequel to Tron. I haven’t even seen the original in a really long time, but I really was into the video game adaptation which included gripping interactive versions of the film’s lightbikes and something with…
RIP, Paul the Octopus
If you didn’t have anything better to do with your time during the earlier parts of the day this summer, you probably watched a fair amount of the World Cup (or perhaps you tried your best to avoid the World Cup). While the soccer was good and the general excitement over the spirit of competition…
Feel Free to Steal This Idea Next Year, Tucson Restaurants
Calexico’s Facebook feed yesterday provided a link to a Chicago restaurant that is immortalizing the band in burger form (adobo steak burger, green chiles, avocado, grilled cebollitos). While it’s always nice to see Joey and John recognized, even in the culinary world, the story behind the indie rock burger is probably more interesting than the…
Media: Making Digital Phones Graspable
A presentation of the shape-shifting, weight-shifting future of the cell phone.
CD8: Kelly Makes Salon’s List of “10 Most Terrifying Would-Be Congressmen”
Salon names Republican Jesse Kelly, who hopes to unseat Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8 next week, one of the “10 Most Terrifying Would Be Congressmen.” From Salon: In March, John McCain’s spokesman declared that the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is “backed by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and anti-Semites.” Evidently, that view is…
Picture This: Eyes on a Train
REBECCA RILLOS Phyllis Reid and her grandson Zachary Wortman enjoy a train ride around the lake at Gene C. Reid Park. The park includes more than 100 acres that include ponds, gardens, a golf course and a zoo.
The Tucson Tea Party Was For The Hotel Before They Were Against It
We all make mistakes, so maybe it’s bad form to mock others when they err publicly. Then again, when the local Tea Party copies and pastes the wrong e-mail and sends it to their followers, it’s hard to not see the humor in that. The first e-mail from the Tea Party on the downtown hotel…
CD7: Nate Silver Gives Grijalva 76% Chance of Winning Next Week
The latest odds in the race between Congressman Raul Grijalva and Republican challenger Ruth McClung from Nate Silver of The New York Times and fivethirtyeight.com. Details here. Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up. Details here.
Dear Fox 4 in Dallas: Social Media Might Not Be The Problem
Every day has a YouTube video that goes along with it, and today (so far), it’s a video created by a Fox affiliate in Dallas for their local Emmy awards. I guess this is supposed to be funny, with old media types really sticking it to social media obsessed news producers, but it’s just not…
Reddit Users Don’t Think Much Of Our Propositions
It’s not that uncommon to see references to Arizona politics outside of our own media bubble on the internet, but generally, the references are predictably either something that Joe Arpaio did or complaints about SB 1070. Thus, it was a little surprising to look on the front page of link-sharing/source-of-amusing-images website Reddit and see the…
Free For All: Sergio Mendoza, Calexico & Friends Rock That Ol’ Vote at the Hotel Congress on Sunday. Plus: Free Calexico Concert Download!
Linda Ray fills you in here on the big party happening this Sunday, Oct. 24, at Hotel Congress: Sergio Mendoza y La Orkesta with be joined by special guests—Calexico, Brian Lopez, Salvador Duran, Molehill Orkestrah and a whole bunch more—to rock the ol’ vote for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the rest of the Democratic ticket…
CD8: Giffords & Kelly Meet in Final Televised Debate
It’s the final debate between Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Republican Jesse Kelly in Congressional District 8. We got a late start on our Facebook coverage, which you can find here.
Author of ‘Innocent Until Interrogated’ to Speak
We recently reviewed Innocent Until Interrogated: The True Story of the Buddhist Temple Massacre and the Tucson Four. See Tim Hull’s Sept. 30 review: here. Gary Stuart, the author of Innocent Until Interrogated, will speak tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the UA James E. Rogers College of Law, 1201 E.…
Brain Tumor Walk and Fundraiser
If you’re headed up to the Phoenix area this weekend and want to do a good deed at the same time, check out the 6th Annual Phoenix Brain Tumor Walk. Details are in the press release below, along with some surprising statistics. Who: National Brain Tumor Society, East Coast Office, 124 Watertown Street, Suite 2D,…
About Two-Thirds of Early Ballots Still on the Loose
In case you’re wonky enough to care about this stuff: About one third of the 246,375 early ballots that were sent out have been returned and processed, according to Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez. Roughly 81,300 ballots had been corralled by the Recorder’s Office as of this afternoon, with more in trays awaiting a…
It’s Time To Vote On The Downtown Hotel, It Seems
From our sister publication, Inside Tucson Business: The Tucson City Council will vote on the future of the proposed $192 million downtown convention center hotel Tuesday (Oct. 26) following a public hearing at 5:30. The council meeting that day has been moved to the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church. Both sides are beginning to…
Chefs Vs. Surgeons, New Indian Food, New Argentinean Food, Jerk Chicken, World’s Largest Matzo Ball Attempt and More
We made our maiden voyage to Don Pedro’s Peruvian Bistro (which we blogged about yesterday) and left with a full stomach and plans to return. Peruvian food takes many forms and combines disparate ingredients (for instance: tuna and cold mashed potatoes, which is quite good), and Don Pedro’s serves a fast and tasty version of…
At Some Point, Gov. Brewer Is Going To Actually Address Her Health, Right?
John Dougherty certainly isn’t backing down on his accusation that Governor Brewer had a thyroid biopsy. From Dougherty’s InvestigativeMedia Facebook page: Governor Brewer received a thyroid biopsy on Sept. 20, according to records and interviews with sources inside and outside her administration. The biopsy was likely conducted at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, where the governor…
President Obama Makes A “It Gets Better” Video
As part of the “It Gets Better” project launched by columnist Dan Savage (whose Savage Love appears in our print version), Barack Obama delivers a powerful, moving message not just for LGTB youth, but for anyone. Regardless of what you think of the guy’s politics, it’s hard to argue there isn’t some inherent value in…
CD8: Giffords and Kelly Debate For An Hour Tonight on Arizona Public Media’s Channel 6. Plus: Buckmaster Sticking With KUAT-TV’s Friday Roundtable!
We goofed in The Skinny this week when we said that tonight’s CD8 debate between Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Republican challenger Jesse Kelly would be at 6:30 p.m. on Arizona Illustrated.Instead, it’s an expanded one-hour affair starting at 6 p.m. If you’re a political junkie, you won’t want to miss this showdown in one of…
Grijalva vs. McClung Debate Baggery Continues
Wow, I guess I asked for it. In the eyes of Sam Stone, communications director for U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva’s challenger, Ruth McClung, I am a blogger and therefore only worthy of getting comments via e-mail. I called Stone to discuss issues he had with our last few posts regarding McClung backing out of a…
John Dougherty Talks Jan on Horizon
John Dougherty was on the KAET Horizon 8 show on Oct. 18 to discuss his claims regarding Gov. Jan Brewer’s health:
New Ad from Kotterman Campaign
Newest ad from Penny Kotternman’s campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction:
In Case You Were Wondering, Here’s What The Pac-12 Will Be Like
From a University of Arizona press release on the new Pac-10 Pac-12: Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott today outlined divisional alignments for the Pac-10 Conference, to begin with the 2011 football season. Scott spoke at a news conference in San Francisco, and provided details on new football divisions, which puts the University of Arizona, Arizona State,…
Don Pedro’s Peruvian Bistro Is Open!
We just got off the phone with the folks at the new Don Pedro’s Peruvian Bistro at 3386 S. Sixth Ave., Suite 120, and they are open for business. The restaurant made the move to Tucson after spending six years serving Peruvian food down in Rocky Point. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday…
The Mixologist’s Garden at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain may be a bit out of the way for many Tucsonans, but damn they pour a mean cocktail. And now the resort has a garden where fresh herbs and spices can be plucked, infused into liquor and served in no time. Each herb is labeled with its name and the cocktail…
Grijalva Talks Campaign on the Ed Show
U.S. Congressman Raúl Grijalva, on the Oct. 19 Ed Show, talks about his campaign against challenger Ruth McClung, and the racist tactics (the bandito mailers) being used by his opponent and the Republican Party:
Arizona Department of Corrections “Think” Their Execution Drugs Are Legally Obtained
Death row inmate Jeffrey Landrigan is scheduled to be executed by the State of Arizona on Tuesday, the state’s first execution since Robert Comer was executed in May of 2007. While it appears the last-minute appeal process will unlikely lead to a stay of execution for Landrigan, an interesting discussion broke out over where the…
Want To Hear More From Savant of Rarebreed?
Gene Armstrong had some nice things to say about local rapper Savant’s self-released EP, “The Delayed Entry” in this week’s issue, calling it a “savvy, literate and completely satisfying EP that bobs and weaves, floats on waves of energy and muscular momentum and doesn’t sacrifice hardness when he waxes sentimental.” Savant, who (like all cool…
Maya Textile Exhibit and Benefit Sale
Indigena Imports is having a benefit sale and exhibition of Mayan traditional textiles on Oct. 29 through 31 at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, 602 N. Wilmot Road, in the Parish Center. There will be approximately 250 handwoven Mayan pieces for sale. The opening reception and sale on Friday, Oct. 29, will be…
Savant of Rarebreed: The Delayed Entry EP (Self-Released)
The latest salvo from the burgeoning Tucson hip-hop community is this impressive debut by Savant, one half of the hip-hop alliance Rarebreed. Born Gregory Daggett, Savant originally hails from Chicago and made his way to Tucson via El Paso. Working with a variety of producers and several guest artists, he has crafted a savvy, literate…
Jackass Rampage
There’s a glorious moment in Jackass 3-D that might qualify as my favorite Jackass moment ever, and it isn’t even a stunt. It involves the great Johnny Knoxville doing a crazy/goofy dance in a pink sweater before some buffalo run him over. Yes, the payoff moment when he gets trampled is golden, but the moment…
Guest Commentary
On Election Day, we Arizonans will not only be choosing among the many candidates running for office; we’ll also be voting up or down on as many as 10 ballot measures. While some are as boring as determining for whom to vote for mining inspector, many are profoundly important and will affect our lives directly…
Neil Young: Le Noise (Reprise)
Few artists have the credentials of Neil Young. This is why an uneven but intriguing work like Le Noise would be a risky debut or mid-career gamble for most unknown or established acts. For Young, it is enigmatic and pleasantly surprising. Essentially a solo album with a two-man band, Le Noise finds the sonic-minded producer…
Shameless Self-Promotion
The Tucson Weekly dominated its category in the Arizona Newspaper Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest, racking up 20 awards, including top individual and newspaper-wide honors. Jim Nintzel was named the non-daily Journalist of the Year, for his body of work during the contest period (May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010). His coverage of the…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week ending Oct. 17, 2010
The Walking Undead
Last year, if you happened to be on a Fourth Avenue sidewalk around dusk on the third Saturday in October, you either were part of a mass 28 Days Later-style takeover, or an unknowing snack strolling toward eminent doom. If the latter is true, hopefully you had heard about the Tucson Zombie Walk before you…
No Compromise
They called them “silent instigators.” The round stickers, sized to a half-dollar, featured a thick fist gripping a wrench. “No Compromise,” the logo proclaimed, “in Defense of Mother Earth!” In the 1980s, in Tucson, these adornments were inescapable. You’d find them stuck to walls in City Hall. They’d appear on trail signs deep within the…
Hello and Goodbye
It’s time to say goodbye to Nick Smith, the very first web producer that the Tucson Weekly (and our sister publication Inside Tucson Business) ever had. Why is Nick leaving? For the same reason that most web producers leave their jobs: to move to Austria, of course. You can check out his parting words on…
City Week
Mark Christensen Booksigning; Haunted Zombie Car Wash; Annual Celebration of the Cowboy; Fundraiser for Christina Robinson and Leo Mirocha
The Skinny
Congressman Raul Grijalva debates Sarah Palin-endorsed rocket scientist Ruth McClung … The debate between state Sen. Al Melvin and Democrat Cheryl Chase finally takes place … Some unexpected endorsements roll in … and more!
Danehy
Sometime this week, vehicular traffic will begin driving across the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, one of the most amazing feats of engineering in United States history. The bridge is the longest single-span arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and one of the tallest in the entire world. It is just to the southwest of…
Now Showing at Home
Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy UNIVERSAL MOVIES: SEE BELOW SPECIAL FEATURES A BLU-RAY GEEK FACTOR 9.5 (OUT OF 10) The classic time-traveling trilogy gets physically rejuvenated with its Blu-ray release, a presentation so crisp it looks like it was made yesterday. The original remains one of the most enjoyable movies ever made, a…
A Heartbeat Away
The contest for secretary of state pits Republican Ken Bennett, the appointed officeholder, against Democrat Chris Deschene, a member of the state Legislature. Bennett became secretary of state last year when Jan Brewer moved into the governor’s chair. He says his main goal in running for a full-term is “To protect the integrity of the…
Downing
I love to cook and typically fix dinner six nights a week, but on Friday night we go out, always to one of the same four places (plus The Dish and Vivace for special occasions). Does this reflect lack of adventurousness and a reprehensible failure to support the happenin’ Tucson new-restaurant scene? Absolutely. My friend…
A Taste of the Tropics
Sometimes when I eat at a great place, I get a little bummed because the restaurant isn’t in my neighborhood so I could pop in for lunch or dinner, or maybe grab something to go. CeeDee Jamaican Kitchen is such a place. The food here is rich and flavorful, the atmosphere friendly and fun (music…
Media Watch
Book illustrates role of media in presidential campaign; ‘Star’ pushes Sunday circulation with online coupons
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I’m not the type to let things slide when I see something that strikes me as ignorant, no matter who is being ignorant. When my friend’s mom posted jokes on Facebook about Mexicans, and her friends popped up with some comments I felt were racist, I just had to step in and say…
Noshing Around
New Farmers’ Markets; Beer and Ice Cream; One Buck Per Shuck; Noshing Notes
Anti-Equal Opportunity
Jonathan Garcia is certain that without the Chicano Student Affairs office and other retention programs at the UA, he would have dropped out of school. This year, while interning with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, the UA senior says he took the initiative to speak out to campus groups, to get the…
Mailbag
LD 30 Senate Candidates = Jackasses; Citizens Should Preserve Their Power by Voting No on 401; Why’d the ‘Weekly’ Skip Dallesandro?
Dig the Trashcans
Criminally overlooked by American audiences in the 1980s and ’90s, the Trashcan Sinatras constitute one of the hidden gems of Brit-pop. Since its formation in 1986, and over the course of five studio albums, the Scottish band has continued to craft uncannily beautiful, often delicate melodies and to gently rock in jangly fashion. Add to…
The Border District
Legislative District 25 is one of Arizona’s largest districts, covering most of the huge expanse of the Arizona-Mexico border. It is a graveyard for lost immigrants, a mean terrain to cross for drug traffickers and migrant workers and the home district of slain rancher Robert Krentz. In short, it is ground zero for the immigration…
Soundbites
Post-Rock Bliss; An Ursine Equation; Entrancing Double Bill; Two Very Different Sunday Afternoons; Dance Of The Undead; Also For Your Consideration
Cool Vampire, Totally
That was awesome, dude.” The young man sitting behind me—a student, I inferred—was unambiguously enthusiastic. We in the audience at the UA Marroney Theatre were still trying to collect ourselves after experiencing a most amazing Dracula. I’d pretty much have to agree with his assessment. It was awesome. Capitalizing on the ubiquitous presence of vampires…
T Q&A
David Nolan
Experimental Imagery
Chris McCaw is a landscape photographer, but you’d be hard-pressed to guess that if you happened upon his work at the Center for Creative Photography. His 2008 “Sunburned GSP #210 (Mojave)” is the lone McCaw piece in the big show The Edge of Vision: Abstraction in Contemporary Photography. Despite its title, this work, a “unique…
Join the Party
Pat Boone! Are you freaking kidding me? This is Calexico country! It turns out that, besides being remembered as the white-buck, and whitebread, wuss of simpering ’50s pop, Boone fronts one of eight (count ’em) right-wing political outfits flooding our town with raving lunatic television commercials, faux handmade signs spreading lies and distortions, and more…
Police Dispatch
Textual intercourse; Fighting tooth and nail; Leggo my legos
Top Ten in Music
Zia Records’ top sales for the week ending Oct. 17, 2010
The End of the Saga?
Diana Ladd is depressed. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s publisher turned down her latest book, Do Not Go Softly, and wants to hire a ghost writer to rework it. With her career over and the continued health of her aging mind in doubt, she’s considering driving her car off Gates Pass. It could be Alzheimer’s. Of…
Nine Questions
Doug Levy
Weekly Wide Web
Top Ten TWTV Videos; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; Best of WWW; and more!
Live
Raw Power, Truancy, Negative Feedback, General Warning: Skrappy’s, Thursday, Oct. 14
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books’ best-sellers for the week ending Oct. 15, 2010
Various Artists: Fania Essential Recordings: Salsa Explosion! The New York Salsa Revolution 1968–1985 (Strut)
The reissue gurus at Strut Records are at it again with Salsa Explosion!, a collection of salsa essentials first released in 2004 from the greatest American-based Latin record label of them all, Fania Records. Lots of labels released vintage salsa, but no others achieved the iconographic status of the star-studded Fania roster. Salsa Explosion! sports…
Documentary as Aggression
A friend of mine works as a writer on a “reality show.” In other words, she writes the “reality” the show purports to present, scripting staged events that are presented as candid moments. Though, to be fair, sometimes the people being filmed really are being followed about as they lead their lives. Those lives, though,…
CD8: Live-Blogging the Sierra Vista Debate
In case you couldn’t make it: We’ve got highlights on our Facebook page—with comments from our fans! Read it all here.
