Cover Story
In Defense of Marijuana
Kyle Catlin 27-year-old is facing 10-plus felony charges, including marijuana possession and sale, attempted production, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has two separate cases with different accusations under his name, and is facing nearly 100 years in prison
Cinema Clips: Cooties
There’s some sharp dialogue in “Cooties,” the sort of grisly fun that most zombie movies these days aim for, but it’s not quite enough. The idea is made pretty obvious by the title: It’s kid zombies. The film’s clever opening sequence gives us the backstory about tainted chicken nuggets on the school lunch menu. From…
Bus Strike Ends! The Teamsters Approve Sun Tran’s Two-Year Deal
After 42 days, the bus strike is over. Sun Tran routes will be back to normal tomorrow. With a vote of 351 to 41, the bus drivers and mechanics who have been picketing for six weeks approved a deal between the Teamsters Local Union 104 and Professional Transit Management—the company contracted by the city of…
Cinema Clips: The Visit
M. Night Shyamalan makes another bad movie, but this one actually shows a little bit of promise after a rancid run of films that includes “The Village,” “The Happening,” “The Last Airbender,” and “After Earth.” Becca and Tyler (Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould) have never met their grandma. When Mom (Kathryn Hahn) decides to go…
Pinetop’s Zella Day Brings Pop to 191 Toole
The desert’s answer to Lana del Rey has arrived and her name is Zella Day. But don’t be so quick to write this L.A.-by-way-of-Pinetop singer off as an LdR knock-off. She recently explained the comparison to the vintage-inspired morose pop star in an interview with Paste: “I can see it because there is a very…
Rosati’s on Sixth Street Has Closed
Bad news for lovers of the Chicago pizza institution Rosati’s. The franchised location near UA campus has shuttered recently, which means Tucsonans have one fewer options when searching for solid deep dish pizza. Signs posted around the building indicate that the landlord locked out the pizzeria. No further information is available at this time. Rosati’s…
Pima County Supes Ray Carroll and Ally Miller Debate Bond Proposal
Here’s the perfect warm-up for tonight’s GOP presidential debate: The two Republicans on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Ray Carroll and Ally Miller, will be debating the pros and cons of the county’s $815 million bond proposal. Carroll and Miller appeared to get along OK during her 2012 campaign; Carroll even hosted a fundraiser…
AZ Ed Funding Cage Matches: Throwing Elbows in the Light and Punches in the Dark
The Arizona education wars are turning into a series of Republican-on-Republican, tag team cage fighting matches. The whole thing is getting pretty ugly. That’s what cage fighting is all about, of course, getting ugly; that’s its allure. Me, I don’t watch the sweaty-body grappling on cable TV, but I’m a big fan of the political…
Bus Strike Day 42: Teamsters & Sun Tran Reach Tentative Agreement, Vote Taking Place Later Today
The more than 500 Sun Tran bus drivers and mechanics that have been on strike for six weeks will vote this evening on a tentative agreement reached early this morning between the Teamsters Local Union 104 and Professional Transit Management—the company that oversees Sun Tran. Andy Marshall with the Teamsters says he can’t be specific…
Dems Attack McSally for NRCC Agreement but Congresswoman Says She Hasn’t Signed Contract
Earlier this month, Washington Post political reporters James Hohmann and Elise Viebeck revealed that the paper had gotten ahold of a leaked contract that Republican congressional candidates are expected to sign if they want to participate in the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Patriot Program, which is designed to help candidates in competitive districts. The contract…
From Claustrophobia to Spatially Expanded, Algae & Tentacles Explore Their Reach on New Album
Algae & Tentacles is a band born of the contradictions between noise and quiet. Singer-guitarist John Melillo started the band about five years ago in New York, but the project coalesced when he settled in Tucson in 2011. With different drummers, sometimes solo or sometimes adding additional guitarists, Algae & Tentacles has explored the two…
Win Tickets to See Cut Copy This Thursday at the Rialto
We’re giving away two pairs of tickets to Thursday’s Cut Copy show at the Rialto Theatre. Want them? We’ll draw the winning names Wednesday afternoon. The show starts 8 p.m., and if you’re not lucky enough to win, you can get tickets for $23 in advance and $26 the day of the show. From Eric Swedlund’s…
UA Researchers: Sierra Nevada Snowpack at Lowest Level in 500 Years
In yet another sign of the impacts of climate change, scientists at the UA Lab of Tree-Ring Research released a report showing that the snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range is the lowest it’s been in five centuries; The release from UA News: Snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada in 2015 was at the lowest…
Watch the Howe Gelb Intro to Sounds of Tucson, Showing at the Tucson Festival of Films
With the Tucson Festival of Films less than a month away, there’s plenty for movie lovers to look forward to this year. However, local music fans will definitely want to check out the Sounds of Tucson documentary. Making its North American premiere, this French documentary highlights some of the musicians that make Tucson the audibly…
Towie Needs a Home
Hello everyone, my name is Towie. I’ve been with HSSA for about 6 months now and I’m currently in foster care. I can be quite shy around new people but I’m trying my hardest to be more confident. I’m very sweet and loving and I need a home that can offer me lots of patience…
Spend Tuesday Evening with Beer and Cheese at Reilly
You might have a case of the Mondays right now, but that’s nothing compared to that Tuesday drag. So, why not combat the effects of weekday number two and spoil yourself with two of the best things known to man? That’s right, Reilly’s beer garden (101 E. Pennington St.) is hosting a beer and cheese…
Is Diane Douglas’ School Funding Push Her Brewer-for-Medicaid Moment?
We have a moment here. In a Media Release, Diane Douglas has declared that Arizona needs to add $400 million to its K-12 funding right away, during a special session, and she wants the extra funding to continue in perpetuity. Douglas has ideas about where the money can come from, but she’s not making her…
Cinema Clips: Phoenix
Nelly (Nina Hoss), a disfigured Holocaust victim, returns to post-war Berlin in search of her husband Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld). Nelly undergoes facial reconstructive surgery that renders her unrecognizable. When she encounters her husband, he doesn’t know who she is, but does notice a resemblance to his wife, whom he thinks is dead. He conspires with…
Zona Politics: Ward 1 Debate Between Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero and GOP Challenger Bill Hunt
ZonaPol_9-10 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo. On this week’s episode of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: The Tucson Weekly, Tucson Local Media and KXCI team up to present the first in a series of televised debates between the candidates for Tucson City Council. This week, Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero (D) faces…
Taste of Tucson Celebrates Local Restaurants, Donates to Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Tucson Originals Restaurants and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson are joining forces to bring an afternoon of local food to Reid Park (900 S. Randolph Way). The first ever event will showcase 13 different local restaurants, serving up bites to attendees. For the inaugural event, Noble Hops, Snow Peas, Rocco’s, Mother Hubbard’s, Fresco Pizzeria,…
Kirkpatrick vs. McCain on Iran Nuclear Deal; Sinema Joins GOP in Opposing Agreement
In this week’s Skinny, I recapped where Southern Arizona members of Congress (and would-be members of Congress) stand on the Iran nuclear deal. No big surprises: Republicans McCain, Flake and McSally oppose it; Democrat Raul Grijalva supports it; McSally’s Democratic challengers support it. With Thursday’s Senate vote, congressional opposition to the deal appears to be…
Diane Douglas: I Want $400M Invested in Our Teachers Immediately
With $9 billion in the state’s general fund “and revenues increasing,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas says Arizona can afford increasing funding to education. She’s calling on the state Legislator and Gov. Doug Ducey to immediately appropriate at least $400 million that would specifically be invested on teachers in the classroom, according to a…
U.S. Science Education Was Best in the 1980s and Worst in the 1950s and 1960s (and Other Clear Conclusions From the Data)
[Satire alert, in case anyone reading this thinks I’m being serious.] The results are in, and the conclusions are clear. The Pew Research Center administered a test on science knowledge (you can take the test here), and it demonstrated a distinct difference in science knowledge based on people’s age, gender and race. I’ve used those results…
Adult Swim Is Bringing a Drive-In Movie Experience to Mercado San Agustin
The folks who bring you such T.V.-based exclamatory oddities as Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Superjail! are touring the country this fall and Tucson’s on the list of stops. Adult Swim is hosting a drive-in movie event at the Mercado San Agustin, and you’re going to want to secure your spot soon.…
A Case of Mistaken Identity, and Theft of Dignity
Story: A neatly dressed, well groomed 30-something man is standing outside a nice hotel in Manhattan, waiting quietly, a smile on his face. At the same time a sting operation is going down inside the hotel where the police are arresting some people who have been accused of identity theft. The man just standing there…
UA Press to Release Print Book Series with Social Justice Online Publisher The Feminist Wire
Until recently, The Feminist Wire—a pro-feminism, social justice publishing company—has exclusively shared content (from poetry and novels to political articles) online. Now, they’re partnering up with the University of Arizona Press for a new book series that’ll showcase critiques on anti-feminist representations in U.S. popular culture, media and politics. The UA Department of Gender and…
Sedona OKs Ordinance That Protects LGBT People from Discrimination in the Workplace, Housing
Since Arizona doesn’t have a statewide statute that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace and other areas, several municipalities have taken it upon themselves to enact ordinances that prohibit discrimination in employment based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. This week, Sedona approved an ordinance that protects…
Beautiful LEGO Butterflies
LEGO’s and nature collide at Tucson Botanical Gardens with their new art exhibit Nature Connects.
Dust Devil
Bravely facing reality;Tucson, now opposing weapons of war, nuclear power plants, and fossil fuels, invests in renewable energy and begins mindful, unilateral disarmament.
“We’re gonna make you laugh…”
Join the Latin Comedy Jam as their tour takes over the Tucson Convention Center’s intimate Leo Rich Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 12 for a night of laughs
Space Celebration
Somewhere around a year from now, the UA’s newest spacecraft will launch from Cape Canaveral and begin its long journey to rendezvous with an asteroid.
Otherworldly Entertainment
Want to learn what’s new in astronomy research and be entertained all at the same time?
The Skinny
McSally opposes Iran nuclear deal; her potential challengers say she’s wrong and Catch televised debates of the City Council races beginning this weekend.
Celtic Music, Nova Scotia-Style
Canadians Cassie and Maggie MacDonald play fiddle and piano, an instrument combo that strikes American lovers of Celtic music as “odd,” says Cassie, speaking from her home in Halifax.
Danehy
Of hypocrites, hamsters and ho’s
Sad but Tru
In the Invisible Theatre’s production of Tru, even though playwright Jay Presson Allen has put this extended monologue together with bits and chunks of the actual words of this writer, we don’t get a sense that he was a brilliant writer.
Media Watch
Based on last Thursday night’s broadcast of the Arizona football season opener at home against UT-San Antonio, it appears classic hits station KHYT 107.5 FM wants as little to do with airing the games as possible
Out of Gas
At no time in The Transporter Refueled does anything make a lick of sense. This is so far beyond the leave-your-brain-at-the-door stupidity of a Fast and Furious movie or even Transformers explosion porn.
Off E Street: Nils Lofgren
Lofgren describes his life these days as comfortable, but far from complacent—he would never dream of giving up going on the road.
Resonate Honesty: Cut Copy
In the dozen years since Cut Copy grew from the solo home-recording project of Dan Whitford into a four-man group, the Australian dance-rock band has steadily gained fans around the world, carving out a recognizable niche. But as the band wrapped up a New Year’s Eve show in San Francisco, the goal was to strike…
B-Sides: Megafauna
If you’re wondering how the worlds of prog rock, Bjork-esque vocals and Dandy Warhols attitude could meld into one thing, wonder no longer and dive head first into the Austin rock group Megafauna.
B-Sides: Hippie Sabotage
Pegged as “two brothers who make music,” Hippie Sabotage is likely responsible for some of your favorite pop to dance re-imaginings in recent memory.
B-Sides: Midtown Island/Burger
Although we previously reported that Midtown Island Studio was to cease all music recording for the indefinite future, the good news is, that’s no longer true.
News21: America’s Weed Rush
It takes more than an entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge of cannabis to open up a shop in the United States’ rapidly emerging legal marijuana industry.
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Why is it that Mexican immigrants like my parents, who have done well enough in this country to provide a home, an education, food, clothes and toys for their children, can complain about El Hombre Gringo and his stupid immigration laws, but when they go down to Tijuana, or to visit family in…
Hamilton Distillers: Malt Makers
Other than scarcity, it might not immediately be clear why that’s so special or important. What exactly does a combination malthouse and distillery mean? Well, for owner Stephen Paul it means one thing first and foremost: control.
Pleasure Activist
Because we’re discussing safer sex tools beyond the traditional condom barrier method, mutual masturbation should be included as an extremely effective safer sex method.
Une Petite Rendezvous
Fourth Avenue is expected to be livelier than usual this Saturday
Editor’s Note
We’re never ones to turn down a reason to celebrate—rain, birthdays or community. Hope you’re doing the same, Tucson.
Food, Poetry and Biodiversity
Come celebrate biodiversity with the Sky Islands Alliance this Thursday for a night of food, fun and entertainment at La Cocina
Police Dispatch
A possibly paranoid housewife-turned-amateur-detective gave law enforcement a complex story about some very random items that she believed had been stolen by her husband’s mistress—whom she also believed was also spying on her.
