Cover Story
Almost Famous
“We drank heavily and played everywhere in Tucson, and then in Phoenix, did one of our first radio interviews in Tempe with venerable DJ Johnny D, who dug us and played our record a lot.”
Getting All “Occupy” on Sun Tran Rider Subsidies
Tens of thousands of words have been written about the Sun Tran strike, including in the Weekly and on The Range, covering it from all kinds of angles. Over at the Tucson Sentinel, Blake Morlock, not known as a man of few words, wrote 2,500 more in an article with the provocative headline, Subsidy express: Who…
Saint Charles Tavern Brings Neighborhood Bar Vibe to the South Side
Saint Charles Tavern opened quietly last weekend on South Fourth Avenue to friends and Facebook followers. With a modest liquor selection, 18 taps and a growing bottled beer selection at reasonable prices, the new little south side bar is likely to become a go-to hang out for folks in the area. The bar itself is…
Bus Strike Opinion: The Ghost of Transit Past Has Become the Nightmare of Transit Present
The bus strike is in its fifth week, with no Teamsters Local Union 104/Sun Tran deal in sight. The city of Tucson said in a press conference last week (and Councilman Steve Kozachik said in a press release) that it would not modify its budget to end the strike. The city’s already established its finances for…
Washington State Supreme Court: Charters Are Unconstitutional
I think this caught most people by surprise. It certainly surprised me. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that charter schools are unconstitutional. The reason they gave is, charters don’t fit the definition of “common schools” and so they can’t be publicly funded. In the ruling, Chief Justice Barbara Madsen wrote that charter schools…
MOCA To Host a Celebration of Sangria, Literature and Dance This Friday
Tucson’s Museum of Contemporary Art is putting on a fall fundraiser unlike any before. Thanks in part to the presence of the Mobile Pools, this unique event will be a poolside celebration of the arts in its many forms—after all, the beauty of contemporary art is its all encompassing nature. The Salon / Synchro /…
Weed War: The Split in the Pro-Legalization Initiatives
Ray Stern of Phoenix New Times takes a deep dive into the opposing forces pushing initiatives to legalize marijuana in Arizona. He notes that one of the groups, Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, is vowing to work to defeat the Marijuana Policy Project’s proposition if it makes the ballot: Yet one of legalization’s biggest challenges is…
Fuzz Needs a Home
Hey everyone! My name is Fuzz and I’m ready to go home! I am a 5 year old domestic medium hair mix who loves to cuddle! The staff all say I have the cutest meow because it’s very soft and quiet. All of my teeth have been removed, so I can only eat soft food…
Congressman Grijalva Continues Efforts to Keep Cherrybell Mail Center Open
Congressman Raúl Grijalva plans to introduce a bill that would prevent the U.S. Postal Service from closing down post offices or or other mail facilities functioning in “high-growth” ZIP codes. That would include Tucson Cherrybell mail center, which could shutter by 2016 as part of the Postal Service’s efforts to save money. The Postal Service announced…
It’s Labor Day and We’re Napping
Dear Range readers, Our office is mercifully closed today, which means things will be a bit slower on the blog. Like, this is probably the only post you’re getting. To ease that pain, I am leaving you with some stock photos of animals sleeping. Need more to keep you happy? Maybe spend some time reading…
Flake and McSally Need to Rethink Their Positions on the Iran Nuclear Deal
Two Arizona members of Congress, Senator Jeff Flake and Representative Martha McSally appeared at one point to be on the fence regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or Iran nuclear deal, but have since come out against the agreement. Their reasoning is questionable at best and they should rethink their positions and vote YES.…
Heirloom Farmers Market Spices Things Up at 12th Annual Chile Festival
Tucson’s Heirloom Farmers Markets are heating up next weekend in honor of the chile pepper. The 12th Annual Chile Festival will celebrate spicy in a way that only the Sonoran desert can around this time of year. That’s because, as summer nears a close here, the chiles that were growing out in high temperatures all…
A Modest Takeaway From This Year’s Lower SAT Scores
It looks like SAT scores are down this year. That sounds bad, like our education system is doing worse, but it doesn’t really mean much. Taking the SAT is voluntary, so it’s not a random sampling of students. More people took the test this year, which means the average score included more people who were…
Ducey: “I Choose the School Funding Plan Behind Door Number Two!”
Mark Twain once said — or almost said — “Everybody talks about Arizona school funding but nobody does anything about it.” Actually, Twain was talking about the weather, and even more actually, he may have said those words during one of his lectures, but he was probably quoting Charles Dudley Warner, a contemporary who cowrote the…
Tap & Bottle and Historic Brewing Team Up to Make a Dreamy Sour Beer Named Ryan Goseling
Alright ladies, hold onto your hats because Tap & Bottle (403 N. Sixth Ave., Ste. #135) and Historic Brewing Co. are releasing a beer on Friday, Sept. 11 that has your name written all over it. Well, actually, it has movie heartthrob Ryan Gosling’s name written on it, sort of. The Ryan Goseling gose is…
Buy All of the Vinyl You Need This Sunday at The Flycatcher
There’s nothing quite like staring a rapidly approaching three-day weekend right in the face. The opportunities are endless. Maybe you’ll go out of town or go camping somewhere nearby. Maybe you’re planning to spend all weekend at HoCo Fest (or at least Saturday night to see Brian Smith and the Gentlemen Afterdark reunite and make…
We’ve Got Tickets for Tonight’s UA Football Game. Wanna Go?
We’ve got two pairs of tickets to tonight’s UA Football game against the UTSA Roadrunners. The game starts at 7 p.m. We’ll draw the winner today around 1 p.m.. You have to be able to pick the tickets up at our office (located near the Foothills Mall) before we close at 5 p.m. If four hours…
Dust Devil
Outside white heat distorts the image of a building’s brick façade. Inside AC’s thrum makes those working at computers comfortable. But I am not working. And I am not comfortable.
B-Sides: Man Man
Let’s be real. Man Man is pretty weird, but it’s that good kind of weird that makes it impossible to stop listening to them.
Police Dispatch
A professional therapist received a romantic goodnight voicemail from one of her male clients.
Police Dispatch
A drunk, hungry panhandler with an apparently strong craving for meat shoplifted scads of it after being denied the meat for free—justifying his theft by saying that if roles were reversed and deputies had been hungry and broke.
Congressional Chatter
Congressman Raul Grijalva talks about Bernie Sanders, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Planned Parenthood
The Skinny
A settlement talks collapse in school funding lawsuit and Planned Parenthood gets a big donation to expand meeting space at Tucson office
Danehy
The time it took most Americans to get over the shock of the news crew being gunned down on national TV last week could probably have been measured in pico seconds. As in, “Wow, that’s horrible. (Pause) How’s the traffic on the Interstate?”
Media Watch
KWCX disconnects annoying antenna feed and the Internet sports folk don’t like when you mix up their sites
Bulldozing the Barrio
The grand stone-and-adobe Otero House, boasting a decorative porch and a brick wall around its tidy front yard, didn’t look like an example of urban blight.
Simon Ba-da-bings
Neil Simon’s name is pretty much synonymous with comedy. It’s also pretty much synonymous with American theater, although as a writer of comedy he has been often under-appreciated.
Taqueria El Pueblito: Torta Time
Tacos get a lot of love in Tucson and understandably so. There are many great taquerias in town serving up everything from simple street tacos to more embellished options piled high with toppings.
Apocalypse How
Three people and a couple of good dogs try to figure things out in a post-apocalyptic world during Z for Zachariah, a strong acting exercise for Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine.
High Noon
Transport yourself back to the Wild West in Tombstone this weekend for the Tombstone Vigilantes Showdown.
Sonoran Soul: Carlos Arzate
The folk, soul, country and blues styles that inhabit Got Me Wrong are a stark contrast from the heavy, intense rock music Arzate sang for years in American Android. But the songs that came when Arzate turned his focus to his own music sprung from a deeper well.
Buckin’ Birthday
Bring the family down to the Sonoita Fairgrounds (3142 S. Highway 83, Sonoita) for the 100th annual Sonoita Labor Day rodeo taking place Saturday, Sept. 5 to Monday, Sept. 7 with the doors opening at 10 a.m. everyday
Dinky Reunion: Little Dinks
Don’t miss the first five minutes of the Little Dinks reunion show, in fact, no matter how terribly they play and sing, you better stay until the end, too.
Cactus Run
Take advantage of the great outdoors this Labor Day weekend at the 46th TMC Saguaro National Park 8-mile run and 5k walk.
News21: America’s Weed Rush
Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., have approved marijuana for medical use, with Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District, legalizing recreational pot as well. At least a dozen other states may vote on legalization initiatives in the 2016 election, including Arizona.
Jammer Line
If watching athletic women beat each other up on roller skates sounds more your speed, check out the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association’s Division 1 playoffs this on Friday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 6 at the Tucson Convention Center (260 S. Church Ave.)
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers: The Mexican is currently in the rancho, scheming about how to get close enough to Donald Trump so he can smear a bean burrito in his face … HA!
Dazed & Amused
Trying to get out of Tucson during the long weekend? Head on down to our southeasterly sister city Bisbee for the Brewery Gulch Daze, complete with a kissing booth, chili cook-off and live music.
B-Sides: Mute Swan
Mute Swan released their first album, Feel How It Sees, earlier this year and the highly anticipated record didn’t disappoint.
Editor’s Note
People from broken and beat up Tucson bands that were the soundtrack to our ’80s youth, well they heal and move on (most of the time), and people once from the ruins of the destroyed barrio do the same—cheers to Diaz for telling this important story that relates his family, mine and many others.
B-Sides: Nick Diamonds
Through his work with Islands, which exhibits almost manically saccharine alt-pop gems that seem culled from a seizure-inducing video game at times, to his current focus on his own solo work, he’s become a pretty prolific figure in indie.
