Cross Words Redux

Some housekeeping items ...

· Approximately 27,947 of you called or wrote to complain that last week's crossword puzzle was, in a word, hosed.

To each of you who swore or yelled or generally acted like cretins: Please, I beg of you, get a life, and stop being an ass.

To the vast, vast majority of you who were polite: Please accept our sincerest apologies for the gaffe.

We've messed up the crossword puzzle with alarming frequency over recent months, and because of that, we're changing the way we handle the crossword. Before this week, the Tucson Weekly editorial staff did not look over the puzzle to check it before we shipped it off to the printer; from now on, we will--each and every week.

Again, please accept our apologies for the goof.

· Last Friday, July 13, was the last day at the Weekly for Hugh Dougherty, our arts and graphics manager. He had been in that position since August 2003, and during his time here, he did a lot: He oversaw a massive redesign and our 20th anniversary issue; he dealt with three different print facilities for the Weekly; and he raised the bar in terms of the overall look of the newspaper.

Hugh decided it was time to move on: He's starting a new LGBT publication here in Tucson that I am sure you'll be hearing more about (presuming you care about such things).

There's no word yet on whether Hugh's new publication will have a crossword puzzle, however.

But I digress. Thanks for four fantastic years, Hugh.