Tucson Weekly

Rep. Frank Antenori and Sen. Linda Lopez hash out their differences and fill viewers in on the state budget crisis on tonight's episode of Arizona Illustrated. I stop by to help Bill Buckmaster question our lawmakers. Antenori says a special session is not likely this month. Watch it after the jump. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ] Full Story »

I always knew kimchi must have some special powers, because when eaten with brown rice and a little soy sauce, it makes the world a better place. A new study you can read about here says pickled cabbage—kraut or kimchi—is the new Viagra. But wait a sec. According to this article in Wired , rotten eggs is the new Viagra. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ] Full Story »

The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity is one of the environmental groups that have staved off timber sales in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. A key point int the legal fight: The Orion North plan would have cost taxpayers $1,579,880 to build roads into a pristine area for a timber sale in a national forest that would generate only $140,635 for the trees. This expense would cost ... Full Story »

As the No. 4 site for news on the upcoming Arizona-filmed movie Piranha 3-D , we've got aerial photos of the gigantic "tank" that was used earlier this summer in Lake Havasu City for the controlled water shots. With a cast that includes Elisabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames, it's the best of the B-list for Arizona. Let's hope it's better than the version that James ... Full Story »

Every winter, a group of volunteers does a one-day count of homeless in Tucson--but this winter, the count changes from early morning to evening. Organizers with the Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless recently announced that the 2010 Homeless Street Count will take place next year on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. According to TPCH, changing from morning to evening will help ... Full Story »

Congressman Raul Grijalva isn't happy with what he sees happening with health-care reform over in the U.S. Senate. Today's press release: Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today declared the widely reported compromises in the emerging Senate health care bill “troubling” and “not even reminiscent of a public option.” Senate and White House leaders, he said, “have already compromised far too much. At some ... Full Story »

State Treasurer Dean Martin, who may or may not be challenging the troubled Gov. Jan Brewer in next year’s Republican primary in August, shouted out a warning last week: The state has blown through its $700 million dollar credit line and had to dig into some internal accounts for another $73 million. By the way, Martin has already tapped $1.6 billion in other state funds, so we’re running out of ... Full Story »

On Thursday, The Range mentioned a Marana Town Council meeting during which neighbors of the Saguaro Ranch development announced they'd filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the town and staff. In an update, we also mentioned neighbors' concern over Town Manager Gilbert Davidson showing up at the development's restaurant to a champagne toast—two days after the arrest of neighbor Steve ... Full Story »

Gov. Jan Brewer's fellow Republicans are hammering away at her this week. Yesterday, Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker filed the paperwork for a political committee to oppose a sales-tax hike . (Kudos to Howie for noting the Clean Elections wrinkle that Parker's committee raises.) Parker's move here strikes us as a bit of a stunt, since Brewer hasn't even been able to persuade lawmakers to put ... Full Story »

On Tuesday night (Dec. 1), neighbors of Stephen Phinny's Saguaro Ranch development went before the Marana Town Council to not only let them know that they continue to be dismayed at the town officials' bend-over-backward approach toward a bankrupt developer; they also handed out copies of a 54-page federal lawsuit filed the same day at 3 p.m. by Steve Blomquist and Sharyl Cummings. You can take ... Full Story »

Here it is: Your annual 'Nutcracker' performance primer by Margaret Regan The biggest Nutcracker news this year is that the crowded season is extending clear past Christmas. Ballet Tucson, the city's only professional company, normally stages its classic Victorian version in mid-December. But this year, pushed out of Centennial Hall by the UA budget crisis, Ballet Tucson has decamped downtown to ... Full Story »

One of the few downtown-area affordable-housing properties is up for sale by Dave Devine For almost two decades, the historic Coronado Hotel at Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street has provided 42 units of affordable housing to low-income people. But in October, the property was put on the market by its co-owner, the Downtown Development Corporation (DDC), with bids being accepted through Dec. 10. The ... Full Story »

Keli Carpenter by Linda Ray Like a 19th-century peddler, Keli Carpenter used to cart a box full of fabric and craft supplies from town to town, supporting herself by designing and selling original and whimsical clothing, accessories and silver jewelry. A decade ago, she settled down in Tucson; she says it was time to "plant a garden and see what would grow." Here, she may be best known for her ... Full Story »

Backyard Chicken Coop Tour; One-Man-Band Fest; BICAS 14th Annual Art Auction; Phyro-Giants! by Amanda Portillo Open House—for Birds Backyard Chicken Coop Tour 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5 Tickets and info at the Food Conspiracy Co-op 412 N. Fourth Ave. 624-4821; www.foodconspiracy.org Some chickens in Tucson are living the good life—and they might be living in ... Full Story »

'Antichrist' might be worth hating, but the film is nonetheless incredibly compelling by James DiGiovanna There are certain movies that, though true works of art, are simply unpleasant to watch. Antichrist is not, for most of its duration, one of those movies. It's ceaselessly compelling, and though the final sequence is as gruesome as anything in modern cinema (or at least as gruesome as ... Full Story »

George Zoritch, 1917-2009 by Margaret Regan Legendary dancer George Zoritch, who danced with Ballet Russe and other pioneering ballet companies from the 1930s to the 1960s, will be memorialized Sunday in the UA studio where he taught for 14 years. Zoritch, 92, died at St. Mary's Hospital on Nov. 1, two weeks after a fall at his home on Tucson's westside, says his friend Richard Holden. Born in ... Full Story »

'Explorer' owner close to buying 'East Valley Tribune;' KUAT, Tucson 12 clean up at Rocky Mountain Emmys; Media orgs ramp up holiday fundraisers by John Schuster 'EXPLORER' OWNER CLOSE TO BUYING 'EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE' Barring unforeseen hang-ups, it appears that Thirteenth Street Media, the Colorado based-publishing firm that owns the Explorer, will buy a big presence in the Phoenix metro area in ... Full Story »

by Sean Bottai This little duo from Austin, Texas, is all about reviving the spirit of stripped-down, '60s California garage on their debut, Yellow Fever. Yellow Fever's a kitschy band, and sometimes that works in their favor, like on "Donald" or "Joe Brown." They do come off as gimmicky in some places, especially in their more self-referential moments. "Cutest Boy" is a bit too on the nose in ... Full Story »

A new book by Tucsonan Chris O'Dell tells behind-the-scenes details of the '60s/'70s music world by Gene Armstrong For many years, Tucsonan Chris O'Dell lived in the magic world of rock 'n' roll, surrounded by and friends with musicians many of us have only admired or idolized. It's all there in her new lively book, Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights With The Beatles, The Stones, Bob ... Full Story »

Wes Anderson conquers animation with the charming 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' by Bob Grimm Wes Anderson's cool quirks and characteristics follow him into the land of stop-motion animation with Fantastic Mr. Fox, an eye-popping, hilarious adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book. This is essentially a Wes Anderson movie (Rushmore, Bottle Rocket) with eccentric humans replaced by eccentric figurines ... Full Story »

A tale of accidental stuffing ingestion, Crock-Pot shopping and the Marana Police Department by Tom Danehy At any stage of life—and particularly at the one I'm currently wandering through—if you're not getting better, you're getting worse. I know this to be true, and I try to live my life accordingly. Why, then, did I find myself standing in a 1,000-person line at a Target store in Marana two ... Full Story »

by Jim Nintzel MEET THE NEW BOSS—AND HIS STAFF Democrat Nina Trasoff's term as the midtown Ward 6 councilwoman comes to an end next Monday, Dec. 7, as Republican Steve Kozachik is sworn in. Kozachik, who doesn't plan to quit his day job—managing the facilities over at the UA Athletics Department—says a prime focus will be the city's ailing budget, which is continuing to spiral into deeper ... Full Story »

by Jarret Keene While 2009 has revealed several incredible indie-folk releases—A.A. Bondy and Imaad Wasif, to name just two—there's an inevitable saturation point. Sure, recording an intimate set of songs in a weathered barn in upstate New York or in a cramped Williamsburg apartment possesses inherent charms, but how much longer can those of us in search of something "different" endure yet ... Full Story »

Antigone Books best-sellers for the week Antigone Books best-sellers for the week ending Nov. 27, 2009 1. The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver, HarperCollins ($26.99) 2. Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout, Random House ($14) 3. Letters From Tucson, Vol. 2 1933-1942 Ethel Stiffler Carpenter, Roger Carpenter ($28.50) 4. The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life Parker J ... Full Story »

Thirst; Public Enemies (Blu-Ray); Paper Heart by Bob Grimm Thirst FOCUS MOVIE A- SPECIAL FEATURES F DVD GEEK FACTOR 6 (OUT OF 10) For those of you who saw Twilight and got pissed off at the lame vampire activity, try this twisted bloodsucker film from director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). Song Kang-ho gives a haunting performance as a priest infected with vampire blood after a transfusion. Things ... Full Story »