Here are a few events that were received too late for inclusion in our print issue.

• Saturday, May 19 from 4 to 7 p.m.

  Santa Rita Park

  Third Avenue and 20th Street

  Block Party. Enjoy a free block party with food, games and giveaways. Visit www.santaritapark.blogspot.com for info.

• Saturday, May 19 from 7 to 10 p.m.

  Bohemia

  299 S. Park Ave.

  2nd Home. Artist Molly Phoenix presents her new exhibit of stained glass work. Music will be performed by Combo Westside, and Amita will bellydance. Free. Call 882-0800 for info.

• Sunday, May 20 at 1 p.m.

  Mission Palms Clubhouse

  951 W. Orange Grove Road

  Card-Making Workshop. Create your own greeting cards in two hours with rubber stamps and supplies. Beginners and experienced crafters welcome. $10. Call 780-4247 for info.

• Wednesday, May 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

  Community Church of the Foothills

  480 E. Ina Road

  Yoga Workshop. Learn a gentle, physical practice for beginners. Free. Call 792-6585 for info.

For all you basketball fans out there—and more importantly, for all you Suns fans out there—tonight may not end in a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire have been suspended from game 5 for stepping onto the court from the bench in reaction to Robert Horry blatantly and purposely shafting Steve Nash. It's unbelievable that a single step can result in a player's absence in an entire playoff game. Without Stoudemire’s offensive skills, the Suns are doomed against the height of Tim Duncan. 

Tonight’s game may throw a wrench into the outcome of this series, and I really hope the Suns don’t lose to the Spurs. Nobody likes Tony Parker and Tim Duncan anyways!

Former Star reporter and current Weekly contributor Michael Marizco has some more bad news about police officers in Mexico on his blog:

Twelve police officers of the local police and Federal Preventive Police were kidnapped last night from the northern Sonora town of Cananea, federal sources say.

A Mexican Army depot in that city was also raided after a convoy of 25 trucks entered the city and lifted the officers.

Four bodies have been recovered so far and two more returned, badly beaten but alive. 

Click on the link above for more info.

This week's Skinny--available online shortly!--mentions that House Speaker Jim Weiers had given up negotiating with Senate President Tim Bee and was going to try to get his House budget passed. We said that he might have trouble doing that--and sho nuff, he did. Yesterday, the House budget went down to defeat, with 27 yea votes and 31 nays.

Weiers had trouble from both both ends of his caucus--the far-right crowd thought it spent too much, while the far-left crowd thought it spent too little. One top of that, the Democrats held together in opposition.

This is the end result of last year's election, when Democrats gained seats in both the House and the Senate.

What's next? We hear that Bee will easily pass his budget in the Senate. What happens to the Senate budget in the House is anyone's guess, but one of our more reliable sources thinks it will pass with few changes. And then, once they wrap up a few outstanding details, it's Sine Die.

(A few days ago, one of our posters asked what "Sine Die" meant. As I recall from all those years of high-school Latin, it means "Let's get the hell out of here, already." Scholars in the audience, feel free to weigh in.)

It appears Congress may be close to resolving a major sticking point regarding immigration reform: What to do about the 12 million--or more--illegal immigrants now in the country. Although one wing of the GOP will call anything that allows them to have even temporary legal status "amnesty" (we're looking your way, Russell Pearce), it appears that the Senate bill will likely be similar to U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake's STRIVE Act, which would force undocumented workers to pay a $500 fine to allow them to stay in the United States for up to six years. If they don't have a criminal record, they can start on a path of citizenship if they return to their home countries to start the paperwork--and go to the back of the line.

Nicole Gaouette of the Los Angeles Times tells us:

WASHINGTON -- With a deadline looming to craft an accord on immigration reform, a bipartisan group of senators has agreed that their final compromise should immediately grant legal status to all illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.

But disagreements still cloud overall progress and as senators met for a final, potentially decisive session later today, some questioned whether they would be able to reach a compromise.

"I'm still not sure we're going to reach an agreement," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), on his way to a Republican strategy session before the bipartisan group met. He said one problem was that Democrats continually reopen issues that Republicans considered settled.

Sheriff Joe wants Paris Hilton to serve time in Tent City. OMG, that would be so sick!

It's well-known that Beltway media elites and the Bush administration are extraordinarily chummy (see the sickening display that was MC Rove, for instance), but who knew they rocked together as well?

Tonight, in an historic first, the pampered dandies of the networks, represented by CBS' Bob Schieffer, and his Honkytonk Confidential outfit, will take on administration spokesfucker Tony Snow and Beats Workin' in a battle of the bands that will likely focus more on the audience's (and indeed, the bands') endurance than on songcraft or charisma.

The National Press Club is hosting the event, and tickets are a mere $50 for members and $60 for non-members.

The real reason for this post, however, is to mock the pitiful skills of Beats Workin's Web designer (undoubtedly one of the chumps in the band). Check out the obsessive use of "And More!" on Beats Workin's "Songs Lists" page (a theme you'll find repeated on the Honky Tonk Confidential home page [scroll down to the red (!) typeface under the second photo]). Beats Workin' also misapprehend the lyrics to "All Along The Watchtower" on their "Contact Us" page, thus creating an alternate reality where the wildcat does not, in fact, growl, making the whole scene a lot less menacing.

Democrat Rodney Glassman, who is seeking to replace retiring Ward 2 Councilwoman Carol West, turned in his nominating petitions today--which is the first day the city is accepting the paperwork. As you'd expect of such a go-getter, Rodney turned in the maximum 767 signatures.

Team Glassman also notes that fundraising efforts continue. Rodney is striving to collect roughly $45,000--which is about the maximum allowed under the city's matching-funds program--in the form of $20 checks. He says he's raised $33,500 so far and is the only candidate to have already qualified for matching funds.

Glassman may face a primary challenge from Democrat Robert Reus, who recently announced his candidacy. The winner of the Sept. 11 Democratic primary will face Republican Lori Oien.

More in this week's Skinny.

I gotta say: I've been pretty disappointed in The Sopranos in recent years. Some folks love David Chase's deliberate storytelling; I'm finding it slow-paced. Too many storylines are abandoned before they're fleshed out, and too many new characters have been crowding the show at the expense of those we've come to know and loathe.

I still wish they'd turn the screws a little tighter as we come to the end of this television epic, but last night's episode was riveting, from the resolution of Tony's problems with Christopher to the fear and loathing in Las Vegas. And they topped it off with Calexico's "Minas de Cobre," so how can I kvetch?

The Lord is much with us these days, with skirmishes betweens believers and heathens getting a lot of attention in the media.

The most idiotic moment this week? We'd vote for Nightline's "no-holds barred battle over the existence of God" between former child star Kirk Cameron and a pair of sarcastic athiests. Slate has a laugh-out-loud summary.