Herb Stratford, exec director of the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, is stepping down next month. Stratford, who led the charge to rehab the historic movie palace, sent out an e-mail on Monday, March 24, that reads in part:

Hello everyone -

I am sorry for the mass email, but I wanted to share a change with you. As

of April 25th I will no longer be at the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation.

After nearly 10 years of work on the Fox project it is now time to move on

to other opportunities. A public announcement will be made Thursday or

Friday but as you are all friends I wanted you to know first of my plans.

I plan on staying in Tucson and finding other creative activities to keep

me busy for years to come.

You've only got one week to get over the Loft Cinema to see the the ultimate version of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, director Ridley Scott's exploration of humanity, violence and robots set in a gorgeously dystopian future. Plus, cold beer and good pizza! What are you waiting for?

I got a good laugh this a.m. when a dear friend sent me the link to the cover story of the most recent New York Magazine dated March 24, 2008. 

Then later, I was researching a different subject and stumbled on CBS.com only to find an article called, "Things You Didn't Know About Your Penis."

Since I don't have a penis, I never knew that a guy could break his penis. That sounds painful. While the article was informative, the comments are hysterical.

Here's a message from Benny Hill about the third monthly eating event:

"Our third monthly meeting will be March 22 at Jack's Original BBQ (5250 E. 22nd St.) starting at 5:30 p.m.

As you can see from our MySpace page, we've generated plenty of interest over our first two months: (1) nearly 2,200 viewers of our profile; (2) over 500 readers of our blog, and (3) almost 450 members of our friend list."

Contact Benny at [email protected] if you're interested in eating BBQ with Benny and friends.

I hate Web sites where you have to login to read the blog. I'm never that interested to continue.

An all-new issue of the Weekly is online and ready for you to devour (lovingly and thoughtfully, of course).

Feel free to comment on the issue's contents here. And here's this week's online Ask a Mexican!

Those wonderful folks at the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, led by Carolyn Campbell, are hosting a free public forum on Thursday, March 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Oro Valley Public Library. The topic, "Wildlife Linkages: Opportunities and Challenges," will examine the need for connectivity between natural areas to protect wildlife.

According to a press release sent by the organization, the wildlife movement coridor between the Catalina and Tortolita mountains will be discussed. The event will also look at how land-use planning, transportation corridors, and public and private landowners can play a part in preserving wildlife linkages.

"Maintaing biological diversity and a healthy Sonoran Desert is a goal shared by many citizens of Tucson," Campbell says in the press release. "In order to do so, we must preserve large areas of key lands between the mountain ranges surrounding the community so that wildlife such as mountain lions and black bears will not disappear locally."

"This need takes on an amount of urgency as development plans emerge that threaten the remaining wildlife linkage between the Catalina and Totolita mountains, namely the 9,000 acres of State Trust Land immediately north of Oro Valley."

The forum is free, open to the public, and--the best thing--just the first in a series the Coalition has organized. The next will be held in Green Valley. Date to be announced. To learn more, call 388-9925 or go to www.sonorandesert.org.

We got a rather lengthy—and comma-packed—press release today about a group of UA students who are forming a local chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. The release begins:

STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY ON CAMPUS CHAPTER FORMS AT UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Members of the University of Arizona community, concerned about their ability to defend themselves against spree-killers and common criminals, alike, have banded together to form a local chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national organization that advocates allowing concealed carry by licensed individuals, on-campus, much as they already do elsewhere.

"If people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons do so without incident in malls and movie theaters and churches," explained James Knitter, a physiology sophomore and the group's organizer, "then why should these same people be disarmed on-campus? After the shooting at NIU and the subsequent introduction of SB 1214, it was time to take a stand for what I believe in: our rights as Americans and our natural God-given right to defend ourselves, a duty that falls squarely on the individual.”

The group's activity to date has largely been in support of SB 1214, a bill in the Arizona Senate which would allow people with permits to carry concealed weapons (CCW) at the state's universities. Oklahoma's state House recently passed a similar measure, and Utah adopted one in 2007.

"I have been speaking with fellow students and writing/calling legislators," said Pete Stephenson, a junior majoring in Physics, whose activity has been typical. "At all times I am polite and reasonable when discussing the issue with others."

The group is planning further activity, including empty-holster protests and distribution of literature. Whether they will seek status as an officially recognized University club is uncertain.

Ben Kalafut, a Physics graduate student serving as the group's press secretary stated, "If SB 1214 passes and avoids the governor's veto, this issue could be settled by the end of the

semester. If it doesn't, or if Governor Napolitano turns this into a dragged-out battle, we'll stick around until we enjoy the same rights as everyone else in the state."

Organized opposition efforts, including a letter-writing campaign by the Young Democrats, have been taking place for several weeks. John Luiten, a CCW-licensed staff-member of the Computer Science department, who legally kept a rifle in his dorm while studying as a UA graduate student in the 1980s, explains SCCC's delay:

"We handle things ourselves...we don't parade our victimhood and band together in displays of identity politics. In short, our ilk made this country. And when we are gone, this country will be unmade even faster."

"Waiting so long to organize means we missed some opportunities," remarked Kalafut." The Board of Regents took a bizarre position on SB1214. It appears, at first glance, that they favored symbolic 'nurturing' over the safety of students and employees, but when we look to statements they made to the press, it seems as though they didn't fully understand the bill, or the issue. Were we organized and on our toes, things may have played out differently."

Continued Kalafut, "Someone needs to stand up for facts over fear. Lone voices simply aren't loud enough to counter UAPD’s Sergeant Mejia and Chief Daykin, when they make what amounts to false statements to the Legislature and the press. Instead of calling their counterparts at Colorado State to ask about the realities of concealed carry on campus, they crafted made-up answers based on fear, uncertainty and doubt.. That's grossly unprofessional, but instead of being taken to task for it, they were treated as authoritative!"

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War--a war that Americans are fighting because of rumors of weapons of mass destruction, when none were ever found.

The New York Times does a great job of covering various aspects of this war on this fifth anniversary. Read the article in its entirety.

As of March 15, 29,395 U.S. soldiers have been killed or wounded. By the time you read this blog post, more will have died. I hate the word "casualities." That's an insurance term. I don't think there's anything casual about life or death.

So far the war has cost $650 billion, and if we continue for another five years, the cost will be at least $2 trillion. Don't we have more meaningful things to spend that money on?

According to a poll of 1,012 registered voters taken March 7-10, 33 percent of you still approve of how Bush is handling the war; 62 percent of you don't; and 5 percent are not sure.

Of that 62 percent of you who are unhappy--and even the 5 percent who aren't sure--I'm hoping that you can come to a peace vigil on Wednesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. 

Thousands will gather nationwide at candlelight vigils to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In addition to honoring the fallen, let's send a clear message in this sinking economy: It's time to end the war, and start using the billions wasted every week on the Iraq occupation to help people in our own communities.

Bring dripless candles, a flashlight or glow stick and considering bringing extras to share.

There are two MoveOn.org peace vigils here in Tucson. If you're downtown, go the Federal Building at 5:30 p.m.

If you live in Midtown, Eastside, Foothills, etc., there's one in Midown in front of the Benedictine Monastery at 800 N. Country Club Road at 7 p.m.

RSVP here or just show up and bring your friends and family. Take a stand!

See you there.

Tucson's spring-training season is behind in the count! With the Chicago White Sox planning a move to Glendale and the Colorado Rockies looking for $20 million to $30 million in improvements at Hi Corbett Field, Pima County is in danger of losing our month of Major-League Baseball. Tucson Weekly TV asked Captain Earthman how he feels about the possibility that the Rockies may be leaving town.

What was looking like another unchallenged election season for the Pima County Board of Supervisors changed when former Pima County Democratic Party chair Donna Branch-Gilby announced her intention to run against Supervisor Sharon Bronson. Then last week, Republican Barney Brenner, who lost to Bronson in 2000, decided to join the fray as the GOP opponent. 

This week, the Tucson Weekly learned that Bronson may not be the only candidate facing a challenge this election. Former two-term Tucson City Councilman and legislator Bruce Wheeler says he's giving serious consideration to take on Richard Elias.

Wheeler says there is an intentional plan by local Democrats and other activists to find three candidates to run against the three existing Democratic supervisors. Branch-Gilby is one, and if Wheeler decides to move forward, he'd be the second tapped to challenge another county incumbent.

"There's been discussion of the severe disappointment in the Democratic supervisors," Wheeler says. "Election integrity issues are primary concerns obviously, but the Democratic board has approved every bond and tax proposal... Financial integrity is an issue, too."

Finding a third candidate to run against Ramon Valadez is key to helping Wheeler decide if he's ready to return to politics and take on Elias. Anyone out there interested in completing this trifecta?