Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is getting her message out on health care. Watch it after the jump.

Giffords' GOP opponents—Jonathan Paton, Jesse Kelly, Brian Miller and Andy Goss—are scheduled to have their say with a debate on Arizona Illustrated on Tuesday, April 6.

An article from the UA's student newspaper, The Arizona Daily Wildcat, has been drawing objections from several community and student members of the campus' Hillel Foundation, reports the Arizona Jewish Post in its March 12 edition.

The Feb. 15 Wildcat article "Human Rights Violations" cites the efforts of a student group that is trying to end a contract between the UA Police Department and Motorola because of alleged ties the telecommunications company has to human-rights violations in the Gaza Strip.

From the Jewish Post:

One serious concern with the Feb. 15 “Human Rights Violations” article, which the students’ letter addressed, was that UA President Robert Shelton was misquoted, says (Hillel Executive Director Michelle) Blumenberg. Shelton was quoted in the Wildcat as saying, “I certainly haven’t made up my mind. I’m gathering information ... In terms of divesting, I also need to get some advice from council [sic], and that’s always dangerous, about what you can do as a state entity or not. The Israeli lobby has been very powerful in this country for many years.”

In an e-mail to the AJP on March 3, Shelton wrote that the article “was the result of a conversation I had with the author who never mentioned the phone discussion was an interview for an article. We discussed many issues and she chose selected comments. I add that such deception is unusual for the Wildcat, which is normally an excellent student-run publication.”

The Feb. 15 Wildcat article appeared on national listserves as a news article stating that Shelton “was supporting divestment from Israel,” says Blumenberg. “What was most upsetting was the implication that he would look at divesting but can’t because of the powerful Israel lobby.”

We couldn't find the Post's story online, but we were able to get a hold of the PDFs, which can be seen here and here.

Here's some good news on the state park front. Details below, courtesy of Arizona State Parks public information officer Ellen Bilbrey.

Santa Cruz County Will Operate Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

Arizona State Parks and Santa Cruz County announced today that Tubac Presidio State Historic Park will not close as planned on Monday, March 29. Executive Director Renee Bahl and County Manager Greg Lucero have come to an agreement that the County will be able to take over the management of the park.

"We are finalizing the Intergovernmental Agreement to keep the State Park open for at least another year," said Bahl. "Our County Supervisors were extremely supportive of keeping this park operating and they will ratify their commitment to keep Arizona's first State Park open with this Agreement," said Lucero.

"Through this process we have witnessed something truly remarkable. Our County Supervisors, State Parks, and the community of Tubac worked collaboratively to save Arizona's treasure, the place where Arizona started. We have much to celebrate today," said Shaw Kinsley, President of the Tubac Historical Society.

You may have heard that state Rep. Daniel Patterson (D-Tucson) was removed from his seat on the House Committee on Military Affairs and Public Safety earlier this month.

Well, we at Tucson Weekly TV have tracked down the video for your viewing pleasure, so you can see first-hand the terse March 17 exchange between Patterson and Sen. Russell Pierce. The two were discussing SB 1027, a pilot program which would install small seismic sensors to detect illegal border crossers.

As an aside, if a Joe Biden gaffe can sell T-shirts, than these gems from the video can too:

I made the case for government funding for the arts on Arizona Illustrated last night. Watch it after the jump.

Thomas Betlach, the director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, has some bad news for Gov. Jan Brewer: The estimated cost of the new health-care reform package for the state of Arizona is $11.6 billion over between fiscal years 2011 and 2020.

In a statement, Brewer called the costs "staggering."

That cost includes restoring the huge cuts to AHCCCS and KidsCare that lawmakers made earlier this month to balance the budget. That funding has to be restored, according to Betlach's analysis, in order to remain eligible for federal Medicare funding.

Arizona is a victim of the generosity of voters, who expanded health-care coverage to everyone below the federal poverty level with the Healthy Arizona initiative in 2000. Had voters not expanded coverage, the additional costs to the state would have been roughly $860 million less a year, according to Betlach.

Read Betlach's analysis yourself here.

• NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

The latest batch of pics from the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab's HiRISE camera in orbit around Mars can be found here, including this shot of Melas Chasma.

HiRISE team member Cathy Weitz tells us:

This subimage shows layering in a light-toned deposit in Melas Chasma.

The layers are sedimentary in origin, but there are many processes that could have deposited them, such as volcanic airfall from explosive eruptions, or dust-size particles settling out of the atmosphere due to cyclic changes, and deposition in standing bodies of water.

By looking at the slopes in the layers and how the

UA lecturer Beth Alvarado and several UA alumni have been published in Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk and Hope.

Rutgers University Press

$23.95, 224 pages

edited by Luke and Jennifer Reynolds

Contributions from 46 authors, including UA alumni Sherwin Bitsu, Robert Boswell, Ann Cummins and Peter Turchi.

Summary (from Rutgers University Press):

Life’s changes. They happen every day. Some large, some small. A few are very personal. Others impact the world. Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk, and Hope includes original and inspiring essays that celebrate the glories gained from taking risks, breaking down barriers, and overcoming any obstacles.

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, a gallery of O.Henry award recipients, and many best-selling authors come together to share personal and compelling challenges and experiences. From contemplations on past drug use to reflections on gun control, social justice, passion and its sacrifices, and adventures such as skydiving, mountain climbing, and golfing, the topics vary greatly. This kaleidoscopic anthology is a commentary on the lives of prominent literary artists and ordinary citizens who have made simple, yet powerful choices that provoked change in one’s self and for humanity—much the same way that Luke and Jennifer Reynolds do by building this invaluable collection for readers and the world of human rights.

The following event (listed on page 27 in the print issue) has been cancelled.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH FLUTE RECITAL
PCC Center for the Arts. 2202 W. Anklam Road. 206-6986.
A flute recital by local musician Christopher Smith features pieces by Debussy, Bach, Taffanel, Hindemith and Briccialdi at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 28. $6, with discounts available. Call, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.pima.edu/cfa for more information.