Small Planet Bakery baker Aaron French talks about his experience with baking in this multimedia piece by Kellie Mejdrich, a UA School of Journalism junior.

It looks like House Speaker Kirk Adams' big tax-cut plan is on its death bed.

Mary Jo Pitzl lets us know that Senate President Bob Burns showed an admirable admission of fiscal reality:

On Monday, Burns said budget analysts estimate the state will be grappling with deficits for the next three years. If the tax cuts in the current version of HB 2250 were in place, he said, the state would need to see revenue growth of up to 24 percent a year to cover the projected deficit. That is an unrealistic growth rate, he added.

"I think we need to advance very carefully on this," Burns told senators as they met in their Republican caucus. "This is a bill with a potential tremendous impact."

Adams tweeted today that he was starting to lose hope and wanted to wrap up the session.

No longer confident Senate will pass, nor Gov sign, jobs bill with necessary tax cuts. Working towards Sine Die this week.

Cap Times reports that Burns wants to end the nonsense and get done by Thursday.

In contrast to last week's Rasmussen survey, Public Policy Polling puts Arizona Attorney General ahead of his GOP rivals in the Arizona governor's race:

The Governor's race in Arizona continues to shape up as a rare opportunity for Democrats this year to pick up a major office they don't already have control of. But although Terry Goddard still leads all of his Republican opponents in the race, incumbent Jan Brewer's position has improved a good deal since PPP last looked at the state in September.

In the most likely match up for this fall Goddard leads Brewer 47-44. That represents a tightening since Goddard held a 46-36 lead over her last fall. Partisan preferences have hardened in the wake of Brewer's signing a tough immigration bill last week. Where Brewer was getting only 59% of the Republican vote in our last poll, she's now at 73%. But Goddard has seen a similar improvement in his own party, improving from 77% of the Democratic vote to 88%. The main reason for the overall tightening is that where Brewer trailed Goddard by 12 points with independents previously, that's now just a 2 point deficit.

There has been a great deal of movement along racial lines. In the September poll Goddard had a 3 point lead with white voters, but he now trails Brewer by 8. At the same time he's increased his lead

Arizona's new immigration law got a second shot as the subject of The Word on Colbert last night.

The Daily Show tackles the last week in Arizona politics. Those nuts at the Capitol, after years of trying, have finally made the Big Leagues of Crazy. Next up: Colbert's take.

Since she picked Kobe up in early February, the puppy had been her constant companion. He’d join her for drinks on the patio at Hotel Congress and chew up maps on road trips to the beach.

“He slept with me every single night,” Schwartz says. “A total cuddler. He went everywhere with me. We were inseparable.”

So she didn’t think twice about taking Kobe along to pick up her late-night takeout order just as Chang’s closed at 11 p.m. Thursday, April 15.

It took only minutes to duck inside the restaurant and grab her food, but when she got back to her car, she saw the window had been rolled down. The car was unlocked.

Kobe was gone.

Some heartless douchebag had made off with her four-month-old puppy.

Schwartz is terrified to imagine what could be happening to Kobe.

“I feel like the kind of person who would steal a dog probably don’t understand what a dog is,” Schwartz says. “And they don’t know how to treat a dog. And that’s the part I’m really scared about. He could be hurt. And that’s what breaks my heart

Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor discusses how police officers will handle the new immigration law recently signed into law during this National Public Radio interview that aired today.

Meanwhile, San Francisco leaders call for a boycott of Arizona over the law, according to the SF Weekly's blog.

A Travel Channel spokeswoman dropped us an e-mail to confirm that Tucson will be featured in the episode of Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods scheduled to air Monday, May 17.

We already reported some months ago that Zimmern was taping an episode about the carne seca at El Charro, but the recent e-mail said the Travel Channel star also stopped by two hole-in-the wall restaurants while he was in town.

According to an entry on Zimmern’s blog he had birria at Maico’s, the tiny Mexican joint that serves up great food on Styrofoam plates at 835 E. 22nd Street; and pumpkin empanadas, tacos de cabeza and flan at Pico de Gallo at 2618 S. Sixth Ave. Both of the restaurants are fully Tucson authentic, and we applaud Zimmern’s nose for good food.

Will business at the two places go through the roof like it did after Lindy’s was featured on Man v. Food? We’re not sure yet, but that sure would be a leg up for two down-home Tucson restaurants.

A new restaurant called 47 Scott is scheduled to open next month at 47 N. Scott Ave., according to its website.

Information is scarce regarding the restaurant, but a press release says 47 Scott will debut a "comfort food" menu at the upcoming 2nd Saturdays event, which features concerts, food, performances and loads of other entertainment on Saturday, May 8.

If anyone has more information about the eatery, feel free to leave a comment or send the information to [email protected]. We're dying to know more!

Brian Metzger, who owns and operates jaxKitchen with his wife Sandy, says homegrown vegetables could be showing up on his menu as early as this summer, thanks to a new chef’s garden.

Metzger said via e-mail that the entire staff of the restaurant and Noel Patterson (formerly of Hacienda del Sol and VinTabla) pitched in to dig and plant the garden on a plot of land in Barrio Viejo. He said vegetables have been planted, and plans are being developed to integrate them into meals at the popular northwest-side eatery.

“We are really excited that we will be able to offer our guests farm-to-table food, at jaxKitchen prices!” wrote Metzger in the e-mail. “We plan on our chef Casey McQueen having a ‘chef’s garden menu’ beginning hopefully in mid-June and running throughout October which will feature whatever the earth plans … in an ever-changing combination of flavors.”

An entry on the restaurant’s website says the vegetables will be featured on a tasting menu that will change almost daily. The entry also says that pictures and news will soon be posted on a new blog focusing on the garden.

Metzger is also looking for volunteers interested in helping out with some garden work. Call 219-1235 for more information.

In related news, jaxKitchen unveils a new menu this Wednesday, and now offers al fresco dining at a couple of tables on the sidewalk in front of the eatery.