• Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, 1978, one of four screenprints on Bristol Strathmore paper (c) 2009 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York The name, image, and likeness of Muhammad Ali appears courtesy of Muhammad Ali Enterprises, LLC. Bank of America Collection

Eric Firestone may have had to shut down that swank gallery he was running on North Sixth Avenue (and if you missed any of those openings, you missed out more than just a mechanical riding bull and great hot dogs from Guero Cañelo). But it looks like he's doing OK out in the Hamptons with that Dylan show he debuted here. From the New York Post:

The sleepy East Hampton art scene will get a major jolt tomorrow when Eric Firestone opens his gallery with "Warhol, From Dylan to Duchamp," featuring 150 behind-the-scenes photos of Warhol at work. The real showstoppers are two dozen never-before-seen shots of Andy in a 10-gallon hat filming his 1968 wild, gay Western, "Lonesome Cowboys," in the Arizona desert. Expected at the opening are Warhol superstars Taylor Mead, Viva and Jane Holzer, Lou Reed, fashion designer Betsey Johnson, plus lensmen Michael Halsband, Anton Perich and Patrick McMullan. Who won't be there? Director and one-time Warhol collaborator Paul Morrissey, who, when invited, groused, "Andy never shot anything, I did it all. He just stood around the camera and posed." Septuagenarian Sylvia Miles, who went to so many parties in the 1970s it was said she'd attend the opening of an envelope, demanded to be paid to show up. Sylvia, don't you know we're in a recession?

By the way, you're running out of time to see the great Warhol show at the Tucson Museum of Art. Details here.

Two years ago, Painted Hills neighbors were fighting a subdivision proposal with the potential to destroy about half of the saguaros that dot those beautiful hills you drive past on your way to Gates Pass.

On Tuesday, June 8, those same neighbors are asking for lots of bodies to show up at a Tucson City Council meeting to help prevent the council from approving an annexation request made by the developers that would help the development get the water it needs through Tucson Water. The city council meeting takes place at 255 W. Alameda, at 1 p.m.

Here's the announcement:

Please share the news of this pivotal meeting with your friends and family who care about preserving the balance between the Sonoran Desert and human impact on it. Urge anyone you know who hikes, bikes, or sustainably lives in the Tucson Mountains to attend this meeting on Tuesday, June 8 at 1pm at City Hall.

Painted Hills is a beautiful part of the west side. It is almost 300 acres and is located between Anklam Road and Speedway Boulevard as you drive into town. These roads have been designated scenic routes by Pima County. Residents twice voted for bonds to purchase this property, and although the County tried to buy the land, the owner sold it to a developer. The developer has asked for annexation to assure water service. The City Council is considering annexing the land due to a Notice of Claim by the developer. The County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 0 to oppose the annexation.

Unfortunately, the proposed site plan with 250 houses impacts: 1) 50% of the 10,000 saguaros, 2) important riparian areas, 3) wildlife corridors, 4) our community view shed, and 5) some peaks and ridges. The City Council has voted twice after holding executive sessions to move forward with annexation proceedings (first with a 5 to 2 vote and then with a 4 to 3 vote). Paul Cunningham, the new member on the Council, has asked for reconsideration at the June 8th Council meeting. Painted Hills is listed as the first topic on the agenda, which starts at 1:00 p.m. Regina Romero, Ward 1 representative for the west side, has been a strong advocate for preserving Painted Hills, but we need to pack the hall for that meeting on June 8 so we can get the votes against annexation. We can get the "no" vote on annexation with your help.

UA journalism student Chen Ziniu introduces us to Steve Temple, the owner of 4 Ropin Ranch in Marana. Temple coaches and practices team roping at his ranch.

From New York Daily News:

Artists who painted a mural at an elementary school in Prescott depicting four students, with the most prominent being a Hispanic boy, were asked to lighten the faces amid taunts and tensions.

You can find the whole story here. It also ran in the Boston Herald and God knows how many blogs.

This quote from Prescott City Councilman Steve Blair struck me as especially embarrassing:

"I am not a racist individual," Blair said on a radio show last month, "but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who's president of the United States today and based upon the history of this community, when I grew up we had four black families—who I have been very good friends with for years—to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'"

I fell in love with Arizona because of its cultural abundance. It's a shame that newspaper readers all over the country are being given every reason to believe this state is run by people who ignorantly categorize people based on the color of their skin.

After being hammered as a porker by Sen. John McCain, Republican opponent J.D. Hayworth strikes back with a new ad.

Arizona Spotlight's Mark McLemore and Christopher Conover were kind enough to invite me to talk about the upcoming political season on KUAZ radio today. Listen to it here.

Democrat Rodney Glassman, the former Tucson City Council member who is seeking the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican John McCain, has announced the name of his bus:

Your votes have been tallied, and the RV Naming Contest has a winner:

RVive Arizona

The winning entry was submitted by Andrew Feldman from Phoenix. Andrew will be joining Rodney and members of the campaign team on the RV to attend Netroots Nation in Las Vegas next month.

Spirit of Arizona and Fed-Up Express finished in second and third.

Help us send RVive Arizona throughout the state with your donation!

With your help the Glassman campaign and RVive Arizona will

• Cricket on Flagstaff's Schultz Creek Trail

I was just telling y'all about how cool Flagstaff is the other day. Now Life magazine names it No. 5 on its list of underrated cities in the Western U.S.:

"People think Arizona is desert and cactus. Flagstaff is mountains and forests and clear skies," Tamony says. Here: "the world's coolest hotel, the Monte Vista."

Get rid of some old crap and help the planet: Tucson Clean and Beautiful and the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, et al, are teaming up to recycle your old TVs, CD players and whatnot. Details after the jump: