Check out this slideshow of last week's TAMMIES 2010 concert, shot by Danni Valdez. Click here for the winners list and here for videos of some of the performances.

The last time we wrote about the lack of Republican candidates at an election forum, it was at an event organized by the Southern Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce. Democrats showed, but no Republicans.

Ken Moyes, a campaign volunteer for Frank Antenori, David Gowan and Ted Vogt, claimed the whole thing was "designed to be a setup."

Now, there's been another Republican no-show case.

According to a press released by Democrat Todd Camenisch's campaign, he was ready to debate his Republican opponent, Frank Antenori, in Sierra Vista on Sept. 22, but the forum was cancelled due to the lack of response from Republican candidates—with the exception of Vogt, who said he had a conflict that day.

Yeah, I know, that big, bad League of Women voters is just searching for ways to make Republicans look like idiots. Whatever.

Here's the press release:

Republican candidates in Legislative District 30 have given the cold shoulder to at least one public debate and possibly any future debates, which Democrat Todd Camenisch says shuts voters out of making informed decisions before they vote in the Nov. 2 general election.

Camenisch was prepared to debate Republican incumbent state Sen. Frank Antenori in Sierra Vista on Sept. 22. Camenisch was notified Thursday morning (Sept. 16) that the LD 30 forum there has been cancelled.

“Legally, we cannot hold a Forum without any opponents,” Shirley Bellamy of the League of Women Voters wrote in an email notice of the cancellation.

“Although I’ve tried to contact (Antenori and other GOP candidates) with emails and phone calls several times … I’ve gotten only one response, that from (Rep. Ted) Vogt, who declined due to other commitments,” Bellamy wrote.

News of the cancellation stunned Camenisch, who plans on being at the site of the forum, the Sierra Vista Public Library, 2600 E. Tacoma, Sept. 22 from 6 to 8:30 p.m., to meet voters.

“The Republicans are exploiting technicalities, such as the fact that the League of Women Voters cannot legally hold a forum without any opponents, to close down open debate, which is one of the basic cornerstones of democracy,” Camenisch said Thursday.

“I believe the silent treatment that the voters are getting from my opponent is an insult to voters,” Camenisch said. “This shows how little my opponent thinks of the constituents that he purportedly serves.”

Camenisch will continue to reach out to voters in LD 30. He is scheduled to appear Thursday afternoon on the John C. Scott show on local radio talk station KJLL, “The Jolt,” AM 1330, where he will discuss the debate boycott and other issues he believes are of a concern to voters.

An update of our Rialto Theatre story from earlier today: The Rio Nuevo board voted this afternoon to try to work out a new agreement with the Rialto Theatre Foundation. The two sides have until Oct. 7 to come to some kind of deal so that the foundation won’t seek protection in the bankruptcy court.

“We look forward to working with the Rio Nuevo Board to come to a better understanding of our hard work in revitalizing downtown,” says Doug Biggers, executive director of the Rialto Theatre Foundation.

My story this week, "To the Core," focuses on the city's economic troubles and the pitch for a half-cent sales tax.

One of the things that surprised me, as I researched the story: There didn't seem to be a very active campaign in favor of the tax, which voters will decide on Nov. 2.

Today, however, I got an email from Caitlin Jensen, who is managing the Keep Tucson First campaign. It looks like the campaign is getting off the ground, including a new website.

The Tucson police and firefighters unions are getting behind the tax hike, as are groups like the Pima County Interfaith Council.

It's going to leave an interesting choice for persistent council critics, such as Republican Lori Oien, who was very vocal in her support for a proposition last year that would have mandated staffing levels for police and fire. Unless the tax passes, both police and fire will face cuts, which is why both the police and fire unions are behind the effort. So does Oien back the police in this one, or does she stand with anti-tax activists like John Kromko?

Here's the release from Jensen:

Tucson’s economic crisis is real. A diverse coalition of community organizations and citizens want to Keep Tucson First when it comes to safety, quality of life and economic development and has formed to support Proposition 400, a half-cent sales tax increase that will raise $40 million a year for five years. The temporary tax was recommended by an independent committee that spent two months analyzing the budget and previous cuts. The funds will be dedicated to city departments for public safety, parks and recreation and transportation, including street maintenance and graffiti removal. The funds will be audited by an independent citizens commission.

Tucson’s economy has always been fueled by growth. The economic crisis

The LD30 House candidates debate on KUAT-TV's Arizona Illustrated.

Micah Blatt hopes the combined bar and art gallery he’s opening on Fourth Avenue will put a little bit of money in the pockets of local artists.

Mr. Head’s Art Gallery and Bar is a joint venture between Blatt and his father, David Blatt. It will fill a vacant space and patio that stretches from 509 N. Fourth Ave. to the younger Blatt’s other business, Fathead Glass, at 513 N. Fourth Ave.

Blatt said he turned glassblowing into a living by starting Fathead Glass four years ago. Now he wants to help other artists do the same through the new bar and gallery.

He won’t take a commission on artwork sold there, and he’s designing it so art in all mediums can be showcased. He'll also hold regular art walks to help draw attention to other downtown galleries.

“The inspiration for doing the bar was to give other artists a chance to make a living doing what they love,” says Blatt. “The business plan was built around building a fail-safe art gallery.”

Mr. Head's will feature a 40-foot, curvaceous glass bar that will double as a display case. The walls will be lined with art by local artists, and televisions will allow for screenings of locally produced films.

Blatt says Mr. Head's will also have the largest food selection on Fourth Avenue, although it doesn’t even have a kitchen. He's worked out deals to serve items from Chocolate Iguana, Lindy’s on Fourth, Magpies Pizza, Delectables and World Wide Wrappers. Patrons will order at the bar, and a runner will put the order in, pick it up and deliver it.

As for the bar: Expect 20 beers on tap, beer and wine.

Blatt said he's also renovating the patio area and fixing up the surrounding landscaping.

Mr. Head’s is expected to open in November.

A couple of weeks ago, Mari Herreras brought us a video interview with Tucson Meet Yourself co-founder and folklorist Big Jim Griffith.

Here's another part in that interview series, where we sit down with Tucson Meet Yourself board member and steel-drum player Richard Noel.

There’s more trouble in downtown Tucson for our friends at the Rialto Theatre Foundation.

This time, the heat is coming from the new Rio Nuevo Board, the new gang of people who were appointed to the board by Gov. Jan Brewer and Phoenix-area GOP lawmakers.

So what’s one of the board’s first actions? Targeting the one Rio Nuevo project that has succeeded in bringing hundreds of thousands of people downtown to enjoy shows and spend money—which was the whole reason the Rio Nuevo Board acquired the theatre in the first place.

Nonetheless, the Rio Nuevo Board has threatened to evict the Rialto Theatre Foundation from the Rialto Theatre unless it kicks over hundreds of thousands of dollars in “back rent” or signs a new draconian lease that would make it impossible to stay in business.

We didn’t get a phone call back from Jodi Bain or Mark Irvin, the Rio Nuevo Board members who are out in front on this one, but we did hear back from Robert Gugino, the attorney for the Rio Nuevo Board.

Gigino tells us that the Rio Nuevo Board is meeting today to discuss the Rialto situation.

“Hopefully, there’s some common ground that can be reached,” Gugino says.

It's a complicated story, but here are the basics in a nutshell: The Rialto Theatre Foundation has a 50-year lease

On Monday, Sept. 27, Govinda's will be hosting an event called Feed the World Day. From 4 to 8 p.m., the restaurant will offer a six-course vegan meal, live music, health booths, hands-on demonstrations and more. The whole event is completely free of charge.

For more information, check out Govinda's website.

This wacky GOP plot to put street people on the ballot as Green Party candidates is getting even weirder.

Now Steve May, the former Republican lawmaker who recruited the homeless candidates to run as write-in candidates, has dropped out of his race. And another Green Party candidate for the Corporation Commission may have dropped out. The Arizona Capitol Times reports:

What makes this case so unusual is the withdrawal and revocation of the withdrawal occurred almost simultaneously and with Pearcy sitting in jail, Benson said.

Benson said two people walked into the Secretary of State’s Office at 8:15 a.m. Sept. 13 to deliver Pearcy’s withdrawal paperwork.

As the staff was processing the paperwork, a signed affidavit arrived by fax two minutes later in which Pearcy stated: “I mistakenly withdrew my candidacy for the office Arizona Corporation Commissioner” under duress while incarcerated and without the “benefit of advice of counsel.”

Scottsdale police arrested Pearcy, 20, Sept. 8 and booked him on suspicion of disorderly conduct, a warrant from another jurisdiction and threatening and intimidating with injury or property damage, all misdemeanors, according to police records.

Read the whole thing here.

It all kind of sounds like Project White House, doesn't it?