Catfish po' boys, pulled-pork sandwiches, burgers, fish tacos and bánh mi sandwiches are what you'll find at the new 17th Street Grill at the 17th Street Market. It's not open today, but the new mobile kitchen (which also does catering) will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

Here's the menu.

Pamela Powers at Tucson Progressive made a great video at the Democratic Party volunteer party at Club Congress on Sunday, Oct. 24, of Salvador Duran.

Local writer Andrea Hernandez Holm has had a story published in the anthology Wisdom of Our Mothers from Familia Books ($14.95, 296 pages).

Summary (from a press release):

The mothers profiled in the stories are human. Their virtues are balanced by their flaws, and in some cases, the lessons learned from those flaws form the basis of the story. The anthology explores maternal wisdom in various categories: emotional, relationship, and practical skills; virtues, humor, and heritage.

In Andrea Hernandez Holm's chapter, "Prayers and Other Ofrendas" she writes about the lessons of faith and humility taught by her mother's example. Born and raised in the desert of central Arizona, Andrea is a writer of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. She is a keeper of stories and a teller of stories, most of her writing focusing on the exploration of identity.

Author Bio (from author's website):

Born and raised in the desert of central Arizona, Andrea is a writer of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. She is a keeper of stories and a teller of stories, most of her writing focusing on the exploration of identity.

New video from Phoenix's Dennis Gilman on our incoherent Gov. Jan Brewer.

The Phoenix New Times named Gilman best videographer in 2009, and for good reason. Check out his other videos on his YouTube channel Humanleague002.

The state has executed convicted murderer Jeffrey Landrigan.

From The Associated Press report:

Arizona has executed Jeffrey Landrigan for a 1989 murder in the state’s first execution since 2007.

Landrigan died by injection at a state prison in Florence at 10:29 p.m. Tuesday after a stay issued by a federal judge was lifted by the U.S. Supreme Court. That stay was based on questions about the effectiveness of the state’s supply of an execution drug in short supply.

Arizona obtained a supply of the sedative drug sodium thiopental from Great Britain.

The American Friends Service Committee, Private Corrections Working Group, UA Latino Law Students Association, and St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church have organized a series of private prison hearings across the state that kick off tomorrow in Tucson at Pima Community College, Downtown Campus at 1255 N. Stone Ave., in the Amethyst Room from 6 to 8 p.m., moderated by yours truly, Mari Herreras.

The public is invited to present testimony, but the AFSC has also invited representatives from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Corrections Corporation of America (expected to build a new prison in Tucson) and Management and Training Corporation (which manages the Marana Community Correctional Treatment Facility). Word is no one has responded from those organizations, but AFSC organizers know the following presenters will be there to provide critical information on the private prison industry: Stephen Nathan, editor of Prison Privatization Report International; Joe Glen, spokesman for Maricopa and Pima Juvenile Corrections Associations; Brent White, UA law professor; Jim Sanders, real estate appraiser; Susan Maurer, retired corrections commissioner from New Jersey; and Victoria Lopez, from ACLU of Arizona.

The hearing will include the following community leaders who will hear testimony and ask questions: Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias; Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik; Assistant Tucson City Manager Richard Miranda; Representative Phil Lopes; and Mark Kimble, former associate editor of the Tucson Citizen.

If you plan to attend and present testimony be sure to bring a copy of your remarks to enter into the record. The hearings will be video recorded to present to the state Legislature and the governor.

From an AFSC press release:

The shocking escapes from the privately-operated Kingman prison and the resulting murder of an elderly couple in New Mexico have raised significant questions about the role of prison privatization in Arizona. The prison’s security system malfunctioned for so long that staff simply ignored the alarms. Facility staff were inexperienced and poorly trained, and did not notice the missing prisoners until long after they had left the property. In the wake of the escapes, elected officials called for legislative hearings to be held to look in to the problems that led to the security breaches and to examine the role of for-profit incarceration in our state. Yet no hearings are scheduled and critical questions remain unanswered.

In the interest of government accountability, integrity of our corrections system, and public safety, the American Friends Service Committee and its partners are initiating a series of public hearings on prison privatization to be held around the state this fall.

This just in from campaign central for Penny Kotterman: Republican state Sen. Carolyn Allen of Scottsdale is endorsing the Democratic superintendent of public instruction candidate:

Now more than ever, during the difficult and challenging time Arizona now faces, a candidate has stepped forward with the skill set and on-the-ground experience teaching in classrooms in the Arizona public education system. That candidate is Penny Kotterman. Penny Kotterman is a natural choice for Arizona and I want to raise my voice in support for her campaign.

Penny chose teaching as a career and worked tirelessly to improve our public education system. Penny Kotterman and I have worked together on many education issues during my time in the legislature. We both believe education is the foundation upon which Arizona must stand to be competitive in this fast-moving new-technology world developing all across this country. Penny understands from her own personal experiences the need to stretch every possible public education dollar to enable Arizona’s children to compete for their future and ours. Senator Huppenthal, during his time in office, has repeatedly demonstrated his intention to distribute our scarce tax dollars to the religious school system. This office these candidates are running to fill is the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Remember that when you mark your ballot.

• Kyl, McClung & McCain LLC

The Huffington Post took a glimpse at Ruth McClung's campaign against U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva, and the extra help she's getting from John McCain, which includes some office space (of course, don't forget the ad for McClung with Jon Kyl and McCain in formal undertaker wear). You can read the entire post here, and a snippet below:

John McCain, lacking a viable challenger in his Arizona Senate race, has picked a proxy and is waging war against a longtime thorn in his side, Rep. Raul Grijalva, by cutting an ad for and sharing office space with Grijalva's challenger, Ruth McClung.

While polls have shown Grijalva's race to be a tight one despite the overwhelming Democratic registration advantage in the district, Washington operatives have expressed confidence in his ability to prevail largely because McClung isn't seen as having the type of ground operation needed to get out the vote. But McCain certainly does have one. And even if McCain doesn't fully hand over his entire apparatus to McClung, as long as he vigorously turns out Republicans in the district, they can reliably be presumed to be McClung supporters.

Without McCain, McClung, a 28-year-old newcomer to politics, has essentially no campaign operation. On Monday, HuffPost called the main headquarters number listed on McClung's website and reached volunteer activist Beth Schmugge at her home. Schmugge explained that the campaign had no office space until recently and that she was volunteering to answer the phone when someone called. Reports the campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission confirm that no money has been spent on rent and otherwise details very meager spending. McClung's mother, Gini Crawford, is acting as her campaign manager and the campaign has reimbursed her for modest campaign expenses. ...

And McCain is now sharing office space with Grijalva's opponent, subletting a chunk of his Tucson headquarters to the cash-strapped campaign of novice candidate Ruth McClung.

A McClung spokesman says that the campaign is reimbursing McCain for the office space in order to stay within campaign finance rules, but Grijalva's backers wonder how much of McCain's ground network is now at the disposal of McClung.

Local author Iris Arnesen's new book, Nine Famous Operas: What's Really Going On, has been published by McFarland and Company ($35, 202 pages).

Summary (from publisher):

Opera, for those not acquainted with its conventions, can be confounding. This book contains analyses of the stories and music of nine beloved operas, presented in chronological order from the late 1700s through the early 1900s. These works are most readily approached with an understanding of the conventions of the genres, as well as the social conditions that influenced the composers and librettists. In examining each work, the various genres are explained, and the popular and intellectual movements that influenced the operas are discussed, as well as the original source material. The operas covered in the text are Mozart's The Magic Flute, Beethoven's Fidelio, Donizetti's Lucia de Lammermoor, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, Verdi's Rigoletto, Bizet's Carmen, Leonvacallo's Pagliacci, Strauss' Salome, and Brecht's The Threepenny Opera.

Author Bio (from publisher):

Iris J. Arnesen is a former CPA and currently an accounting manager for a multi-state firm. She is a lecturer on opera and the editor of The Opera Glass, a performing arts periodical covering opera, theatre, dance, and concert music.

My wife, who isn't (to her credit) a colossal nerd, doesn't really understand why I would be excited for a sequel to Tron.

I haven't even seen the original in a really long time, but I really was into the video game adaptation which included gripping interactive versions of the film's lightbikes and something with creepy digital spiders. I'm apparently wildly gripped by mistaken nostalgia and a love for French electro-dance-pop, so the new trailer/Daft Punk music video for Tron Legacy is an exciting development for a Tuesday.

Tron: Daft Punk Music Montage

Trailer Park Movies | Myspace Video

Tron Legacy hits theaters on December 17th.