While it might not be long until you can hunt wild game within city limits, at least for now, at least Arizona doesn't have a gun as an official symbol of the state. But thanks to HB0219, if it gets through their Senate, Utah will!

22 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
23 Section 1. Section 63G-1-601 is amended to read:
24 63G-1-601. State symbols.
25 (1) Utah's state animal is the elk.
26 (2) Utah's state bird is the sea gull.
27 (3) Utah's state centennial astronomical symbol is the Beehive Cluster located in the

28 constellation of Cancer the Crab.
29 (4) Utah's state centennial star is Dubhe, one of the seven bright stars composing the
30 Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major.
31 (5) Utah's state centennial tartan, which honors the first Scots known to have been in
32 Utah and those Utahns of Scottish heritage, shall have a pattern or repeating-half-sett of
33 white-2, blue-6, red-6, blue-4, red-6, green-18, red-6, and white-4 to represent the tartan worn
34 anciently by the Logan and Skene clans, with the addition of a white stripe.
35 (6) Utah's state cooking pot is the dutch oven.
36 (7) Utah's state emblem is the beehive.
37 (8) Utah's state firearm is the Browning model M1911 automatic pistol.
38 [(8)] (9) Utah's state fish is the Bonneville cutthroat trout.
39 [(9)] (10) Utah's state flower is the sego lily.
40 [(10)] (11) Utah's state folk dance is the square dance, the folk dance that is called,
41 cued, or prompted to the dancers and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, and
42 heritage dances.
43 [(11)] (12) Utah's state fossil is the Allosaurus.
44 [(12)] (13) Utah's state fruit is the cherry.
45 [(13)] (14) Utah's state vegetable is the Spanish sweet onion.
46 [(14)] (15) Utah's historic state vegetable is the sugar beet.
47 [(15)] (16) Utah's state gem is topaz, as is prominently found in the Thomas Mountain
48 Range in Juab County, Utah.
49 [(16)] (17) Utah's state grass is Indian rice grass.
50 [(17)] (18) Utah's state hymn is "Utah We Love Thee" by Evan Stephens.
51 [(18)] (19) Utah's state insect is the honeybee.
52 [(19)] (20) Utah's state mineral is copper.
53 [(20)] (21) Utah's state motto is "Industry."
54 [(21)] (22) Utah's state railroad museum is Ogden Union Station.
55 [(22)] (23) Utah's state rock is coal.
56 [(23)] (24) Utah's state song is "Utah This is the Place" by Sam and Gary Francis.
57 [(24)] (25) Utah's state tree is the blue spruce.

FYI, below the cut is a list of the Arizona legislators who are sponsoring HB 2544, which will require the all of the following for presidental and vice-presidental candidates:

1. An original long form birth certificate that includes the date and place of birth, the names of the hospital and the attending physician and signatures of the witnesses in attendance.

2. A sworn statement attesting that the candidate has not held dual or multiple citizenship and that the candidate's allegiance is solely to the United States of America.

3. A sworn statement or form that identifies the candidate's places of residence in the United States for the preceding fourteen years.

C. If both the candidate and the national political party committee for that candidate fail to submit and swear to the documents prescribed in this section, the secretary of state shall not place that presidential candidate's name on the ballot in this state.

Worth noting, possibly, is the list of House Republicans who are not currently sponsoring the bill (no Democrat is a sponsor): Speaker Kirk Adams, Cecil P. Ash, Kate Brophy McGee, Heather Carter, Steve Court, Tom Forese, Russ Jones, Frank Pratt, Amanda Reeve, Bob Robson, Michelle Ugenti, Ted Vogt, Jerry Weiers, and Vic Williams. The Senate Republicans who are not sponsors: Nancy Barto, Rich Crandall, Alan Driggs, John McCormish, Michele Reagan.

A story on Fox News began circulating yesterday that an Islamic martyr book documenting those who died as suicide bombers was found in the middle of the desert by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Casa Grande sector.

Considering some past reports about prayer rugs and such have gone unsubstantiated, the Tucson Weekly asked Border Patrol for comment, and our calls were referred to Washington, D.C., and the Department of Homeland Security.

A DHS official e-mailed and confirmed that such a book was found, but no additional details were released. They also issued the following statement:

“At this time, DHS does not have any credible information on terrorist groups operating along the Southwest border. One of the Department’s primary mission it to guard our nation’s borders from exploitation by terrorists and criminal organizations. In the past two years, DHS has committed unprecedented personnel, technology, and infrastructure to our SW Border. Today, the Border Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its 86-year history, having doubled the number of agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 20,500 in 2010. ICE has doubled the number of personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces, increased the number of intelligence analysts along the Southwest border and now has quarter of all its personnel in the Southwest border region — the most ever. We work closely with our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities and as a matter of due diligence and law enforcement best practice, report anything found, no matter how significant or insignificant it may seem.”

I'm a big fan of Auto-tune revivalist/R&B innovator T-Pain, but if you have a question about whether a tattoo will remain timely over the long term, perhaps it would be wise to consider other options.

• All the marketing Los Tacos Del George needs.

A good jumping-off point is Los Tacos Del George, where the tacos have been known to stop traffic, literally.

The tiny food trailer staked out a spot at 1140 W. Prince Road about three months ago and has been slowly gaining in popularity ever since. It’s tucked in among a few trees in the parking lot next to the Naughton’s heating and cooling store. Look for the tiny wood sign with the red and yellow balloons taped to it.

Los Tacos Del George opens in late morning and closes around 6 p.m. The locals are crazy about the Sonoran hot dogs — quite an honor, considering the abundance of hot dog vendors in the area — but we suggest the birria tacos. For $5, you get five of them and a can of soda. The meat is cooked down to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness before George tucks it between two tortillas and serves it with a huge grin. You get your own can of soda from the cooler.

Quesadillas, cabeza tacos, pumpkin empanadas and a few other items are also available. Everything’s less than $5, and the small condiment bar has all the required accoutrements. If you don’t feel like dining under the small tent set back a bit from Prince Road, you can call your order in and pick it up.

Call 272-6413 for more information.

• Traffic-stopping tacos.

• Photo by burningkarma, Flickr

But I'm not entirely sure why it's widely regarded as the greatest sitcom ever right now. It's mockumentary style is a decade after that format's prime. It wraps each episode in a Full House-style watered-down lesson. It blatantly panders to base male instincts through all of its female characters except Alex, sort of like I did by including a picture of Gloria at the top of this post. Plus, Modern Family is commonly compared to Arrested Development, which makes no sense. The whole point of Arrested Development was that no one learned any lessons. Ever.

While all of these aspects of Modern Family bug me, I also recognize they're what makes the show so popular. There's something for everyone. There's the gruff, stubborn patriarch. The goofy, tech-obsessed dad. The non-threatening, asexual gay couple. The Asian baby. The charmingly violent Latina sex symbol. The bratty adolescent sex symbol. The type-A, housewife sex symbol. Manny. The dumb kid who you just know is going to be a rehab mainstay 12 years from now. The only demographic not covered is African-Americans. It is to Modern Family's creators' and writers' credit the show is so widely appealing and hilarious, because that is no simple feat. 15 years ago, I doubt anyone would've predicted the third most popular show among Republicans would prominently feature a gay couple raising a baby together. It's impossible not to like, and as I said at the top of this column, I like it a great deal.

Modern Family is not the best sitcom on TV, though. That's my point. I'll get to what is in a minute, right after I talk about other stuff you should watch this week.

Looks like it's going to happen after all.

According to a City of Tucson press release sent out yesterday, the Modern Streetcar Project is going to bid soon on four separate projects:

City of Tucson today received the green light to begin construction on the Modern Streetcar Project and begin spending the $63 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant money. The announcement means the City of Tucson and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will be going to bid within the next several weeks on four separate contracts for the project, one of which is for the Cushing Street Bridge over the Santa Cruz River.

"This is another major milestone toward realizing completion of this important project, and I congratulate the City of Tucson on the tremendous job it's done moving the streetcar forward, “ said Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva. “The sooner Tucson enjoys twenty-first century public transportation, the sooner we'll see boosts to our economy and quality of life. I have supported the streetcar from day one, and I'm proud to say today marks another in a long line of successes for our entire metro community."

Said Pia Carusone, chief of staff for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords: “Operation of the modern streetcar will provide a tremendous benefit to the economy, the environment and the quality of life in the Tucson area. With today’s announcement, that time now is much closer to becoming a reality.”

The City of Tucson qualified for the TIGER funding, which was established to create jobs as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, in February 2010. Pre-construction utility work on the Modern Streetcar route has started. Tucson Electric Power (TEP) crews recently completed work along the Santa Cruz River, west of I-10. Water line system improvement work underneath the Cushing Street Overpass and the westbound frontage road is slated to begin after the 57th Annual Tucson Gem, Fossil and Mineral Show. Local contractor K E & G Construction Co. is under contract with the City of Tucson for this work.

“Today we have achieved a big victory for both the region’s multi-modal transportation system and our region’s economy,” said Mayor Bob Walkup. “The Modern Streetcar will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation in Tucson, while adding new strength to our ability to recruit and expand businesses in Southern Arizona.”

NPR:

Twenty-five years ago, an event occurred that is seared into the memory of most Americans: About a minute after liftoff, the space shuttle Challenger blew apart, killing all aboard, including teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe.

The day started off innocently enough. It was unusually cold in Florida that day, but NASA managers decided to attempt a launch anyway. As a subsequent investigation made clear, the cold temperature made O-rings, which were intended to contain hot gases, fail on the solid rocket boosters.

Sandy Bahr, the legislative lobbyist for Arizona's Sierra Club chapter, sends out a weekly update:

Hello all! We knew it was too good to be true and that they would find a few ways to try and undermine environmental protections. This coming week, they will begin to move bills in earnest and, so far, there is not too much to like. Of particular concern are bills aimed at water jurisdiction. We need Clean Water Protection for Arizona’s rivers and streams, intermittent and ephemeral, which provide the lifeblood for arid land. We must keep strong protections in place. Ask members of the Committee on Water, Land Use and Rural Development to vote no on the following bills, both of which are geared toward weakening Clean Water Act protections:

SCR1015 jurisdiction over intrastate waters (Allen: Antenori, Biggs, et al) refers to the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to ensure that the Clean Water Act does not apply to most of Arizona’s waters. It states there is no jurisdiction to nonnavigable intrastate waters, which includes many of our rivers, streams, washes, etc. This is a very bad idea as Clean Water Act protection is critical

To their credit, Taco Bell's full page ad today in major newspapers is probably the best way to respond to the "Is the meat real?" controversy: