Last week, while Pima Community College’s Chancellor Roy Flores was trying to sell his plan to change the college’s admission policy, which would require incoming students to have a high school diploma or GED, and would shrink the college’s adult education department, the college was also interviewing four candidates for a new position that comes with a $148,188 salary: vice chancellor for government relations and public information.

The Range asked the college’s marketing and public relations manager, Paul Schwalbach, why the college decided to create such a position, wondering if the contentious reception to Flores’ plan has anything to do with the new job, as well as Pima County Superior Court Judge Stephen Villareal’s decision to force the college to release information as part of a public information lawsuit filed by the Arizona Republic on the college’s former student and Jan. 8 shooter Jared Lee Loughner.

Via e-mail, Schwalbach replied, “It is important for the college to communicate that it has a rigorous planning process. By combining public information and government advocacy, we can inform both officials and the public of the college’s goals and achievements as identified in its College Plan, which addresses fundamental issues facing the college and the community.

"As a result, the College created the position of Vice Chancellor for Government Relations and Public Information. The Vice Chancellor will serve as a key member of the College’s senior administrative team."

After the Tucson Weekly went to press yesterday, Schwalbach e-mailed additional requested information. Schwalbach wrote that the position opened June 10. Asked if the new position is specifically in charge of public information, he replied that the person "will be a key spokesperson for the College."

Last week, four candidates were interviewed, including C.J. Karamargin, communications director for U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived Loughner’s Jan. 8 shooting rampage.

Although Karamargin didn’t respond to a call or e-mail asking for comment on the position, the Range thinks the former Arizona Daily Star reporter would make a great king of information, and after what he and his co-workers have gone through this past year, no doubt Karamargin will have new experience responding to crisis, as well as those pesky requests for the full story and public information.

Yesterday, Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor spoke out against a measure that would allow uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. Rep. Jeff Flake and other House Republicans attached the measure to a federal spending bill after the Obama administration imposed a moratorium on such mining in 2009.

If you have yet to eat at a hot-pot restaurant, it’s awesome. You order one of several broths spiced to your specifications, and then order a bunch of meat and veggies to toss into the heated pot on your table.

Tucson’s kind-of-new hot-pot restaurant, Impress Hot Pot, at 2610 N. First Ave., also has a table where you can make your own dipping sauce. This, of course, makes the dining experience that much more awesome.

The restaurant is also holding a contest through Sunday, July 31, to see who can create the best dipping sauce. The winner takes home $100. More details over yonder.

[UPDATE: Now with the actual video that makes this amusing. Sorry.]

Sure, all real Americans celebrated when the NFL lockout ended on Monday, but we didn't really get to experience our joy fully until today when we get to really consider the place pro football holds in our lives with "Football's Back" by ATG and Illy Kay.

There are so many excellent lines to this track, but I think my favorites are probably

Tailgaitin’ already/ Drinking a brewski (No Tedy)/ Get super dome like a Saint/ Until they drop the confetti.

Brilliant.

[Egotrip]

Today's score (not including briefs, notes, editorials or the other non-bylined pieces):

A: Star bylines, 12; Non-Star bylines, 19
Sports: Star bylines, 4; Non-Star bylines, 1

It's a dance for a lady. What sort of dance and what sort of lady, I'm not sure, but he says it's a dance for a lady, so I'll have to take him at his word.

While the new structure of the Pac-12 might make it slightly easier for the University of Arizona to make it to its first Rose Bowl, with the Wildcats only needing to be better than the other five teams (actually...USC is still ineligible for postseason play, so they could still finish behind the Trojans even) of the South division to make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Of course, they'd need to still win that game, but let's take things one step at a time.

As it stands, however, media members aren't too optimistic of their chances so far, with only one reporter picking them yesterday to finish first in the division:

1. USC (24 first-place votes), 230 points*
2. ASU (13), 207
3. Utah (4), 170
4. Arizona (1), 140
5. UCLA, 89
6. Colorado, 46

In other news, my Oregon State Beavers were picked fourth in the North division, set to be overshadowed by national championship runner-ups Oregon and the Andrew Luck-led Stanford Cardinal. So, at least I can likely share my misery with my fellow Tucsonans.

Update with playlist and download at bottom of post

• Photo Ryn Gargulinski
• Hopefully the pool the couple chose was a bit bigger than this one.

The manager, Tiffany Denise Allen, is being charged with simple battery, simple assault fear and disorderly conduct after following a customer out into the parking lot and then allegedly punching the customer in the head.

That story and more are up this week on Rynski’s Shattered Reality radio show on Party934.com and FM 94.9 in Hudson Valley, N.Y.

Next show is Wednesday, July 27 (today!) and every Wednesday online at Party934.com. Showtime is noon in Arizona, 3 p.m. EST.

Party 934 is a radio alternative for listeners sick of stations that play one song followed by 500 commercials.

This week finishes off our deluge of WATER songs and we’ve been finely going with the flow.

Thanks! to all who keep the song requests coming.

Also Thanks! to all who tuned in. Rynski’s Shattered Reality will be going on hiatus after the Aug. 3 show — but you can still catch the downloads of past shows on iTunes and at ryngargulinski.com.

Hard to beat the deal at the Padres game Wednesday night: Tell the nice person at the ticket counter the magic word "Kino" and get any ticket in the house for $2, regular beers for the same price, and hot dogs for a single buck. I'll be taking my family there, and if it's enough of an entertainment value to get me out of the house, it must be something special.

Woo-hoo! The Culver's restaurant at 40 S. Broadway Place, near Broadway Boulevard and Prudence Road is open.

I know this restaurant chain well from my youth in Wisconsin, and you're in for a treat Tucson. Totally decadent. Totally greasy. Totally delicious.

The other location on Thornydale isn't done yet, but looks to be about there.