At 12 a.m. today, the Arizona Daily Star finally confirmed that the newspaper cut 52 people in all departments — posting a story on its website in its business section. Ironically, the Star's story regarding their own layoffs is on the same digital page as a Howard Fischer story on Arizona's jobless rate increasing .2 percent to 9.3 percent.

From the Star:

The Arizona Daily Star reduced its workforce by 52 people Thursday. The cuts came from throughout the operation and were not limited to the newsroom.

The paper also eliminated some open positions and realigned functions in all departments.

"These actions, precipitated by the ongoing weakness in the economy and adjustments to our business model, made for a tough day," said John M. Humenik, president and publisher of the Star.

The decision about how to respond to the challenges was his, Humenik said.

The Star continues to grow its audience through print and digital combined, he said.

Despite the cutbacks, he said, "Our leadership team is confident that these steps will enable us to focus our efforts and position us for a bright future."

Yesterday, The Range confirmed the first round of layoffs included Shelley Shelton, Sarah Trotto, Fred Araiza, Angela Pittenger, Dave Skog, Dan Sorenson, Scot Skinner, Jeff Jackson and John Ames.

A report in the Tucson Sentinel included these additional staffers: Dave Eubank, Dylan Boswell, Val Vinyard, Greg Bryan, Jill Torrance, Sarah Trotto, Polly Higgins, Jeff Jackson, Natalia Lopera, Alex Dalenberg, Carl Hinton, Andrzej Proczka, Angie Bush, Karen Keller, Peggy Adams, Judy Gudeman, Maris Finley, Diana Fennie, Jim Sabados, Joan Walsh, Lucy Carathers, John McNamara, Rance Naffziger, Joan Stulz, Clyde Richardson, Mike Carpio and John Nicholson.

The Tucson Weekly extends its condolences to everyone caught in this latest round of a Star and newspaper "realignment," and suggests these fine newspaper folks take the ex-Citizen staffers up on their invitation that they join them today for their weekly happy hour tradition at the Shanty. What a good way to end the week — with a group of incredible people who went through their own version of on-again off-again newspaper layoff hell. The Shanty is located at 401 East 9th Street.

Tapas Tuesdays at Ghini’s French Caffé have always been a hit, but patrons asked owner Coralie Satta to move the event to a day when they could let loose a bit more. The result is Fabulous Fridays, which will start at 3 p.m., Friday, July 29, and feature French-inspired small plates and $3 wine, beer, cocktails and more.

Speaking of happy hours, Pastiche Modern Eatery now has specials on drinks and appetizers from 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

The opening of the new Mr. K’s Barbeque on the corner of River Road and Stone Avenue is so close you can almost smell the smoke. The restaurant has already announced a soft opening in the first week of August, and should be open to the general public shortly thereafter. We’ve also heard that the guys from the original Mr. K’s on South Park Avenue might be opening a new joint before long, but details are scarce for the time being.

Janos Wilder and the guys and gals from Sleeping Frog Farms are planting a patch of heirloom pumpkins and squash next to Downtown Kitchen and Cocktails on Monday, July 25. We hear they’ll be putting in a few scarecrows, too. When the pumpkins are done, Wilder will hold his first-ever Pumpkin Palooza, which will feature a pumpkin-carving contest and other revelry. The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Also on Monday, July 25, is the Zona 78 Iron Chef competition. The chefs from each location will duke it out, there will be a secret ingredient, and guests will receive four small plates and two wine-pairings for their $40 admission fee. It takes place at the Zona 78 on Tanque Verde Road, and reservations are required; 296-7878.

In other food events, the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market at the Mercado San Agustin will feature cooking demonstrations and Peruvian music on Thursday, July 28. It’s a celebration for the market’s new location, which offers a lot more shade and, in general, many more accommodations than the gravel lot it used to be held in.

And last, but certainly not least, you should go eat at the Onyx Room soon. It’s a classy joint, the food is good, and the family that runs it is great. I’m not even that big of a fan of Southern cooking, and the chicken, mac and cheese and collard greens blew me away. The fried catfish is also out of sight.

"Rhia Rhamas Roos, The Unparalleled Necromancer" by Mark McDowell, is on display in The Legacy of Surrealism: Selections from the Permanent Collection, through Sept. 18, at the Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave.

The long-standing financial woes of Lee Enterprises trickled down to the Arizona Daily Star, and in a big way. The Star laid off about 20 people Thursday morning, in the process gutting its marketing department and taking a major swath to the news department.

The Weekly has learned the list of layoffs includes Shelley Shelton, Sarah Trotto, Fred Araiza, Angela Pittenger, Dave Skog, Dan Sorenson, Scot Skinner, Jeff Jackson and John Ames.

Lee, based in Davenport, Iowa, has been in the midst of major money woes for the last few years. It is in the process of attempting to realign a massive debt payment due in April of 2012, but has refused numerous options involving junk bond proposals in hopes of a better deal. If the company can’t come to terms, bankruptcy looms as a very real option. Sources involved in Lee negotiations suggested that possibility was on the table as a result of meetings with creditors
that have occurred over the course of the last two weeks.

Lee stock has tumbled from near three dollars in March to under a dollar in July. On July 8, the New York Stock Exchange warned Lee that delisting looms if it can’t consistently get its stock price above one dollar in the next six months.

Tonight at Kino Stadium, $1 from every ticket sold will help the family of this 5-year-old boy make ends meet.

More from the Padres' Facebook page:

This Thursday, the Tucson Padres will be helping raise money to benefit the family of Julian Aguirre; a 5 year old child that fought leukemia and died in June. His father is a Customs Agent and exhausted all of his resources. The family is really in a rough spot. They have medical, funeral, mortgage and living expenses that they are unable to pay. $1 of every ticket sold at the box office for Thursday will go to the Aguirre family.

It's also Thirsty Thursday, so you've got no reason to stay in tonight: go see the Padres, have a beer, and help out this family. Game time is 7 p.m.

• Effie Craven

A few weeks ago, we told you about an abused poodle named Franklin who needed surgery after a large gash on his face became infected, leaving his sinus cavity exposed.

According to Franklin's owner, Effie Craven, Tucson Weekly readers alone donated about $800, allowing the poodle to get his surgery.

"Franklin's surgery went great, it was last Tuesday July 12," Craven wrote in an email. "He is healing up nicely and will have his stitches out next week."

She expressed her gratitude to all those who donated.

The above picture is a still from Barspace.tv - specifically, an image of what was happening at the Queen City Grill in Seattle when I happened to visit the site a few minutes ago. Barspace is a new website that features live feeds from bars in a few states, although not Arizona at the moment. Barspace pays for the cameras, the bar sets the hour the camera is on, and then theoretically, someone can see whether there are people at their favorite drinking establishment. You can see what you're in for at a new place before heading out of the house, or whether the bartender you've been trying to get the number for is working.

That doesn't seem all that bad or sinister, but do we really need to be streamed online while we're trying to relax? Are the minimal benefits that Barspace offers worth another camera following us wherever we go? Sure, quite a few bars have some sort of security or surveillance system, but those cameras aren't streaming online for anyone to see. According to an article in the East Bay Express, the ACLU is calling foul on these cameras on a privacy level, and I can't say I blame them, especially since the bars that have the cameras aren't obligated to let anyone know they're being filmed or broadcast on the internet.

There are few places left where we can kick back and be stupid for a little while. Why take that away? Just say no to Barspace, Tucson.

The sound quality is kind of terrible, but the leak of "Otis", the first single from the Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration album Watch The Throne is bound to be an event of some musical importance. Plus, Otis Redding samples are always welcome.

• Courtesy: Office of Gabrielle Giffords

A new resolution proposes naming a meeting room in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center for Gabe Zimmerman, the 30-year-old Giffords aide who was killed in the Jan. 8 shooting.

More from U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and David Schweikert, who introduced the resolution:

“Gabe Zimmerman was a loyal, determined, public servant who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country,” said Wasserman Schultz. “In fact, he is the first congressional staffer murdered in the line of duty in our institution’s history. We gather together today to honor his legacy by introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives to name this room, HVC 215, the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room.”

“I am honored to stand with my colleagues today to remember the life of Gabe Zimmerman,” Schweikert said. “It was truly a loss to the congressional family when Gabe was taken from us, and honoring him in the halls of the Congress he served is the least we can do.”

And here's a video of the press conference announcing the proposal.