• This area of town could use a good local pizza shop.

This sign outside this building on West Congress Street just east of Grande Avenue says a pizza place named The Olive is opening here soon. I did my usual serious investigative work — i.e., looking in the windows — and it looks like a fresh coat of paint has been applied and that several power tools have been in use recently. Most of the kitchen gear appears to be in place, too.

The place next door, at 921 W. Congress St., which I’m pretty sure used to be called Taqueria del Valle Pascua, is now Sonoran Delights. It’s got a nice selection of tacos and burritos; affordable sno-cones, raspados and milkshakes; and a fruit salad covered in granola, cinnamon and condensed milk that I’m heading back to try as soon as time allows.

(Thanks to reader Sue Mullory Hansen for the tip.)

Jeff Biggers has contributed many great pieces on the ethnic studies battle in Tucson for the Huffington Post. His latest captures another of the many mistaken and lost approaches TUSD has taken rather than celebrating a program that works: the demotion of Mexican American Studies co-founder and director Sean Arce.

You can read Biggers' work here.

"Mr. Arce has been in the business of saving lives for many years, whether he realizes it or not," said Jesus "Tito" Romero, a 2007 alumni of the Mexican American Studies program. "It wasn't until I had Sean Arce as a history teacher that I discovered what it meant to be as a student, and I soon realized that Mr. Arce had not only saved my life, but had changed and touched so many others."

In this week's Tucson Weekly, we have a story previewing the three-day administrative hearing on TUSD's appeal of state Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal's June findings that the Mexican American Studies classes are illegal. The hearing starts Friday in Phoenix. We plan to be there to see how TUSD's attorney's from DeConcini McDonald Yetwin and Lacy present their case along with Huppenthal's Phoenix attorneys from Burch and Cracchiolo.

The hearing starts at 8 a.m. and takes place at the Office of Administrative Hearings, 1400 W. Washington, Suite 101, in Phoenix. The hearing continues Tuesday, Aug. 23 and concludes Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Nancy Dudney of Allen’s Organics says the best day to visit the store at 741 S. Campbell Ave. is Sunday. That’s when her brother busts out the Weber to grill up samples of the huge variety of local vegetables the store specializes in.

The operation started last November with the goal of making more local vegetables available to people in the greater Tucson area. Dudley says they scraped by through the winter due to a rough growing season, but the business has taken off with gusto ever since.

“We started out with the goal to be a distribution hub for local growers, so they can get their products packed a little more professionally and distributed to local stores and restaurants,” Dudley said this morning. “But it’s really taken off. It seems like everyone in Tucson is behind this.”

Allen’s Organics has forged partnerships with farms throughout Southern Arizona, including the massive San Xavier farm operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation. The farm put in 30 acres of vegetables for Allen’s Organics this season, but demand for their produce has been so great that they’re increasing that to 120 acres next season.

“We deliver to five Whole Foods up in the Phoenix area and we cannot get them enough watermelon from (the San Xavier Farm)," said Dudney, adding that the farm has a capacity of 1,500 acres. “They were just growing alfalfa before this. We’ve also had people come over from the Pascua Yaqui tribe and other groups to see what we’re up to over there.”

Dudney says the company has also partnered with groups in Bisbee, Sierra Vista and other cities. The produce is collected, prepared for distribution and sold at a number of local farmers’ markets. They also open up the distribution center to the public three days a week.

It’s not just about retail, though. Dudney also sits on a council administered by the Arizona Board of Education that is looking at instituting farm-to-school programs across the state. The council has the backing of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and Dudney says she’s optimistic about the progress the council is making.

Actually, Dudney is pretty optimistic about everything that’s happening right now.

“It’s exciting to watch the farms come alive because they have more opportunity,” she says. “We’re delivering to Janos, Omni Resorts want to get on board. It’s amazing to see all the support behind this.”

Allen’s Organics is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday; 4 to 8 p.m., Friday; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday. They can also be found at a number of farmers’ markets around town.

• Frank Antenori

Giffords, who is recovering after being shot in the head on Jan. 8, has not yet said whether she will seek reelection next year.

Antenori, who has built a reputation as a staunchly conservative lawmaker in his career representing Tucson's east side, Green Valley and Sierra Vista, is the first Republican to launch an exploratory campaign for the seat since the January shooting rampage, in which six people were killed and 13 were wounded. Republican Jesse Kelly, who narrowly lost to Giffords in 2010, was preparing to announce his plans for another congressional run in January but suspended his plans after the shooting.

A former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Antenori says he would not run if Giffords recovers and launches a viable campaign.

“I would love to see Miss Giffords walk up to a microphone and basically announce that she’s going to run for reelection and that she’s physically capable and psychologically ready to take on the rigors of a campaign and continue to represent District 8,” Antenori says. “If she did that, I’m out. I’m not going to run against a woman who’s physically and mentally capable of representing CD8. … I don’t think she’s beatable.”

But Antenori adds that he has “a sneaking suspicion, based on indication that I’ve been getting and rumors I’ve been hearing, that the strategy of the Democratic Party now is to drag out the Giffords decision as long as possible to hamper Republican opposition and fundraising in CD8 … and that she’s not running. They’re now exploiting this woman for political purposes. It’s disappointing but not surprising that they would do that.”

Antenori, who made his political debut with a 2006 congressional run in CD8 before winning a seat in the Arizona Legislature in 2008, has filed paperwork with IRS rather than the FEC as part of his exploratory committee. He hopes to raise between $20,000 and $30,000 to do some polling and traveling around Southern Arizona and Washington, D.C. to measure his support in the district.

• P.K. Weis
• Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Antenori says that he won't make a final decision until January, when the new district lines have taken shape and he can better understand the playing field.

But he vows to run hard against Kelly in the GOP primary if Kelly decides to get into the race.

“My mission will not be Gabby Giffords’ replacement, whoever that might be,” Antenori says. “My mission will be Jesse Kelly and I will run it as I run every campaign—hard and with everything I’ve got. I’m not going to look past the primary.”

John Ellinwood, spokesman for the Kelly campaign, said that Kelly campaign remains on hold and Kelly would have no comment on Antenori’s exploratory campaign.

We’ll have more in next week’s print edition. But in the meantime, here's a look at Antenori's Senate campaign from last year:

On May 3, UA assistant professor Roberto Rodriguez discovered a series of violent messages left on his office voice mail — death threats that made it clear the caller was interested in taking a .357 Magnum to the Mexican American Studies professor, an outspoken supporter of Tucson Unified School District's ethnic-studies classes.

In the story we ran July 7, the Weekly was told the case was investigated by the UA Police Department and concluded on Thursday, June 30.

UAPD then referred the case to the Pima County Attorney's Office. County Attorney Barbara LaWall told the Weekly her office was reviewing the case for possible prosecution.

The wait was beginning to concern Rodriguez, who told the Range recently he was starting to worry, considering he gets back to his classes on Monday, Aug. 22.

According to Deputy County Attorney Jennifer Copenhaver-Celi the Pima County Attorney's Office filed a criminal complaint in the Pima County Justice Court on July 22, but the case didn't become public record until the defendant was served.

Copenhaver-Celi told the Range that she only received word from the Mojave County Sheriff's Department yesterday that the defendant, Randall Leon Thompson, was served on Aug. 8 to face an arraignment hearing on Sept. 28 at 8:30 a.m.

The reason Thompson's case goes to the Justice Court is because he's being charged with misdemeanors — five counts: Three separate counts of threatening or intimidating; one count of use of telephone of threatening to harass; and a final count of harassment.

"These are based on the facts of the case and appropriate charges," Copenhaver-Celi said, adding that she'll likely be handling the case.

This is the first in a new blog series about bar food and the people who cook it. It is another attempt to look at aspects of food culture that slip through the cracks. God help us all.

• Dave Carroll is tough. His cheese steaks are not.

The Surly Wench Pub is a bar at 424 N. Fourth Avenue. I’ve been hearing about the food there for some time, but mainly about the cheese steaks and burgers. When I started hearing about deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos, among other eclectic takes on standard pub grub, it was time for a visit.

I arrived to find kitchen manager Dave “Tacklebox” Carroll in the middle of a frustrating day that included workers accidentally blowing drywall dust into his kitchen. You wouldn’t have known it: The place was cleaned to a high sheen. Even the pictures of nude women plastered everywhere were neatly placed and wrinkle-free.

Carroll worked at a number of local eateries, including No Anchovies,Trident Grill and the Cup Café at Hotel Congress, before making the move to the Surly Wench. He also plays in the local band Inoculara, and has been a regular in the downtown scene - where I first met him some ten years ago - for quite some time.

TW: What makes good bar food?

DC: Good bar food, man, is a lot about how quick you can get it out and whether or not you can make a drunk person remember that they ate some fucking good food. Like, our appetizers are mostly deep fried, because what you want at a bar is to keep people buzzed, not drunk, so whatever helps with the absorption of that alcohol. We’ve got burgers and cheese steaks and all that for people with larger appetites, too.

TW: Tell me about your menu.

DC: Well, we’ve got all sorts of stuff. We’ve got potato tacos and hummus plates and vegetarian sandwiches like the Scooby Don’t, because Tucson has a large number of vegetarians and we cater to them, and vegetarians love to drink. We do the fried Oreos and Twinkies for people who’ve got that sweet tooth. We do the standard stuff and some more interesting things, like deep-fried pancake batter served with a side of maple syrup.

TW: What do people mention as memorable about the food?

DC: Really it’s the weekly specials I’ve been doing. We bring the staff in and let them try it first so they can brag about it. We just did one called the Hesher, which was a burger with peanut butter, cream cheese and jalapeno jelly. This week it’s the Beast, a sandwich with chopped chicken, steak and bacon, lettuce and tomato, provolone, and fire-roasted poblano aioli.

TW: What’s on your menu that you don't find other places?

DC: There's the Black and Bleu Derby Burger, because we’re a hangout for the Tucson Roller Derby, which we also sponsor. The Jeff Thomas burger, a veggie burger with bacon and swiss, is named after the dude who got killed in the Fourth Avenue underpass on the Spooky Tooth bike. It was his favorite burger. There’s also the Cooter burger. I mean, do I need to explain that? What do you think of when you hear the word “Cooter?”

TW: I think of the Dukes of Hazzard.

DC: Most people think of something else.

TW: What makes eating at this bar different than eating at a regular restaurant?

DC: The difference between here and a fast-casual place, like the Cup at Hotel Congress, is that this is pretty much a one-man operation. You come to the window and the same guy who takes your order cooks it and delivers it. There isn’t like a hostess, a busser and six people in the back all involved. Here it’s a little more personal.

TW: Any benefit to pub grub over other kinds of food?

DC: The first thing is that you don’t have to interrupt your drinking to go eat. Work smarter not harder, you know, the convenience factor brother. Also, if you eat at the bar you drink at you usually know everyone, from the door guy to the cook, and everyone can tell you what’s good that day.

You can check out more on Surly Wench Pub here. Click on the kitchen tab for a look at the menu. The place also runs some killer happy hour specials from 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 2 to 6 p.m., weekends.

Disregard Carol Channing's nonsensical order, and please, jam today. Carol, you crazy. I love ya girl, but you're crazy:

For those of you who forgot, this is from the 1985 version of Alice in Wonderland. It's the best (and freakiest) version ever, because it has a bunch of celebrities in it—like Sammy Davis Jr., Telly Savalas, and a pre-Full House John Stamos—acting like major creepsters:

See? And yet, I still love it.

Thanks to our friends over at University of Arizona's HiRISE, we have this unique glimpse from the Southern Polar region on Mars. Those cracks pictured below are channels located underneath layered deposits. Nicole Baugh from HiRISE tells us that "the regularity of these features may suggest something about the thickness of ground ice deep below the surface."

More from Baugh:

A series of regularly-spaced, branching channels is present near the top of this image of multiple exposures of the south polar layered deposits.

This image was taken towards the end of summer at the South Pole, so all of the seasonal carbon dioxide frost has disappeared from the surface via sublimation (transition from a solid to a gas). See the color subimage for a closer look at a few of the clusters, each about 300 meters (or 1/5 mile) long.

The sublimation of seasonal carbon dioxide in the Martian polar regions seems to erode connected channels on the underlying surface, as escaping carbon dioxide gas scours the surface beneath the carbon dioxide ice (see this image for some additional information). Such features are fairly common to the south polar region. However, the channel clusters here are unusually even in their spacing. The carbon dioxide gas-driven erosion will exploit pre-existing weakness in the underlying surface, so it's possible that these features are following joints or fractures that exist in the layered deposits...Certainly, the features we see at the surface are providing clues to what's going on underneath!

David E. Campbell and Robert D. Putnam explore the secret origin of the Tea Party in today's NYT:

So what do Tea Partiers have in common? They are overwhelmingly white, but even compared to other white Republicans, they had a low regard for immigrants and blacks long before Barack Obama was president, and they still do.

More important, they were disproportionately social conservatives in 2006 — opposing abortion, for example — and still are today. Next to being a Republican, the strongest predictor of being a Tea Party supporter today was a desire, back in 2006, to see religion play a prominent role in politics. And Tea Partiers continue to hold these views: they seek “deeply religious” elected officials, approve of religious leaders’ engaging in politics and want religion brought into political debates. The Tea Party’s generals may say their overriding concern is a smaller government, but not their rank and file, who are more concerned about putting God in government.

This inclination among the Tea Party faithful to mix religion and politics explains their support for Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Their appeal to Tea Partiers lies less in what they say about the budget or taxes, and more in their overt use of religious language and imagery, including Mrs. Bachmann’s lengthy prayers at campaign stops and Mr. Perry’s prayer rally in Houston.

Local singer-songwriter Kaia Chesney's new album, Circa 1952, is out now. If you're not the sort of person tied to physical media, you can pick up the decidedly charming album via Bandcamp. It's only $5, and if you enjoy folk-influenced indie pop, it'll be money well spent.