It's Arizona Beer Week everyone, and what better way to celebrate than drifting into one of the local El Charro Café locations to try one of the restaurant's new signature beers.

The 1922 Amber Ale brewed by Barrio Brewing Co. and available at all five El Charro Café locations is said to be "a premium two row malt with two levels of American crystal malt and touch of light chocolate malt which gives the beer a slightly caramel taste balanced with Columbus and Cascade hops for a great finish."

In other craft-beer news, 1702 has started serving its own house-made beer. I noticed one of the place's porters on the menu there last weekend, which was going for $2.50 for a five-ounce glass. 1702 is also holding events every night this week in celebration of Arizona Beer Week, with an event tonight featuring Widmer Brothers beers and giveaways. More on that here.

A new Public Policy Polling survey puts Arizona in play in November, but pollster Tom Jensen ultimately puts AZ in the GOP column:

Arizona is a great microcosm of how Barack Obama's reelection prospects have improved over the last 3 months. When we polled there in November his approval numbers were atrocious and his prospects for winning the state in the general election didn't look very good. Now he's getting more popular, the Republicans are getting less popular, and he appears to have a decent chance there.

Obama is tied with Mitt Romney in the state at 47%. He leads Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich each by 4 points, 46-42 and 48-44 respectively. The only Republican he actually runs behind is Rick Santorum, although only by a single point at 47-46. This is the latest in an increasingly long line of our polls recently that challenge the premise that Romney is a much stronger general election candidate than Santorum.

Obama's standing against Romney is greatly improved from November when he trailed by 7 points at 49-42. Part of the reason for that is Obama's own numbers have improved. He has a 46/52 approval rating in the state now where it was 41/54 three months ago. Obama's approval rating with Democrats has increased from 74% to 87% over that time. That's a trend we're seeing nationally- the longer the GOP race gets dragged out, the more Democrats unify around Obama. Obama's also flipped his numbers with independents from negative territory (35/57) to positive (51/46).

Part of Obama's resurgence is his becoming more popular. The other part though is Romney's numbers heading in the wrong direction. He was already unpopular in Arizona the last time we polled with a -13 favorability spread (38/51). Now he's dropped even further to -21 (35/56). Romney's numbers with Republicans are pretty much unchanged. But he's gone from having an unusual number of Democrats seeing him positively (25%) to only 15% who mar k him favorably across party lines now. And with independents he's dropped from a bad 32/56 to a worse 24/67. The drawn out nature of this campaign is not helping him for the general.

In the end I doubt Obama would be able to beat Romney in Arizona. He's getting 16% of the Republican vote right now and that seems unlikely to hold once the GOP gets unified around its nominee. But the fact that we're even talking about Arizona as potentially being on the board right now is a big a shift from where we were a couple months ago.

Republican Russell Pearce, the only state senate president to ever be recalled in U.S. history, shows that his political judgment is as sharp as ever. From Talking Points Memo:

Russell Pearce, grandfather of Arizona's controversial immigration law and recently recalled state Senator, spoke to the Maricopa County Republican Party Lincoln Day Lunch on Tuesday. As part of a speech on the importance of political messaging, he recounted a tale of a man and his "crushed scrotum."

State Rep. Steve Farley is promising a big announcement next Wednesday, Feb. 29.

In his latest Farley Report from Phoenix, Farley says he'll be traveling across the new Congressional District 2 with big news next week:

To start off tonight I want to let you know that next Wednesday, February 29, I will be making a pretty exciting announcement about my political future. I would love to have you there with me to share that moment.

The first stop on the announcement tour will be at the Tucson Botanical Gardens at 10:30am — on Alvernon just south of Grant. Next I will appear on the Bill Buckmaster Show at noon on KVOI 1030-AM, then early afternoon in Green Valley (I'll let you know when and where next week), on the John C. Scott Show at the 4:00 hour, and in Sierra Vista at former Representative Pat Fleming's home, 3321 E. Ojibwa Street, at 5pm. Hope to see you at one of these stops!

Sounds to us like he's ready to get into the race for CD2 in hopes of representing (most of) the voters who were previously represented by Gabrielle Giffords. So far, that race—which will be decided in the normal election cycle later this year—features state Rep. Matt Heinz and state Sen. Paula Aboud on the Democratic side and at least five Republicans—2010 CD8 nominee Jesse Kelly, state Sen. Frank Antenori, sports broadcaster and marketing businessman Dave Sitton, former Air Force figher pilot Martha McSally and Army vet John Lervold—on the Republican side. (But before the CD2 race comes along, those Republicans are also duking it out in a special primary to finish Giffords' term.)

Here's the entire Farley Report, including details on the proposed state budget:

Zinburger, a Fox Restaurant Concepts eatery that got its start in Tucson in 2007, has signed a megadeal to open more than 20 locations across the country. Nation's Restaurant News has the story:

The Briad Group has signed a licensing agreement with Fox Restaurant Concepts for rights to develop Zinburger units in the 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the company said.

The Briad Group, based in Livingston, N.J., has one Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar in Clifton, N.J., which opened in December 2010.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Fox Restaurant Concepts debuted its first Zinburger restaurant in Tucson, Ariz., in December 2007. It owns and operates two additional Zinburgers in Arizona.

“With the incredible success of the Clifton location and the Fox-owned locations in Arizona, we feel Zinburger is the right concept for growth opportunities now and in the future,” Brad Honigfeld, chief executive officer of The Briad Group, said in a statement.

Read more: http://nrn.com/article/fox-briad-expand-zinburger-west#ixzz1n7pZqgLe

Feel free to get a little crazy as Tucson’s Museum of Contemporary Art mixes an interactive component with the current “Legislate Crazy” exhibition by artist Armando Miguelez. Every Friday, through March 30, visitors can take a picture in the Legislate Crazy Photo Booth with a sign from his compilation of artwork and that picture will be installed as part of the exhibit. It’s a sort of “interactive photo booth,” that allows people in the community to have fun with the artwork on display. Museum visitors can strike a pose, make a face, and be as silly or serious as they like in their pictures.

Miguelez, a Tucson native, has worked in many countries including Mexico, Spain and India. His art touches on various cultural and political issues.

He says of himself and his work:

“Southern Arizona is one of those spaces, a strange territory that is neither here nor there, and where some people are allowed and others are not. These are the issues I find to be the most important of our present time. Beyond my own lucubrations on how I think the world should be, I’m more caught up in how the world is. By acknowledging this current state, we can possibly transcend ourselves. In other words, the first step is admitting you have a problem.”

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (265 S. Church Ave., 520-624-5019) is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, admission is $8. You can use the Legislate Crazy Photo Booth from 3 to 5 p.m. Fridays through March 30.

While it's possible that I'm one of the few people in Tucson who would self-identify as a SWV fan ("Weak" is my jam), there must be someone else who is excited for the group's first new song in 14 years. And it's not bad!

Great news! Toto has been adopted. Also great news: you can find a number of great animals ready for you to take home at the Humane Society.

Toto - #708133 — 1 Year Old — Pit Bull Mix — Male

This adorable drifter would be ecstatic to find a place to rest his paws. Toto traveled from Mexico in the back of a pickup in hopes that he could find a family right here in Tucson. Sadly, he’s been waiting for over four months at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona for somebody to notice him. But you can’t keep a good dog down! Toto stays positive and occupied in Canine College, where he is learning new tricks, and he enjoys some R & R in staff offices. If you could offer this friendly adventurer the life of love and comfort he needs, please visit Toto today at the HSSA.

Come meet Toto! He's currently living at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd. The Humane Society is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The phone number is 327-6088.

If cats are more your thing, previous Critter of the Week Gage is still available for adoption.

Watch a video of Toto at play after the cut.

• Ron Barber

Barber, who had served as Giffords’ district director since she took office in 2007 and was shot twice in the same shooting rampage that left Giffords critically injured, had already won the support of Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik and former Tucson mayor Bob Walkup.

Today, Barber is releasing GOP endorsements from Sahaurita Vice-Mayor Lynne Skelton, former Sierra Vista mayor Bob Strain and Cochise County rancher and veterinarian Gary Thrasher, who are crossing party lines to support Barber in the June 12 special election to finish Giffords’ term.

Skelton says that Barber understands the issues facing the district and “brings experience to the picture. He understands what’s going to work and how to bring jobs to our area. And more than anything else, he’s not a politician. … Ron is a true public servant. He’s solving problems and building consensus and he wants to get stuff done.”

The Congressional District 8 office has been “very, very responsive” to Sahuarita’s needs, even in Giffords’ absence, according to Skelton.

“You never got turned away,” Skelton says. “You pick up the phone and you could talk with someone in Congresswoman Giffords’ office. … If there’s a problem or a concern, we could most definitely get results from her office.”

Bob Strain, the former Republican mayor of Sierra Vista, says the electing Barber will ensure continuity for the remainder of the term.

He says the Congressional District 8 office has been responsive to Sierra Vista’s concerns about supporting Fort Huachuca, protecting the local water supply and providing constituent service.

“In my opinion, Ron Barber is the only person who can offer the continuity of service through this bookstrap election we’ve got coming up,” Strain says.

Barber will face the winner of a special GOP primary on April 17 that includes unsuccessful 2010 candidate Jesse Kelly, state Sen. Frank Antenori, sports broadcaster and businessman Dave Sitton, former Air Force combat pilot Martha McSally and Army vet John Lervold.