State Rep. Daniel Patterson, who is facing domestic-violence charges related to a messy breakup with his girlfriend, Georgette Escobar, is the subject of a hearing of the House Ethics Committee today.

The Ethics Committee will decide how to move forward with the complaint against Patterson, which was signed by nearly all of his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives (with the exception of members of the Ethics Committee, who will have to sit in judgment of Patterson.)

Patterson has also been stripped of his voting rights on House committees by Speaker Andy Tobin, although Tobin's spokesman, Rey Torres, tells The Range that Tobin will revisit that decision after today's hearing.

Meanwhile, Patterson, who represents Legislative District 29, continues to lose local support. At last night's LD 29 Democratic Committee Meeting, a resolution calling for Patterson's resignation passed with with zero no votes and one abstention:

With criminal charges and an ethics investigation by the House of Representatives pending, the LD29 Democrats call for the resignation of Rep. Daniel Patterson for lack of decorum and professionalism.

In related news: The Range has learned that Escobar is out on bail after being arrested in La Paz County on drug-possession charges.

Think you've got international cooking know how? If so, consider entering the Lee Lee International Supermarket Passport Contest to try your hand at answering cooking questions from around the globe for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate.

You have to be on that Facebook gizmo to enter, and you might want to get started today because the contest is already underway. You can get started over here.

Yvonne Delgadillo, executive director of Nogales Community Development, said issuing warnings about the border region in Arizona is unnecessary and dishonest. She said the bill would have stoked fears about the border region, even though the crime rate is actually lower on the border than in most places.

“Quite frankly, I think the reason a lot of us so strongly oppose this bill is because it does provide lies to the public,” she said. “If we’re only representing the negative things, which are probably not nearly what other communities have, then aren’t we lying to the public by misrepresenting the area?”

Citing these concerns and effective lobbying efforts, Judd killed the measure. By a show-of-hands vote, the group also convinced her to kill a “strike-everything” amendment that she had proposed to address some of the concerns with the original bill, including defining the 62-mile border region defection and making the warnings only available by email to those registered to receive them. That strike-everything bill would have gone to a full Senate vote Monday.

“I didn’t even know what a step out on the limb this was, or how thin the limb was,” Judd said after agreeing to kill the measure. “I want you guys to trust me and know that I do care, I do vote for tourism dollars, I do understand.”

If you're out on the East Side and craving a cup of coffee, you might consider stopping in at the new Cosmo's Espresso Coffee and Tea at 5775 E. Broadway Blvd.

Owner James "Cosmo" Cramer tells us he uses a special blend of coffee called Astro that's made in collaboration with Raging Sage Coffee Roasters. There are tamales from Tucson Tamale Company, cupcakes and other things by Sahuarita-based company Bite Me, bagels and more. He also sells teas made by Two Leaves and a Bud.

Cramer says he's running a special right now featuring a 99 cent cup of coffee, and if you kick down another buck he'll throw in a bagel and cream cheese.

The coffee shop is chiefly a drive-through outfit, but there's a small walk-up area with a few chairs, too. There's more on Cosmo's over here.

You know how every summer there are package tours of 70's and 80's rock bands playing the outdoor amphitheaters of our fine country, with bands like Yes, Styx and Foreigner dragging out whatever version of their lineup is still alive to take advantage of the disposable income and nostalgia of baby boomer types? If you're under 35 or so, you've probably made fun of these shows, thinking that your generation would never stoop to such desperate measures of musical sentimentality. Guess what? It's happening to those of use who graduated from high school in the first half of the 90's now, as the Barenaked Ladies (a.k.a. my favorite band in the entire world circa 1994), Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Blues Traveler and Cracker are touring together and coming to Phoenix on July 25th.

My only question: why not just go all the way and the show a day-long experience? Call up Fastball, the Spin Doctors, Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I'm sure they're not busy.

Find your old Westward Look goodies and you may win a prize. Read on:

To mark its 100 year anniversary, Westward Look Resort is holding a “Call for Treasures” contest. Former guests of Westward Look are asked to submit photos and souvenirs from their stays at the resort, from which a selection of entries will be published in the upcoming book, History of Westward Look: 100 Years in the Making. The winning photo or souvenir, selected from all entries, will earn the entrant a two-night stay including breakfast at Westward Look.

The nationwide contest is open to all U.S. residents over the age of 18 who would like to help the resort collect artifacts and preserve memories from the past 100 years.

Contest participants earn the chance to win:
• A two-night stay including breakfast each morning (first place prize)
• An overnight stay (second place prize)
• Dinner at GOLD totaling up to $100 (not including alcohol; third place prize).

Former guests of Westward Look can mail souvenirs such as postcards, menus, towels, logo clothing, bath products, posters, brochures and more to the resort for consideration. (Guests who would like their items returned must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.) Contest participants can also submit photos of these items or photos of their stay by emailing the resort [email protected]. Many entries will be selected for publication in the coffee table book documenting Westward Look’s 100 years in the making, but only three submissions will win the top prizes.

Contact information:
Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort & Spa
245 E. Ina Road
Tucson, AZ 85704
297-1151
www.westwardlook.com

As of this morning, Eddie Murphy's latest film, A Thousand Words has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Which means that, of the 39 reviews by professional movie critics, absolutely no one liked it.

For comparison's sake, that 0% puts it in rarified air, alongside such luminary films as Manos: The Hands of Fate, Highlander 2: The Quickening and Sarah Palin propagand-umentary The Undefeated, which probably should have won an award for having the least factually accurate movie title of 2011.

But don't feel bad for Murphy: RT users have thus far given A Thousand Words a 63% approval rating, though to be honest, I wasn't aware that many people who enjoyed The Adventures of Pluto Nash still existed.

A sampling of the positive reviews: "Every movie doesn't have to be cutting edge or Saturday Night Live clever," says a woman who apparently hasn't seen SNL since Will Ferrell left; "I laughed out loud and I teared up. Although, come to think of it I was the only one who was doing these things in the theater come to think of it," says one honest man; and finally, the gold standard of the positive reviews: "It's Liar, Liar meets The Artist...more or less."

It's currently playing in Tucson, but make sure to check out Colin Boyd's upcoming review, out this Thursday — if nothing else, for the off-chance he decides to screw up the anti-perfect game this flick appears to be pitching.

I was trying to describe Will C's mixtape, Adieu or Die, to music editor Steve Seigel the other day and I had some trouble. The closest thing I could come with is that if you'd like to hear a DJ Shadow-ish collage-style take on the music of Brian Wilson, with interviews, studio chatter, occasional rapping, and other found sounds thrown in the mix. It's definitely an interesting listen, especially if you have some affection for the Beach Boys discographer circa Pet Sounds. Plus, it's a free download including a snappy digital booklet, so that helps.

The reunited Beach Boys are scheduled to kick off their 50th anniversary tour at Casino Del Sol on April 24th.

Is there some sort of filter I can apply to the internet so I won't have to see SXSW related content this week? That would really help me out until I somehow acquire the ability to happy for other people having fun.

[HT: The Awl]

While interest in the NCAA men's basketball tournament around these parts might be at a nadir right now (NIT fever! Catch it!), when you're inevitably discussion the intricacies of your bracket at the office later this week, it might help if you actually know where some of these schools are. Test your knowledge of colleges and universities you will likely forget the existence of by May with Mental Floss' "Where Is That School?" quiz. Full disclosure: I was tripped up by Creighton and Loyola for a score of 82%, but I'm ok with that. I knew that Creighton's in the middle there somewhere and that I think they have degrees available in Pet Grooming and TV/VCR Repair...that's good enough for me.