Democrat Ron Barber's campaign lays out the case against Republican Jesse Kelly in the special election to complete Gabrielle Giffords' term in Southern Arizona's Congressional District 8:

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Jennifer Cox, Ron Barber for Congress

DATE: Thursday, April 19, 2012

RE: Jesse Kelly – Hostile to Seniors and Wrong For the Middle Class

Jesse Kelly’s Tea Party agenda is wrong for middle class Southern Arizona families and hostile to seniors. Everyone agrees we must cut spending and reduce the deficit but it has to be done the right way — not on the backs of seniors and the middle class. Kelly would cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, while eliminating Medicare and Social Security, raising taxes on the middle class and getting rid of the minimum wage.

Middle class and senior voters rejected Jesse Kelly in his 2010 race for Congress, even in one of the best years for Republican candidates in a generation. Voters will reject Kelly again in the June special election.

Even former 8th district Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe knows it. He said that Kelly’s nomination “would assure that a Democrat would win the seat” because “he’s out of touch with the district. It’s a very moderate district.” [Governing Blog, 2/07/12]

Lindy Reilly of the downtown burger joint Lindy's on Fourth has parted ways with the owners of what used to be called Lindy's at Redline Sports Grill and is suing to retain intellectual-property rights to the food he created there

Reilly teamed up with Luke Cusack and several other parties to open Lindy's at Redline Sports Grill at 445 W. Wetmore Road in early 2011. He says things went well for the first few months, but that his business relationship with Cusack has been deteriorating ever since.

Reilly says he got a lawyer about two weeks ago in an attempt to enforce an intellectual-property contract that covered his image and the wildly creative burgers he creates, both of which were thrust into the national spotlight after Lindy's on Fourth was featured in an episode of popular television show Man V. Food.

He's also looking into getting an injunction to halt the owners of what is now known as Redline Sports Grill from releasing their new menu in the coming days because some items bear a striking resemblance to items Reilly creates.

"I've never dealt with anything like this. I'm beside myself," said Reilly, taking a break from a kitchen shift at Lindy's on Fourth, in which he is still a partner. "My food has been turning a profit there since last June, and he pretty much told me to go fuck myself, refused to pay me ... and stole $14,000 worth of equipment."

The "Lindy's" name has been removed from the exterior signage, but is still found in several places on the online menu and website.

Luke Cusack, who co-owns Redline Sports Grill and the adjoined RPM Nightclub, has not responded to several messages left for him at the restaurant over the last week. Cusack was also a partner in A Steak in the Neighborhood, which closed last year.

The Cheba Hut, a sandwich shop at 1820 E. Sixth St. that's as well-known for delicious sandwiches as it is for naming those sandwiches after strains of marijuana and other references to the pot culture, throws its annual 420 celebration this week.

Live music, cheap eats, contests and more take place throughout the day on Friday, April 20, which is largely celebrated throughout the marijuana world as a time of great merriment. There's more on the restaurant here.

Do you think Rep. Daniel Patterson is a disgrace to Arizona?

Think you can do better?

Well, registered independents of Legislative District 29, now’s your chance to prove it – but you have to act fast.
Update that old resume, write a note about why you deserve the job and send them over to the Pima County Board of Supervisors before 5 p.m. today for your chance to be the newest member of the Arizona House of Representatives.

The Clerk of the Board's office tells us there are only nine names in the hat so far, so competition is actually easier than most the jobs out there nowadays. We'll bring you an updated list of the hopefuls after the deadline - so if you want to be included, act now!

To get in the running, email your resume and cover letter to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors: [email protected].

For more information, visit Pima.gov.

A couple months ago, I wrote about the then-new Green Halo Caregiver Collective, which is on the west frontage road along I-10 just south of Prince Road. At the time, the place had just opened, and it was lacking a bit in decor and goods.

I am happy to report that the place is going strong, very strong in fact. A couple return trips since my first visit reveal a very tight ship, indeed. The GHCC has a buzzer entry door that takes you into a reception area with MMJ literature and videos and comfy seating. The secure room for MMJ exchanges is behind a bank-like window that keeps the goods and staff safely behind another buzzer-triggered door. That's where the major improvements are.

The GHCC has a wide selection of MMJ strains on display in labeled sample jars. They have a magnifier connected to a laptop on the counter, if you want a closer look at the buds. I've been back a few times since my first visit, and each time they had 10+ strains, ranging from pure indica to sativa and many hybrids between the two. Perhaps the biggest improvement is edibles. When they opened, they had none. Now they have brownies (often more than one kind), chewy candies, tarts, hard candies and Tootsie rolls. They also now have seeds, kief, tintures and wax. The staff is very friendly, professional and knowledgeable.

One caveat - it's a little hard to get to right now, because Prince Road is closed. From eastbound I-10, take the Prince Road exit and look for the collective on the west side of I-10 just south of Prince. From westbound I-10, take the Ruthrauff Road exit, then cross under the interstate and head south on the west frontage road.

Ken Sobel, a UA grad and attorney who opened the collective, plans to convert the GHCC into a dispensary later this year, so I am hoping it will be around for a while.

Green Halo Caregiver Collective
3359 N. Freeway Road
(520) 561-6467

Cartel Coffee Lab has moved from it's corner spot in a strip mall in the 2500 block of North Campbell Avenue to a larger and very stylish spot just a few doors down. Watch the time-lapse video from the grand opening over yonder.

The place applied for and got a liquor license some time ago as well, so libations are available. In fact, if you find yourself plagued by a thirst this evening, Cartel has one of the first runs of beer from the new local brewery Dragoon Brewing Co. on tap.

I've only had the coffee there - it comes highly recommended - but you can check out what's available as far as food goes here.

Justin Valdez of the Last Call Brawlers was kind enough to send me a link to his band's latest video for the track "Timeage" from their new album "Pressures of Living, Darkness of Dying". They seem to capture the very essence of modern rockabilly with this clip, burning a photo of a Bettie Page look-a-like with cameos from a classic car, a stand-up bass, and a bunch of tattoos. If you like Social Distortion or Tiger Army, you would probably be a Last Call Brawlers fan as well.

Below the cut, a commercial for their record release show on May 5th at the Surly Wench. Tickets are only $5.

The first ad from the Ron Barber camp, which starts running on local television today, does a decent job of separating the Democratic candidate's positions from those of his opponent, plus fills in some of Barber's back-story that voters might not be aware of, but if you want to start some sort of campaign ad drinking game, take a swig of your beverage of choice whenever you seen a candidate sitting at a couple's dining room table. It's a little bit of a tired trope at this point, albeit probably one that gets the "I care about people" idea across.

Creating a container garden is an act of beauty in itself. There is no digging in the ground, which especially in the desert is daunting. Pots can be moved, plantings easily changed and as we grow older (never old), pots can make it easier on our backs as we can sit in a chair to tend them.

A thoughtful creation of a container garden will be a work of art. Be it a combination of colorful flowers – perennials and/or annuals, a single planting, vegetables and herbs, succulents and cacti – a potted garden easily becomes a living, breathing addition to your home’s outdoor living areas or a beautiful welcome for your guests.

Get inspired! Now is the time.

• Flowers, Herbs, Kumquat Trees and even Tomatoes Grace a Kitchen Courtyard. Potted Garden by The Contained Gardener

Have a question? Email Marylee.

Sign up for our Potted E-News today. Receive monthly potted garden information as well as SW Arizona freeze alerts, heat and wind advisories.

Slideshow

Jesse Kelly Special Election Victory Party, Apr. 18, 2012

Click to View 5 slides

As most predicted, Jesse Kelly rose above his Republican competition to win a spot on the CD 8 Special Election ballot with Ron Barber.