I don't often write mash notes for local bands or musicians on the Range. My editor probably thinks that's a good thing. Anyway, the last time I professed my love for a band was Seashell Radio. Yeah, I still love them.

This time I'm professing love for the Shondies, a Brooklyn-based group that should just move here. What is our connection with that city, anyway? Seems like we have many Brooklyn transplants, and I know many Tucsonans in Brooklyn who miss us every winter and a good eggee's when spring arrives.

They play tonight at Plush with the Cordials and Amy Rude, 8 p.m., 340 E. 6th St.

The first time I saw them they happened to play with Seashell at Plush not long after our lovely Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law. It didn't make any of our crap go away, but for one night they brought some good music to Tucson. And they keep coming back.

Our Southern Arizona Republican lawmakers—Sens. Frank Antenori, Al Melvin and Gail Griffin and Reps. David Gowan, Ted Vogt, Vic Williams, Terri Proud, David Stevens and Peggy Judd—all got failing grades on this year's Sierra Club report card. (If you read this week's cover story on the session, this is probably not news to you.)

You can check out the details here. The press release from Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr:

Today, the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter released its annual report card on the Arizona Legislature. While the report card contained no surprises, it was notable for just how hostile the 50th Arizona Legislature was to conservation.

“The Arizona Legislature demonstrated quite clearly this session that it was a Polluter’s Best Friend and no friend to conservation,” said Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “From giving polluters a shield of secrecy for environmental law violations to providing more exemptions to the mining industry, the biggest polluters in the state, a majority of legislators voted to weaken protections for Arizona’s environment.”

The mining industry, which releases more toxics than any other industry in our state, fared well this session as the Legislature passed additional exemptions from environmental protections specific to this industry. Freeport-McMoRan received permission to be a water broker, and all mining companies got an exemption from the law that protects Arizona’s groundwater, plus will likely benefit from the “Polluter Protection Act” (HB2199), which was advanced by lobbyists for both Freeport and the Arizona Mining Association.

The “Polluter Protection Act” establishes an environmental audit privilege that allows companies to do audits and keep them a secret; any information about environmental law violations found as part of an audit cannot be used in an enforcement action. This concept has been around in various iterations for about 20 years and was first pushed in Arizona in the mid 1990s, at which time it failed. The bill was back this year. It passed and was signed into law by Governor Brewer.

The La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill located at 825 E. University Blvd., Suite 181, has closed. A company representative verified the closure this morning, saying that it pulled out of Main Gate Square about five days ago.

We're also hearing murmurs that some other restaurants may be readying to pull out of Main Gate Square, although we haven't been able to verify it just yet. Then again, there's a new tea shop moving into the spot formerly occupied by Red Velvet Cupcakery, so this could all be part of the ebb and flow that's a steady theme in the restaurant biz.

The company representative said the other three locations La Salsa has in Tucson aren't going anywhere. There's more on the company here.

• Jim Nintzel

The Tucson Padres launched a new homestand a big 13-0 win over the Nashville Sounds last night.

The Padres are in town every night through next Thursday, May 23. Why not get out to a game this weekend? Cops and firefighters get in free tonight, the club is giving away camouflage T-shirts tomorrow night and you can bring your dog to the ballpark on Sunday. You'll find ticket info here and a full list of the promotions over the next week here.

Here's a breakdown of last night's game from the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

A reader submitted this interesting recaptioned version of the May 10th edition of Random Shots.

For what it's worth, I don't think I'd vote for Stalin, but I can't speak for the rest of my Tucson Weekly comrades colleagues.

Tonight on Arizona Illustrated's Political Roundtable: Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and Pima County Republican Party chairwoman Carolyn Cox debate about this week's debate between Republican Jesse Kelly and Democrat Ron Barber in the special election to finish Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' term. We'll also talk about the final bills that Gov. Jan Brewer signed and vetoed this week, take a look at whether the Arizona Democratic Party is unfairly keeping voter lists from challengers to Congressman Raul Grijalva and more. It all goes down at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 6.

Secretary of State Ken Bennett is seemingly planning on running for Governor in 2014, so maybe this is his angle to appeal to the crazy people of our state, but seriously, we have to do this birther stuff again? Even Jan Brewer thinks this stuff is nuts. When some sort of conservative nutjobbery is a bridge too far for Jan Brewer, you have to realize you're treading on especially fringe-y ground. As one of my friends on Facebook put it, "You can't spell crazy without AZ."

The man in charge of running Arizona’s elections has gone to the birthers. Secretary of State Ken Bennett now says he’s not convinced Barack Obama was really born in the United States and so he is threatening to keep the president off the ballot in November.

Bennett’s comments came in an interview late Thursday with conservative radio talk show host Mike Broomhead on Phoenix station KFYI.

Bennett said he was following the lead of the state’s eccentric Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a fellow Republican who ordered an investigation into the president’s birth certificate last year and concluded the document released by the White House is a forgery. Bennett said he is now trying to get verification from state officials in Hawaii that the certificate is authentic.

[...]

On Thursday, Bennett said he sent his request to Hawaii officials eight weeks ago but has yet to get the proof he was hoping for. He said he didn’t want another copy of the birth certificate. He wants Hawaii to give him what he described as “a verification in lieu of a certified copy of a birth certificate.”

In the weeks since then, Bennett said, Hawaii officials have forced him to provide proof that he is who he says he is. They asked him to send them copies of the Arizona laws that prove the secretary of state really is the person in charge of handling the ballots. Admittedly, Bennett said they told him they were “tired of all the requests.” But he is continuing anyway.

Broomhead, the radio host, pressed Bennett on what he would do if he didn’t get the right response back from Hawaii.

“If they won’t comply, if they refuse to comply with this, will you remove the president from the ballot?” Broomhead asked. “Will you exclude him from the ballot?”

“That’s possible,” Bennett said. “Or the other option would be I would ask all of candidates, including the president, maybe to submit a certified copy of their birth certificate. But I don’t want to do that.”

New bicycle and pedestrian crossing signs went up near the streetcar construction and seem to confuse everyone. Check them out.

The local youth cycling team El Grupo is turning five years old and they are having a party to celebrate. Check out the details to join them.

The city installed a counter to track cyclists at one intersection 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Find out where it is at and how it works.

You don't have to spell correctly to make awesome food, as proved by this delicious Facebook post sent out this afternoon by local food truck Mexico City Kitchen:

Thank you everyone for you support. We are located at main n 6th street. Tomorrow friaday we cocking hot dogs topped with choriso and avacado.

The spelling sucks, the food does not. Follow them on Facebook here.

Dragoon Brewing Co. holds its official grand opening tomorrow, Friday, May 18, and food truck Animal Farm will be in the parking lot. Then, as if that isn't awesome enough, on Saturday, May 19, more tasting room hours and this time food truck Planet of the Crepes will be there. From the brewery's website:

Next up, Friday the 18th, we’re [Grand] Opening our doors for our normal Friday taproom hours, 3-8pm. Come in, have a pint, get a growler filled, and eat some delicious food from Animal Farm (the foodtruck). And finally, this Saturday, the 19th, we’re going to be open for our normal taproom hours (normal = from now on), 2-8pm. Planet of the Crepes will be parked out front, serving up some, you guessed it, crepes.

When I die I want to be wrapped in a man-sized Planets of the Crepes crepe, placed on a Viking-style raft, lit on fire and floated out to sea with a pint of Dragoon Brewing Co. beer in one hand and an Animal Farm burger in the other. That is all.