The Prop 204 Quality Education and Jobs campaign sent out a press release in reaction to yesterday's news that Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett filed an appeal of the Maricopa County Superior Court Judge's decision to overturn Bennett's rejection of the campaign's petition:

By filing an appeal, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett's today failed to keep his public commitment to respect the ruling of a Maricopa County Superior Court judge who overturned his rejection of 290,849 citizen signatures.

"We're disappointed by Secretary Bennett's decision to appeal the court ruling," said Ann-Eve Pedersen, Chair of the Prop 204-Quality Education and Jobs campaign. "His job is to facilitate democracy, not obstruct it. By doing the bidding of anti-education forces, he is hurting not only schoolchildren but damaging public trust in the democratic process."

Bennett stated in a July 13 Arizona Daily Star Op-Ed that: "If the (Superior Court) judge rules that the initiative can be placed on the ballot, our office will complete our work and place the measure on the ballot."

Today, he failed to keep that commitment to voters. "His unwillingness to keep his word erodes public confidence in his office and puts additional state tax dollars at risk," said Pedersen.

The Prop 204-Quality Education and Jobs measure will renew the one-cent sales tax to provide dedicated, permanent revenue to provide basic funding for education that the Legislature cannot cut. The ballot measure will support education across the spectrum: K-12, charter schools, vocational education, community colleges, universities and GED programs.

Last month, the campaign filed a record number of petition signatures with the Secretary of State's Office to place the measure on the ballot. Bennett, however, ruled the petitions invalid, because of a clerical error that omitted 152 words from an 8,967-word paper copy of the ballot language filed with his office. Bennett decided that although supporters had filed an electronic version of the ballot language with the complete language that matched the language attached to each petition, that the paper copy with the missing words was the official version.

In a lawsuit, supporters argued that they had fully complied with the Arizona Constitution and state law, which do not specify that only paper copies are official and do require that a "full and correct" copy of the ballot language be attached to each petition, which did occur in this case. In his ruling made from the bench on July 18 after a hearing lasting a brief 20 minutes, Judge Robert Oberbillig agreed with education supporters and overturned Bennett's decision.

"I honestly don't know why we need to be here," Oberbillig stated during the hearing, questioning why Bennett's office made the arbitrary decision to determine that the paper copy, rather than the electronic copy, was the "official" version.

Following the ruling last week, campaign leaders urged Bennett to resist the calls by anti-education groups to appeal, thwarting the will of the voters, and incurring additional costs to taxpayers. By law, the state must reimburse education supporters all legal costs and fees if Bennett loses the case.

In spite of the latest hurdle, education supporters remain optimistic that voter rights will ultimately prevail and Prop. 204 will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

"The law is on our side. We will ultimately prevail," said Pedersen. "The court case is not stopping us from moving forward to mobilize a vast grassroots network to pass Prop. 204 on Nov. 6."

In furtherance of that goal, supporters announced today support from two influential statewide education organizations who have formally endorsed the initiative.

Arizona PTA, the statewide affiliate of the largest child advocacy association in the world, has endorsed the initiative. "Arizona PTA members are cautious about taxes and passionate about helping all children reach their full potential," said Rochelle Wells, Arizona PTA president. "Our organization wholeheartedly supports this initiative because it provided dedicated funding for quality K-12 education, college scholarships, and job training, accountability to the taxpayer and no new taxes."

Friends of the Arizona School Board Association also has endorsed the initiative. "One-fifth of funding has been cut from our public schools over the last four years the second biggest cut in education funding among all states," said Dee Navarro, president of the organization. "The time to invest is now."

Both organizations are now committed to tap their extensive grassroots resources to inform voters about the initiative.

In case you missed it, Sally Ride's obituary mentioned that she was survived by "Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years," declaring publicly for the first time that the incredibly private Ride was gay. Here are two items from the internet regarding that declaration.

From Twitter:

From Buzzfeed:

Asked about those who would have opposed legal recognition of her sister's relationship, Bear Ride bluntly replied, "Who cares about them, really? There are those who are stubbornly ignorant, and if they want to continue in that, God bless them, but probably best not to talk to my family."

I don't recognize many of the ingredients on this new cocktail menu at Wilko, the restaurant right on the corner of Park and University, but that makes it all the more intriguing.

These drinks and others are available for $2 off during happy hour, which happens from 3 to 7 p.m., every day.

There's more information on the restaurant here.

I recognize the general hypocrisy of a guy who spends his day trying to build web traffic complaining about someone else's formula (and it is a formula) to do so, but if Neetzan Zimmerman, of The Daily What and Gawker said this to a New York Times reporter with a straight face, I really have to re-evaluate my perspective on humanity in general:

“It really comes from a place of knowing what historically has done well,” he said, “and what generally tends to stir conversation.” Cats, Mr. Zimmerman said, are a surefire bet, as are stories about zombies and videos of flash mobs or public marriage proposals.

Sure, September 3rd seems like a long time away, but when you have the chance to see two legitimately great indie acts at a venue the size of Plush, it's worth planning ahead a bit. I have no idea who is the headliner between soothing electronic act Tycho and lo-fi anthem creators The Album Leaf (Tycho plays last, for what it's worth), but $12 is a bargain to see those two bands. Tycho's latest album Dive (above) came out in 2011 as is the perfect soundtrack for staring at your monitor and pretending to work, but I imagine it would translate to a club setting as well.

Petey - #709849 — 1.5 Years Old — Spaniel Mix — Male

Petey is a remarkable survivor who was found in November as an emaciated stray with type 1 diabetes and a severely injured leg that had to be removed. Fortunately, he was delivered to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and has recovered beautifully in a loving foster home. He has spent several months searching for a committed family able to give him the special care he needs. His friends at the Humane Society would love to see Petey find a home with someone familiar with diabetes management. If you or someone you know would like to meet this extraordinary boy, please call the Humane Society of Southern Arizona today at (520) 327-6088. Petey hopes to hear from you soon!

Come meet Petey! 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.

See Petey in video form below the cut:

I'm sure some readers believe we spend all day here at the Weekly offices plotting what we can do to help Barack Obama retain his gig in the White House, but that's not really true. Mostly, to be honest, we talk about the foibles of local politicians, what restaurants we've been eating at, and 70's game shows. If we're part of a conspiracy, we're terrible at it.

However, I will openly admit my deep, undying affection for The Wire, so when I saw that someone is holding a $500 a ticket Obama fundraiser in Martha's Vineyard featuring the show's cast, I'd be happy to sign up for whatever propaganda machine I need to commit to in order to get in on that action. However, I will need to see which cast members will actually be there before I turn The Range into a 3/4 time anti-Romney blog. I'm not selling my blogger soul if Bunk won't be there.

I have to admit, I've probably demonized Justice Antonin Scalia, partially because he seems like an insufferable jerk, but I don't know, I tend to think I could get along with anyone who's a David Foster Wallace fan. I feel so conflicted.

Among the legacies of David Foster Wallace, the pioneering postmodernist who produced influential essays, short stories and the novel “Infinite Jest” before his 2008 suicide, count this: Antonin Scalia, author. Or, at least, co-author of “Reading Law,” which the justice discusses today with The Wall Street Journal.

“He was a very personable fellow,” Justice Scalia says of Mr. Wallace in an interview. “As co-Snoots, we got along very well,” he adds, using a term Mr. Wallace popularized for those whose taste in diction runs to the persnickety. According to a 2001 Wallace essay, it could stand for “Syntax Nudniks of Our Time.”

Justice Scalia made a point of meeting Mr. Wallace during a 2007 visit to Claremont, Calif., where the shaggy-haired writer, sometimes seen in a do-rag, taught at Pomona College. The two had lunch, says Bryan A. Garner, a lexicographer and legal-writing consultant from Texas who arranged the encounter.

Mr. Wallace found it eye-opening, he says.

“He said, ‘Politically, we’re not alike at all, but that was really a fascinating lunch,’” says Mr. Garner, co-author of “Reading Law” and one earlier book with Justice Scalia.

When I’ve listened to Passion Pit in the past it has often conjured up images of sunlight streaming through a silky curtain. Very specific, I know. So suffice it to say that their new album, Gossamer, is aptly named.

This is the first full-length album that the band has released since Manners in 2009, and the delicate, twinkly sound that made Passion Pit a hit three years ago was immediately apparent when I first listened to Gossamer. But singer Michael Angelakos takes us to a slightly darker (and more dynamic) place with this album. While Passion Pit’s sound is as upbeat as ever, Angelakos sings about the highs and lows of life a brutally honest fashion. In “Cry Like A Ghost,” lyrics like “And yes, I drank all those drinks on my own/My life’s become some blurry little quest” expose the heartbreak and desperation the artist has felt in his life.

However, in no way is Gossamer a pity party. “Take A Walk,” a song about an immigrant and his hardships, is playful, inspiring and will easily be the most popular track on the album. “I’ll Be Alright” and “Carried Away” are equally cheery-sounding (but not annoyingly so). “Constant Conversations,” with its smooth, R&B style, is easily my favorite though. Who knew that an electro-pop band could have so much soul? All in all, this is a solid album that I would highly recommend to anyone who liked Manners.

As media consumption continually evolves, one paper is following the current and changing its format.

The University of Texas at Arlington’s (UTA) student newspaper, The Shorthorn, was a daily newspaper for over 40 years. Now, the newspaper will make the most of technology by publishing daily on the paper’s website and taking advantage of mobile apps for phones and iPads. They’ll still print publications, but they will have more in-depth features in the print issues and will only print weekly.

Although print versions of various publications around the nation have migrated to the Internet, there are still newspapers sticking to the tradition of print while they utilize a website. The UA’s very own Daily Wildcat is still printing daily while featuring some articles on their website and updating the Twitter accounts linking to the website.

UTA’s change in news delivery is innovative and smart considering the habits and preferences of the students, but a sinking feeling in my gut does not go unnoticed when I think maybe print might actually dwindle down to something non-existent.

To see the article click here.