When I walked up to Bobby Dean's Hickory BBQ—which is parked outside of what appears to be both an automotive shop and a smoking accessories store—owner Robert Mikles appeared in the window. I ordered a brisket sandwich, which he delivered in minutes. I handed him $6. He smiled big and said he hoped I'd be back soon.

I'm not a barbecue connoisseur, so let me ask the meat lovers out there a few questions. Is the meat supposed to be so soft and tender that it gives way with almost no pressure at all? Is the meat fat supposed to spread across the deli roll like soft butter? Is it normal to eat an entire barbecue sandwich and already be pondering another, even though doing so would be the definition of gluttony?

The truck serves smoked brisket, pork, chicken and baby-back ribs, among other things. There are several kinds of homemade sauce to choose from and prices range from $6 to around $20 or so.

Mikles says he's relocating soon to a spot in front of Putney's at 6090 N. Oracle Road. If you like smoked meat, you'll want to head up there. Call 975-6910 for more information.

From the Associated Press:

A judge in Tucson has acquitted a former state lawmaker of misdemeanor domestic violence charges just months after he resigned because a House panel recommended his expulsion for ethics lapses.

Former Rep. Daniel Patterson called Wednesday's acquittal on three domestic violence charges a vindication. He called the prosecution a "political witch hunt" and a huge waste of taxpayer resources.

A call seeking comment from the Tucson city prosecutor's office wasn't immediately returned.

Patterson was charged in March after he and his girlfriend got into an argument. Police said Patterson alleged that the woman hit him about 20 times on his head and chest, and the woman claimed that Patterson pulled her out of her car.

We'll keep you updated, Tucson.

A sampling of our previous Patterson coverage:

State Rep. Daniel Patterson Accused of Violence

Daniel Patterson: You Can't Fire Me, I Quit!

Here's a wacky bit of news from Tucson Padres regarding tonight's game:

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox connecting flight was cancelled in Las Vegas this morning (they came from Salt Lake). They are unable to get their team here for tonight's game so it will be made up in a doubleheader on FRIDAY at 5:35. The gates open at 5.

If you were planning on taking advantage of this evening's Social Media night promotion, you're still in luck, as they'll be making things up to you by offering box seats for two for this Sunday's game (more information to come via the team's Facebook page).

For those concerned about this season's final Thirsty Thursday, don't fret; that's still scheduled for tomorrow night.

There's suddenly a reason to go out of your way to find a metered parking spot at the University of Arizona. That is, besides visiting the campus on lunch break to take in the ... scenery.

Little more than a year after installing solar-powered parking pay stations, the UA's Parking and Transportation Services office says they're close to logging the 250,000th customer transaction for parking in one of the 450 spots that are covered by these stations.

And to celebrate this, um, milestone, the person who swipes their credit card, their Cat Card or uses their UA parking app (yes, there actually is an app for that) to make this quarter-millionth transaction will get a prize. Of some sort.

“We’ll probably give that person a coupon for free metered parking," associate director of operations Mark Napier said in a press release.

Now, the trick is trying to figure out just when that big-time transaction will go down. The UA estimates it will happen in "late August," but with classes set to start, the likelihood of finding a parking spot during the day gets a heck of a lot harder.

More comics should be about killing Nazis, and thankfully, it appears First X-Men delivers on that concept. In fact, shouldn't we be suspicious of any comic that doesn't involve dead Nazis? Something to think about. Also, Eric and Arnie almost wear matching shirts this week, in case you're keeping track of these things at home.

Congressional District 2 Republican candidate Martha McSally, who is widely favored to win next week's GOP primary, has released a poll showing that she trails Democratic Congressman Ron Barber by 5 percentage points in the November general election.

The survey of 400 likely general-election voters, conducted by OnMessage Inc. on Aug. 7-8, showed that Barber had the support of 50 percent of the voters, with 45 percent supporting McSally. The poll had a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

McSally spokesman Bruce Harvie said that the campaign is “very excited” by the poll results.

A July poll released by Team Barber showed Barber with a 13-point lead over McSally in CD2.

From the analysis of the McSally poll by Wes Anderson of OnMessage Inc.:

The key to this race is found in the hard re-elect question for Barber. General Election voters are currently undecided on whether to send him back to Congress—40% say he deserves another term, while 41% say give someone else a chance.

Ticketsplitters are truly split on the ballot—38% say another term for Barber, while a full 36% say give someone else a chance.

Martha McSally's poll memo is far from a “full analysis.” It fails to provide a partisan breakdown of the sample, or results of other races, so it is difficult to tell if there is a bias. The memo misspells the name Gabrielle Giffords. Attention to detail is the cornerstone of accurate polling. This is the same campaign that approached our campaign before the special election with polling numbers saying we were trailing Jesse Kelly. They were clearly wrong then.

Martha McSally is once again trying to spin the voters of Southern Arizona. From misreporting fundraising numbers to misrepresenting the true impact that the Ryan plan would have on middle class families, this latest spin is part of a pattern of arguments that just don't add up.

Harvie said that OnMessage Inc. is “one of the most highly respected firms in the country and we stand behind the poll.”

UPDATED: Harvie called us after we posted to tell us that the voter-registration breakdown in the poll was 38 percent Republican and 37 percent Democratic, with the remainder made up of voters who were not with either party.

David Nir of Daily Kos also threw cold water on the poll:

They still have work on a few issues regarding adoptions and such, but this is good news:

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that all 31 states must recognize same-sex marriages performed in the capital, though its decision does not force those states to begin marrying gay couples in their territory.

In a 9-2 decision, the tribunal cited an article of the constitution requiring states to recognize legal contracts drawn up elsewhere.

• NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Curiosity rover has done a test drive around its landing site in Gale Crater, which has been named Bradbury Landing in honor of the late Ray Bradbury, author of The Martian Chronicles.

Here's an update from the Mars Science Laboratory website:

This 360-degree panorama shows evidence of a successful first test drive for NASA's Curiosity rover. On Aug. 22, 2012, the rover made its first move, going forward about 15 feet (4.5 meters), rotating 120 degrees and then reversing about 8 feet (2.5 meters). Curiosity is about 20 feet (6 meters) from its landing site, now named Bradbury Landing.

Visible in the image are the rover's first track marks. A small 3.5-inch (9-centimeter) rock can be seen where the drive began, which engineers say was partially under one of the rear wheels. Scour marks left by the rover's descent stage during landing can be seen to the left and right of the wheel tracks. The lower slopes of Mount Sharp are visible at the top of the picture, near the center.

This mosaic from the rover's Navigation camera is made up of 23 full-resolution frames, displayed in a cylindrical projection.

In other mission news: The lander has successfully deployed its laser against a Martian rock and the Huffington Post looks into whether there are UFOs on Mars. (My guess: No, but it works as click bait.)

In an effort to look at "how wireless technology is affecting our lives" (Short answer: People can now find their news/smut/news about smut anywhere they want), Time has partnered with OpenSignalMaps to find which cities have the spottiest cell service in America.

Our fair pueblo came in sixth-worst, surprising only because it wasn't in the top (bottom?) 5.

From Time.com:

Signal strength is typically measured in decibels — but the same decibel reading will produce different amounts of bars on different phones. You and your friend might stand side by side, your iPhone showing four bars while his Android shows five—and in truth you’re both getting the same amount of juice. The average reading in Tucson, according to OpenSignalsMaps, would likely be around the three-to-four bar threshold.

Furthermore, OpenSignalMaps and Time have apparently decided that Tucson's best carrier is Sprint, while the worst is T-Mobile.

For more, check out Time's slideshow here.

• Jim Nintzel

The final homestand of the Tucson Padres' season begins tonight against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Provided that it's not too damp to play ball, the first pitch will be 7:05 p.m.

It's also Social Media night, so check out the Padres' Facebook page before 1 p.m. today to get free box seats. Plus: It's Wiener Wednesday and hot dogs are just a buck.

Tomorrow night is the final Thirsty Thursday of the season, so get out there for some cold beer on a warm summer night.

The T-Pads are in town through Sunday night and finish the season on the road. There are a whole bunch of promotions on tap, including lots of giveaways on Friday night, fireworks on Saturday night and the final Bark in the Park on Sunday night. Find details here.