• Josh Morgan
• From right to left: José Antonio's mother, Araceli Rodriguez; his grandmother, Taide Elena; and Selma Barrón, the mother of Ramses Barrón, another Nogales youth killed under similar circumstances by Border Patrol in early 2011. The three women were standing in front of the clinic on Saturday near the U.S./Mexico border where Elena Rodriguez was killed after a U.S. Border Patrol agent opened fire on a group of people allegedly throwing rocks in Nogales, Sonora. “They’ve taken a piece of my heart. It’s where they buried him,” said Rodriguez. “No one is going to return my son to me. No one can give me back the hugs I gave him, the kisses, his voice or his smile.

Chanting demands for justice and a thorough investigation, roughly 30 friends, relatives and supporters of the slain 16-year-old Nogales, Sonora, resident José Antonio Elena Rodriguez marched to the Sonoran side of the downtown port-of-entry Saturday morning.

José Antonio was killed the evening of Oct. 10 in a Border Patrol shooting that is still under investigation on both sides of the border.

The march ended a few blocks west, at the site of José Antonio’s death, near the corner of Internacional and Ingenieros. Standing just feet away from that corner, anger comes easily to Araceli Rodriguez, the young man’s mother.

“They’ve taken a piece of my heart. It’s where they buried him,” she said. “No one is going to return my son to me. No one can give me back the hugs I gave him, the kisses, his voice or his smile.”

On Arizona Public Media's Political Roundtable last night, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik and political strategist Sam Stone discussed some of the more controversial propositions on the November ballot, including the open primary, the sales tax, the road bonds and the proposed changes that would give the governor more power in selecting Arizona's judges. I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to more of them, but if you want to see TW's recommendations on how you should vote, just click here.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 20, the Univeristy of Arizona's Center for Latin American Studies will be screening "Made in LA (Hecho en Los Angeles,) a documentary film in Spanish and English with bilingual subtitles. It follows garment workers, many of them Mexican immigrants, in their long fight with clothing giant Forever 21 in an effort to secure fair wages and basic labor protections. The film is being shown at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Library, 1607 S. Sixth Ave., from 1-3 p.m.

This screening is part of the Borderlands Film Series, a project by the CLAS to provide community outreach and awareness of different issues affecting communities along the US-Mexico border.

In addition to the film, the representatives from the UA Law School's Tucson Immigrant Workers' Project will be on hand and available to talk about the services they offer.

For more information, please call 626-0189.

Daniel Martin Diaz, proprietor of the Sacred Machine Museum and Curiosity Shop, and one of the most prominent artists in the Tucson area, has created a Kickstarter project to raise money for his newest book, "Soul of Science."

And incredibly, though the project began only this week, its already surpassed its goal, with more than 90 backers.

There is, however, still time to help fund this project if you feel so inclined—the project doesn't end until Nov. 30. Copies of the book will be given to backers who contribute $40 or more, while limited edition copies start at $140.

Check out the project page here. For more on Diaz, see his website here.

Is that costume you're planning to wear for Halloween contest-worthy? Is it one that would also enable you guzzle drinks, gamble and gyrate to devil-themed music? Or do you just want to see other people look silly doing all of that?

Then Casino del Sol should be part of your Oct. 31 itinerary this year.

The casino is hosting what it bills as Tucson's largest Halloween party from 9 p.m. to midnight, with costume contests that award freeplay (which, if you use it properly in the slot machines, can be easily cashed out), food and drink specials and maybe the most appropriate cover band for the night: Astrocreep, a Rob Zombie 'tribute' band.

The best overall costume will win $1000 in free play, while $250 in free play is being given out for 'most original' and 'best group' categories.

Even if you don't plan on dressing up this year, this event could be worth going just to see how much security flips out when it sees some of the getups they'll have to frisk for weapons and contraband, not to mention having to card 40-year-old women who've managed to make themselves look 16 for an evening.

In a piece published in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the co-directors of the ASUA Pride Alliance offer their thoughts on that now-infamous cartoon.

As we move forward from this point, Pride Alliance asks a few things. Similar to what many have been saying and what has been posted by the Wildcat, we ask for more rational editing. While we do not believe in limiting free speech and hope this becomes a dialogue, we also see no reason why a person should find it appropriate to put death threats against gay people in writing. We also invite the Daily Wildcat staff — and the rest of the campus community — to partake in diversity training. ... It would be one step The Daily Wildcat could take to show its commitment to creating a welcoming, inclusive campus community after we’ve received this sort of hurt.

Read the piece in its entirety here.

It looks as if the Arizona Daily Star is losing yet another one of its staffers — Brady McCombs, a reporter on the border and political beats, has taken a job with the Associated Press. The Weekly's Media Watch scribe John Schuster obtained this comment from McCombs:

"I will be the AP's Supervisory Correspondent in Salt Lake City, leading the bureau's breaking news and enterprise coverage of the state. I am sad to leave the Arizona Daily Star, but this is a great opportunity for me and my family. I am grateful to the Star for the opportunity they gave me and to my editors and colleagues for the support and guidance they have provided me since I arrived in February 2006. I have enjoyed my time in the desert immensely, learned a ton, and I will always have very fond memories of my time in Tucson."

Here's the AP's announcement, sent out this morning:

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Associated Press has named Brady McCombs, a border and political reporter for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, as its new correspondent in Salt Lake City.

McCombs will serve as supervisory correspondent for the AP, reporting on breaking news and enterprise and directing the overall report for the cooperative in Utah. He has worked at the Arizona Daily Star since 2006, covering border and immigration issues and most recently politics ahead of the 2012 election.

McCombs, 33, has led several investigations in his time at the newspaper, including an in-depth project on deaths along the busiest stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border for immigrant and drug smuggling. He was named Journalist of the Year on three occasions by the Arizona Newspaper Association, in 2007, 2008 and 2011. He also was the recipient of the prestigious Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year award by the Arizona Press Club in 2007.

"Brady is a talented reporter and writer with an eye for investigative stories, and the AP is proud to have a journalist of his caliber directing the Utah report," said Traci Carl, AP's director of news for the Western U.S.

McCombs graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Costa Rica for three years before becoming a reporter in Greeley, Colo., and then Tucson.

McCombs is just the latest in a line of departures from the Daily Star, alongside the likes of reporters Josh Brodesky and Rob O'Dell, both now with the Arizona Republic; and managing editor Teri Hayt, who took a job with GateHouse Media.

Arizona’s Congressional District 1 race is now “tossup,” according to The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

Previously he had ranked the district as “leans Democratic,” but Cillizza now notes:

Former congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (D), who is trying to win a district with a slight GOP lean, just got passed over for the Arizona Republic’s endorsement. “We have seen more complete meltdowns in our board meetings, but never one so unexpected,” the paper said of Kirkpatrick. Republican Jonathan Paton has a good shot here.

The Arizona Daily Star and the Casa Grande Dispatch also endorsed Paton.

“We saw a change,” said Paton Spokesman Barrett Marson, “It’s what the campaign has seen on the ground.”

Meanwhile, Team Kirkpatrick is highlighting its strength on the reservations. Kirkpatrick has collected several endorsements from Native American groups the Navajo Agencies and the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly also endorsed Kirkpatrick. The CD 1 population claims the largest number of Native Americans in the state and they account for almost 22 percent of the district.

“We’ve launched a massive get-out-the-vote effort across the district,” said Kirkpatrick Spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson. “The effort and organization is unprecedented, particularly in our district’s tribal communities. And we will use every opportunity to share Ann’s message about standing up for the middle class, creating jobs and protecting Medicare.”

The Kirkpatrick campaign has also launched a series of radio ads in the Navajo nation that emphasize her White Mountain roots and prior legislation as a State Rep.

“I fought hard for the Diné people,” said Kirkpatrick in one ad. “We repealed the 43-year-old Benett Freeze Law.”

Outside groups have poured money into the sprawling district that reaches from the Utah border, south to the northern edge of Cochise County and includes Oro Valley, Marana, and Flagstaff.

There has been about $3.5 million in outside expenditures, the highest of any congressional district in the state.

Big Spenders:

-The National Republican Committee has spent $1.38 million in favor of Paton.

-The Democratic Congressional Committee has spent $1.17 million in favor of Kirkpatrick

-The America Future fund added $442,000 to the mix in favor of Paton.

-The House Majority PAC chipped in $406,000 in to oppose Paton.

-Women Vote, a group that supports Democratic pro-choice women also known as Emily's List, contributed $108,000 to oppose Paton.

Paton’s personal campaign, however, has lagged behind Kirkpatrick’s fundraising since the beginning. Kirkpatrick has raised nearly $1.9 million through the end of September, while Paton has raked in about $951,000. Both candidates received about 75 percent of their contributions from individuals, according to campaign finance reports filed earlier this week.

Instead of adding bike racks when people have to lock to a hand rail because there isn't enough bike parking, the UA adds a sign threatening impoundment and fines. Check out the photos.

Advocacy really can work. Lots of cyclists worked with Trader Joe's last year when they hampered bike parking at their store. A year later, the situation is vastly improved.

It's always great when someone gets their stolen bike back. Find out how one TucsonVelo reader got his back and where it was spotted.

If so, will you opt for the $3-per-plate option or the $21 all-inclusive "Pork Pass?"

Either way, there will be plenty of pork to go around at Tucson's first Porktober event on Friday, Oct. 26, at Mercado San Agustin at 100 S. Avenida del Convento. Several local food trucks - including Planet of the Crepes and Mexico City Kitchen - will be there, as will one member of the team from one of our favorite trucks, Animal Farm. Chefs from Agustin Brasserie and Taqueria el Pueblito will also be in attendance.

I've long thought Tucson needed an event like Seattle's magnificent Burning Beast. Could this be the first step in that carnivorous direction?

The best information we've found for Porktober is here and here, but you could always call Mercado San Agustin at 461-1110 for more information, too.