Thursday, Jan. 16 is the opening date of the 23rd Annual Tucson International Jewish Film Festival. The festival runs through Saturday, Jan. 25. There’s a lot of films to choose from, and while most of them play at the Jewish Community Center, there’s also a screening of Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, with director Brad Bernstein in person, at the Loft Cinema on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tickets, times and other info can be found at tucsonjewishfilmfestival.org, or you can call 299-3000, ext.106.

• Photo courtesy of The Young Dubliners.
• The Young Dubliners

We are giving away more tickets!

The Young Dubliners and The San Patricios are performing Friday, Jan. 17, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Click here to preview Young Dubliners' sound and energy. Email me at hbarajas@tucsonweekly to win tickets to experience all the traditional Irish magic.

We've got two of the most competitive congressional races in the country in Southern Arizona: Congressman Ron Barber is likely to face a rematch against Republican Martha McSally, who lost to Barber by just a few thousand votes in 2012, and Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick will face whoever comes out of a three-way GOP primary that includes House Speaker Andy Tobin, state Rep. Adam Kwasman and rancher Gary Kiehne. (Kirkpatrick's district is largely in eastern and northern rural Arizona, but it does include parts of Marana and Oro Valley.)

It's only January, but the battle in these districts is already underway. Americans for Prosperity has spent about $650,000 on ads that target Barber and Kirkpatrick on the topic of the Affordable Care Act.

Lawmakers are considering introducing legislation to repeal last year’s election reform bill, HB2305, which remains on hold because opponents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the law this November.

Republican Sen. Michele Reagan of Scottsdale said she is working with leadership to repeal the bill before it goes up for the referendum election. However, she would like lawmakers to go back and pass portions of the bill once again in 2015.

“I would prefer, as I think everyone would prefer, the a la carte method, which is the way I introduced them last year… There are certainly parts of that bill that I support more than others,” Reagan said.

Julie Erfle, who is chairing the Protect Your Right To Vote Committee that is running the referendum campaign, told The Range she'd like to see the question go to the ballot.

"I think many of the sponsors of the individual pieces and the omnibus bill realize that 2305 is not popular with the voters and will likely be defeated at the ballot box," Erfle said via email. "If they simply repealed the bill and were done with it, we'd be happy. But it seems the hope is to repeal the bill, then reinstate it at a later time, piece by piece."

It's almost lunch time.

Are you tired of going to the same bottomless buffet near your work? Put some pants on and try one of these four food trucks. The folks at Tucson Food Trucks conveniently tweeted the locations of these stellar curbside eateries waiting to feed you and your co-workers.

Take your pick:

January 16, 2014 at 11:00AM @TwistedTandoor #Tucson #Arizona 3360 E Hemisphere Loop #FoodTruck ^KB
— Tucson Food Trucks (@TucFoodTrucks) January 16, 2014

January 16, 2014 at 11:00AM @SeisCurbside #Tucson #Arizona @nbazinteractive Plaza 333 N Willmot Rd #FoodTruck ^KB
— Tucson Food Trucks (@TucFoodTrucks) January 16, 2014

January 16, 2014 at 11:00AM @GrillersSerial #Tucson #Arizona 7889 E 22nd St #FoodTruck ^KB
— Tucson Food Trucks (@TucFoodTrucks) January 16, 2014

• Photo courtesy of Cynthia Gerriets

Talking Comics hosts Bobby Acosta and Cynthia Gerriets couldn't have said enough nice things about the first issue of Marvel Now! Black Widow. Their enthusiasm is warranted because the comic was written by Nathan Edmondson and art by the extremely talented Phil Noto. Aside from the one-shots and miniseries, this is the character's first ongoing monthly series.

Check out what Acosta and Gerriets had to say about the all-new super hero spy thriller (below the break):

• Cvandyke / Shutterstock.com

Martin Luther King Day is almost upon us, and I thought it would be altogether fitting and proper for Word Odyssey to explore some of the words and phrases of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech or his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” But I was too intimidated. Some works of prose are best savored without garnish. So instead I thought I’d celebrate MLK Day by taking a look at some of the words that stand for the institutions and legacies that Dr. King and other civil rights activists sought to overcome.

Southern California singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff and local trio Copper & Congress are performing Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Bonoff has collaborated with a ton of talented individuals including Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Linda Ronstadt, but you already knew that. So, we are giving away free tickets to first five people that email me at [email protected]. Please type "Karla Bonoff Tickets" in the subject line so I know you're not spam or a robot. The winners will have to go down to the box office with a photo identification card to claim your tickets.

Here's the closest you're likely to come to leaving the planet: The big brains behind the UA's OSIRIS-REx mission are gathering names for a list that will accompany the plucky robot lab on its trip out to Asteroid Bennu and back. (More on the way-cool space mission here.)

We last saw Eric M. Esquivel talking about how gods suck compared to what humans are capable of at Long Beach Comic-Con. He's been all over the place since he up and left Tucson.

Esquivel was a guest on Gil Dominguez-Letelier's Nerdist podcast show: The Mutant Season. The 11-year-old podcaster and Esquivel discussed his latest comic book project Loki: Ragnarok and Roll and run on Adventure Time: Bravest Warriors with Boom Studios. I'm surprised Eric went so long without swearing in front of a child.

Click here to listen to podcast while you're supposed to be working.