If you're a Tucson High Magnet School alum or supporter with some love in your heart for those Badgers, a letter that went out recently from the football booster club president asking for your help with the high school's football program.

Specifically they could those brown things that every football game needs—footballs:

Badger Alumni and Supporters,

I am sending this letter in regards to the Tucson High School Football Program. Unfortunately due to budget cuts our program does not receive financial assistance from TUSD to provide necessities for our program and players. An example of this lack of funding is last season we did not have enough helmets. This prevented several players from practicing and playing in games. Currently we do not have enough footballs for this coming spring and fall seasons. The Champions Football Booster Club also assists in providing team meals, team banquets, equipment purchases and many more needs the program incurs.

You can support our program by sending support, we are also seeking sponsors and monetary donations. The Champions Football Booster Club is a 501c tax credit. We will provide the tax credit number to those that request it. We want you to know that 100% of the donations will go to all levels of the football program.

We are expecting big things from our program this year. Coach Argraves begins his 4th season coming off a successful 7-4 season and a trip to the playoffs. Coach Argraves has also made some key additions to his coaching staff by bringing back long time THS coaches, Coach Todd Mayfield and Coach Ken Locklin. Along with his current great Coaches. Thank you for your time and support for THS Football. If you have any questions or would like to assist the program, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Nicole Bravo-Holguin (Class of ‘94 THS)
Booster Club President
[email protected]
Thsbadgerfootball (facebook)/Nicole Bravo-Holguin (facebook)

First it was the National Education Association (NEA) calling for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's resignation at its recent national convention. Now it's the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joining in, with a twist. The AFT isn't calling on Duncan to resign — yet. Its resolution calls for an improvement plan for Duncan.

RESOLVED, that the AFT today calls on the president to implement a secretary improvement plan that will be based upon standing up for public education, supporting teachers and all school workers, inspiring parents and the public to join us in creating the public schools we want and deserve, and leading with us in reclaiming the promise of public education.

The wording is a sly dig at Duncan for supporting anti-tenure measures which would allow school districts to fire teachers more easily than they can now. The "secretary improvement plan" called for in the AFT resolution is like the teacher improvement plans which need to be implemented under tenure protections before a teacher is fired.

Here are the recommendations in the improvement plan.

• Enact the funding and equity recommendations of the Each and Every Child report issued by the congressionally chartered, bipartisan Equity Commission;
• Work with us to change the NCLB/RTTT “test and punish” accountability system to a “support and improve” model; and
• Promote rather than question the teachers and school support staff of America.

City of Tucson officials are seeing red over a modern streetcar parody Facebook page, "Ride the CLITT," which has exploded since its creation over the weekend, tallying up over 1800 "likes." The fake page will more than likely surpass the popularity of the official Tucson Modern Streetcar Facebook page by Monday afternoon. Before the source of the page was identified, a flurry of finger-pointing made the rounds in the usual downtown political circles, adding yet another layer of tension to what is already a sensitive issue for the city as it ramps up to the official streetcar launch celebration on July 25th.

Ride the CLITT and its sexually charged acronym C.L.I.T.T. (Community Link Integrated Transit of Tucson) has many Facebook users wondering if the parody site is an official, awkwardly titled Sun Link-sponsored page or an Onion-like parody. To further add to the confusion, official Sun Link press release posts are mixed with Ride the CLITT's own photoshopped maps and promotions, all of which are dripping with innuendos and double entendres.

The page is actually the mastermind of longtime local art activist and Food Truck Roundup creator David Aguirre. In a statement sent to the Tucson Weekly, Aguirre explained his motivation: "Ride the C.L.I.T.T. has a $100 budget for advertising on Facebook. With that, I’ve been able to bring Tucson’s modern street car into greater awareness with the public. The public loves it’s modern street car now, more than it did before Ride The CLITT showed itself. I hope the page will inspire others to get out there and make stuff up informing us who we are as a community." Aguirre also cited Seattle's similar "Ride The S.L.U.T" web prank as inspiration.

According to the TucsonSentinel.com, many at City Hall and some associated with the Regional Transportation Authority are not pleased, so far as even considering possible legal action. One city worker familiar with Aguirre's activities, but did not wish to be identified, told the Tucson Weekly, "I've heard about it, but I haven't paid much attention. Most of us are too busy making sure the launch is a success to worry about things like this." One former colleague had less kind words, accusing Aguirre of preying on Tucson artists as a "slumlord" while "pretending to be a champion of the arts" for years.

Aguirre is no stranger to controversy in Tucson's art community, from his ties to the Steinfeld Warehouse or Citizens Warehouse and BICAS, and like most local artists, has experienced friction when dealing with the city. As is the case with any polarized scene in our tight-knit community, emotions run high and loyalties often lead to exchanges like this back and forth, from the pre-online comment, snail-mail era of the Weekly, when a week's time between replies allowed such priceless quips as "Sounds like the pot calling the kettle noir."

A person who only wanted to be identified as a "former arts organization board member" had this to say to the Tucson Weekly regarding Aguirre's Ride the CLITT project:

It's sad that just when Tucson is marking an advancement that will help it move forward, that some people who have been profiting from Tucson's dysfunction are trying to undermine our progress. The author of this prank has long been pretending to be a champion of the arts but has, over many years, preyed upon Tucson artists as a slumlord, through the many master leases he's had in the warehouse arts district. He's taken control of multiple arts organizations and bled them of their resources for personal gain. Enough. I believe he fears that Tucson might be getting its act together, which would hurt his tried and true method of exploiting the local artist community.

In response, Aguirre told the Weekly, "That statement is so far out there, I wouldn't know where to begin to address it. I'm a long time advocate of the arts and innovation who's not afraid to put myself out there to get something done that is good for the community. Ride the CLITT is an example of that. There are far more people that are glad for it, but there are a handful who bring something else to the moment. I'm with those who are glad that someone is stepping forward and doing something positive, and fun and creative."

Aguirre's other current projects include the aforementioned Food Truck Roundup, the mobile art gallery Planet Rabbit and Dinnerware Artspace, where he serves as Executive Director for what is now Dinnerware's 9th incarnation.

Prior to Aguirre's admission of his involvement in the streetcar parody, speculation over the identity of the prankster ran rampant through Tucson's political social circles, with rumors flying and pointing fingers opening old wounds. Stay tuned for the inevitable public statement from Sun Link, the city, RTA—whoever wants to touch this sticky situation.

Republican Martha McSally, who is seeking to unseat Congressman Ron Barber (D-CD2) this year, reported raising a staggering $653,107 in the second quarter of 2014.

That's McSally's best three-month quarter to date and about $100,000 more than the $550,000 Barber reported raising last week.

It's the fourth quarter in which McSally has outraised Barber. Over the last year, she has raised $1.8 million for her rematch against Barber. In 2012, Barber defeated McSally by fewer than 3,000 votes.

"Even with Nancy Pelosi lining his pockets, Martha has outraised Congressman Barber for four straight quarters because people are sick and tired of the status quo in Congress and looking for a Representative with a fresh approach," said McSally campaign spokesman Patrick Ptak in press release announcing the fundraising haul. "Congressman Barber and his Washington cronies have been working overtime to spin his dismal record and mislead voters, but today's numbers prove people aren't buying it. Martha McSally brings the new ideas and experienced background the people of Southern Arizona are looking for, and she has the momentum and strong support of grassroots on her side."

Updated: Team Barber spokeswoman Ashley Nash-Hahn emailed The Range with a comment on McSally's fundraising.

"While Ron's campaign leads McSally's in cash on hand, the truth is that both campaigns will have the money to communicate their message," Nash-Hahn said. "The real question is who is on the side of people in Southern Arizona? While McSally's plans to privatize Social Security, cut Medicare and cancel the student loan program scare Southern Arizonans, Ron Barber has been fighting to get the job done for our community."

From the official Ramones Facebook page:

We are saddened to announce the passing of Tommy Ramone (nee Erdelyi), the original drummer for the Ramones, earlier today, 11 July 2014.

"It wasn't just music in The Ramones: it was an idea. It was bringing back a whole feel that was missing in rock music — it was a whole push outwards to say something new and different. Originally it was just an artistic type of thing; finally I felt it was something that was good enough for everybody." - Tommy Ramone, 1978

RIP Tommy.

The Club Congress Facebook page announced it's first some news regarding the upcoming HoCo Festival on Friday, Aug. 29. HOCO Fest will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary with performances by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Nik Turner's Hawkwind, The Soft White Sixties, Witch Mountain, Ian Moore, Matt Ellis, Hedersleben, Fuzz Evil and Chamber.

Tickets range from $15 to $50. The show starts at 7 p.m. Click here to buy your tickets now.

The smart scientist says you shouldn't try this at home. Apparently, the Leidenfrost effect only works for him.

The Leidenfrost effect is the formation of a gas barrier between a hot surface and a boiling liquid if the temperature difference is great enough. This gas barrier greatly slows the heat transfer between the two and allows the liquid to last longer and consequently the hot surface to remain hot longer. This effect can be seen in a frying pan as it's being heated. At first the water quickly boils as it's dropped in but at a hot enough temperature the Leidenfrost effect takes over and makes the water skate around the surface lasting a very long time.

So,don't try this at home. Send us a video if you do. Depending on the outcome, we will probably share it here.

In a long-awaited ruling — and one long-feared by Republicans — Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled that the legislature has to add $317 million to K-12 funding in Arizona right now and something on the order of $2.9 billion over the next five years.

This goes back to a 2000 ballot measure where the voters said school funding has to increase to keep up with inflation, which the lege hasn't done on a regular basis.

Where is the legislature supposed to get the money? The judge said that's not relevant to her ruling.

“Cost does not defeat jurisdiction,” she wrote.

[snip]

“This court cannot (and will not) tell the Legislature or treasurer how to fund the adjustments, past or future,” she wrote. “The court assumes that the Legislature will do what the law requires to enable the state to comply with the Supreme Court decision.”

Stay tuned. This story has legs. It's going to be around for awhile and will most likely become a factor in some 2014 campaigns.

The votes have been counted, and Downtown Tucson bested all in "Tucson's Top 10 Neighborhoods Renters Love Most," according to an article posted today on The Huffington Post. "Downtown Tucson is where Southwestern culture meets modern amenities." The urban hub is described as the "perfect neighborhood for the culture vulture — music, museums, restaurants and shops are everywhere you look," and was cited for its effort to weave Tucson's history as a functional part of the city's current day-to-day activities.

Before you get too excited or defensive by this Top 10 Neighborhoods list, keep in mind it was based on searches on the ApartmentGuide.com website. That said, here's the ranking, which technically are areas of town, not neighborhoods:

1. Downtown Tucson
2. Central Tucson
3. Northwest Tucson
4. Catalina Foothills
5. Eastside
6. University of Arizona Campus
7. Winterhaven
8. Starr Pass
9. Broadway/Pantano East
10. South Tucson

Here's a rundown of the article's specific mentions for each area of town.

1. Downtown Tucson: The usual suspects, including Hotel Congress, John Dillinger (Days), the Children's Museum, the (forthcoming) Modern Streetcar, restaurants, etc.

2. Central Tucson: The classic Broadway Village Shopping Center, Central Tucson Gallery Association and its First Saturdays art walk (though on hiatus during July/August), and the Third Street/University Bicycle Boulevard.

3. Northwest Tucson Uh, Mansfield Park is mentioned. That's about it. I guess the people who live up on Oracle Rd., Orange Grove and Ina use another site? Or maybe just those free booklets you pick up in the front of Circle K's and grocery stores?

4. Catalina Foothills: So many hiking/search-and-rescue opportunities, including Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon, Pima Canyon and Ventana Canyon. DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun and Tanque Verde's restaurant row get plugs.

5. Eastside: Uh, Case Park. Help HuffPo out in the comments.

6. University of Arizona Campus: I think you can guess where this one is going...

7. Winterhaven: Someone decided to make this "Winter Haven," which is probably the copy editor's fault. Predictably mentions the annual Festival of Lights and its retirees.

8. Starr Pass: "Hotspot for cyclists," with great views, including Tucson Mountain Park, Saguaro National Park, great resorts, including JW Marriott Resort & Spa. Doesn't exactly help keep the rent down.

9. Broadway/Pantano East: Shout outs to Jesse Owens Park, Harold Steele Elementary (check out the Comic Sans-filled web page!), and back for food at the Jesse Owens Park Farmer's Market.

10. South Tucson: Besides Mexican restaurants, HuffPo includes Santa Rosa Park, Santa Rita Park and the Native American community. Probably code for "CASINOS ARE NEARBY!!!"

What are some of the glaring neighborhood highlights that Atlanta resident and author Courtney Craig missed in this article? Please let us know in the comments.

Neko Case and Kelly Hogan dress up as Star Wars and Star Trek characters (movie authentic, of course) for this hilarious track "These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For" that will be collected in the “2776: A Millennium of American Asskickery,” compilation. Try to spot all the 80+ comedians and actors in the background. I can't wait to see all the Neko Case cosplayers at San Diego Comic-Con in a couple of weeks.