Caitlin McGrath, 19, a volunteer with McSally, made 400 calls today to help get out the vote.

"Every positive market call was just a motivator and it made you want to keep going," she said. Now, she's at the GOP fiesta, hoping to see her efforts pay off.

"I'm hoping to see that Martha McSally wins, obviously, and I'm really hoping to see a change in the economy, especially for us young people," she said.

A recent high school graduate, McGrath was excited about voting in her first election.

"It's one thing to play a part, and it's another thing to say that I am voting for this person because she is the right person for what I want," McGrath said.

Results are rolling in and Republican candidate Mark Brnovich has a lead in the Attorney General's race with 53 percent of the vote, compared to Democrat Felecia Rotellini, who has 46 percent of the votes.

With the first results in, Republican candidate Michele Reagan has 51 percent of the vote compared to Democrat candidate Terry Goddard's 47 percent.

Talked recently with McSally Communications Director Patrick Ptak, who told us the agenda for the evening. The candidate is expected to enter the fiesta and address the crowd. An interesting group this election season—not the usual Pima County GOP crowd. For instance, where is MC Jon Justice? Not invited to the table, buddy? It's kind nice and kind of sad at the same time—this isn't the usual GOP election crowd. Perhaps the strangest part of this year's fiesta is that so far these seem to be the only recognizable faces thus far—yep, the guy with the Lincoln hat is here. Of course he is:

Hey-ho election observers, hopefully by now you've voted, with dinner in your bellies, ready to take in the election results and fun times that come with celebrating those results. Per usual, I'm at the GOP fiesta at the Sheraton. So far TV crews have some nice comfy places to stay, but beware the woman with the walkie-talkie ...

Unlike past elections, while Col. Martha McSally changed her mind on corralling the press, just asking for a small table and some chairs for print folks to sit and work with a group of UA journalism students ... well, damn, this year, it could be a problem. We're still working out our issues and I'm enjoying our flirtatious glances. I see you Sheraton lady. You're doing a good job. Don't forget to ask the campaign about that table.

But we're here, and so far the band is just setting up. They look young, which is encouraging, as the Pima County Republican Party continues to shed it's Mamie and Ike persona. Good job, guys. No names as of yet, not even a Tucson Unified School District governing board member spotted two years ago (Well, he's not running this year folks, but hell, the night is young).

So, wish us luck and stayed tuned, and let's have some fun.

• JD Fitzgerald

Polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight. Find out where your polling location is here. If you have an early ballot, you can drop it off at any polling location.

If you haven't been convinced to vote yet, how about some encouragement from a local cat?

Tucson Weekly will be bringing you election results and reaction here on the blog starting around 8 p.m., so check back throughout the night.

With his newest restaurant concept scheduled to open in late November, a New England-style tavern called Jackson Tavern, Poppy Kitchen and Gio Taco owner Brian Metzger recently returned from a fact-finding journey across his native New England.

We asked Brian to share some of his discoveries with The Range to get a sense of what's going into the menu at Jackson Tavern.
__________________

Of Sea Dogs and Stuffies

Question: What does a nice Jewish boy who grew up in Rhode Island, moved to the desert southwest, and opened up a downtown taco joint and a foothills restaurant do for an encore?

Answer: He opens up a New England-style tavern!

Now, that wasn’t necessarily my plan when I first discovered at the tender age of eight that I was a true foodie. But often the best life is lived unplanned, at least to a certain extent. And that’s how mine has unfolded.

I’m excited to report that the newest addition to the Metzger Family Restaurants line-up will be Jackson Tavern, a New England-style tavern that honors the central role the tavern has played in the history of American hospitality.

Growing up in Rhode Island with my twin brother, Jay, traveling throughout New England, enjoying summers with our Nana and Poppy, and devouring just about anything that climbed - or was fished - out of the Atlantic waters, I have always had a fondness for clam cakes and steamers, “chowda” (New England style, it should go without saying), lobster in whatever form, oysters of any kind, fish and, of course, calamari.

So when we made the momentous decision that a tavern would be the next creation in our family’s culinary business, we knew we had to do a road trip and go back to the very beginning.

At the end of October, my brother and I took our executive chef and partner, Virginia “Ginny” Wooters, on a classic road trip to several New England states to both harvest ideas for the tavern and to introduce Ginny to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New England.

Our plan was to hit up places I had grown up visiting, as well as newer establishments — clam shacks, taverns, seafood companies, classic restaurants, food trucks, oyster and chowder houses, inns and artists — all in an effort to try new things and see what ideas, recipes and flavors we could import back to the Old Pueblo.

Best of Tucson winner KXCI is embarking on an interesting project this month, giving listeners an opportunity to pick the 913 Greatest Songs Ever, via a ballot of 320 songs every five days until they get through the entire catalog of popular recorded music (or something like it). You have today and tomorrow to pick your 15 to 50 favorites from the first batch, which runs from "#41" by Dave Matthews Band (no) to the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star" (maybe), with incredible Dan Gibson approved tracks like "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" by R.E.M., "Ceremony" by New Order and Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" in between. A bonus, a lucky voter will win a $200 Visa gift card along with the joy of being part of such an extensive project.

The winners will air as part of a countdown on KXCI from Dec. 1 through Dec. 5.

Here's the ballot. More info at kxci.org.

• Jim Nintzel
• The Downtown Motor Hotel

The Downtown Motor Hotel has seen better days.

Built in 1941 at 383 S. Stone Ave., the low-slung brick hotel served travelers for many years. But today, while an iconic sign still hangs over the shuttered office, most of the motel’s rooms sit behind a chain-link fence, with iron bars on the doors to discourage squatters.

And if Tucson-based Compass Affordable Housing, which bought the property in May, has its way, the building will soon be demolished to make way for a four-story apartment building designed to house homeless veterans.

But the proposed demolition has some residents in the Armory Park and Barrio Viejo neighborhoods unhappy with the scale and design of the new building.

And they’re especially worried that the State Historic Preservation Office and a consultant working with the developer appear to have little regard to the potential historic nature of the motel, which was designed by famed Tucson architect Josias Joesler.

The Ninth Annual Gem & Jam Festival is coming up sooner than you think, hitting the Slaughterhouse concert space (I think they're calling it The Green or something, but who knows?) on February 6, 7 and 8, 2015 and the lineup hit the internet today.

Alex and Alyson Grey headline the event, painting and speaking all three days. Alex Grey is a psychedelic and spiritual artist who's the subject of one of the best sentences ever to appear on Wikipedia:

Grey's paintings have been featured in venues as diverse as the album art of Tool, The String Cheese Incident, Meshuggah, the Beastie Boys and Nirvana, Newsweek magazine, the Discovery Channel, Rave flyers and sheets of blotter acid.

Plus, there's music. Lots and lots of music from a diverse array of acts from progressive psychedelic jam act Papadosio to R&B remixer/atmospheric dream-pop artist Giraffage.

Tickets for the 2015 event are on sale now, with a special $99/three day pass available in limited quantities. More info at www.gemandjamfestival.com.