Former Real Housewives of New York cast member Bethenny Frankel (don't lie to yourself. You know exactly who I'm talking about, because you, too, watch the Housewives and then feel like shit about it) wants to create munchies-free cannabis as part of her Skinnygirl brand.

Her Skinnygirl cocktails, which include moscato wine, margaritas of various flavors, cosmos, flavored vodkas and more, are already doing pretty well, multi-million dollars type of well, because they are tasty and don't have many calories.

According to several sources, including the most reliable TMZ, Frankel is working to create a strain of pot that doesn't make you want to eat all that's in front of you after smoking it. She'll find a great market in Oregon, Washington state, Colorado and Alaska...and in the next few years, many more states that want to legalize weed, possibly Arizona!

Pot-smoking friends, would you try it?

Thursday night at La Cocina means Funporium will bring under-the-radar local acts to the stage for your listening pleasure. Last night's show featured Otherly Love, who, despite not playing in a while, really killed it with a high-energy set, as well as az77 and RJM, featuring members of Prom Body.

However, a great free show is only one reason to head to Funporium nights at La Cocina. If you're not a music junkie, consider the taco special. The weekly changing offering dreamt up by Kyle Araishi who mans the grill is something inventive and totally delicious.

Taking some liberties with fusion, you'll find that chimichurri tacos, kimchi tacos, and more are well worth the $3 price tag. Plus, they pair rather well with the varied list of local, seasonal brews on tap at La Cocina. You can try the taco specials for yourself by heading to La Cocina Thursday nights from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

A U.S. Federal District Court has rejected Tucson Unified School District's Comprehensive Magnet Plan as approved by the TUSD board July 2014, saying the CMP isn't a comprehensive enough plan as required by the Unitary Status Plan—which is part of the districts's 30-plus-year-old desegregation efforts.
That plan has been at the center of the legal battle Roy and Josie Fisher and Maria Mendoza v. TUSD, in which the plaintiffs disagree with how the district has been handling these desegregation moves.

The purpose of the magnet plan is to "ensure that all magnet schools are making progress towards achieving the Unitary Status Plan definition of an integrated school, and to enhance the educational quality of its magnet schools and programs."

These goals are listed on TUSD's website:

1. Ensure that all magnet schools and programs show measurable progress toward achieving the
definition of an integrated school as set forth in the USP [USP Section (II)(B)(2)].
GOAL: TUSD magnet schools will achieve the definition of integration to the extent possible as set forth in
the USP through an admissions process.
2. Recruit and retain a racially and ethnically diverse student body in TUSD magnet schools and
programs [USP Section (II)(E)(2)].
GOAL: By implementing the Marketing, Outreach and Recruitment Plan, the District will track the number
of students entering magnet programs at the lowest entry grade in order determine if the plan is
attracting a racially and ethnically diverse student body.     7
3. Enhance the educational quality and social capitol of TUSD magnet schools and programs.
GOAL: By implementing rigorous programs and quality instruction, students attending a magnet school will
score higher than the district average for that grade configuration (K-5, K-8, 6-8, 9-12).
GOAL: For each year, magnet students participation in Advanced Learning Experiences will increase.
GOAL: The achievement gaps between racial groups participating in magnet programs will be less than the
achievement gaps between racial groups not participating in magnet programs. 

For background:

Starting in the mid-1980s, TUSD magnet programs were used as a mechanism to attract non-neighborhood, non-minority students to Westside schools, and to provide equal educational opportunities to minority neighborhood students attending Westside schools. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, magnet programs were added which included more centralized and traditionally desegregated schools. Beginning in 2000, TUSD developed some magnet programs that were successful in improving the racial/ethnic balances in some schools’ student populations. Although these magnets were less successful at attracting a diverse population, were successful at providing specialized educational opportunities for their concentrated minority populations. From the early 1980s through 2011, the demographics of TUSD changed. Through a Magnet Schools Assistance Grant two new magnets were created and one revise in 2010.

The plan pretty much explains how these magnet schools, which include Tucson Magnet High School, Catalina High School and Utterback Magnet Middle School, will move toward integration. These methods are what the court is saying are not clear.

TUSD now has four months to file a revised CMP. The district also needs to submit "improvement plans" on all magnet schools in the next three months. They will be working with a court-assigned referee or special master.

From what I have been hearing, the board isn't scandalized about this and is more than willing to move toward a plan that everyone is happy with.

Good news for everyone interested in the Amazon original series 'Transparent,' but not interested in shelling out $99 a year for Amazon Prime: The series will be free to view on Saturday—just Saturday.

The first (and so far only) season of series consists of 10 half an hour episodes, so it's more than possible to binge watch the whole thing for free. However, if you don't finish in the allotted 24 hours, or if you're just too excited for season 2 (which won't start filming until May), there's more good news. The price of a Prime membership will also be discounted on Saturday to $72, as nod to the 72nd annual Golden Globes, where the series won Best TV series and star Jeffery Tambor won Best Actor in a TV series.

A federal judge told Arizona Thursday that it permanently cannot prohibit so-called DREAMers from getting driver's licenses.

U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell's ruling made permanent a December preliminary injunction that allowed young immigrants under Obama's DACA program—which in 2012 granted all of those brought to the country without documents as children and who have no criminal record (among other requirements) temporary permission to live and work in the U.S.—to start applying for licenses Dec. 22.

"Today's decision paves the way for these young immigrants to contribute more fully to our communities and sends a clear message to Gov. Doug Ducey that his predecessor's anti-immigrant policies were legally flawed and came at a great cost to Arizona taxpayers," said Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which represented the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition and other groups in the lawsuit against Jan Brewer and the state. "Ducey will live up to his campaign promise to bring a new era to Arizona by abandoning the divisive anti-immigrant measures that soured economic prospects and made Arizona a laughingstock. It’s time for Arizona’s leaders to embrace policies that unite and move us forward.”

Brewer and the DREAMers had been in a legal battle since 2012.

The day DACA was supposed to go into effect, Brewer issued her own executive action, saying no one who qualified for the program would be able to get a license in the state of Arizona. We became one of two states that did this—the other is Nebraska.

Federal courts over and over again sided with the DREAMers, saying the state's justifications were not solid and that it didn't make sense DREAMers should be treated any differently than any other non-citizens, such as green card holders.

Since Ducey took office, he never clarified whether he'd continue the legal battle or not. 

Still, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the state spent about $1.5 million, The Arizona Republic said.

Read the ruling here.

The Range's Maria Taracena has done a great job of summarizing the main points in Ed Supe Diane Douglas' 2015 State of Education message. In this post, I want to ask, what does it all mean? Douglas was famously mum during the campaign season, so lots of what we're hearing from her, we're hearing for the first time. Some of it sounds good, I must say. But I've learned not to read public officials' statements with my hopes and dreams. Gov. Ducey's State of the State message vs. his budget proposal is a case in point. Better to read exactly what Douglas' words say, then try to guess what they might mean, making sure to view them through the lens of Douglas' basic Tea Party philosophy.

Douglas said Arizona ranked 47th in a recent "Quality Counts" education report and received a rating of D+. First, that's an honest statement, not a sugar coating, which is good. Second, the source is Education Week, a more-or-less middle-of-the-road journal written mainly for educators, which I subscribe to and read. The fact that Douglas didn't discount Ed Week as a progressive/lefty propaganda rag is encouraging. I hope she reads it on a regular basis. There's a lot to learn in there for anyone interested in education.

Douglas didn't quite say we need to raise teachers' salaries, but she almost did when she said, "Arizona’s average teacher salary is ranked 42nd in the nation and salaries are a major obstacle when recruiting outside Arizona." It's a lovely sentiment, one I agree with heartily. If Ducey's proposal to shift non-classroom funds into the classroom goes through, it could happen — likewise if Republicans agree to abide by the court's decision that they need to add hundreds of millions to school funding. But since Douglas didn't say we need to increase the state's education budget, however, her words are nice but don't mean much. They would have been nicer still if she urged the lege to spend more on our children's educations.

Douglas gave a terrific, positive affirmation to Arizona teachers. "I know first-hand just how hard our teachers work and how much they care about their students." No teacher bashing from Douglas, at least not yet. Since teachers aren't public enemy number one — at least not yet — if she's consistent, she'll have to look for ways to improve the state's education that don't begin with, "Throw the bums out!"

Let me add to my Tuesday list of education bills proposed in the legislature. No saying what fate the bills will have—whether they'll be heard, and if so, whether they'll make it to the governor's desk, but here they are.

Daily Physical Activity
SB 1126. For years, Tucson's own Steve Gall has been pushing to get elementary students' bodies moving for their physical, mental and intellectual health by working with kids in TUSD schools, talking to legislators and getting bills introduced. This bill says children in grades one through five have to engage in some form of organized physical activity daily, inside or outside the classroom. No physical education teachers or funding are required. (Sponsored by four Democrats)

Common Core
HB 2190 forbids adopting the Common Core standards, either under their original name or their "It's not really the Common Core" name, Arizona College and Career Ready Standards. It's a very long bill, too long for me to care enough to take the time to read it thoroughly, so I don't know all its ins and outs. (Sponsored by four 4 Republicans)

HB 2392. This is a much shorter bill that gets straight to the point: The Board of Education "may not implement the Common Core Standards, this state's College and Career Ready standards or any other standards or assessments that are developed outside this state." There's a little more, but that's the gist. (Sponsored by one Republican)

Statewide Achievement Tests
HB 2180 says the Board of Education has to adopt multiple achievement assessment tests, and schools can pick one from the menu. If this were adopted, schools could go test shopping, and it would be nearly impossible for the state to compare student and school scores with any degree of confidence, so school comparisons and the state wide school grading system would mean even less than they do now. (Sponsored by three Republicans)

Each year, when my last trip to Philadelphia was just a little too long ago, I start craving things from the city. Rita's Water Ice, easy access to a good Italian hoagie and soft pretzels. Always soft pretzels. 

I can only image how much stronger that craving is for someone who is used to constant access to good soft pretzels, like Jody and Dawn Rush who started Old Pueblo Pretzels.

"You gotta find your food. If you cant find it, you gotta make it," Jody Rush said. He tested out recipes for a year and a half until, on Aug. 9 of this year—yes, he remembers the exact date—his wife came home and announced that he had done it. By Labor Day weekend, they were setting up shop at the farmer's market at St. Phillips Plaza every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"You don’t want to go to the mall, that’s not a pretzel," Rush said. These pretzels are made out of water, flour, barley, yeast and salt—that's it—making them vegan and totally natural. 

Now, they're trying to break into the food truck game. Rush wants to bake the pretzels on site, instead of at home before they're sold. This would allow him bake more than the 200 pretzels per day he can currently produce, which sell out every Sunday.
 
The duo have decided to go the crowdfunding route to pay for the truck, complete with delicious perks.

From their Indiegogo:

We know our pretzels!

Old Pueblo Pretzels can't express enough our passion for soft pretzels along with a healthy lifestyle. Bread is and always will be a staple in most everyones diet. We just happen to have a different recipe to offer those who have grown tired of the norm here in the desert. On the East Coast we eat pretzels like others eat bagels and donuts for breakfast, so much so that we love to eat them anytime of the day or night. We love our pretzels and we know you will come to love them as much as we do! There's nothing like a fresh baked hot soft pretzel.

Our loyal growing customer base can attest to the authenticity of our Philly pretzels. And now you can help spread the word here in Tucson as we offer people a delicious choice when it comes time to healthy snacks.

They've set their Indiegogo goal high, at $32k with only $103 raised as of this posting. Rush realizes that's going to be a tough target to reach, and says whatever they end up with will be useful in getting started.

Their "Hot Knots," knots baked with Hatch chili peppers and chopped garlic, sound like something I'm going to need in my life immediately. As for Rush, he prefers to eat his pretzels bare, as soon as they're ready. Some people put mustard on straight away, but Rush thinks they should take a bite first. "You've got to taste it," he says.

Beginning in 1961 and spanning a decade, "High Chaparral" was a fan favorite for Old West TV shows. Filmed at Old Tucson, the show is full of views of the Old Pueblo. Now, nearly 45 years since the show ended, the starts of "High Chaparral" will be returning to T-Town for a cast reunion.

Thursday, March 19 until Sunday, March 22, some of the series' biggest stars will be at the Casino del Sol Resort to meet fans, sign autographs, perform a scene reading, and have a cowboy-themed dinner. The cast will also visit the ranch house where the show was filmed.

Guests include:
Henry Darrow (Manolito Montoya)
Don Collier (Sam Butler)
Rudy Ramos (Wind)
Susan McCray (High Chaparral's Casting Director)
Kent McCray (High Chaparral's Producer)
Niel Summers (Stuntman)

Registration to attend the reunion is required. You can sign up and find out more information by visiting the event's website.

Indie rock lovers have the unique opportunity to see one of the genre's darlings in a very intimate setting next month. S. Carey, who is best known as the drummer and vocalist for Bon Iver, will be performing his solo work in a Tucson living room on Friday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.

According to a statement from Carey, his tour is in support of his most recent release, which was inspired partly from his time in Arizona:

The 'Range of Light,' to me, is the range of my own happiness and the range in anyone's happiness, sadness…it became a very California-inspired record for me. California and Arizona, specifically, because when I was a kid, my parents got divorced, and my dad lived in Arizona. Every summer we would go visit him and explore — basically road-trip around and camp and fish and hike, and do all that stuff in Arizona and in California, because we had a bunch of cousins and aunts and uncles that lived there. Some of the songs are about those memories, which again goes back to the 'Range of Light.' 

The exact location of the home where Carey will be performing his airy and ethereal jams is only disclosed once you buy tickets and there are only about 25 left. Most of the Living Room Shows on S. Carey's tour are already sold out, so it's best to jump on them now before they're gone. You can buy tickets to the show via Undertow Tickets.