Thursday, August 23, 2018
The to-be-named squad, which will take to the artificial turf inside the venerable arena for the league's 2019 regular season, will be the Old Pueblo's first professional indoor football team.
A quartet of people responsible for the team's inception, including owners Kevin and Kathy Guy and longtime Tucson attorney Ali Farhang brimmed with excitement about the team's prospects going forward at the ceremony.
The co-owners trumpeted the league's adrenaline-fueled, family-friendly gameday atmosphere, calling the development a win for the arena and downtown corridor as a whole.
Kevin Guy, who has coached the Arizona Rattlers of the IFL since 2008, was the first to bring up the possibility of adding a Tucson team to the league a year ago.
Guy, who's led the Phoenix-based Rattlers to eight playoff appearances and six Arena Football League and Indoor Football League championships, praised the city for its efforts in negotiating a deal that's fair for all.
"This is going to be great for the state of Arizona," Guy told the crowd. "So, I appreciate this support and allowing this to happen."
Longtime Tucson professional sports figure and team Executive Director Mike Feder, who previously worked with the Tucson Padres, believes the team will be a smashing success.
He hopes to see 7,000 people decked in the team's colors when the IFL's regular season starts in March, 2019.
He believes the Tucson community is ready and willing to answer the call.
"We need people to help us with that," Feder said. "But, you know, it's a labor of love for me. I just enjoy what I do. And when I have the ability to help people out, raise money, create entertainment, that makes me feel good."
Feder says his experience in professional sports prevents him from being nervous or anxious about getting everything done in time for the 2019 season.
He believes the team will be ready to roll come March and that the city will be ready to showcase its passion for the indoor game.
"If experience provides you anything it shows you how to get it done. You don't get scared by the timeline," Feder said. "Those things don't bother me. We've got to get out knocking on doors. We've got to talk to sponsors, on the corporate side we've got to talk to season ticket people, we've got to talk to groups. We're going to do it. We're just going to be committed and we're going to do it."
Fans can help name the team and put down a $50 season ticket deposit on the team's website, tucsonindoorfootball.com.
Tags: Tucson , Indoor Football League , Kevin Guy , Ali Farhang , Mike Feder , Tucson Indoor Football , Tucson Arena , Tucson Convention Center , Downtown Tucson , Image
On this edition of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Tucson Weekly/Tucson Local Media executive editor is joined by Tucson Local Media reporter Danyelle Khmara and Arizona Daily Star reporter Hank Stephenson to talk about legislative and congressional races in next week's primary election.
On this edition of Zona Politics: Tucson Weekly/Tucson Local Media executive editor Jim Nintzel sits down with Congressman Raul Grijalva to discuss abolishing ICE, family separation at the border, climate change, the future of public lands and more. Then CD2 congressional candidate Mary Matiella talks about why she's running for the office.
Tags: politics , video , Zona Politics , Arizona , Congressman Raul Grijalva , ICE , family separation , climate change , public lands , CD2 , congressional candidate , Mary Matiella , Video , Image
But just as laws that hurt sex workers become more extreme, people are throwing more support behind political candidates who openly oppose such laws, support sex worker rights and even call for complete decriminalization of the industry.
A state Senate candidate in New York is doing just that. Twenty-seven-year-old Julia Salazar, who heads into a Sept. 13 primary against an eight-term incumbent, has attended sex worker advocacy meetings and even has a decriminalization platform on her website.
The Intercept goes deeper into Salazar's advocacy as well as looking at some of the other political candidates standing up for the human rights of sex workers.
Salazar’s platform outlines steps toward decriminalization that include
an end to raids on massage parlors; working with district attorneys to
stop charging sex workers with crimes; and creating a network of
optional social services to address workers’ needs, such as housing,
child care, syringe access, and job training. Her platform would also
make it easier for sex workers with criminal records to access housing
and jobs, along with repealing the exemption for sex workers under New
York’s rape shield law.
Tags: New York , Senate , Candidate , Julia Salazar , The Intercept , sex workers , rights , decriminalization , Image
Arizona's state education boards should look like Arizona. More specifically, they should look like Arizona's students. It just makes sense that everyone has a seat at the table so the needs of all Arizona's students are considered when educational decisions are made.
And since, according to Arizona for Latino Leaders in Education (ALL in for Education AZ), 30 of the 34 board members on Arizona's three state education boards — the Arizona State Board of Education, Arizona State Board for Charter Schools and Arizona Board of Regents — are appointed by the governor, creating boards with an ethnic balance shouldn't be all that hard.
Yet only one of the 30 appointed board members is Latino, even though Latinos make up nearly 50 percent of Arizona's K-12 student population.
Eight board memberships are up for replacement now or in January, 2019. The newly formed ALL in for Education AZ sees that as an opportunity.
"Arizona for Latino Leaders in Education is calling on Governor Ducey to use those opportunities to appoint qualified Latino education leaders to fill the vacancies and ensure the boards look like Arizona classrooms."ALL in for Education AZ held a news conference in Phoenix Thursday, August 23, to provide further information and discuss ways to improve the ethnic diversity of the state education boards. The organization plans to hold press conferences around the state, including in Tucson.
Tags: Arizona for Latino Leaders in Education , ALL in for Education AZ , Arizona State Board of Education , Arizona State Board for Charter Schools , Arizona Board of Regents , Image
For those of you who missed Scoundrels and Scamp’s Oaf earlier this year, lucky you. It’s being offered again through this weekend, giving you the opportunity to spend a delightful hour or so with Matt Walley, who is Oaf. Walley is an actor who has had extensive training in the field of physical theater, and he brings us an entertaining tale told with good humor and a bit of thoughtfulness as well.
For many, the term physical theater is a bit of a mystery. Quite simply, it is a type of theater in which performers tell their stories not through words, but through their bodies. It uses movement, mime, and dance; it often utilizes music or sound effects; and it’s usually original, developed by the performers themselves.
For Oaf, Walley worked for months to develop the piece with Wolfe Bowart, himself a renowned practitioner of physical theater. It’s a unique process in which experimentation and improvisation are key. One has to find a character, a story and the best way to tell that story. This is not easy stuff.
Here our hero appears to be a performer, in the loosest sense of the word, in a sideshow. But that’s not really the focus. Most of what we see is what happens backstage, when he’s not doing his sideshow bits. But the strongman, oafish freak show character does give context to a story that’s essentially about breaking free from the limitations imposed on us. But Oaf’s antics—of which there are many—are not directly connected to his carnival “showmanship.”
Walley gives us a fun—and fun-loving—character. He relates directly with us, and a few of us can find ourselves literally a part of his world. There are sight gags, bits that morph as they are revisited in a thematic way. There’s a bit of sleight of hand, and because Walley creates a likable and relatable Oaf, our time with him is totally delightful. There are smiles and laughs aplenty. Oaf may not be the most sophisticated of guys, but he’s sweet, funny and in spite of his oafishness, even at times charming. And the trip we take with him is more than worth our time.
Tags: things to do , theater , Scoundrel and Scamp Theater , The Historic Y , Oaf , Image
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Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The college offers three types of courses: UA Student-Community Courses, Lifelong Learning Seminars, and Professional Development Courses.
UA Student-Community Courses allows for you to experience the same lectures as UA students, only you don’t need to worry about passing any tests. And at the same time, you get to meet and discuss class topics with UA students. Professors involve professor and linguist Noam Chomsky! Tuition costs $250.
Lifelong Learning Seminars offer a wide variety of topics, including the history of Tucson cinema, photography basics, and more. These classes are both on-campus and around Tucson. Tuition ranges from $90 to 120.
Professional Development Courses teach you career skills and allow you to work with Tucson professionals. Currently, the only planned class is for building a social media strategy. Tuition costs $240.
Registration details can be found at communityclassroom.arizona.edu
Tags: University of Arizona , community classrooms , lifelong learning , Image
Lee, who averaged 2.4 points per game in 27 appearances as a freshman, was pulled over by a University of Arizona Police Department motorcycle cop just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19 near the intersection of Seventh Street and Warren Avenue, according to a UAPD report.
The 20-year-old student basketball player's 2017 Hyundai Sonata sedan nearly collided with an SUV as it turned from Sixth Street onto Warren, before driving the wrong way down Warren going southbound.
Lee was shirtless in a pair of overalls when he was pulled over, according to the report, telling the responding officer, "No, no, no," when asked if he'd been drinking that night.
The same UAPD officer noticed a strong odor of intoxicants, and Lee's red and watery eyes, with Lee telling the officer he left his registration at his house, according to the report.
Lee failed multiple field sobriety tests and had blood alcohol content readings of .215 and .198, resulting in the citations for DUI slightest degree, DUI above .08, extreme DUI (above .15), minor drive after drinking and super extreme DUI (Above .20), in addition to a citation for failure to yield in relation to his reckless turn on Warren Avenue.
The University released a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 21, addressing Lee's arrest and the process that will decide his academic standing in Tucson.
“The incident has been referred to the Dean of Students for review under the University’s student code of conduct, and the Athletics Department is reviewing the incident for team consequences," the UA statement reads. "Students also have access to counseling and other support services.”
Lee is scheduled to appear in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 10 for a criminal arraignment.
Tags: Ira Lee , Sean Miller , University of Arizona , Arizona Wildcats , University of Arizona Police Department , Pac-12 , Tucson , Image
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