Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Posted By on Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 1:00 AM

Pumpkin Party Night. Chick-fil-A at Oracle Road is hosting a special night for the kids this Tuesday. Pumpkins will be decorated inside the dining room and all kids are invited. A free four-nugget kid’s meal will be provided with any adult meal purchased while pumpkins are still available. The offer is only for guests who dine-in. 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23. 4585 N. Oracle Road. Details Here.
click to enlarge Three Great Things to Do In Tucson Today: Tuesday, Oct. 23
courtesy
A piece of artwork by Scott Treleaven.

Art Now!
With Scott Treleaven. It’s time for another opportunity to hear from an artist down at MOCA, and to ask questions to your heart’s content. Scott Treleaven came into the spotlight about 20 years ago as a filmmaker, zine-creator, collage fabricator and general artist in the North American gay punk scene. He’s been examining the way modernism, counterculture and queerness are affected by occult symbology ever since. This autobiographical lecture—illustrated with images from art he’s created over the past two decades—will see Treleaven questioning whether it might be time to put some old demons to rest. 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23. Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art, 265 S. Church Ave. $10 nonmembers, free for members. Details Here.
Three Great Things to Do In Tucson Today: Tuesday, Oct. 23
courtesy

Cat People.
The Loft Cinema is back with another interesting movie, better yet, it's free. This 1942 film will be sure to get you in the Halloween spirit (if you're not already). This is a classic horror film that knocked people's socks off when it was first released. Val Lewton did not disappoint then and the movie continues to be a thriller. Admission is free but donations are greatly appreciated. 7:30 p.m. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Details Here.

Send Us Your Photos:
If you go to any of the events listed above, snap a quick pic and message it to us for a chance to be featured on our social media sites! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @tucsonweekly.

Events compiled by Brianna Lewis, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

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Monday, October 22, 2018

Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 3:57 PM

click to enlarge Pumpkin Head
Jim Nintzel
click to enlarge Pumpkin Head (2)
Jim Nintzel

























Head on over to the Marana Pumpkin Patch before it's time to light up your Jack-o-lanterns. The pumpkin patch will be open through Tuesday Oct. 30. The farm is open weekday evenings 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and the fun lasts all day on the weekend, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The farm has a petting zoo, giant jump pillows, corn mazes and, of course, pumpkins! More details here.

click to enlarge Pumpkin Head (3)
Jim Nintzel
Weekly Executive Editor Jim Nintzel took his family to the Marana Pumpkin Patch for a day filled with fun.

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Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 3:24 PM

click to enlarge In Our City of Gastronomy, Learn About the Social Justice and Politics of Food
Bret Hartman
James Beard award winner, Michael Twitty is coming to the Loft Cinema courtesy of Pima County Public Library's LGBTQ+ Services Committee. A Q&A, book sale and signing will follow author talk at this free event.

Twitty will speak about gastronomy, the social justice reality of food, and his memoir The Cooking Gene, which the New York Times Book Review called "fascinating."

Of Twitty, the Washington Post says "Should there ever be a competition to determine the most interesting man in the world, Michael W. Twitty would have to be considered a serious contender."

Want to learn more before the event? Find more info here:
Wednesday, October 24 at 7 pm
The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
Doors open at 6:30 - No registration required

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Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 12:10 PM

click to enlarge Rose Bowl Blues: Rhett Rodriguez and Arizona Fall Flat Against UCLA, 31-30
Connor Buss, Foreword Films
Offensive lineman Cody Creason, left, consoles running back JJ Taylor after he fumbled the football in the first half of Arizona's 31-30 loss to UCLA on Saturday night.
The tide of Arizona's one-point defeat to the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday night turned on a gallant run by running back JJ Taylor.

Taylor, who finished the night with a game-high 154 rushing yards on 19 carries, found a huge hole in the UCLA defense, racing into the void for a 55-yard gain.

It appeared to be the offensive shot in the arm that the Wildcats, who struggled for most of the first half offensively, needed.

His seeming triumph came to an abrupt end on the well-timed punch by Bruins safety Darnay Holmes, who chased Taylor down from behind to knock the ball loose and through the back of the UCLA end zone for a touchback.

The play erased a surefire seven points for Arizona, allowing the hometown Bruins to go into the half with a 17-7 lead on Kevin Sumlin's Wildcats.

Arizona (3-5, 2-3) was able to storm back in the latter half of the contest, with sophomore QB Rhett Rodriguez, who made his first career start in place of injured Khalil Tate, finding his rhythm in the pocket.

The two sides traded offensive blows in the third quarter, with Rodriguez finding senior wideout Shawn Poindexter for an 11-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17.

Senior kicker Josh Pollack gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night on a 39-yard field goal with 4:58 left in the third, giving them a 20-17 lead on the Bruins.

The Wildcats defense was unable to stop Michigan transfer QB Wilson Speights though, with the gunslinger connecting on a 25-yard passing touchdown to help the Bruins regain the lead.

Taylor found a bit of redemption on Arizona's next drive, scoring from the shadows of the goal-line to give the Wildcats a 27-24 lead with 12:34 left in the fourth.

The Wildcats defense, which surrendered 460 yards to the Bruins, were unable to stop UCLA on its final two drives, with the home squad scoring on a Joshua Kelley rush, before killing the clock on their final drive of the night.

Sumlin gave the Bruins credit for their ability to close out the victory, but said his side did plenty to aid in their own eventual downfall.

“I think that down the stretch you have to give UCLA credit for how they handled the tight situation in the second half, but we also did some things that allowed them to extend drives. Really some penalties that we did not have in the first half," Sumlin said. "I think we had two in the first half to their ten. Then we had four critical ones late third quarter, late fourth quarter that helped extend their drives. I think they only had two penalties in the second half. We had two turnovers in the end zone. Punch out on JJ and pick in the end zone which certainly would have translated to more than one point in the game. We had our opportunities and basically if you look at the sum of the whole game they made plays with the turnovers.”

Poindexter, who finished the night with 106 yards on six catches for the Wildcats, spoke of the sting that losing to UCLA in Pasadena left in the locker room.

“This one was just personal because I was hurt my first year and couldn’t travel to UCLA," he said. "So this is my first time in the Rose Bowl. So for me this one hurts."

The Wildcats have not beaten UCLA in Pasadena since 2010, when they beat the Bruins 29-21, having lost each of their last four contests with the Bruins in Southern California.

Rodriguez said the team's defeat at the venerable Southern California venue had nothing to do with the squad's effort.

“Effort on this team is never the question. This team always plays hard. So I wasn’t surprised. We felt good going into the game, at least I felt good into the game. I was confident that we were going to come out with a victory, but we were just one point short.”

Duck hunting

The Wildcats' schedule doesn't get any easier from here, with the Oregon Ducks (5-2, 2-2) coming to Tucson at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Senior linebacker Colin Schooler, who had a team-high 10 tackles against UCLA, knows how tough it'll be for the Wildcats to spring the upset against the Ducks, especially after Mario Cristobal team's 34-20 loss to Washington State last Saturday.

The senior linebacker knows how tough the Ducks are, with his brother, Brenden, taking snaps at wide receiver for Cristobal's team this fall.

He also knows how well this year's team can play when they're all on the same page. He believes the team can do what's necessary to upset the Ducks if they can figure out how to channel the energy they had in Saturday's second half over an entire 60-minute contest.

“We just need everyone to do their job for four quarters, and as simple as that sounds it’s not," Schooler said. "The games are so fast and there are so many key factors with different responsibilities and different plays. If we can slow the game down and getting everyone doing their job at the same time, I think we’ll have a good chance.”

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Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 10:35 AM

click to enlarge Red Sox and Dodgers Head to the 2018 World Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are going to the World Series. The first game will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to the World Series. The first game will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. First two games are at Fenway, next three (if necessary) are at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and the last two, if necessary are back at Fenway.

The Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the League Championship Series while the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros. This will be the 114th World Series televised on Fox for the 19th year and ESPN Radio will carry the games for the 21st year straight.

It is the first time since the 1977 and 1978 World Series' that the Dodgers have made consecutive World Series appearances, losing against the Houston Astros in 2017.

This is the first time the Red Sox have played the Dodgers in the world series since 1916. The last time the Red Sox won the World Series was in 2013 and the Dodgers in 1988.

World Series champions from 2007-2017
2007: Boston Red Sox
2008: Philadelphia Phillies
2009: New York Yankees
2010: San Francisco Giants
2011: St. Louis Cardinals
2012: San Francisco Giants
2013: Boston Red Sox
2014: San Francisco Giants
2015: Kansas City Royals
2016: Chicago Cubs
2017: Houston Astros  

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Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 10:28 AM

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Posted By on Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 1:00 AM

Whiskey Dinner at Batch. Come for plenty of whiskey and a five-course meal at Batch Cafe & Bar. A few of the plates will even include whiskey, with “Overkill Whiskey Cheeseburger” and “Whiskey-Soaked Bread Pudding” being listed on the menu. The event will also feature ingredients from local vendors. 6 p.m. onwards. Monday Oct. 22. 118 E. Congress St. $55. Details Here.

After the Fall of New York. Mondays are a drag and nothing is better than relaxing after your long day of work. Although, it may not be at home, The Loft Cinema does have some pretty comfy seats. Enjoy their screening of After the Fall of New York, an 1983 film, about the future, 2019 (wow, super far away, eh?). To simply some it up, nuclear war has made the human race sterile, it's up to a man to rescue the last fertile woman on earth so she can restore the population. Not to mention, its Mondo Monday, and there is a free raffle. 8 p.m. $3. Details Here.

Skate Country Dollar Night. Kids are expensive, obviously, as those of you who have little rascals know well. Even more so in this generation because when we were kids, we just sat in our backyard and played with mud and built puzzles. Today all kids need the newest iPad and game console. Every Monday night, Skate Country has dollar night. Take a blast to the past and get your kids away from the LED screens and throw them some skates. For a dollar per person, this is a great event for the whole family to spend some time together. 6-8 p.m. 7980 E. 22nd Street. Details Here.

Send Us Your Photos:
If you go to any of the events listed above, snap a quick pic and message it to us for a chance to be featured on our social media sites! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @tucsonweekly.

Events compiled by Brianna Lewis, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

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Friday, October 19, 2018

Posted By on Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 3:43 PM

click to enlarge Downtown Developers Announce Plan for a New Hotel Tower
Courtesy Illustration
Showtime: Rendering of the proposed 16-story hotel property that will incorporate the Rialto Theatre.

The developers of downtown’s AC Marriott plan are unveiling their plan for a new $88 million hotel project on Broadway and Fifth Avenue that will incorporate two new Marriott brands, as well as the historic Rialto Theatre.

The 16-story hotel, which could be under construction in a year, will incorporate Marriott’s Moxy and Element brands and include a multi-million-dollar remodel of the Rialto. The Moxy will have 109 rooms, while the Element will feature 140 rooms.

“We end up with three hotels who cater to three different types of guests that are all under 150 rooms, so they qualify as charming and boutique,” said developer Scott Stiteler, who is undertaking the project with his partner on the AC Marriott, Rudy Dabdoub. “And then they all work together. There's something for everyone.”

Stiteler said the success of the AC Marriott encouraged him to pursue this new project across the street. Marriott executives are also pleased with the AC, according to Stiteler.

“They see that Tucson is cool,” he said.

Marriott’s Moxy brand focuses on what hotelier calls “fun hunters” who are seeking a minimalist style, while the Element brand offers a space for travelers who are looking at longer stays, with fully equipped kitchens and similar amenities.

Stiteler said he’d be requesting tax abatements from the Rio Nuevo Board and the city of Tucson as part of the financing for the project.

The hotel will essential meld with the Rialto Theatre, allowing guests to attend shows without leaving the property. Stiteler envisions a lot of synergy between the two properties, including the possibility that guests who check into the Moxy will be able to look through a glass wall at the band playing on the stage of the Rialto.

Curtis McCrary, the executive director of the nonprofit Rialto Theatre Foundation, said he was thrilled at the possibility of a remodeled Rialto, especially since the plan includes new offices and green rooms for artists. The current office and green room, which the Rialto Theatre Foundation now rents from Stiteler, will be demolished to make room for the hotel.

The Rialto Theatre Foundation, which will continue to own the nearly century-old theater, is on the verge of completing its own capital fundraising campaign, with a goal of a million dollars. But even that was not going to make the kind of difference that the partnership with Stiteler will.

Once completed, the theatre will boast new mezzanine seating, a multi-level ground floor, new bars and many other improvements. Visiting artists will find much better accommodations in the new green rooms, including showers and other R&R facilities.

But during the estimated two years of construction, the Rialto will have to close its doors. Fortunately for music fans, McCrary has already found an alternative location: The Corbett Warehouse at Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street, just east of the Sixth Avenue underpass. The warehouse, which is also owned by Stiteler, will serve as the Rialto’s temporary home.

McCrary said he was thrilled by the possibility of what the Rialto will become when it reopens.

“As H.I. McDunnough said in ‘Raising Arizona,’ this seems like the solution to all our problems and the answer to all our prayers,” McCrary said.

Fletcher McCusker, the chairman of the Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment board, said that the hotel and Rialto project “might just be the most exciting thing to ever happen in downtown Tucson. Scott Stiteler has been and remains a game changer.”

Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, who represents the downtown area, said the hotel strikes him as a great project for downtown. Kozachik led the fight to stop a major hotel project after he was first elected to the Tucson City Council in 2009 that would have been backed by city taxpayers, but he likes the way private developers such as Stiteler have been moving forward with new hotel projects in downtown.

“We did the right thing in being patient and letting the market catch a wave,” Kozachik said.

Kozachik called the notion of having the Rialto temporarily located at the Corbett Warehouse “ultra cool.”

“It'll give us time to make needed upgrades to the Rialto, keep the Rialto programming going and show that an entertainment use of the Corbett Building makes sense on that side of downtown,”

Kozachik said the project shows how far downtown Tucson has come in the last decade.

“Back in 2008, 2009, 2010, the city and Rio Nuevo and the Legislature were all litigating and trying to one-up the other,” Kozachik said. “Developers were caught in that mess and everyone was a loser. Now the city, developers and Rio Nuevo are all pulling in the same direction and the impacts on downtown resurgence is clear to anyone who cares to take a look. We've turned a significant corner relationally, and everyone is seeing the results.”

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Posted By on Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 3:30 PM

No one has a greater stake in Arizona education than parents of school-aged children. No one. Except maybe parents of children too young to attend school who will be in kindergarten in a few short years (It'll be sooner than you can imagine!). And people who are planning to have kids, whose future children will enter school within a decade. All of you are going to gain or lose based on the results of the upcoming elections.

So, my advice to parents is, VOTE! If you have a mail-in ballot sitting around beginning to gather dust, pick it up, fill it out and mail it in. No stamp required. If not, there's early voting at the polls. And there's November 6.

Vote for your children, which means, vote education — whatever that means to you. More on that later.

I figure there are about 400,000 of you parents with school-aged children registered to vote. (I'll explain how I arrived at that ballpark figure at the end of the post.) If you vote at 35 percent, which is typical for non-presidential elections, that's 140,000 ballots cast. Some of you who normally sit on the sidelines could, and should, decide this election is important enough to make the extra effort. If the number goes to 50 percent, that's 200,000. If you double your voting rate, you'll be pushing a quarter million.

Parents are an electoral force to be reckoned with. If you split along party lines as usual, not much will change. But if you vote for candidates who are long-time supporters of public education, not candidates-come-lately who, after years of bashing "failing schools" and "failing teachers," have decided it's politically expedient to say our schools deserve a little more money and support, you can be game changers.

I know what it means to me when I say, "Vote for education," but it may mean something different to you. Here's a thumbnail guide you can use to decide what you think "Vote for education" means.

Vote Democratic if you believe our public education should be fully funded, that Arizona should no longer occupy the nation's bottom rung in per-student funding.

Vote Republican if you don't want to "throw money" at failing schools and failing teachers because more money doesn't translate to better schools.

Vote Democratic if you think charter schools need more oversight and regulation to get rid of the bad actors and profiteers.

Vote Republican if you think the current lax charter rules and regulations are just fine, that we should let the "invisible hand of the marketplace" work its magic.

Vote Democratic if you think our two backdoor private school voucher programs, Tuition Tax Credits and Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, take money away from public education and favor wealthy families who would send their children to private schools anyway.

Vote Republican if you like the idea of vouchers for everyone who wants them.

Whatever you decide, parents, VOTE!

A Number-Of-Voting-Parents Note: Maybe the numbers are out there somewhere, but I didn't find them. So here's how I got to 400,000 Arizona parents of school-aged children who are registered voters.

Start with a million K-12 students. Estimate 2.5 children per family, figuring the range from big families and those with one child. That comes to 400,000 families. Estimate 1.5 parents per family. Now we're at 600,000 parents. Estimate a third of the parents either didn't make the effort to register or aren't citizens and can't vote. That leaves 400,000 parents of school-aged children who are registered voters.

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Posted By on Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 1:05 PM

click to enlarge Usain Bolt Trades Track for the Soccer Field
Creative Commons
Usain Bolt
When you think of athletes that have professionally succeeded in more than one sport, you think of Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders or Jim Thorpe. But what about Usain Bolt?

Everyone knows the Jamaican athlete for his historic and relentless dominance of the 100m sprint category over the past decade, but did you know that he has now scored a couple of goals for a professional Australian soccer club?

That’s right! Bolt, legendary Jamaican sprinter, scored two goals in his first start for the Central Coast Mariners and helped them to victory in a friendly game 4-0 win over Macarthur South West United on Friday.

Bolt was practically gifted his second goal after miscommunication between Macarthur South West’s goalkeeper and defender set him up for a tap-in in front of the empty net. His first goal, however, showed more of how his speed could translate into a deadly weapon for a striker in soccer. For the first goal, Bolt was able to outrun and outmuscle the defender to a through-ball, before impressively and cleanly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper with his left foot. It wasn’t the easiest shot to finish either.

Bolt became vocal about his desire to play professional soccer after his retirement from athletics in 2016, noting Manchester United as a dream location. He has since participated in several trials with different levels of teams, including Borrusia Dortmund in Germany and Strømsgodset in Norway.

The Jamaican has been training with the Australian side since his 32nd birthday, on Aug. 21, but currently does not have a professional contract with the team. Hopefully his performance against Macarthur South West can help him kick start his professional soccer career and become a part of the elite group of athletes to play two sports professionally.

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