Thursday, January 3, 2019
John Slaughter's Changing West: Tombstone, Bullets, and Longhorns. If your New Year's resolution was to start incorporating more art into your life, there are so, so many opportunities in Tucson to do it. For example, head over to the Arizona History Museum to see their ongoing exhibit about the Slaughter family. In the wake of the OK Corral shootout, Sheriff John helped bring peace to Cochise County so it could be safer for his cattle, his wife and daughter and—ultimately—all of the people there were to come. The Slaughters were living in the period where large cattle ranching was just coming to an end, so the exhibit explores the transitional nature of the period. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Arizona History Museum, 949 E. Second St. $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 student adults, $4 students 7 to 17. Free for kids 6 and under, veterans and museum members. Details here.
Free First Thursday at the Tucson Museum of Art. It's the very first Thursday of the new year, and you know what you gotta do! Seize the day! Soak up some art! And do it for free! As always, there will be live music, art-making and a cash bar. Be sure to check out the 30 Americans exhibit, featuring sounds by Mother Tierra. And enjoy conversations in the galleries with the Southern Arizona Psychological Association. This is the year you're finally going to be able to confidently answer the question, "What's your favorite painting?" or "Who's your favorite artist?" 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3. Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 N. Main Ave. Free. Details here.
We Are All Kin: Intro to Shamanic Animism. If you're wondering what the hell Intuitive Shamanic Animism is, well, that's exactly why this event exists: to explain it to ya. Shamanic practitioner and founder of Intuitive Shamanic Animism, Quynn Red Mountain, will also help you explore questions like "What do I do with my intuitive abilities in this world?" "How can these ideas help you live more fully in the dreamed reality of our culture?" and "How can I enhance and share my intuitive gifts?" When has some serious, deep self reflection ever served you wrong? 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3. Web of Life-Intuitive Shamanic Animists, 2016 E. Broadway Blvd. Requested donation $10 to $20. No one will be turned away. Offer what you can. Details here.
Odyssey Storytelling Presents: Magical. What does the word "magical" make you think of? For some, it's childhood stories by Edward Eager or J.K. Rowling. For others, it's the way the air feels right before it's about to snow. Others' minds go to angels, or first kisses or watching a baby take her first steps. There's magic all around us! Hear Tucson storytellers, including Miles Schneiderman, Bella Vivante, Kermie Wohlenhaus, Joe Silins and Stephen Hall, share their stories about magic in a night curated by Ana Gaskin. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3. Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. Seventh St. $10, or $7 for students with ID. Details here.
Tags: things to do , Tucson events , Thursday , Jan. 3 , start the weekend , music , art , comedy , Image
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Pima County recommends using top-water lures or weedless lures and are asking that grass carp are not taken.
Beginning in the summer the pond will be restored to increase its depth by removing sediment build-up, reducing water loss from the bottom of the pond and replanting cattails inside containers to control the spread of the invasive plants. The overall goal of the restoration is to conserve water as the natural spring has not produced measurable flows since 2014.
Agua Caliente Park is home to a seasonal warm spring and ponds that host a rich environment filled with diverse plants and animals. After Pond 1 is restored there will be no fishing, so grab your gear and head out to the water for this one-time opportunity!
Agua Caliente Park is located at 12325 E. Roger Road and is open from 7 a.m to sunset.
Tags: community info , things to do , Agua Caliente Park , fish , fishing , fun , Image
“If you’re cold, your pet is cold,” said PACC Director Kristen Auerbach, in a press release. “Pets in Tucson are acclimated to warmer temperatures which means below-freezing night temperatures can be deadly for pets left outside with no shelter.”
Animal Protection Services will make neglect calls a higher priority while the freezing overnight temperatures persist, and community members who see a pet without appropriate shelter can report it to PACC’s animal protection dispatch at (520) 724-5900, extension 4.
PACC also provided a list of tips to keep your pets safe when it gets cold:
1. Bring pets indoors for the night.
2. For outdoor-only pets, make sure there is adequate shelter which not only provides overhead cover, but also protects from drafts and keep pets off the ground. Blankets and straw can both provide relief from the cold ground.
3. Put sweaters or coats on pets when they’re outside in cold weather. Pets in Tucson are not used to freezing cold temperatures so pet clothing can help keep them warm while out on a walk.
4. License and microchip pets. If your pet becomes lost in dangerously cold weather, you’ll want to get it back as quickly as possible. Check your tags and microchip to make sure the information is up-to-date or visit PACC to get or renew your dog license.
Remember: The easiest way to protect your pets during this cold snap is to keep them at home, indoors.
Tags: pets , animals , dogs , cats , cold weather , freezing , low , temperatures , snow , sweaters , Image
The problem was, after declaring in November I was hanging up my blogging hat ("Pretty much, anyway," I added in the headline, just in case) and I had a no-pressure month during which I enjoyed the freedom from deadlines and putting the right words in the right order, I found myself reading something and thinking, "OK, I have to write about that." Then I remembered, "Nope, you can't." I shrugged and moved on. Still, I kept adding new links to my long list of stories I might want to write about. Old habits die hard.
I interrupted my blogging hiatus in December to post about the TUSD decision to get rid of the Freedom Center-created high school course, Ethics, Economy, and Entrepreneurship, for good and all. I mean, I wrote the piece that brought the course to the public's attention, so I should be the guy who writes about its demise. However, the course is still being taught in three local school districts, so the battle isn't over.
Meanwhile, stories about charter problems in Arizona and around the country kept popping up on my desktop, along with items about curriculum, federal spending on education and bills proposed for the new state legislative session. Since I stopped blogging two months ago, I added more than fifty new entries to my list of links.
The tips of my fingers began itching. My keyboard beckoned. So I'm back.
But I've decided, instead of a steady output of two to four posts a week, I'll post on a "Need to write" basis — only when I say to myself, "I really need to write about this." Right now that sounds like once a week, maybe twice a week if the spirit moves me.
That means it'll be harder to find my posts among the steady stream of postings on The Range. If you're a Regular Range Rover (Nice turn of phrase. Maybe I should trademark it), that's no problem. But if you mainly drop by to look for my posts, it can be an issue.
One solution is to bookmark my page on the Weekly which lists all my posts starting with the most recent. You can check occasionally to see if I've posted something new. Also, I usually link to my posts of Facebook or Twitter, so you might find them there. Or if you know how to create an RSS feed (I've never done it, so you'll get no help from me), you can get an email notification when I post something new.
Starting Jan. 22, the hill will be inaccessible while University of Arizona crews pulverize the current road to create a base for the new asphalt road. The process is expected to take two weeks, with reopening scheduled for Feb. 1
"We see this as a huge opportunity to improve a road that has outlasted its time," said Ben Wilder, director of Tumamoc Hill, in a release. "After more than three decades, the new road will look and feel better to those who use it to exercise, and it also will assist with the Desert Lab's mission of research and education."
Tumamoc is an 860-acre ecological reserve and U.S. National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the UA in partnership with Pima County. The Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc was created in 1902 by Andrew Carnegie, beginning more than 100 years of ecological research on the hill, which is a rich resource for scientists and other researchers who study its plants, animals and other features.
According to the UA, the cost of the new road is approximately $200,000. The university will invest half, with the UA College of Science raising the rest through a crowdfunding campaign at crowdfund.arizona.edu/tumamocroad.
Edith Sykes Lowell and David Lowell are providing a dollar-for-dollar match up to $50,000. Sykes Lowell is the granddaughter of Godfrey Sykes, one of Tumamoc Hill's early scientists.
Tags: Tumamoc , repaving , road , exercise , two weeks , Jan 22 , Tumamoc Hill , UA , Image
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
An Arizona nonprofit recently launched two new websites that can be used to help migrants currently travelling to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Robin Hoover, president of Migrant Status, Inc. worked with the help of Mexico City-based journalist Laura Garciandia to get valuable information about traveling through Mexico to Central American migrants via a downloadable PDF guide available at guiamigrantes.com.
The guide, written in Spanish, includes information on transit methods and routes, criminal organizations and their known locations to avoid, tips for crossing through the desert safely, emergency resources, first aid advice and more.
Hoover had been working with the idea of compiling and publishing information for migrants to use while travelling to the border for quite a while. In his experience, information is what could help them most.
“Up came the idea of the [online] migrant guide and then some people in Mexico approached me saying they had very similar ideas,” Hoover said. “People need to understand more about the route and what public resources are available. We started sandwiching these things together and a lot more is going to go on the website.”
Creating an online guide that was accessible to migrants came with its own set of obstacles. Hoover said his team had to figure out how to get the information to those with limited internet access. That’s where the second website comes in.
Robinhoover.com is being repurposed into a tool for shelters in Mexico. They can download a PowerPoint version of the guide and have it displayed in shelters 24/7 so migrants without their own cell phone or internet access can view it. The website is also used for outreach to promote long-term relationships between nonprofit groups who want to help and the shelters that need it. Hoover said such a partnership could help get resources directly to migrants at a higher efficiency rate.
“There's not a U.S. or Mexican authority that's putting resources directly into the service providers hands,” he said. “There are religious groups, friends, but not the government. Folks in the U.S. who want to help, we can take them down there to do face-to-face introduction.”
Hoover has been involved in advocacy for 33 years. He founded Humane Borders in 2000, which is a local faith nonprofit that maintains a system of water stations for migrants travelling through the desert to use. He left his position in the organization in 2010, and retired from ministry two years later.
Despite the change, Hoover said he is still very active in advocacy for migrants and the issues they’re facing today. He’s been working “quietly” on specific projects, experimenting with satellite locator beacons for migrants and issuing flashlights for rescue operations. He published a book in 2016 called “Creating Humane Borders.” In it he gives an ethical analysis of border policies, an overview of the help faith communities provide and his recommendations for policy reform. He lectures and goes on speaking tours as well.
“There's a lot of people who want to do the right thing and [learn] how they can help,” Hoover said. “The resistance is just this hate-filled Trump administration and all the anti-immigrant sentiments. It means that any kind of substantial reform is still a long ways away.”
Migrant Status, Inc. is actively seeking contributions to continue dispersing valuable information to migrants. Contributions can be mailed to 2250 W. Painted Circle, Tucson, AZ 85745.
“Five dollar contributions make all the difference,” he said. “When I ran Humane Borders we raised a quarter of a million dollars and it was a Mississippi of five dollar bills, so what people contribute really does matter.”
Tags: Migrant , Border , Mexico , United States , Immigration , Nonprofit , Advocacy , Humanitarian , Aide , Robin Hoover , Humane Borders , Migrant Status Inc. , Image
“The team continued our long string of successes by executing the orbit-insertion maneuver perfectly,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and UA professor. “With the navigation campaign coming to an end, we are looking forward to the scientific mapping and sample site selection phase of the mission.”
For the next year, OSIRIS-REx will map and photograph the surface of Bennu, searching for an ideal site to collect samples. Scientists chose Bennu, roughly the size of Pusch Ridge on the Catalinas, as the mission goal due to its carbon-rich surface and near-Earth orbit. From the collected samples of dust and rocks, researchers hope to examine the origins of life on Earth.
However, OSIRIS-REx will not be landing on Bennu to collect the cosmic samples. Instead, the spacecraft will perform a very close flyby, blast the asteroid with gas to knock loose some rocks and dust, and gather the propelled materials. Sample collection is scheduled for early July 2020. Afterward, the spacecraft will fly back toward Earth before jettisoning the "Sample Return Capsule" in September 2023.
Tags: Bennu , Osiris-Rex , Space , exploration , UA , science , Image
108 Sun Salutations. What better way to start the new year than by greeting the sunshine with open arms? Barefoot Yoga is hosting this opportunity to do just that—and you don't even have to get up super early, because it starts at 11 a.m. The class will consist of 108 sun salutations, done in increments of nine. 108 has lots of symbolic meanings (it's a "Harshad number," which means its divisible by the sum of its digits. There are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to and from Anahata, the heart chakra. And Buddhist malas and Catholic rosaries traditionally have 108 beads). Release any negative 2018 energy that's still lingering, shift your perspective, find your inner drive and give yourself the opportunity to realize you're stronger than you think. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1. Barefoot Studio, 7352 N. Oracle Road. Free, but space is limited, so call the studio at 797-2881 or sign up online at wellnessliving.com to reserve a spot.
Marana Eggnog Jog. Maybe you're not the kind of person who gets up early on New Year's Day to go on a bike ride, but you are the kind of person who gets up early on New Year's Day to go running. Hey, whatever floats your boat. This run features a 10K, a 5K and a fun run that make for a perfect way to kick off that New Year's resolution to start getting fit, to spend more time outside or to participate in more community events. And it's not as bad as it might sound: There'll be free raffle prizes, lots of fun activities and eggnog waiting for you at the finish line. (And hey, you can always go right back to bed after the race is over). 7 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1. Continental Reserve Park, 8568 N. Continental Reserve Loop. Preregistration is $20 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under. 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 Tirion Morris, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.
Tags: things to do , NYE , New Year's Day , 2019 , events , fun , Image
Monday, December 31, 2018
Here are just a few of your possible options:
Through The Decades Party at Congress. Hotel Congress is putting the cap on A LITERAL CENTURY of business with this bash from the past. Featuring music and decorations from the best decades since opening 100 years ago, Congress is hosting multiple parties all under one roof. We're talking multiple stages of live music, all-night dancing, photo booths, a Ferris wheel and more. Here's your chance to fully embrace the "born in the wrong generation" fact you've been touting to all your friends. And if you didn't know, Hotel Congress is also a hotel! So if you party too hard, you can sleep right then and there. 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. 311 East Congress Street. $35 early bird, $70 general admission, $140 VIP. hotelcongress.com.
Valli Fever at Gaslight Music Hall. Frankie Valli may have worked with Four Seasons, but there's only one season you need to worry about: New Year's! Gaslight Music Hall is enlisting the help of oldies-singers The 4GENTS to celebrate the music of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. And better yet, this show is a matinee! So you can swing by for the daytime performance if you already have evening plans, or you can catch dinner and a show a little bit later. Either way, this will turn you into a dapper toe-tapper. 3 p.m. or 7 p.m. special show with dinner. $30 for the 3 p.m. show, $64.95 for the 7 p.m. show and meal. Book online at gaslightmusichall.com or call 529-1000.
The Labyrinth New Year's Eve Party and Masquerade Ball. We know what you're thinking: Why haven't you been kicking off every new year with a sing and quote-along edition of Labyrinth? Maybe that's why 2018, and all those other years, just weren't your year. Not to worry: Just head over to The Loft to watch David Bowie do his thing, and Jennifer Connelly learn that age-old "Be careful what you wish for" lesson. There's a costume contest before the show, pre-show Bowie music videos, a make-your-own mask table in case you forget your masquerade mask at home. Plus, lots of props and a free champagne toast at midnight. Event starts at 11, but movies start promptly at 11:45. Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $15, or $12 for Loft members. loftcinema.org.
Check out our full list of festivities for all of the 2018-to-2019 fun here!
Tags: New Year , NYE , things to do , events , New Year's , 2018 , 2019 , party , Image
Happy new year, everyone! If you're wondering what lies ahead in 2019, I joined Yellow Sheets editor Hank Stephenson and Green Valley News editor Dan Shearer to talk about issues to watch in the coming year on Arizona 360, AZPM's new public affairs show with host Lorraine Rivera.
Tags: AZ360 , politics , roundtable , 2019 , Image
