Tucson Weekly, Dec. 9, 2021

CURRENTS: REDRAWING ARIZONA’S POLITICAL MAPS

DECEMBER 9 - 15, 2021 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE

Lend a Hand Your 2021 Giving Guide to Local Nonprofits That Could Use a Little Help

ARTS: The Nutcracker Is Back

CITY WEEK: The Return of the Fourth Avenue Street Fair

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

DECEMBER 9, 2021

DECEMBER 9, 2021 | VOL. 36, NO. 49

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

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STAFF

CONTENTS

CURRENTS

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Legislative leaders sound off on redistricting, competitiveness

FEATURE

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2021 Giving Guide: Putting an end-of-theyear spotlight on local nonprofits

ARTS & CULTURE

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The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines art, conservation in new book

MUSIC

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ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President

EDITOR’S NOTE

Jaime Hood, General Manager, jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Hearts Will Be Glowing IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF the year—and if the spirit of generosity is alive in your heart, you might consider a donation to a local nonprofit before the end of the year. It will do your soul good—and maybe even your wallet, since there are still tax advantages to making a contribution to many local charities. In this week’s edition, we take an in-depth look at two of them, the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Violence (which is raising funds to create new shelter space) and Lead Guitar, a little-known local nonprofit that brings guitar instruction into local schools—which in turn can inspire students to care more about their academics.

Plus, we have a guide to a whole bunch of local nonprofits that could use a little something in their stockings as the year draws to a close, as well as a roundup of various tax benefits that come with your contributions.

Elsewhere in the book this week: Staff reporter Alexandra Pere tells us that ICUs and hospital beds are filling up as Pima County’s third wave continues to build; Jeremy Duda of the Arizona Mirror draws you a picture of the ongoing efforts to create Arizona’s new political map; managing

Tyler Vondrak, Associate Publisher, tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com

editor Jeff Gardner flips through the pages of a new book exploring the history of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; arts writer Margaret Regan fills you in on the upcoming Nutcracker shows, as well as some other seasonal dance performances; music writer Christina Fuoco-Karasinkski introduces you to Taylor Upsahl ahead of her upcoming show at Club Congress; XOXO columnist Xavier Omar Otero tells you about all the other live music happening this week; Tucson Weedly columnist David Abbott examines the latest twists and turns in the state’s effort to auction “social equity” licenses for new cannabis dispensaries; and there’s all the rest of the usual stuff in the book, from comics to advice columns.

Enjoy!

Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about holiday happenings and more at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday mornings on the world-famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.

RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson

Upsahl explores breakup on new album

Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Managing Editor, jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor, mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Alexandra Pere, Staff Reporter, apere@timespublications.com Contributors: David Abbott, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones, Dan Savage PRODUCTION Courtney Oldham, Production Manager, tucsonproduction@timespublications.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com Emily Filener, Graphic Designer, emilyf@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING TLMSales@TucsonLocalMedia.com Kristin Chester, Account Executive, kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive, lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Zac Reynolds Director of National Advertising Zac@TimesPublications.com Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by Times Media Group at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The Tucson Weekly® and Best of Tucson® are registered trademarks of Times Media Group. Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.

TUCSON WEEDLY

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ADHS moves forward with social equity program after court win

Cover image courtesy 123rf.com

Copyright: The entire contents of Tucson Weekly are Copyright Times Media Group No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means without the express written permission of the Publisher, Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.

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incensed by the adoption of a heavily Republican District 17 that would take in the conservative suburbs and exurbs to the north and east of Tucson.

The Democratic Party said it found that Leach used legislative staffers to draft a letter for Marana Mayor Ed Honea to send to the AIRC on city letterhead lobbying for a legislative district that would put Marana, Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke and neighboring areas to Tucson’s north in a district with the Tanque Verde region and other areas to the east of the city. That would be largely similar to the current boundaries of the proposed District 17. And they urged the AIRC to keep Tucson and Casas Adobes out of the district, as Democratic ComPHOTO COURTESY 123RF.COM missioner Shereen Lerner proposed to make the district more competitive.

Leach, who lives in the proposed district and is expected to run for re-election there, signed the letter, along with Legislative leaders sound off on redistricting, competitiveness other regional elected officials and political figures, including the Pima County GOP’s second vice chair, Anna Clark, who submitted the southern Arizona R-Tucson, played an active role in rallyBy Jeremy Duda legislative proposal to the commission. ing support for a GOP-friendly district Arizona Mirror The Democratic Party also found that he would represent. emails between Leach’s Senate assisBolding and Rios, both Phoenix Dem- tant, Galen Kimmick, the Senate GOP’s ocrats, submitted a letter to the commis- deputy chief of staff, Grant Hanna, and DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE sion on Thursday detailing a well-estab- Marana officials coordinating their activleaders presented a laundry list of grievances over Latino districts, compet- lished list of issues in which they allege ities regarding the letter. itiveness and a GOP lawmaker’s attempt that the AIRC has favored Republicans “Senator Leach was not open and and disregarded the interests of minority transparent about his role in crafting the to influence his Tucson-area legislative groups. district, while House Speaker Rusty southern Arizona Republican district.

Some of those issues go back to Bowers urged the Arizona Independent He hid behind a well-respected organiRedistricting Commission to put less of the hiring of an executive director who zation, and it was only through a public worked for a Republican member of the records request that his role was finally a premium on competitive districts, as Phoenix City Council and who had a lawmakers from both sides of the aisle revealed. And despite his deception — or got an opportunity to address the state’s background in GOP politics, and the hir- perhaps because of it — those legislative ing of a mapping consultant that Demo- configurations in Southern Arizona have remapping panel in person. crats view as hostile to Latino interests. remained in the draft map despite not The commission, which is nearing But the bulk of their concerns pertained conforming to several constitutional the end of a mandatory 30-day public comment period on its draft congressio- to the commission’s actual work in draw- criteria,” Bolding and Rios wrote in their ing the maps, specifically regarding the letter, which they read into the record nal and legislative maps, invited Bowlegislative districts that Arizona will use during Thursday’s meeting. ers, House Minority Leader Reginald for the next decade.

Bolding and Senate Minority Leader Leach did not respond to a request for Perhaps Democrats’ biggest concern Rebecca Rios to share their thoughts at a comment from the Arizona Mirror. special meeting on Thursday. The AIRC with the AIRC’s work is the southern While the AIRC adopted the southern began the process of adjusting the lines Arizona legislative map, which was sub- Arizona legislative districts at the urging boundaries that will form its final maps mitted to the commission by a Pima of the Southern Arizona Leadership County GOP operative and adopted last Monday, Dec. 6.

Council, Bolding and Rios noted that it The Arizona Democratic Party set the wholesale at the urging of a Tucson-arrejected a map proposed by the Arizona stage for the minority leaders’ comments ea business group that Republican Latino Coalition for Fair Redistricting, Commissioner David Mehl helped as it unveiled emails and other public which would have created an additional create. More specifically, Democrats are records showing that Sen. Vince Leach,

CURRENTS

TOEING THE LINES

Hispanic district to the legislative map, for a total of eight. The commission also rejected a proposal from the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission for the predominantly Native American District 6 in northern and eastern Arizona.

In the Latino districts that the commission did adopt to comply with the Voting Rights Act, which requires that minority groups have districts where they have the ability to elect the candidates of their choice, the Democratic leaders said the AIRC inappropriately packed Hispanic voters into the districts in a way that favors Republicans elsewhere on the map.

Federal courts have traditionally permitted a 10% deviation in legislative districts’ populations — 5% above or below average — for a range of reasons, the biggest being compliance with the Voting Rights Act. That has typically led to districts that are underpopulated in order to strengthen the voting power of minority groups. But many of the AIRC’s Latino districts are overpopulated, and many of the most underpopulated districts are heavily Republican.

Rios pointed specifically to her District 11, which covers south Phoenix and Laveen, and southern Arizona-based District 21. Both are predominantly Latino and are more than 4% over the average district population of about 238,000.

Erika Neuberg, the AIRC’s independent chairwoman, asked Bolding and Rios how they would address the population deviation issue. She queried the legislative leaders on what level of deviation they would find acceptable, and which communities they felt should benefit from that deviation.

“I would pose the question to the commissioners who have to make that decision,” Bolding responded.

Neuberg said she appreciated that they were deferring to the commission’s judgment on the issue.

“But when we use our judgment and then you come back and criticize us or attack us that it’s not meeting criteria— as we’re going along, we’re deeply interested in your live feedback,” she said. “If you do have specific opinions on some of these detailed issues that we’re talking about, please feel free to weigh in.”

DECEMBER 9, 2021

Neuberg also said the requests for both competitiveness and an additional Voting Rights Act district put the AIRC in a tough spot. She noted that the requirement to create those majority-minority districts often conflicts with competitiveness, leaving a relatively small number of Democrats in the rest of the map, which is dominated by Republicans. Previous commission chairs have said they had similar difficulties in balancing the two criteria.

“Sometimes it is either-or,” she said.

Mehl asked the Democratic leaders if they viewed the current legislative maps drawn by the 2011 commission, which put a higher premium on competitiveness, as a positive example, or if they found fault with the last AIRC’s work.

Rios said she didn’t have the expertise to get into the specific details of the districts, but noted that Republicans have only a one-vote majority in each legislative chamber, the closest they’ve been since the 1960s.

“I guess long-term it could be argued that some of those districts have eventually become competitive to the point

where we almost have parity in the legislature,” Rios said.

GOP LEADER: MORE COMPETITIVENESS MAKES IT HARDER TO GOVERN BOWERS, A MESA REPUBLICAN, used the closely split legislative chambers as an example of why he felt competitiveness, and a focus on that issue, is bad for the legislative process. Though Republican leadership in the legislature rarely seeks compromises with the Democrats, and in some cases refuses to allow votes on bills that have enough support to pass but are opposed by the majority of GOP lawmakers, Bowers said razor-thin legislative majorities make governance more difficult.

“The narrow majorities that I have seen, like the one I serve in today, actually empowers the extremes of political rhetoric and action. And it makes governance very difficult. Not impossible, but at times so,” Bowers said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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in the short-run with the primary goal being to avoid overwhelming our critical care facilities.”

Health officials worry that holiday celebrations coupled with snowbird populations in Arizona could put even Hospital beds fill as COVID remains widespread more pressure on already stressed hospitals.

“If we look at the trends in the last decade, you will see hospital admisbeen tracking COVID cases since the sions go up, people get the flu, they get

By Alexandra Pere virus first arrived in Arizona, reportapere@timespublications.com respiratory problems, they have a heart ed that as of Dec. 1, 31% of Arizona’s attack, senior citizens fall and break general ward beds were occupied by an arm or a leg and we accommodate PIMA COUNTY INTENSIVE CARE COVID-19 patients, a 5% increase those, but now there is no ability to unit beds are shrinking in availability from the previous week. Gerald also accommodate as we have in the past,” reported only 5% of Arizona’s general as COVID hospitalizations remain Professor of Public Health and former ward beds remained available for use, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carhigh. which he called “a new all-time low.”

Pima County Health Department mona said during the Nov. 29 UniversiGerald urged people to get vaccinat- ty of Arizona status update.

Director Dr. Theresa Cullen reported ed or a booster shot. that only eight ICU beds were availPima County reports that more “Vaccination remains the most imable countywide during a Dec. 1 press than 99% of residents 65 and older are portant public health priority to reduce fully vaccinated. They hope this will conference. transmission and severe illness,” Ger- decrease the need for COVID-related “We’ve had less than 5% ICU bed ald wrote in his Dec. 4 weekly report. availability for the past 42 days,” Culhospital visits from this age group.

“However, mask mandates, relen said.

Cullen advised Pima County residents strictions on indoor gatherings, and Epidemiologist Dr. Joe Gerald, a to get a booster shot if they have targeted business mitigations are also already received the first two doses of professor in the the UA Zuckerman needed to reduce/control transmission the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Pima School of Public Health who has County expanded booster availability by offering boosters to everyone 18 and older.

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cines due to new mutations. However, health officials still recommend the vaccines to protect from COVID-related mortality and hospitalizations. Delta remains the most prevalent variant in Pima County and the United States.

NEW VACCINE CENTER AND MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

THE PIMA COUNTY HEALTH Department, in partnership with the City of Tucson, is offering free COVID-19 vaccines at the Tucson Convention Center.

The vaccine clinic is in the TCC east lobby, 260 S. Church Ave., adjacent to the DoubleTree Hotel, and will operate Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free parking is available in the Lot A Garage, accessible from Church Avenue.

The Pima County Health Department also reached out to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response from the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services to request federal support for monoclonal antibody treatments. Cullen said the county will receive two teams to administer monoclonal antibodies and one team should arrive within the next seven to ten days.

OMICRON CONCERNS Monoclonal antibodies help those infected with COVID by blocking the virus from attaching to human cells THE NEWLY DISCOVERED and slowing the virus’s reproduction.

Omicron variant has been labeled a variant of concern by the World Health The treatment mimics the body’s natural immune response in a faster, more Organization. The variant was ideneffective way. tified by South African scientists, but Pima County has several requirethis does not mean the variant develments to receive monoclonal antioped in South Africa.

Cullen reported that as of last week, bodies: patient must test positive for SARS-CoV-2; they are within 10 days Omicron had not been found in Pima of symptoms appearing; be at least 12 County. The county was made aware years old and weigh at least 88 pounds; of the new variant over Thanksgiving weekend. Cullen said TGen, the Trans- and be at high risk of getting very sick from COVID infection. ■ lational Genomics Research Institute in Flagstaff, is doing viral sequencing for Pima County and will be able to identify Omicron from testing samples.

There is speculation the new variant may decrease the efficacy of the vac-

DECEMBER 9, 2021

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

As Neuberg did with Bolding and Rios, Lerner asked Bowers for examples of how competitiveness makes it more difficult to govern.

“When I look historically, I don’t see that,” she said.

Bowers didn’t provide any examples, but said narrow majorities discourage lawmakers from voting across the party lines. He said he often hears from Democratic colleagues who want to work with the Republicans, but can’t break ranks without putting themselves in political jeopardy. And without votes from the minority party, one-vote majorities mean one person becomes the king or queen of the legislature.

Bowers urged the commission to focus less on competitiveness, which the Arizona Constitution says must be considered, but only if it won’t cause a significant detriment to the other five redistricting criteria. That prompted

Lerner to note that the campaign in 2000 for Proposition 106, which created the AIRC, focused heavily on competitiveness.

However, Bowers countered that the wording of the law, not campaign rhetoric, is what policymakers have to follow.

“The rhetoric of campaigns is so often reduced to three words on a sign—it’s for the children, save our schools—not about the details. And it’s those details that I think are most illuminative of what this construct and what your task presents you. And it very clearly says that competitiveness … is the last criteria,” he said.

The commissioners asked all three lawmakers their thoughts on how to balance urban and rural interests in the legislative map. Some proposed districts include both rural and urban areas, which residents in both have objected to.

Bowers, who has represented both urban and rural districts in his long legislative career, urged the commission to keep them as separate as

possible.

“They don’t want to have a spokeand-a-hub system,” he said, referring to districts that begin in urban areas and extend outward into rural Arizona.

Rios, who has also represented both urban and rural areas, took a different view. She urged the commission to look also at proximity, and said there are sometimes common geographic interests that unite neighboring rural and urban communities. Rios noted that rural eastern Pinal County is currently drawn into a district that extends to Flagstaff.

“Even though they might both be rural areas, that cannot be the only distinguishing factor,” she said.

In their letter to the commission, Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann, who didn’t speak at the meeting because she was in San Diego for an American Legislative Exchange Council conference, also proposed specific changes to the boundaries of several districts. In the marginally competitive but Democratic-leaning District 9, which covers western Mesa,

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the GOP leaders suggested swapping population with a heavily Republican neighboring district in order to make District 9 more competitive. District 9 is home to Republican Sen. Tyler Pace, one of several incumbent lawmakers who is currently drawn into an unfavorable district.

They also proposed putting all of the McCormick Ranch area of Scottsdale into District 4, a competitive district that includes Arcadia, Paradise Valley and parts of northern Phoenix.

McCormick Ranch is currently split between District 4 and heavily Democratic District 8, which includes parts of Scottsdale, Tempe and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Furthermore, Bowers and Fann, R-Prescott, urged the commission to make changes in several districts they allege were over- or underpopulated for purposes of competitiveness. ■ This article originally appeared at azmirror.com, an online nonprofit news agency.

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

GUEST COMMENTARY

SEN. MARK KELLY IS KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO VETERANS

By Brett Hunt IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT CAN happen in a year, and the last one went by in the blink of an eye.

Only a year ago, Sen. Mark Kelly took his oath of office to fill the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s term, and even with his short time in Congress, the former U.S. Navy pilot and space shuttle commander has been one of the more high-achieving freshmen in recent memory.

He was the deciding vote to pass the American Rescue Plan, ensuring more relief for Arizonan workers and small businesses and making sure vaccines became available for everyone.

But on top of his work to revive Arizona’s economy and fix our crumbling infrastructure, he’s been boldly out front for a key constituency in Arizona: veterans, like me, of the U.S.

CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones

Armed Forces.

When young Americans sign up to join the military, our country makes a promise to look out for them and their families during our service and after. Unfortunately, our country hasn’t always lived up to that promise.

Nearly a decade ago, bureaucrats so terribly mismanaged the Phoenix VA Hospital that Congress had to step in, and the VA Secretary had to step down. Our own Sen. John McCain was a key negotiator of the Veterans CHOICE Act signed into law by President Obama to make sure veterans aren’t hamstrung by the VA when they desperately need care.

The veterans I know want to make sure that we never have to experience that again. Now Sen. Mark Kelly is walking the same path trodden by Sen. McCain and doing his part to ensure that veterans always get the care

they need. That’s why he sponsored the VA Quality Care Accountability and Transparency Act to provide more reporting on staff vacancies, patient wait times and improve the quality of care. That bill unanimously passed through the Senate VA Committee in July, and we urge our members in the House to support it so we can get it done.

Sen. Kelly has also been a leader in ensuring that veterans and active-duty service members get the mental health services they need.

Even before the pandemic, 17 veterans a day were taking their own lives.

That is an absolute tragedy, and our country must address veteran and military suicide with the seriousness it deserves.

Sen. Mark Kelly introduced the Brandon Act to destigmatize the mental health care needs of service members. The Brandon Act would make sure service members get mental health services as soon as they’re needed without fear of reprisal from their superiors, working to prevent suicide and other long-term consequences associated with lack of treatment.

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And Sen. Kelly is not only focused on Arizona’s biggest population centers: he’s working to ensure veterans living in rural communities like my hometown of Globe in Gila County can access the care they need. He’s working on converting an underused U.S. Forest Service building in the town of Young into a veterans retreat and community center to serve the nearly 5,500 veterans who live in Gila County.

Arizona veterans earned benefits connected to our military service. We deserve the guarantee of the promise that we will get the treatment we need. That doesn’t always happen, and we count on advocates to fight for us when we finish fighting for our country. Sen. Mark Kelly has proven to be an advocate Arizona veterans can rely on in just a year in office, one that makes our country better every day at living up to its promise to take care of veterans when they come home. ■ Brett Hunt is a veteran of the U.S. Army who served combat tours in Iraq and Kuwait.

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

Editor’s Note: While we are delighted to see Tucsonans once again gathering for fun events, we are also aware that the Delta variant is in widespread circulation.

Please consider getting vaccinated against COVID if you haven’t yet.

Holiday Mercado Flea. If you celebrate Christmas, or buy gifts for people who do, then it’s prime time for shopping for gifts.

And, actually, if you are a human being who has spent the last year and a half trying to cope with a global pandemic and who hasn’t fully relaxed their shoulders since, like, February 2020, then you could probably use a little bit of retail therapy for yourself too. This is a great, open-air chance to shop local, pick up vintage and collectible items, and enjoy some yummy food while you’re in the area. The holiday edition of the flea features more than 45 vendors. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Avenida Del Convento, between Congress and Cushing streets in the Mercado District.

Free Admission + Vaccine Clinic at Children’s Museum Tucson. Wow, what better way to make the process of getting a shot more palatable for a child (or an adult, for that matter) than by making it into a museum day! Staff from El Rio Health will be administering Pfizer COVID-19 and flu vaccines for anyone age 5 and older. Those receiving second vaccines or booster shots should bring their vaccination cards. El Rio and Pima County Health Department staff will be on site to answer your family’s questions about COVID-19 and the vaccines, and Pima County will distribute free at-home rapid self tests. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave. Free.

Holiday Nights at Tohono Chul. There’s really nothing like the magical feeling of strolling down paths garlanded with millions of twinkly lights, accompanied by live music, hot chocolate, the stars above you and the warm feeling of holiday cheer all around you. This event at Tohono Chul lasts for two weekends. On Friday, Dec. 10, Joe Bourne, Gabriel Ayala and Domingo DeGrazia provide the music, and on Saturday, it’s Rene Taylor, Magic Mr. B and Tucson Jazz Institute. Both nights feature vendors Jose’s Kettle Corn, Reflections in Granite, Mini Hobo Bags, True Candles and Mano y Metate Spices. Even Santa will be zooming in for virtual visits. You can also get some shopping done in the gift shop. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11. Tohono Chul, 7266 N. Paseo Del Norte. $17 GA, $13 members, $5 kids 5 to 12. Masks required.

Sim Shalom, Grant Peace. The Arizona Repertory Singers are back to treating us to holiday cheer in the form of live music, and they’re really bringing their A-game. The title of the show takes its name from a Hebrew prayer, set to music composed by Jennaya Robison. Hebrew will be one of the seven languages sung during the concert, along with Norwegian, Spanish, Irish, Latin, Italian and English. But eight languages if you count the universal language of music!

They’ll perform works by composers including Benjamin Britten, Ørjan Matr, David Mooney and Francis Poulenc. 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2311 E. Adams St. and Saturday, Dec. 12, at Christ the King Episcopal Church, 2800 W. Ina Road. $18 in advance or $20 at the door.

by Emily Dieckman Fourth Avenue Winter Street Fair. Look, if you want to do your holiday shopping with local and small businesses this holiday season, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to do it than the Fourth Avenue Street Fair. In case you’re new to Tucson or live under a rock, the street fair is an incredible, multi-block affair that brings hundreds of thousands of people to the Old Pueblo every year. (Well, you know, except last year.) There are hundreds of booths with artisans selling their wares, including textiles, edible delicacies, home and outdoor goods and dozens of different kinds of art. There’s also fair food, musicians, and Santa himself (appearing 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday).

10 a.m. to dusk. Friday, Dec. 10 through Sunday, Dec. 12. Fourth Avenue. (You can shuttle from the Pennington Street Garage or take the Sun Link if you park along the Modern Streetcar Line).

Flaundrau Holiday Shows. Our friendly local planetarium is bringing the holiday cheer with two special shows starting this week. The Season of Light Show celebrates different festivals of light honoring the Winter Solstice across many cultures. From Christmas to Hanukkah to ancient Hopi and Roman festivals of light, this show is a touching—and beautiful!—reminder of our shared humanity. Laser Holiday Magic is a laser light show musical, featuring popular Christmas and seasonal songs that will have you humming along. Holiday shows are showing through Dec. 31 at Flaundrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd. See website for information on showtimes and buy tickets in advance if you can—they often sell out. $9 adults, $8 seniors/military, $7 kids 4 to 17 and college ID holders.

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Rockin’ 4 Heroes: Leonid & Friends in Concert. Leonid & Friends are a Chicago tribute band who do their job so well that they’ve gone on multiple sold-out tours in the United States. With members from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, they replicate Chicago’s complex arrangements even though they’ve never seen the band play live. While we love any reason to see an internationally acclaimed band, we especially appreciate one that’s designed as an opportunity to thank our first responders, active-duty military, veterans and Gold Star families. Sponsorships by rock star local businesses mean these heroes, their families and the public all get in free. Bring lawn chairs or blankets, and chow down at the food trucks—all event proceeds benefit Veterans/First Responders Living Memorial. 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. James D. Kriegh Park, 23 W. Calle Concordia, Oro Valley. Free.

Pints & Pups. This is the kind of event title that gets your attention, and then doesn’t disappoint. Head over to Westbound at the MSA Annex for an event supporting HOPE Animal Shelter, the first no-kill dog and cat shelter and sanctuary in Tucson.

There’s a puppy Christmas sweater contest, pet photos with Santa, a raffle and plenty of adoptable shelter pets! If you bring a monetary donation or dog toys, treats, food (unopened), bedding, newspaper, bowls, collars or blankets, you get $1 off all drinks.

HOPE takes fantastic care of its animals, so there will be no fuh-leas on the dogs, but it will be a very Feliz Navidad of a night. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Westbound at the MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida Del Convento.

Zoo Lights. The holiday magic at Reid Park Zoo continues this week. As usual, there will be falling snow, visits with Santa, hot cocoa (with or without booze) and thousands of glowing lights and lighted animal displays to see as you wander around the zoo grounds. This week in particular, they’ve got entertainment by groups like Roskruge K-8 Bilingual School Mariachi and Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi Allegre, Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene, the Desert Sky Middle School Choir and the Catalina Foothills High School Choir. On Wednesday, Dec. 15, there will also be a holiday shopping bazaar.

6 to 8 p.m. every night through Dec. 23, and Dec. 26-30. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $11 adults, $9 seniors, $7 kids 2 to 14. Bring donations for the Community Food Bank or the Humane Society of Southern Arizona for discounted admission.

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2021 Giving Guide

Putting an end-of-the-year spotlight on local nonprofits SUPPORT YOUR HELP IF YOU CAN LOCAL NONPROFITS ization that helps with guitar instruction in schools. While the nonprofit launched in Tucson, it has now spread out across the country. Staff reporter Alexandra Pere shares details about how Emerge! Center Jim Nintzel Against Domestic Abuse is changing up tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com their shelter model and how you can help, while Community Foundation of SouthTHE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN HARD ern Arizona President and CEO Jenny on our local nonprofits: At the same time Flynn explains how your gift to local that demand spiked for many of their nonprofits can help you out at tax time. services, they lost many of their traditional We also have a list of local nonprofits you fundraising opportunities, such as lunchmight consider supporting at the end eons, house parties and other gatherings. of the year. If you’re in a position to help As 2021 draws to a close, Tucson Local out, please consider aiding one of these Media has assembled this special focus organizations or another that is close to on local nonprofits. Managing editor Jeff your heart.

Gardner looks at Lead Guitar, an organ-

Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Part food bank, part community developers, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona works to eliminate hunger, as well as its underlying causes, because they understand food “is just the beginning” of a healthy community. In addition to providing food, they also bring nutrition to the community with garden-

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ing workshops, education to low-income schools, and even culinary training. Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona works with a network of volunteers and partnerships throughout Tucson, and was selected as Feeding America’s 2018 Food Bank of the Year. communityfoodbank.org Primavera Foundation. The Primavera Foundation’s mission is to help homeless and under-employed Southern Arizonans break free of the cycle of poverty. Their work involves affordable housing drives, as well as courses on financial and homebuyer education.

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Giving Guide

EXTRA CREDIT

How to get a tax break with your charitable contribution Jenny Flynn tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, THE NEED for services provided by area non-profits is as great as it’s ever been. As they tirelessly work to provide critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, our local nonprofits need our support to continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable members of our community.

The cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt in every corner of our community throughout 2021. Recognizing that our nonprofit sector faces a long and difficult rebuilding process, I would like to thank all those donors that have stepped up during this challenging time and encourage all of you to support your favorite nonprofit this holiday season.

As you plan your year-end giving, keep in mind these tax provisions.

EXTENDED + EXPANDED CARES ACT PROVISIONS Recognizing the vital role that nonprofit organizations continue to play in every community, several of the charitable giving provisions established through the CARES Act in 2020 were extended or expanded in 2021.

• A $300 deduction for those who claim the standard deduction. Individuals who plan to take the standard deduction for their 2021 tax returns may claim an abovethe-line deduction of up to $300 for cash donations to qualifying public charities.

• A $600 deduction for married couples who claim the standard deduction. For 2021, this above-the-line deduction has increased to $600 for cash donations for married couples filing jointly who do not itemize tax deductions.

• Charitable giving deduction limit

increased to 100% of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on cash donations for those who itemize. Donors may continue to receive a federal income tax deduction for charitable contributions of up to 100% of their AGI for certain cash donations made during the calendar year 2021.

• AGI limit for cash contributions increased to 25% of taxable income for corporations. The AGI limit for cash contributions also remains increased for corporate donors. Corporations can deduct up to 25% of taxable income.

It is important to note that the suspension of the Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from most retirement plans has not been extended into 2021. Although IRA Distributions cannot be contributed to a donor advised fund or a supporting organization, they offer an opportunity to reduce your taxable income while supporting a scholarship, area of interest, or specific nonprofit, including the initiatives and funds at CFSA, such as our CORE Grants Program, Center for Healthy Nonprofits, or Field of Interest Impact Fund.

To make a Qualified Charitable Dis-

tribution from your IRA to a nonprofit, I recommend starting the process as soon as possible to ensure that your gift is received on or before December 31, 2021.

Please discuss these items with your tax and/or financial advisor, as requirements and exceptions may apply.

WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU If you need help determining how to best support local efforts to create a vibrant and equitable community for all Southern Arizonans, please don’t hesitate to call or email our team. You can reach us at 520-7700800 or by email at philanthropy@cfsaz.org.

This holiday season, give the gift of generosity. Contact your favorite nonprofit and ask how you can help. Together, we can continue to support the vital nonprofit organizations in our community that support those in need, as well as enrich our lives and make Tucson a special place to live.

To learn more about CFSA’s services and impact, please visit www.cfsaz.org. ■ Jenny Flynn is president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

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Giving Guide NONPROFIT LISTINGS

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The foundation, formed in 1983, helps 8,000 people annually in the greater Tucson area, through sheltering, work employment services, veteran support, rental and utility assistance, and neighborhood revitalization. One of our favorite programs is Primavera Works, which allows local residents and businesses to hire workers for a variety of labor, such as landscaping, housekeeping, moving, retail and more. primavera. org.

Make Way for Books. “A book is a dream you hold in your hands,” author Neil Gaiman once wrote. Make Way for Books supports those dreams by breaking down barriers between children and literacy. Focusing on early childhood education, Make Way for Books impacts the lives of 30,000 kids, families, and educators throughout southern

Arizona. Their programs include preschool reading initiatives, a bilingual reading app, book “fiestas,” and placing books in community areas like waiting rooms throughout Tucson. They also provide resources to educators, such as curriculum and literacy guides, as well as books. makewayforbooks.org Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona.

For more than 50 years, Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona has been delivering critical meals to our community’s elderly, disabled, and others facing tough medical situations. Their work includes a variety of specialties for those with unique health needs, including allergies, diabetics, vegetarians, diets with low sodium and renal support and more. In a time of isolation, deliveries from their network of more than 200 volunteers can provide more than food, it can provide human connection and support. Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona accepts donations and spon-

sorships, but can always use additional volunteer drivers to support their cause.

Mobilemealssoaz.org SARSEF. What started as a science fair is now one of the largest Arizona nonprofits dedicated to fostering scientific passion and education. The Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation engages students in STEM education, leading to confidence, critical thinking, curiosity and meaningful career paths. The nonprofit prioritizes creating opportunity in schools in areas of poverty, bringing students to solutions and solutions to students. Their largest annual event, the SARSEF Regional Science and Engineering Fair, draws more than 2,000 student science projects to compete for more than $100,000 in prizes, trips and scholarships. SARSEF.org Fox Theatre Foundation. The nonprofit that supports the “crown jewel”

of downtown Tucson, the Fox Theatre Foundation, provides much more than entertainment. With a variety of music, movies and community events, the Fox is a major player in downtown’s revitalization. Their support of the local arts embodies their belief that “gathering together in shared experience is an essential function of our interdependence as members of a community.” We all know how 2020 impacted the performing arts and touring world, which means the Fox can certainly use your support, as can many other venues throughout town. foxtucson.com Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona. Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona offers counseling and community services to people of all faiths and beliefs, and all economic backgrounds, regardless of their ability to pay.

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Giving Guide

PLAYING IN HARMONY

The nonprofit’s teaching artists, often professional musicians, work with school teachers to develop guitar ensemble classTucson nonprofit Lead Guitar teaches music to students in need es. The students learn how to read music, proper guitar technique, and a variety of acoustic songs.

In particular, Lead Guitar works with underprivileged students. Richter says Jeff Gardner ern Arizona and met with five Navajo they look to help schools where more than jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com students who played guitar. Their music 80% of students are eligible for free and impressed Richter, but he saw how their reduced lunch, and are lacking in other ONE MUSICIAN’S EFFORTS TO craft could improve with more support arts resources. support a group of students is now a and resources.

“It’s a very high poverty standard, nationwide nonprofit that teaches guitar “They didn’t know how to read music but it’s shocking just how many schools at underserved schools coast to coast. and their technique wasn’t very good, in Arizona qualify,” Richter said. “We’re The Tucson-based nonprofit Lead Guitar but they were fabulous players and their simultaneously teaching the teacher while fosters discipline and a love of art through instincts were fantastic,” Richter said. teaching the class, with the idea that after guitar ensemble classes, partnering with The foundation of Lead Guitar began two or three years, the teacher can take dozens of schools in six states. when Richter started writing a music cur- over.”

Lead Guitar was founded in 2007, but riculum to teach those students and guide Richter has seen first-hand how the the story begins in 1999 when executive the teacher. In the 20 years since, Lead “social and emotional learning” of music director Brad Richter worked as a touring Guitar has become affiliated with the Uni- training can change a discouraged or musician. In his work, Richter would occa- versity of Arizona and has worked with an troubled student’s demeanor for the better. sionally visit local schools on tour to play estimated 35,000 students in more than Often, their difficulties stem from living in a concert or host a workshop. During one 80 schools. impoverished areas with a lack of resourctrip, he visited Page High School in north-

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es. He says 81% of students Lead Guitar works with qualify for free and reduced lunch, and 87% are students of color.

“The way the lack of resources in schools is tied to poverty, and the way poverty is tied to race, is very upsetting,” Richter said. “In a way, this is something we bump up against, because we work with schools that have a disproportionate number of traumatized kids. We might get some adults that say we shouldn’t push the kids too much or let them do what they want in guitar class, but our point of view is that they’re craving structure and advice and input. If we can instill discipline and focus, and do it with love and patience, there’s a lot of value in that.”

One of Richter’s favorite stories from Lead Guitar is that of middle schooler Christian Gomez from Colorado. Gomez had multiple behavioral issues, and struggled in English and Spanish. He also had difficulty hearing and required hearing aids.

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Giving Guide LEAD GUITAR

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When Lead Guitar began working with the school, Gomez showed rapid growth.

“He just took off and became one of our most exceptional players. He could do anything on the guitar and people gathered around him at the school. He was the star of every concert we had,” Richter said. “And now he’s a professional musician performing gigs as a singer and guitarist.”

Richter has even seen a student go on to play guitar in a touring heavy metal band. However, he can still see the academic influence in the student’s playing.

Over the years, Lead Guitar has moved away from the label “classical” guitar, and instead focuses on “guitar ensemble.” They still teach many classical skills, including music reading and ergonomic techniques, but have expanded to include more folk and blues songs.

“We’ve sought out more composers

that have reflected our students and their heritage,” Richter said.

As with many nonprofits, Lead Guitar most needs support for operations. Their donors include the City of Tucson, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and many individuals.

“We see all these disparities, and it begins with the haves and the have-nots,” Richter said. “One of the things we’re seeing is that the need out there is so great, especially after the pandemic, and the gap between people in the community has grown. It’s just really helpful to be able to apply those resources to the schools we see that need it most.”

Locally, Lead Guitar works with students in the Tucson Unified School District, Amphitheater Public Schools, Sunnyside Unified School District, as well as private and charter schools. ■

Courtesy Photo

Lead Guitar executive director Brad Richter (farthest right) and Colorado Regional

For more information, visit leadguitar.org Director Nick Lenio play with students at the 2015 Aspen showcase concert.

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Giving Guide and the reality is that Emerge can’t solve this, we need the community’s help in delivering those services to those folks Abuse prevention agency creating new shelter concept in pandemic’s wake who are experiencing domestic violence,” Sakwa said.

The need for Emerge’s services is increasingly important as the pandemic rages on. In the beginning, victims of Alexandra Pere nie Hillman Family Foundation, but this domestic abuse were stuck at home apere@tucsonlocalmedia.com donation comes with stipulations. with their abusers due to lockdowns.

The anonymous donor’s pledge is Emerge hotline workers experienced THE EMERGE! CENTER AGAINST also a community challenge grant. a drop in calls. Emerge staff became Domestic Abuse needs community help “For every $2 we raise in the comconcerned that domestic abuse victims to receive the final $1 million donation munity towards shelter, operations, and were forced into compromising situapromised by an anonymous donor for other program operations, they will give tions without access to services. If an shelter expansion. us $1 toward the shelter renovation,” abuser is present, victims are less likely Emerge is expanding its communal Emerge CEO Ed Sakwa said. to call for help. However, as economies shelter facility for families and victims The challenge grant will last for the and businesses reopen, Sakwa reported of domestic abuse. Emerge plans to ex- next three years through Oct. 31, 2024. the hotline is receiving an average of 25 pand its 13 communal living spaces into All new and increased donations to 28 family units. The Pima County Board Emerge will count towards the grant. If calls a day.

The pandemic has also highlighted of Supervisors and Tucson City Council donors give Emerge! $100 this holiday issues with Emerge’s shelter. Current each pledged $1 million towards the pro- season, the match will automatically shelter amenities include shared bedposed expansion. An anonymous donor increase their donation to $150. rooms, shared bathrooms, and shared pledged $1 million on behalf of the Con“The need in the community is huge

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kitchen spaces.

“We’ve known for a long time that’s simply just not a good approach to serving trauma survivors,” Sakwa said.

“Because you’re coming from these intense situations, most people come into our shelter with what they can shove into a garbage bag on their way out the door, and then trying to start life over, to then have to share space with other families.”

So Emerge’s interest in shelter expansion started several years ago but it was never financially feasible until the pandemic prompted the increased need for space.

In July of 2020, Emerge!’s staff and participants were moved out of the congregate shelter to a non-congregate facility in partnership with a local business to limit the transmission of COVID. Sakwa said this decision squashed outbreaks but was very expensive.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Their programs reach across a variety of life events, including counseling for trauma, cancer support, domestic abuse services, elder access, medical equipment donations, and emergency financial assistance. Perhaps most importantly, their supportive community programs are available to Southern Arizonans of all ages, because grief, trauma and depression can affect anyone and everyone differently. JFCS of Southern Arizona strives to build a community “in which all families and individuals are empowered, self-sufficient, and capable of overcoming challenges.” jfcstucson.org ZUZI! Dance. This unique nonprofit organizes healing and personal expression for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities through movement-based art. Through classes, workshops, and performances, ZUZI aims to inspire and connect the community. Their work ranges everywhere from trapeze to improvisation to yoga, ensuring participants get both exercise and relaxation. Though based around dance, ZUZI ensures their nonprofit is focused on accessibility and community. As they put it, “If you want to dance, we will make it happen.” zuzimoveit.org Interfaith Community Services. One of the most multifaceted nonprofits in Southern Arizona, Interfaith Community Services was formed in 1985 with the

idea that volunteers and congregations of diverse faiths should work together to better their community. Interfaith Community Services supports in-need Tucsonans with everything from mobile meals to health education to workforce development. Whether it’s emergency assistance, self-sufficiency programs or community outreach, this nonprofit makes for a better community. More than 14% of Arizona families live in poverty, and Interfaith Community Services supports more than 40,000 every year. Although they have many programs, Interfaith Community Services captures them all with a single mission: to help people in need achieve stable, healthy, and independent lives. icstucson.org Child & Family Resources. This private and community-based nonprofit has supported Tucson’s at-risk children and families for more than 50 years. Originally known as the Tucson Association for Child Care, Child & Family Resources provides everything from new-parent education to youth substance abuse prevention to a child care food program, where child care providers can receive extra money for nutritious meals and snacks. And Child & Family Resources’ programs aren’t just for the present, either. The professional development program Project Best ranges from individualized coaching to center-based and family childcare providers, focusing on meeting the fundamental needs of infants and toddlers to get them the best possible start. childfamilyresources.org ■

DECEMBER 9, 2021

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Giving Guide EMERGE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Federal COVID relief dollars to Emerge will dry up in February, further pushing Emerge to seek expansion grants.

Pima County has supported Emerge! for multiple years and the arrival of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act made it possible for Pima County Behavioral Health Department Director Paula Perrera to propose granting $1 million to Emerge.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve the funding on Sept. 7.

“One of the things COVID really drove home for us is that Emerge’s shelter was a communal setting and it’s hard enough for victims of domestic violence to make the decision to leave but with COVID, that was just one more factor that they’re like, ‘I don’t

want to leave here only to get myself or my family member’s ill and end up in the hospital,’” Perrera said.

The shelter expansion will slow the spread of communicable diseases and provide a safe space for healing traumas.

However, donations to Emerge not only support the shelter expansion but also support their work to end the cycle of domestic violence in the community. Perrera said domestic violence is much more common than people think. Emerge’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month tool kit says one in four women and one in 10 men experience sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Both statistics represent the prevalence of domestic violence in our communities. The reasons for domestic violence have to do with a host of cultural and societal factors.

One of the ways Emerge addresses

the deeper causes of domestic violence is by ending the cycle of violence with their shelter.

“People who are experiencing domestic violence who have kids, the kids are also seeing that and it’s almost like a learned behavior,” Perrera said.

“If somebody can escape that domestic violence situation, it helps to interrupt, disrupt, or cancel the cycle of domestic violence so it really does pay society forward.”

Mayor Regina Romero shared similar sentiments, saying it is not just one person who is victimized, but the entire family.

Romero, who served for 12 years as a council member before winning the mayor’s office in 2019, has long advocated for Emerge. She said it was easy to convince councilmembers to support the $1 million shelter proposal.

“I think we all have friends or relatives that have gone through domestic

violence and violence against their person, so it’s important for me to be able to continue bringing attention to the issue,” Romero said.

Romero said Emerge does more than provide shelter. They address the deeper problems that lead to domestic abuse.

“It’s such a big issue that by being able to donate to it, you’re actually doing something about it and something good to help not just the victims of domestic abuse, but also to educate the community to prevent it,” Romero said.

“Donating to emerge will help achieve those goals.” ■ Donations to Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse can be made directly to their website at emergecenter. org/give/.

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CHOW

COURTESY PHOTO

Chef Lapotosky’s wine dinner will begin with a “Patio Arrival” where guests will be welcomed al fresco with jumbo shrimp cocktail, roasted beets en croute, and a guacamole action station.

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS Treat yourself to a Daou wine dinner at the Flying V

By Matt Russell tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com

WITH PARENTS WHO HONORED the communal nature of the evening meal, Tyler Lapotosky and his siblings cherished the nightly family dinner tradition as kids growing up in northwestern Vermont. Decades later, that tradition continues in the way Chef Lapotosky will connect his guests at a wine dinner on Dec. 12.

“We had dinner as a family every night at 5:30, and I consider that fortunate with

everything else we had going on,” said Lapotosky, chef de cuisine at the Flying V Bar and Grill at Loews Ventana Canyon, 7000 N. Resort Drive. “Our discussions around the table were real, there were no dead dinner conversations and certainly no food fights,” he said.

This connection mattered to him even when the family wasn’t dining at home.

“We had access to Lake Champlain back then, and some nights meant grabbing sandwiches, going out on the lake, and just floating and eating,” he remembered. “Even out there, with our family in the middle

of the water watching the sun go down at dinnertime, this was a special thing that strengthened my values, making sure it was always about the unit, not the individual.”

These communal connections around food and family are at the heart of the Flying V’s upcoming Daou wine dinner, a four-course meal paired with wines from California’s Daou Vineyards.

The evening will begin with a “Patio Arrival” where guests will be welcomed al fresco with jumbo shrimp cocktail, roasted beets en croute, and a guacamole action station. Daou’s Sauvignon Blanc and Rose will be companions to the butler-passed bites.

“This introduction is meant to be a mixer, with random people meeting, eating, drinking, and talking about things they enjoy with the outside world on pause,” said Lapotosky.

Guests will then be escorted indoors and seated communally with the arrival of the second course, a house-butchered, cured, and colorful salmon with pops of purple from red beets. The dish, paired with Daou’s Reserve Chardonnay, will be served with shaved asparagus, Osetra caviar, and a “galactic green” avocado crema.

A California grass-fed New York steak will anchor the third course, with sweet peas, butter-poached lobster, and a pasilla chile demi-glace.

“Some people think that there’s an absence of marbling with grass-fed beef, but if you find the right purveyor, you can get it with a beautiful marbling that almost mimics Wagyu,” he said. This carnivorous course will be paired with Daou’s Reserve

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 23

Cabernet Sauvignon.

The evening will conclude with a dessert course that Lapotosky says “screams the Old Pueblo and Southwest.” A chipotle churro will deliver sweet, bitter, and savory notes, with Evocao cremeux, fresh fig jam, and piloncillo-candied cacao nibs.

“This is essentially taking things we have in our back yard, putting them together, and letting the Sonoran Desert provide,” he said.

The evening’s final wine will be Daou’s Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon.

Lapotosky says these wine pairings are intentional, not just a random glass of wine served alongside each dish.

“There’s a real reason why the dishes and wine selections will be paired together,” he noted.

Priced at $100 per person plus tax and gratuity, the Daou wine dinner at the Flying V is at 6:30 pm on December 12. Reservations can be made by calling 615-5495.

The chef concluded with a final nod to the communal experience he wants this dinner to represent.

“It’s not about me, it’s not about the Flying V, it’s not about Daou, it’s about good food, good wine, and good company.”

Just remember, this is Lapotosky’s place.

No food fights. ■ Contact Matt Russell, whose day job is CEO of Russell Public Communications, at mrussell@russellpublic.com. Russell is also the publisher of OnTheMenuLive.com as well as the host of the Friday Weekend Watch segment on the “Buckmaster Show” on KVOI 1030 AM.

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

touched a snake,” said Anne Warner, who co-authored the book and is a longtime supporter of the Desert Museum.

The book also highlights the Desert Museum’s ongoing “Raptor Free Flight” program, where birds like falcons, ravens Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines art, conservation in new book and owls fly over visitors.

However, the book is based around

By Jeff Gardner artist Priscilla Baldwin, as well as archival Baldwin’s scratchboard art: a unique form jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com photographs, interviews with local biolo- of “subtractive art” where bits of colored clay are sliced off to reveal different colgists, and a history of the museum. ors beneath. Baldwin’s incredibly detailed All of the illustrated animals in the art is almost photorealistic, such as dePART MUSEUM, PART ZOO, PART book are native to the Sonoran Desert picting the individual hairs of a sleeping art studio, the Arizona-Sonora Desert and are either currently or formerly mountain lion on the book’s cover.

Museum has brought Tucson residents housed at the Desert Museum. Many “Priscilla Baldwin was the muse behind closer to desert wildlife for more than of the animals were previously featured the book,” Warner said. “She’s a very 60 years. Beyond an appreciation for the in “Desert Ark,” an outreach program beauty of our surrounding landscape, started in the 1950s where Desert Muse- talented scratchboard artist, and she became a co-founder of the Art Institute at the Desert Museum aims to help visitors um member Hal Gras brought animals the Desert Museum. Priscilla, in her work, understand and connect with nature into schools and clubs to give residents became fascinated with the conservation through live animal demonstrations, in-person education about desert work of Hal Gras and the Desert Ark classes and community events. animals.

Treasured Legacies, a new book from the “Many adults today will tell the tale of from way back at the beginning of the museum. She really wanted to capture Desert Museum, traces Tucson conserva- Hal coming to their classroom and as the conservation message it epitomized.” tion efforts within a crossroads of art and they were leaving the exhibition, all the So the story goes, Baldwin’s friends education. students would reach out and touch the wanted to see a collection of her work.

The book features large, vibrant animals he brought, like a snake. And for The idea gradually grew, and soon the scratchboard illustrations from local some of them, that was the first time they

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 25

ARTS & CULTURE

SONORAN SALVATION

5th Now in our 3

Desert Museum staff decided to put together a book that captured several elements of the museum, such as historic conservation, art, and modern conservation efforts.

“We realized we didn’t just want to look at the history of the museum and conservation at the museum, but we wanted to look at what the museum and other museums might face as challenges in the future,” Warner said, who worked on the book for roughly two years.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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dom of the Sweets.

The Sugar Plum Fairy is once again danced by prima ballerina Jenna Johnson, an extraordinary talent who has been with Ballet Tucson since the troupe went pro in 2004. Danielle Cesanek, a principal dancer The Nutcracker is back! now in her third year with the company, will alternate Sugar Plum with Johnson.

Their Cavalier is Vasily Boldin, a principal danseur.

By Margaret Regan back Tucson’s favorite ballet.

For the Snow scene, one of the company’s tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ballet Tucson, the only pro ballet compamost beautiful pieces of choreography, ny in town, last year offered online clips of Nutcrackers past. Now the troupe is roaring longtime company dancer Taylor Johnson IT WAS A SAD PANDEMIC back. The dancers are in high gear, rehears- plays the Snow Queen. Skylar Burson, a Christmas last year, Nutcracker-wise (and ing to dance live in the company’s master- new arrival, partners her as Snow King. (The otherwise, of course). famed Petipa choreographed the ballet in ful traditional Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker’s adorable Clara didn’t 1892, but the troupe’s founding director “We are thrilled to bring our beloved see her family’s Christmas tree soar up holiday classic back to the stage!!,” associate Mary Beth Cabana and associate artistic to the sky, or marvel at the dancing of artistic director Margaret Mullin writes via director Chieko Imada get kudos for their the Sugar Plum Fairy or hear the strains work on Nutcracker.) email. “Our dancers and audiences have Tchaikovsky’s magnific music. The NutThe troupe’s COVID-wise protocols missed the joy and wonder of our Nutcracker prince, the snow ballerinas and the cracker. We are filled with excitement and require patrons to prove their full vaccinaSpanish and Arabian dancers never made it gratitude for this magical return.” tion, or a negative test taken within 72 hours to the stage. The beloved Christmas ballet before the concert. They must also have valThis year’s cast is 100 dancers strong, had gone dark. id photo ID. Everyone, including children, ranging from tiny tots to seasoned pros.

As one of the most popular ballets in the Ballet Master Daniel Precup reprises his must wear a mask.

U.S., it was unthinkable that the ballet could Drosselmeyer, the mysterious character Ballet Tucson’s Nutcracker plays at the be shut down.

Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., on who gets the action going. Ballet Tucson But Covid-19 had the power to banish it.

Thursday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 24, student trainees Abigail Lee and Allisyn The pandemic it still with us, God help us, Lloyd alternate Clara, the young girl who 3 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. and but now, with ample vaccines and boosters, journeys to the Land of Snow and the King- 5 p.m. Tickets $37 to $65 general; $30 to companies have carved out ways to bring

ARTS & CULTURE

VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUM FAIRIES

PHOTO BY ED FLORES

$46 seniors/students/military. Available at www.ticketmaster.com for a fee. Phone 800.745.3000.

MORE NUTCRACKERS BALLET RINCON, A RESPECTED

studio in Vail run by Jennifer Neuser, mounts its traditional Nutcracker this weekend.

DECEMBER 9, 2021

“The return to the stage for Ballet Rincon’s 21st annual Nutcracker production is a thrill beyond compare,” Neuser says. “We are so grateful.”

A cast of 140 dancers, including kids from age five to 18, will be joined by seasoned guest artists. Among them is Marquez Johnson, who danced the part of the Cavalier. A star in the former company Artifact, he is now a teacher at UA Dance.

Masks are encouraged, in accordance with Vail School District policies. Reserved seats have an empty seat between each group.

The show goes on at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 11, at Vail Theatre of the Arts, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way. Tickets $14 and $22; Livestream available at 7 p.m. at Saturday show, $25. Tickets at https://buy.tututix. com/balletrincon or https://www.etix.com/ ticket/o/8753/balletrincon.

Dancing in the Street, a school for kids on the southside of town, presents a traditional full-length The Nutcracker: El Cascanueces. Boasting the most diverse dance students in the city, the non- profit is directed by a married pair of dancers and choreographer, Solest Lupu and Joseph Rodgers, an African American who had a

successful ballet career before returning to his hometown of Tucson.

The troupe’s Nutcracker Ballet is at 2 p.m. Sat., Dec. 18, and 2 p.m. Sun., Dec.19, at the Temple and Music and Art, 330 S. Scott. Tickets run from $11.50 to $50, with discounts for seniors, military, students and groups of 10 or more. Available at https:// buy.tututix.com/ditsaz. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 855-222-2849; press 5. For info, www.ditsaz.org Last year Danswest Dance director Megan Maltos made a full-length movie of kids dancing a loose version of Nutcracker in outdoor locations. This year the dancers are back on the stage. Some 50 dancers will perform in Not Your Ordinary Nut(cracker,) an inventive version fused with jazz, modern dance, hip-hop, tap and acrobatics.

The only true ballet parts are danced by the littlest tykes dressed as angels and mice. (A second hour in the show features various non-Nut works.)

Maltos is thrilled to get the kids back dancing in person, but the pandemic is still making its mark. The dancers are fewer this year and half the seats in the theatre— at Palo Verde High Magnet School—will remain empty.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 27

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

NUTCRACKER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

Following TUSD rules, audience and performers will wear masks. But the dancers’ masks are colorful and fun, laden with Christmas images and cheer, she says. “It’s a good family show.”

The Danswest show is at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Dec. 18, at Palo Verde High Magnet School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, at 22nd St. near Kolb Road. Tickets are $15 and $25, available at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/21978/paloverde-high-school-danswest-dance

DANCES THAT ARE NOT NUTCRACKERS THE PIMA DANCE ENSEMBLE IS staging a live concert this weekend at at Pima College West Campus. The concert, Signature Selection, showcases choreography and performance.

“This semester, we have a group of incredibly prolific choreographers,” says Dance Ensemble director Nolan Kubota.

The dances were created by both faculty and students during the fall semester. In addition to the works of the Dance Ensemble, the show includes dances by Pima Dance

Club and Kubota’s jazz class.

Signature Selection takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Proscenium in Pima College Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. $12 at the door. For info, call 520-206-6986, or email centerforthearts@pima.edu.

DESERT MUSEUM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

“The museum does have a loyal following, and we want to foster that support for the museum and conservation efforts.

But having said that, we also hope new ZUZI! Dance Winter Solstice readers and visitors will be drawn into Celebration is set on Dec. 21 Solstice itself. the amazingly graphic art of Priscilla, Solstice is the shortest and darkness day and also the conservation efforts.” of the year and ZUZI Dance has for years Other conservation efforts from marked the day with dance and light, and used dance to ponder our lives. This year, not the Desert Museum include a captive surprisingly, the theme is restoring harmony. breeding program for the Mexican wolf The title? Where You Place Your Feet. The to reintroduce them to their natural habshow features work by a host of choreograitats, the Save Our Saguaros campaign phers, including the marvellous Charlotte to fight invasive grasses in the Sonoran Adams, Maddie Brown and ZUZI co-founder Desert, and a program to support migraNanette Robinson. tory pollinators.

The Solstice Showcase is one night only, “We want to give people a feel for what at 8 p.m., Dec. 21, at 8 p.m. at The Scoundrel & conservation can look like. And that’s Scamp Theatre (formerly ZUZI! Theater) in the Historic YWCA at 738 N. Fifth Ave. one of the things the Art Institute does Tickets $20 general; $25 seniors, military so well,” Warner said. “Because you can and students. Tickets must be purchased by take a class at the Art Institute and watch Dec. 19 through ZUZU at www.zuzimoveit. a live animal interact with its keeper. org. All patrons must be fully vaccinated and Once you begin to look at the way nature email a copy of their vaccinated card to the expresses itself, you have the opportunitheatre in advance. For instructions, see ty to be drawn in more and more.” zuzimoveit.org. ■

Jo St in us ree at t F the air De 4th c 1 Av 0- e.

12 !

Warner says Baldwin serves as the ultimate example of this transformation. In the book, Baldwin explains how she came to a realization while doing a botanical illustration—a realization that would eventually lead her to co-found the Desert Museum’s Art Institute with her husband in 1998.

“She was always interested in conservation, but it was more in the back of her mind,” Warner said. “But then she began to take art classes and watched a wasp interact with a flower, and she told me a lightbulb went off. She said, ‘This is the gift of life that I want to convey.’”

Other contributors for “Treasured Legacies” are Desert Museum librarian and archivist Peggy Larson, executive director Craig Ivanyi, and former executive director Bob Edison. ■ “Treasured Legacies: Conservation, Art, Education, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum” is currently available at DesertMuseumArts.com/treasured-legacies-book

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TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 29

MUSIC

NO ‘LUNATIC’

Upsahl explores breakup on new album Phoenix native who now lives in LA. “It’s always very surreal, full circle for me to play in Arizona. We were playing shows (early in my career) every weekend at TAYLOR UPSAHL IS LIVING HER Valley Bar, Crescent Ballroom, the Van best life.

Buren—all the venues. I get to hang out She lent her pen to a variety of with people and fans who have been eventual hits like Dua Lipa’s Grammy Award-winning “Good in Bed,” and “Hap- coming to my shows since I was 16.”

Her latest single is “Lunatic,” a py Endings” by Mike Shinoda of Linkin pop-driven anthem that channels her Park and Iann Dior, which went Top 10 at anger about an ex. alt radio.

“I try to always write from personal In addition, Upsahl covered Dominic experience,” she says.

“The day we wrote Fike’s “3 Nights” for Amazon’s “Original” series that’s featured on Amazon Music. ‘Lunatic,’ I saw something online. I didn’t want to see it. I almost canceled the sesIn October, she released her fullsion. I wanted to lie in bed and be angry length debut album, “Lady Jesus.” She headlines Club Congress on Friday, Dec. at the world.

“Instead, I stormed into the studio 10. with tears running down my face. I said, “I’m so excited,” says Upsahl, a

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“I try to always write from personal experience,” Taylor Upsahl said.

‘We’re writing a banger today. I want to scream in the vocal booth.’ We finished writing the song in an hour. My whole day was turned around. The day started with me crying in the car to the session.

It’s the perfect example how music or writing a song can fully turn the day around.”

The song is a reaction to seeing her ex, whom she did not identify, on social media. They broke up in the beginning of the quarantine. “Lady Jesus” travels with Upsahl on her journey from the breakup (“Douchebag”) to her personal rebirth (“Lady Jesus”).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

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TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

DECEMBER 9, 2021

By Xavier Omar Otero tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com Where the miseries of everyday life are cast aside. This week Robert Cray, Tito Puente Jr., UPSAHL, Mary Lattimore, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Koleżanka, Mariachi Sol de México, Diluvio, Nekromantix, An Irish Christmas and more festivities can be found. Read on.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS… THURSDAY, DEC. 9 “A conversation with the gods,” is the meaning of the word mambo, as well as the name of a Vodou priestess. Tito Puente, tapping into something larger than himself, was a pioneering force in mambo. Popularized in Cuba during the 1930’s by Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Perez Prado, and Tito Puente & His Orchestra, mambo is a potent cross fertilization of Afro-Caribbean and Latin rhythms whose roots are inextricably traced to Vodou drumming that evolved in the New World from the 6,000-year-old West African religion Vodun, the religion of many slaves brought from West Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Brutally repressed by slave-owners, these primal, hypnotic rhythms—the same ones that compel blissed-out partakers to enter into an ecstatic union with their divine selves—not only withstood the inhumanity of their forced transplantation to the New World, but eventually thrived by seeping into Western culture and music. “The Devil’s music,” soul, R&B, rave, trance, and EDM all owe a debt. Now, Tito Puente Jr. has assumed the mantle, with his own high-voltage fusion of jazz, salsa, merengue and mambo. Tito Puente Jr. Latin Jazz Ensemble present The King and I (2021), a tribute to the music of his father. At Rialto Theater... Phoenix-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Kristina Moore (aka Koleżanka) writes songs about placelessness, a state that French philosopher Henri Lefebvre referred to as “the misery of everyday life.” It’s a state of being, Moore asserts, that’s understood all too well by truckers, deckhands, flight attendants, and touring musicians. Illuminated under the yellow

glow of headlights, Koleżanka provides the soundtrack for a late-night drive through a desert nightscape. At Club Congress... In a program that evinces bittersweet romance and humor, led by fifth-generation Mariachi musician Jóse Hernàndez, Mariachi Sol de México celebrate a Merry-Achi Christmas.

At Fox Tucson Theatre...

FRIDAY, DEC. 10 Can you hear the buzz? Alternative Press hailed UPSAHL an “Up-and-coming indie-pop queen.” Growing up in Phoenix around her dad’s punk bands—father Mike Upsahl played guitar with pop-punk, alt-rockers Stereotyperider and High Horse—and a house full of gear, Taylor Cameron Upsahl has music in her DNA. Mashing up punk attitude with pop hooks, Upsahl has the musical chops to stand apart from the glut. A graduate of the Arizona School for the Arts, she is classically trained in piano, guitar and vocal performance.

Skipping college, Upsahl made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles, spending long hours writing and recording, slowly generating a groundswell. Her 2019 single “Drugs” gave rise to a tsunami, reaching #6 on the TikTok Viral Chart. Knowing no bounds, Upsahl has collabed with a diverse group of artists: Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, Madison Beer, Mike Shinoda, iann dior and others. “We’re in an age right now where genre doesn’t exist and no one is being put in one box. It’s so sick,” says Upsahl. “I’m leaning into that while still making music that reflects the music I grew up on.” Recently dropping her debut album, Lady Jesus (2021), at 23, UPSAHL performs at Club Congress... Forging the path between old Irish traditions and the new, in a show brimming with song, dance, and storytelling, An Irish Christmas celebrates the international spirit of the holiday season. “We are a product of so much that came before us and our traditions are part of that inheritance. There is a value to these traditions,” says Margaret O’ Carroll, the show’s creator, producer, and director. “We are craftsmen and craftswomen who carry the stories to the next generation through every-day events. Folk theatre is the protector, the interpreter, the narrator, the pulse, the heartbeat of these traditions.” An Irish Christmas 2021. At Fox Tucson Theatre...

Blending two distinct cultures, illustrative of life along the borderlands, these pop-punks sing it out loud and proud en Español. The female-fronted quintet have opened for Latin music heavyweights: Julieta Venegas, Natalia LaFourcade, Reik, Inspector and Jarabe de Palo. Diluvio open their “Libro

DECEMBER 9, 2021

de Canciones” [songbook] for all to enjoy.

At 191 Toole. With Soda Sun and Soakset...

“I may be Venezuela-born with Spanish blood, but I also revel in all things Italian.

You too will adore Berlioz’ stirring use of the saltarello dance, Tchaikovsky’s delight in Italian street music, Respighi’s mosaic of fantastic images and Rossini’s electricity,” says José Luis Gomez of a program that features Berlioz (Roman Carnival Overture), Tchaikovsky (Capriccio Italien), Respighi (Roman Festivals), and Rossini (William Tell Overture). “And with regard to William Tell, it’s always fun when people new to [classical] music hear passages made famous in television and cartoons.”

Maestro José Luis Gomez conducts the

NO LUNATIC

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

“‘Lunatic’ is very early on in the healing process for me,” she says.

The writing of “Lady Jesus” was cathartic to Upsahl.

“I would have no other way to get my feelings out otherwise,” Upsahl says. “It’s very much autobiographical. Whatever I was going through I would write about in a song.

“I think I just got over being sad. It was way too long. ‘Lady Jesus’ was a clarity moment. It was such a therapeutic, vulnerable process.”

Her success has been a long time coming. When she was 17, Upsahl wrote and released a self-titled EP, which gained recognition throughout the Valley. A graduate of the Arizona School for the Arts, a performing arts middle/high school, Upsahl continued to hone her craft, while being classically trained on piano, guitar and choir.

“I started going to the Arizona School for the Arts when I was 10 years old,” she says. “I graduated high school there.

Every morning we’d do our academics, and after lunch we would just have arts classes all day long. It was great to be surrounded by a bunch of people who were studying dance, theater or music. It was a very supportive place to grow.”

Her first show was a radio 93.9 gig at the Salty Senorita as a freshman in high school.

“My dad helped me put together a live show,” she says with a laugh. “It was

Tucson Symphony Orchestra when they present The Thrill of Tchaikovsky. The first of two nights. At Tucson Music Hall...

Bringing together Spanish, flamenco, and classical motifs with passion and heart, Domingo DeGrazia String Quartet featuring Beth Daunis returns for Holiday Nights. At Tohono Chul Park... American punks The Cramps created a new genre while searching for a way to express their unbridled love for rockabilly music, cheesy horror and sci-fi films: Psychobilly. Like the album title What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell (2011) suggests, Nekromantix carry the ghastly tradition into the 21st century. At The Rock.

With Delta Bombers and The Reztones...

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Upsahl 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 Club Congress, 311 E. Congress Street $15 in advance; $17 day of show hotelcongress.com

great. Then I was slowly introduced to the Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar.” She moved to Los Angeles after graduation and quickly signed with David Gray of Universal Music Publishing Group as an artist. Her goal was to work with several writers and producers to up her game.

The plan worked, as she was the first artist signed to Arista Records, which was resurrected by music exec David Massey. She calls it “the craziest opportunity ever.”

Coming full circle to Arizona is just as gratifying. She recalls gigs with Decker and others who were equally as supportive.

“All the bands and artists in Phoenix are so amazing. Let’s say there were three bands on a show. Somehow, everyone would find a way to collaborate on one song,” she says.

Nevertheless, she’s looking forward to seeing everybody at home.

“Seeing everyone around the holidays will be dope,” she says. “Most of my friends will be home from college. I’m just super, super grateful for the support system I still have.” ■

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 31

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TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

DECEMBER 9, 2021

XOXO

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

SATURDAY, DEC. 11 Who is Night Train Clemons? In 1978, after appearing in National Lampoon’s Animal House, as the bass player in the fictitious band Otis Day and the Knights, Robert Cray toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, building a reputation as a live artist. It wasn’t until Cray signed to Mercury Records that the initial spark he set off burst into blue flame. Filled with intriguing stories about sex and infidelity, his fourth album, Strong Persuader (1986), was met with accolades (winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Recording in 1987) and a torrent of critical acclaim. The Village Voice hailed the album as “The best blues record in many, many years, so fervently crafted that it may even get what it deserves and become the first album to break out of the genre’s sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item.” Following this whirlwind success, under the pseudonym “Night Train Clemons”, Cray contributed tracks on Ted Hawkins’ Happy Hour in 1986. And he was just getting started. With 27 acclaimed albums and five Grammy wins, this venerable blues guitarist is out on the road with a new album, That’s What I Heard (2020). The Robert Cray Band holds court. At Fox Tucson Theatre. With Tom Walbank...

The students of the Fred Fox School of Music, joined by local musicians and friends, will perform movie tunes, original compositions and holiday carols. UArizona Horns & Tubas present Holiday Horns. At Hotel Congress (plaza)... Founded in Brooklyn in 2014, this 20-piece post-apocalyptic disco-punk brass band—featuring futuristic wasteland/glam uniforms and choreography—is known for the explosiveness of their live performances. Leading the charge with megaphone vocals, heavy tuba bass lines, and slamming percussion, Funkrust Brass Band blast out post-punk, disco, EDM, metal, and funk (with a touch of Balkan brass and New Orleans second line sounds) filtered through a punk rock aesthetic. At Groundworks (a nonprofit, youth-driven community arts space). With Out of System Transfer... An accomplished multi-instrumentalist

and singer/songwriter, Sophia Rankin released her first solo recordings while attending the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music. On Too Close To The Riptide (2021), she explores themes of love, mourning, new beginnings and acceptance. Up-and-comers Sophia Rankin & The Sound reach far beyond their folk roots. At MotoSonora Brewing Company...

The Muffulettas bring the raucous sounds of Bourbon Street to The Old Pueblo. At Monterey Court...

SUNDAY, DEC. 12 American soul/blues singer-guitarist Johnny Rawls stokes the fire. Congress Cookout at Hotel Congress (plaza)...

MONDAY, DEC. 13 Taking their name from the Japanese Aokigahara forest (also known as “the suicide forest”) where troubled people travel to end their life, this one-man black metal band, conveys abysmal darkness with furious tempos, dissonant guitar riffs and lyrics that delve in depression and nihilism.

Suicide Forest. At Club Congress. Swarm of Serpents and Caldon Glover...

TUESDAY, DEC. 14 Cochise County All Stars perform an eclectic set of Americana, obscure Latin rock, country and jazz standards. At Hotel Congress (plaza)...

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15 Flying in formation since 2013, the band’s latest lo-fi recording Only Ever (2021) has drawn the attention of the Fader, Post-punk.com, Impose, and others. Tucson dream pop/psychedelic/shoegazers Mute Swan are entranced in a “Life-like Dream.” At Club Congress. With Kyrge...

THURSDAY, DEC. 16 We can watch as a “Unicorn Catches A Falling Star In Heaven.” Seemingly in constant flux, classically-trained harpist Mary Lattimore is an instrumental storyteller who rarely pauses. She became an in-demand hired gun—working on film and musical projects with Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore, Jeff Zeigler and others—before releasing The Withdrawing Room (2013), her debut album. Adding to the intrinsic tonality of her Lyon & Healy Concert Grand harp with electronic effects, Lattimore creates nuanced layers of ethereality with her improvisations. On her latest compilation, Collected Pieces II (2021), Lattimore’s capacity as an observer is brought to the fore, capturing suspended moments in time that evince beauty, sorrow, sunbeams and darkness obscured within shadowy confines with filmic detail. Los Angeles-based composer Mary Lattimore climbs ghostly Silver Ladders. At Club Congress. With Ana Roxanne and Karima Walker...

Until next week, XOXO...

DECEMBER 9, 2021

HIGH ANXIETY

ADHS moves forward with social equity program after court win

By David Abbott tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF Health Services will continue taking applications for 26 social equity licenses through Dec. 14, after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge declined to issue an injunction to stop the process.

Last Wednesday, Dec. 1, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner heard arguments from two groups attempting to force ADHS to stop accepting applications until it rewrites the rules for the program in-

tended to distribute licenses to people and communities most affected by the decades’ long War on Drugs.

The Greater Phoenix Urban League, a nonprofit aimed at helping minority communities, particularly those adversely affected by previous marijuana laws, and Acre 41, a group of four “influential female Black, Indigenous, and people of color” who advocate for underserved communities in the growing cannabis market who hope to procure one of the licenses, filed the lawsuit last month, but will have to wait until the end of January for their case to be heard.

The lawsuit sought to delay the application process until the rules could be revisited to ensure the licenses, said to be worth $10 to $15 million, went into the hands of the people intended

by Prop 207 rather than land in the

hands of the big, established players.

While the group did not receive its requested injunction, the court scheduled a hearing for Jan. 28, 2022. ADHS will likely not have the lottery until after that date, as it has to review all of the applications that are submitted and allow applicants to fix any problems.

ADHS Communications Director Steve Elliott said that as of Friday, Dec. 3, there were 22 applications received, but more are expected as the final deadline is next Tuesday.

At issue for Acre 41 is what appears to be loopholes in the rules that were finalized on Oct. 13 that would allow a transfer of majority ownership to large multi-state operators (or MSOs), which would mean the program would, in the long run, just enrich the biggest cannabis companies.

“Our number one objective is to get rid of the non-transferability of licenses so that 51% ownership cannot be transferred,” said Acre 41 spokeswoman Celeste Rodriguez. “That’s what has taken place in Los Angeles. The MSOs didn’t get into their social equity program because there’s no transferability of the license. They didn’t have any

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 33

interest because [the license] can’t be transferred.”

The group believes the biggest operators have been on the hunt for “straw men” who qualify but have no interest in owning or running a cannabis business and who would sign over majority ownership before the ink is even dry on the license.

“There is demonstrable evidence that in those states where there was a failure to implement a restriction on transferability to non-social equity qualifiers, it was a death knell of any meaningful social equity program,” the plaintiffs said in a prepared statement announcing the court date.

“Without the provision, people from (disproportionately affected communities) would not be in a position to actually operate the license, as provided for in the initiative.”

They added that blocking the transferability provision is “absolutely necessary to ensure that the intent of the social equity initiative is realized.”

Another group of potential applicants sued in November, also seeking to put the kibosh on the application process. That group, called Black Seed, CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

WEEDLY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

initially wanted the judge to consolidate the cases, but decided to have its case remain separate and be heard by a different judge.

The cost of getting an operation up and running can cost upwards of $1 million, so short of a state-funded program to pay for start-up costs, it’s essentially impossible for most people to successfully open a dispensary without major backing from a player (or at least a would-be player) in the cannabis community.

“With all that money they’re collecting, they could use it to provide people with funding for their social equity licenses,” Rodriguez said. “The state basically left the social equity applicants to do this on a wing and a prayer, and it’s unfortunate.”

In order to qualify for a social equity license, individuals must meet several basic criteria. They must have been personally impacted by Arizona’s previous marijuana laws, or have a family member impacted by those laws.

Those individuals must have arrest

COURTESY PHOTO

The influential women of Acre 41

records that have been expunged and their records cleared.

Their household income must be at or less than 400% of the federal poverty level for three of the past five years, and they must have resided for three of the past five years in one of 87 zip

codes released by ADHS the first week of October.

The rules went through several iterations over the course of the year and ADHS has received criticism from several groups, including Arizona NORML and a coalition of stakehold-

ers from disproportionately impacted communities, which took ADHS to task in February for not including enough input from impacted communities.

All applicants are required to attend DHS-provided training and come up with a $4,000 fee, but the need for $500,000 in liquid assets that is a condition for licenses outside the social equity program was waived.

With the passage of Prop 207 last year, the state has paved the way for more licenses and more retail outlets for adult-use, recreational pot. There are currently 130 pot dispensaries with 127 “operating facilities,” according to the most recent medical marijuana financial report by ADHS. In addition to the 26 social equity licenses coming next year, last April the ADHS created 13 new adult-use marijuana licenses for eight counties: Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Yuma.

The licenses are intended to fill a void in rural communities, ensure legal access throughout the state, and reduce black market activity. ■

DECEMBER 9, 2021

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SAVAGE LOVE

SHAREABORTIONPILL.INFO

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I’m a fan from Italy, so please excuse my English. I’ve been in a hetero relationship with my boyfriend for seven years, we’re both around 30, and we love each other and blah blah blah. Sex is very good but quite standard since we have no particular kinks or fetishes. I always reach orgasm before penetration, but only with fingering.

It turns me on when he goes down on me, but it doesn’t “do the trick.” After I come, I feel something is missing if we don’t have penetrative sex that ends with him coming inside me. But because that part isn’t a lot of fun for me—being penetrated doesn’t make me come, and I’m being penetrated after I come—I usually urge him to come quickly, which is a bit frustrating for him. Is it weird that I need this kind of “closure” to sex? Is it weird that I want him coming inside me under these conditions? Where does this need come from? I’m sure you’ll have a great answer!

—Weird Orgasmic Needs Defy Easy Rationales

You’re in a better position to judge where this need of yours comes from—and you’re most likely in the missionary position (not that there’s anything wrong with that!)—but if I were to hazard a guess…

Sex meets our physical need for touch, for pleasure, and for release, WONDER, but it also meets emotional needs. And sometimes what a sex act and/or an eroticized act symbolizes is just as or more important than how it feels. It means something to you—something important—when your boyfriend comes inside you during PIV intercourse. And since your boyfriend comes inside you after you’ve already come— usually after you’ve asked him to hurry things along—it’s not about your pleasure in that moment. It’s not about how it feels, WONDER, it’s about what it means. Your physical needs have already been satisfied; your boyfriend got you off with his fingers.

But sex doesn’t feel real and complete for you until your boyfriend comes inside you.

In the moment—in those moments—it’s more about what’s going on between your ears, i.e., more of what sex means than how it feels.

Seeing as you read my column, WONDER, you must know (I hope you know) that two or more people can have a satisfying and meaningful sexual encounter that leaves them feeling connected and satisfied without anyone being penetrated during PIV or PIT or PIB and without anyone coming inside anyone else. Indeed, a person can have a meaningful sexual encounter that leaves

them feeling satisfied without coming at all.

But if you want to shake things up with the boyfriend—if you occasionally wanna give your boyfriend a chance to enjoy fucking you without being hurried along—you could always wait to come until after he does. Now, you’re a grown-ass, sexually active, 30-year-old-or-thereabouts citizen of the European Union, WONDER, and I’m guessing this may have already occurred to you. But I’m going to toss it out there just in case: Let your boyfriend go down on you until you’re completely turned on, then let him take his time fucking you until he comes, and then—and only then—let him finger you until you come.

I’ve been with my partner for three years and we recently decided to dip our toes in the waters of swinging. We were on agreement about only doing a “soft swap” to start and then seeing where it led. We met up with a few couples and hit it off with one. At first my boyfriend was super respectful of my boundaries but he’s become obsessed with being on swinging apps all the time. He enjoys the “reality porn,” meaning the profiles, and that’s fair. But he’s secretive AF about it. If it’s all out in the open, why does he need to be secretive?!? I’ve broached the subject and the conversation always ends with him saying, “I’m sorry! I’m just bored! I’m not looking for anyone else!” But his obsession is starting to affect my self-esteem. We have a stellar sex life, and I am a ravenous woman.

It’s not like we have a “dead bedroom” problem here. I had a conversation with him last night about whether we need to shut the whole thing down. I said that if this is something he’d like to continue with on his own, then he’s free to do so—as a single man.

I don’t want to hold him back if that’s what he needs in his life, but I’m also not going to suffer because of it. I don’t know what else to do. I’d love to hear your thoughts on navigating this.

—Seriously Worried About Partner’s Obsession There are two possible explanations for why your boyfriend suddenly started being so secretive and squirrelly about what he’s doing on that swinging app. First, he could be cheating or planning to cheat. He could be doing something that violates the rules you hammered out when you opened the relationship, e.g., meeting up with a couple on his own, or he could be making plans to do something that breaks those rules, e.g., talking with couples about doing a full swap. Second possible explanation: Your

boyfriend came down with a bad case of kid-in-the-candy-shop, got carried away, and knew, even before you said something, that this was annoying you. But instead of dialing it back, he’s tried to hide it from you.

Dickful thinking may even have led him to believe that he was being considerate of your feelings when he attempted to hide what he was doing.

Either way, SWAPO, you issued an ultimatum—if he doesn’t knock this shit off you’re going to put a stop to it (the swinging) or put an end to it (the relationship)—and soon you’ll know what you have to do.

I’m a 60-year-old gay man with a 35-yearold straight male friend—and no, this letter is not going where you think it’s going. We have become best friends without benefits. We have a lot of common interests, and we enjoy doing things together on the weekend. I’ve never gotten any indication that he has any sexual interest in me and I’m not going to ruin our friendship by making sexual advances to him. Last year I went through a very difficult time personally, involving an illness and multiple deaths in my family. He was there for me completely— really, above and beyond anything I could have expected. I would like to get him a gift to express my gratitude for his support and I can afford to be extravagant. The problem is, I don’t want to get him something extravagant if there’s a risk my generosity might be interpreted as a come-on. Our friendship works because we respect each other’s boundaries, and I don’t want him thinking I’ve suddenly tried to cross one. So, here is my question: What does a 60-yearold gay man give a straight man half his age that will convey appreciation for his support during a difficult time in my life but will not convey a desire for sex? Or is there such a gift?

—Fully Recovered And Thankful It’s easier for me to rule things out than it is for me to rule things in, FRAT, seeing as that, save for his age and straightness, I know next to nothing about your friend.

I mean, you already know not to get your straight friend a pricey leather sling or a

shiny latex gimpsuit, right? You don’t need me to tell you that, do you?

So, besides pussy, what does your straight friend like? Does he like football? Get him a pair of tickets to see the team he crushes on hardest and encourage him to take a friend (or a date) that shares his passion for that kind of straight bullshit. Does he like video games? Get him one of those giant TVs straight gamer boys like to play games on. Does he like going places and is he fully vaccinated? Get him airline vouchers and give him enough cash to cover a nice hotel and food and tell him to go have a great fully vaccinated vacation on you. Or maybe there’s something he needs rather than wants—kind of like you needed emotional and logistical support during your illness and family tragedies? If he needs his credit cards paid down, pay ’em down. If he needs his car paid off, pay it off.

And if you’re worried that he might misinterpret your generosity as a come-on or as a precedent (that lavish gifts will keep coming) or as a burden (that you expect lavish gifts in return), address all those possible misinterpretations in the card: “You were such a generous and giving friend during an extremely difficult time in my life and I wanted to do something special for you— just this once—to thank you. I hope we will always be friends.”

Finally, FRAT, there’s also the option of giving him something reasonable—maybe tickets to a football game counts—and then writing that straight boy into your will. He definitely won’t think you’re trying to get into his pants after you’re dead.

Hey, Everybody: Fuck Alito and fuck Thomas and fuck Roberts and fuck Kavanaugh and fuck Gorsuch and fuck Barrett. Fuck anyone who would force a woman to give birth against her will. But while SCOTUS may be able to reverse Roe v. Wade and allow Republican-controlled state legislatures to ban abortion in most of the United States, we don’t have to return to the days when women who needed abortions—and trans and non-binary folks who needed abortions—couldn’t get them safely. Abortion pills (Mifepristone and Misoprostol) are safe and effective, they can be safely self-administered, and they can be purchased online for around $100. For more information, go to www.shareabortionpill. info. Stock up so you have them on hand if you or your friends or your family members or your coworkers or your neighbors ever need them. questions@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage.

Dan’s columns, podcasts, books, merch and more at www.savage.love.

DECEMBER 9, 2021

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986) was experimental and innovative and influential.

His imagery was often dreamlike, and his themes were metaphysical. He felt that the most crucial aspect of his creative process was his faith. If he could genuinely believe in the work he was doing, he was sure he’d succeed at even the most improbable projects. But that was a challenge for him.

“There is nothing more difficult to achieve than a passionate, sincere, quiet faith,” he said. In accordance with your astrological omens during the next 12 months, Aries, I suggest you draw inspiration from his approach. Cultivating a passionate, sincere, quiet faith will be more attainable than it has ever been.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware,” said philosopher Martin Buber. How true! I would add that the traveler is wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities of those secret destinations . . . and be alert for them if they appear . . . and treat them with welcome and respect, not resistance and avoidance.

When travelers follow those protocols, they are far more likely to be delightfully surprised than disappointingly surprised.

Everything I just said will apply to you in the coming weeks, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini sleightof-hand artist Apollo Robinson may be the best and most famous pickpocket in the world. Fortunately, he uses his skill for entertainment purposes only. He doesn’t steal strangers’ money and valuables from their pockets and purses and jackets. On one occasion, while in the company of former US President Jimmy Carter, he pilfered multiple items from a secret service agent assigned to protect Carter. He gave the items back, of course. It was an amusing and humbling lesson that inspired many law-enforcement officials to seek him out as a consultant. I suspect that in the coming weeks, you may have comparable abilities to trick, fool, beguile, and enchant.

I hope you will use your superpowers exclusively to carry out good deeds and attract inviting possibilities.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Many sportswriters regard Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever. He was the Most Valuable Player five times and had a higher scoring average than anyone else who has ever played. And yet he confesses, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.

I have lost almost 300 games. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life.” He says the keys to his success are his familiarity with bungles and his determi-

nation to keep going despite his bungles. I invite you to meditate on Jordan’s example in the coming days.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his poem “Song of Poplars,” Leo author Aldous Huxley speaks to a stand of poplar trees. He asks them if they are an “agony of undefined desires.” Now I will pose the same question to you, Leo. Are you an agony of undefined desires? Or are you a treasury of well-defined desires? I hope it’s the latter. But if it’s not, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problem. Learning to be precise about the nature of your longings is your growing edge, your frontier. Find out more about what you want, please.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Black is your lucky color for the foreseeable future. I invite you to delve further than ever before into its mysteries and meanings and powers. I encourage you to celebrate blackness and honor blackness and nurture blackness in every way you can imagine. For inspiration, meditate on how, in art, black is the presence of all colors. In printing, black is a color needed to produce other colors. In mythology, blackness is the primal source of all life and possibility. In psychology, blackness symbolizes the rich unconscious core from which all vitality emerges.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the first season of the animated TV series South Park, its two creators produced an episode called “Make Love, Not Warcraft.” The story lovingly mocked nerds and the culture of online gaming. Soon after sending his handiwork to executive producers, Libran co-creator Trey Parker decided it was a terrible show that would wreck his career. He begged for it to be withheld from broadcast. But the producers ignored his pleas.

That turned out to be a lucky break. The episode ultimately won an Emmy Award and became popular with fans. I foresee the possibility of comparable events in your life, Libra. Don’t be too sure you know which of your efforts will work best.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Nobel Prizewinning Scorpio author André Gide (1869– 1951) had an unusual relationship with his wife Madeline Rondeaux. Although married for 43 years, they never had sex. As long as she was alive, he never mentioned her in his extensive writings. But after she died, he wrote a book about their complex relationship. Here’s the best thing he ever said about her: “I believe it was through her that I drew the need for truthfulness and sincerity.” I’d love for you to be lit up by an influence like Madeline Rondeaux, Scorpio.

I’d be excited for you to cultivate a bond with a person who will inspire your longing

to be disarmingly candid and refreshingly genuine. If there are no such characters in your life, go looking for them. If there are, deepen your connection.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A fashion company called Tibi sells a silver mini dress that features thousands of sequins.

It’s also available in gold. I wonder if the designers were inspired by poet Mark Doty’s line: “No such thing, the queen said, as too many sequins.” In my astrological estimation, the coming weeks will be a fun time to make this one of your mottoes. You will have a poetic license to be flashy, shiny, bold, swanky, glittery, splashy, sparkling, and extravagant. If expressing such themes in the way you dress isn’t appealing, embody more metaphorical versions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I have pasts inside me I did not bury properly,” writes Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. Isn’t that true for each of us? Don’t we all carry around painful memories as if they were still fresh and current? With a little work, we could depotentize at least some of them and consign them to a final resting place where they wouldn’t nag and sting us anymore. The good news, Capricorn, is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that: bury any pasts that you have not properly buried before now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In February 1967, the Beatles recorded their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in London. A man claiming to be Jesus Christ

Comics

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 37

convinced Paul McCartney to let him weasel his way into the studio. McCartney later said that he was pretty sure it wasn’t the real Jesus. But if by some remote chance it was, he said, he didn’t want to make a big mistake. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect that comparable events may be brewing in your vicinity.

My advice: Don’t assume you already know who your teachers and helpers are. Here’s the relevant verse from the Bible: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to Professor of Classics Anne Carson, ancient Greek author Homer “suggested we stand in time with our backs to the future, face to the past.” And why would we do that? To “search for the meaning of the present— scanning history and myth for a precedent.” I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because I think you should avoid such an approach in the coming months. In my view, the next chapter of your life story will be so new, so unpredicted, that it will have no antecedents, no precursory roots that might illuminate its plot and meaning.

Your future is unprecedented. ■ Homework Send your predictions for the new year—both for yourself and the world. https://Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology

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DECEMBER 9, 2021

Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS Periodontist’s specialty 5 Where students might kick their feet up 9 Attacks from all sides 14 “Right away!”

15 ___ Eats 16 Currency in Pakistan 17 Only Monopoly railroad whose name doesn’t contain “Railroad” / Laughing gleefully 19 Font whose name is a homophone of 20-Across 20 See 19-Across 21 Seriously overcharged 23 Traditional media category 24 Philadelphia’s ___ Center for the Performing Arts 25 They may be full of Natural Light 28 Carnitas holder 30 Bordeaux red 32 Some daily temps 35 It took the iconic photograph “Pillars of Creation” 38 First animal sound in “Old MacDonald” 39 Brouhaha 40 Setting for “The Sound of Music” / Greyhound journey 41 Toothpaste tube letters 42 France’s ___ de Loire 43 Make quickly, as a pot of coffee 44 Coastline feature 45 “Goodness me!”

47 The first Fabergé egg was created for one 1

49 Hanukkah chocolate

shape 50 Move slowly 53 Subordinate to 57 Police drama co-starring LL Cool J 59 Language in which “Ho” and “Hoina” mean “yes” and “no” 60 Bricks sold in sets 62 Hairy problem? … or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 64 Something that falls in the fall 65 “1917,” e.g.

66 Pinnacle 67 Malicious group of computers 68 Puppy pickup place 69 One compartment of a golf bag

DOWN

1 Tank top?

2 Wedding worker 3 Like one in six New

Zealanders, ethnically

4 Goes all out 5 Nearly pointless?

6 What secures a kimono 7 Game that has 54

blocks

8 Home to the Willamette

Valley

9 Engage in gasconade or

fanfaronade “I figured it out!”

Web master? / Of the outer skin layer 12 Sleepytime, e.g.

13 Fleur de ___ (fancy salt) 18 “See ya!”

22 Removes, as a lapel microphone 10 11

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24 Pointer controller

46 “Again!”

26 Rock that’s often cut

48 Help with a heist

open 27 Ermine, in the summer 29 Desserts dusted with cinnamon sugar 31 Bound 32 Mayhem 33 British Columbia neighbor 34 Expensive bar / Not letting go 36 Texter’s “I meant to say …”

37 ___ force 40 Scandinavian pop group 44 “Again ...”

Elizabeth who plays Wanda on “WandaVision” 52 Mothers of Invention musician 54 Outdated charging device?

55 Pre-makeover self 56 Smartens (up) 58 What separates money from everything?

59 Kind 60 Test site 61 Prefix with label 63 Edge 51

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