Marana 06/14/2023

www.Maranaweeklynews.com

unveils storm preparedness program

he town of Marana has unveiled its

According to the National Weather Service, monsoon season runs June 15 to Sept. 30 and brings an average of 5.69 inches of precipitation.

During this time, town staff will monitor

BY VERONICA KUFFEL Tucson Local Media Contributor

arana has joined two regional efforts to respond to poverty and the affordable housing crisis across Southern Arizona.

Lisa Shafer, the town’s director of community development and neighborhood services, invited Pima County officials from the Regional Affordable Housing Commission and the adjunct Prosperity Initiative Working Group to provide updates on their work at Marana’s regular council meeting on June 6.

MOVIES on the LAWN

Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Drive

A FREE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT

Bring a blanket or chairs and enjoy a movie under the stars! Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Please be courteous to others and leave your pets at home. Movie begins a er sundown (approx. 7:30 p.m.) No registration required. Event is located at the backside of the facility, near the golf driving range.

UPCOMING MOVIE

SCHEDULE

June 17 ......... Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

July 15 .......... The Bad Guys

Aug 19 ........... The Mitchells vs the Machines

Sept 16 ......... The Little Rascals

For more information, scan the QR code or visit www.orovalleyaz.gov

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

Tucson, AZ - When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with anti-depressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs o en trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This o en causes weakness and numbness.

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “BandAid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

(above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Arrowhead Physical Medicine in Tuscon, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00. This ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling.

It’s completely painless!

THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THIS TREATMENT IS COVERED BY MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST INSURANCES!!

Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.

The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less them 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Thankfully, Tuscon is the birthplace of a brand new facility that sheds light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

1. Finding the underlying cause

2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage

Arrowhead Physical Medicine begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage – a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Arrowhead Physical Medicine will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until June 30th, 2023. Call (520) 934-0130 to make an appointment.

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 callers. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (520) 934-0130...NOW!!

We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

LEARN LUNCH

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21ST • 11:30AM

Hot Picks

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Tucson

Local Media Sta

ARTS

Linda McCartney

Retrospective TO AUG. 4

The North American premiere of the Linda McCartney Retrospective comes to the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography, now through Friday, Aug. 4. Spanning McCartney’s entire career from 1965 to 1997, this exhibition features 176 photographs and archival materials, including Polaroid images and presents three sections such as family life, photographic experimentation and artists. The exhibit is weekly from Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibition will also feature various community events inspired by the collection..

Center for Creative Photography 1030 N. Olive Road, Tucson, various times and pricing, ccp.arizona.edu

Cool Summer Nights TO AUG. 26

Every Saturday night, the Sonora Desert Museum celebrates summer with families. On Saturday, June 10, wear blue for World Oceans Night, featuring animals and a playhouse.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, tickets start at $20, free for members, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 520-833-1380, desertmuseum.org

at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens and Galleries on Father’s Day. Tohono Chul offers a model desert habitat with art displays and exhibits. They also have a bistro with locally sourced seasonal dishes.

Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte, free, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 520-7426455, tohonochul.org

MUSIC

Dennis Jones Band

JUNE 18

Blues artist Dennis Jones has written songs for notable artists like Guitar Shorty, and spent three years playing guitar for The Bus Boys. When he was with The Zac Harmon Band, it won first place in the 2004 Blues Music Awards Competition in Memphis.

Hotel Congress Plaza, 311 W. Congress, Tucson, $14.42, 6 p.m., hotelcongress.com

see HOT PICKS page 7

5-DAY

EXPLORER

The Explorer and Marana News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the Northwest Tucson. To nd out where you can pick up a free copy of the Explorer and Marana News, go to www.TucsonLocalMedia.com

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EDITORIAL

Father’s Day at Tohono Chul

JUNE 18

All fathers and grandfathers receive free admission

“I

“Julianna

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P&Z would limit homes in 59-lot project to 1 story

BY DAVE PERRY

Tucson Local Media Contributor

A59-lot single-family housing development below the Safeway shopping center and within the expanse of Big Wash has received unanimous favorable recommendation from the Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission.

The guidance comes with a condition; namely, that all the houses within the 36acre parcel be one-story, keeping in line with the nearby, one-story, 150-lot Alterra and one-story, 168-lot Valley Vista subdivisions north of the proposed project.

Commissioners made the recommendation June 6, after nearby residents voiced their objection to allowing two-story homes on the 6,000-squarefoot lots within the project. The land sits within the Big Wash plain northeast

of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, north of Tangerine Road, north of and below the Safeway Plaza, and accessible by Moore Loop. The recommendation now goes to the Oro Valley Town Council.

The applicant, Vistoso Partners, requested permissions to allow both oneand two-story homes on the parcel. Based on Oro Valley’s rules, “a maximum” of 20 to 22 of the 59 houses could be two stories, according to Oro Valley senior planner Michael Spaeth.

Beginning in the 1980s, the land in question was identified for use as a golf course, then as a medium-high density residential community, then as a middle school within the Amphitheater Public Schools district. Amphi decided it didn’t need the site for a school, so the land was deeded back to Vistoso Partners.

Paul Oland of Paradigm Land Design,

Visiting history

In town for a series against the Washington Nationals, the Arizona Diamondbacks visited the Capitol and Tucson-based Rep. Juan Ciscomani. Among those in attendance were D-backs personnel President, CEO and General Partner Derrick Hall and his wife, Amy; Senior Vice President, Content & Communications Jaci Brown; Vice President, Government Affairs Amilyn Pierce; team manager Torey Lovullo and his wife, Kristen; players Corbin Carroll, Drey Jameson and Austin Adams; and coaches Dave McKay, Damion Easley, Tony Perezchica and Brent Strom. Spanish radio broadcaster Oscar Soria stopped by as well. He broadcasted for many years in Hermosillo, Mexico, the same town Ciscomani was born.(Arizona Diamondbacks/Submitted)

representing the owner and developer, said the medium-high density permissions would have allowed up to eight townhomes per acre. And, had Amphi proceeded with plans to build a middle school, the district “could have built pretty much anything” it wanted, he said. Schools “are not subject to town zoning codes. This is certainly a huge improvement over that,” Oland suggested.

“This parcel always was planned for development, and it was planned for more intense development than what we’re proposing,” he said.

Two-story homes would have been allowed, according to the Rancho Vistoso Planned Area Development. In fact, the builder Pulte Homes could have built two-story homes within the immediately adjacent Valley Vista community, but “elected to do one-story,” Oland said. “That wasn’t a restriction. It was a conscious market decision to build one-story homes.”

Neighborhood meetings were conducted Oct. 3 and May 17. In response to neighbor concerns regarding building heights, views, and privacy, the most prominent change within a third design proposal moved the access roadway to a margin between the new houses and Valley Vista, thereby creating more buffered space.

Town staff recommended project approval, with some two-story homes, but suggested only one-story homes be built on 20 lots along the property’s northeast strip, adjacent to Valley Vista. Oland called that “a last-minute zinger” from staff.

“We don’t believe there’s a need for that,” he said, citing a thickened landscape buffer yard, a wall, setbacks, and the road placement. He asserted two-story homes would not have impacted neighbors’ views of Pusch Ridge. They may have “some impacts on foothills views, which already have homes on them,” Oland said.

Yet every speaker expressed opposition to two-story homes within the development. Gerald Young, a Valley Vista resident, typified the sentiment, asking that “we stay in continuity with all of Valley Vista, to stay within one story. We’re not trying to stop development, but we would

like to have continuity with the development,” he said.

“I do believe these should all be single-story, to be consistent with the surrounding areas,” Commissioner Skeet Posey said.

“If that’s a condition this body feels has to be on this development, then I’ll have to live with it,” Oland said. “Our preference would be the ability to build one- and two-story homes, but ultimately that’s not up to me. It’s up to you and the town council.”

Before public comment, Oland identified 31 Oro Valley General Plan policies that applied to the project, and said it met 27 of those objectives, among them the creation of on-site recreation, extension of a multiuse path, proximity to goods and services, protection of about 23 1/2 acres (65% of the piece) as open space, preservation of a wildlife linkage, 1-10th the water consumption of a school, and a belief “our residential development will benefit local businesses and employers.”

Oland said “we will build and fund every single bit of infrastructure that’s necessary to support this development,” to include drainage facilities to solve the Bridal Veils runoff issue in the higher, older Horizons community.

“This is actually a very compliant project” as per Oro Valley’s general plan, he said.

Several neighbors expressed worry about the subsidence of two homes at the extreme southeast end of Valley Vista. In fact, crews were at those properties June 7, attempting to stabilize those homes.

Compaction of soils for houses is “very concerning to me,” Commissioner Anna Clark said.

“I guarantee you the soils engineer on this project will take that into consideration,” Oland responded.

“There are lots of properties along this wash that don’t have issues,” town permitting manager David Laws said. “We acknowledge these (2) lots do have issues.”

Before casting her final vote, Clark raised a concern. “It’s not like we’re going to have 59 two-story homes,” she said. As someone with a large family, Clark thinks “a one-story home for a large family is very difficult on these small lots.”

Decker.

JUNE 23

Decker. stops by Tucson to celebrate the release of “Ouroboros.” Support acts are Carlos Arzate and the Kind Souls, and The Senators. The show is 21 and older.

Hotel Congress’ Club Congress, 311 W. Congress, Tucson, $12 in advance, $15 day of show, 8:30 p.m., hotelcongress.com

Female Gaze

JUNE 27

Local indie band Female Gaze will perform its rock sounds during a show at Club Congress.

Club Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, $8, 7 p.m., hotelcongress.com

SPECIAL EVENTS

Biosphere 2 DAILY

We may have experienced an earlier iteration of the Biosphere as something like a passive “zoo” of biomes, but now the focus is on climate change and sustainability research. Interdisciplinary scientists from all over are finding ways to “increase resilience and sustainability of Earth systems and human quality of life.” Ecosystems under glass include the world’s largest controlled tropical rain forest, desert, savanna, mangrove, ocean biomes. Eye-popping fact: 7.2 million cubic feet are sealed within 6,500 windows. Those systems have now seen 30 years of evolution. Biosphere 2, 32540 S. Biosphere Road, Tucson, $25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., biosphere2.org

Dog Days of Summer TO SEPT. 30

Guests can take their dogs to Tucson Botanical Gardens through Sept. 30. Imagine the smells they’ll enjoy and the fun of exploring new trails, most shaded by the gardens’ oldgrowth trees. No doubt they’d also welcome a bite from whatever you order from Edna’s Eatery on site. It’s run by Westward Look Resort. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, tickets start at $15 with discounts available, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., tucsonbotanical.org

Juneteenth

JUNE 17 AND JUNE 18

Attendees can celebrate freedom and community throughout the night with live music starting at 7:30 p.m. The Juneteenth Jam includes an opening set from DJ Impeccable followed by local artist Natho Lotus with the

headliner Prime Society from Phoenix. Closing out the night is Fat Tony. All ages before 10 p.m., 21 and older after. Save the ticket and show it at the Juneteenth Market at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 18, at the Carriage House to be entered into a raffle for a free hotel night at the Downtown Clifton.

Hotel Congress Plaza, 311 W. Congress, Tucson, $10 in advance, $15 at the door, 7:30 p.m., blaxfriday.com

Movies on the Lawn

JUNE 17

Join the group for Oro Valley’s summer movie series at the community and recreation center. The movies are shown on a large inflatable screen on the third Saturday of the month. This month’s film is “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.”

Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Canada Drive, free, 7:30 to 9 p.m., orovalleyaz.gov

Round Up at the Ranch 5K

JUNE 18

This eighth annual summer 5K takes place along the multiuse path, beginning at Steam Pump Ranch, and will include snacks, water, and a water balloon toss.

Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley, $30 in advance, $40 on race day, 6 a.m., orovalleyaz.gov

“Tombstone” 30th Cast Reunion

JUNE 23 TO JUNE 25

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film “Tombstone” with special guests, including Michael Biehn (Johnny Ringo); Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Mattie Earp); Joanna Pacula (Kate); Christopher Mitchum (Hooker’s Ranch foreman); John Philbin and Robert Burke (Tom and Frank McLaury) and Peter Sherayko (Texas Jack Vermillion). Billy Zane was recently added to the lineup of guests. Selection of free and ticketed events throughout Tombstone.

Tombstone, see website for locations, ticket prices and times, tombstone30th.com

La Encantada + Lululemon

Present Moon Glow 520

JULY 7

Join the group in the Courtyard for Moon Glow 520. These Friday evening yoga classes are complimentary. Guests should bring their own yoga mat and water bottle. Presented by Lululemon, in partnership with Yoga Loft Tucson.

La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Drive, Tucson, free, 6:30 p.m., laencantadashoppingcenter.com

FATHER’S DAY IS JUNE

Traveler follows ‘that feeling’ with music

BY JACK MIESSNER Tucson Local Media Sta

World-fusion musician and globetrotter Scott Jeffers likes to play it by ear, literally.

“It’s generally the music that guides me to a place.” Jeffers said. “The music will lead me somewhere, and there I’ll be inspired by different melodies and different sounds.”

On Friday, June 23, the music will guide the Arizona musician and his band, Traveler, to the Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, where he will bring with him a bricolage of multicultural sounds.

“It’s definitely like taking a trip,” Jeffers said. “Our music is kind of like if you went on a vacation through Europe and Turkey, through the Middle East, Ireland, Scotland, and down to Morocco. That’s kind of what it would be, like a musical journey.”

Jeffers does his homework. In the last handful of years, he’s explored Ecuador, India, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Jordan and Egypt, all of which he e-scrapbooks on his travel blog. In one busy June, he checks in from the cliffs of Ireland’s Seven Sisters mountains and the inside of the Egyptian pyramids.

It sounds like a lot of tedious planning, but not for the composer, who usually picks a destination mere weeks before jetting off, and almost always touches down without a hotel booked.

“I tend to follow my nose,” Jeffers said. “I find that’s the best way.

“I just get there, and I start looking. I end up getting places that I would never get unless I was actually there talking to people.”

Be it by ear or by nose, the musician prefers to improvise. His last album, 2021s “Kings of India,” was heavily inspired by an elephant festival he would have missed if not for a stranger’s spur-of-the-moment invitation.

“I went to the festival and there were 50,000 people that were all Indian except for maybe four people that I saw the entire day.” Jeffers said. “And there were a hundred elephants all painted and dressed up in jewels as they marched down the streets. It was just incredible, and I would

have never found that just by looking in a book.

“I know this sounds kind of ‘floating’, but as an artist you want to follow whatever guides you. You don’t want to think too book like or regimented. You want to follow that feeling, that spirit.”

The same philosophy leads Jeffers to his compositions, which find him as spontaneously as his travel plans do. The musician doesn’t sit behind a desk to write, but instead composes in the moment, pulling influence from somatic experience and consulting his senses for musical direction.

“If you're standing on a cliff somewhere, and you can smell the vineyards below, those smells and sights and feelings are all captured within the melody that you created there,” Jeffers said.

“I’d bought a wooden flute while I was in India. I was kind of playing around with it at the elephant festival, and this little melody kept coming to me. It just worked with my fingers, and I said ‘whoa, this is a cool melody’. I kept playing that, and it just became the song.”

Jeffers’ on-the-run style of composition allows him to fuse together the music of

each place as he travels. In 2019’s “Out of the Dust,” he incorporates sounds from Egypt, Jordan and Scotland. He even stirs Mongolian throat singing into the mix, an experiment born out of a rented wood cabin in Pitlochry.

The reason? He didn’t have a didgeridoo.

“I thought, ‘Ooh, Mongolian throat singing,’” he said. “I started making that sound while stomping on the floor and playing the fiddle, and that was the magic moment that it all came together, and I said, ‘Wow, this is a combination of different sounds that just seem to work.’

“I would say that’s what my talent as an artist is, having a vision of how to fit these different styles and sounds together and make them palatable for a Western audience. I think that deeply rooted ethnic music tends to all sound like the same song to a foreigner. So you fuse different things into it, and you still keep the deeply rooted part, but now you’re bringing different colors forward.”

The musician inherits his instinct for this sort of synthesis from his own cultural fusion. Jeffers’ father is Scottish American, his mother Lebanese, and growing

up in Arizona, there was always music in the house. His family’s cultural identity was formative, according to the artist. “I think my mind developed to hear those sounds.” Said Jeffers. “So, they came naturally to me.”

“When I was playing guitar in my high school band, we did a song called ‘Perfect Strangers’ by Deep Purple, which has an exotic scale pattern in the middle. When I would solo over it, I felt how much easier playing in the exotic scale worked for my brain than just playing straightforward rock.

“That was kind of a clue that this was the sound that just works for me. I started writing more exotic music, and that developed into even more exotic sounds until, eventually, the calling became too clear. That this was my road.”

Traveler

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 23

WHERE: Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. Seventh Street, Tucson

COST: Tickets start at $7

INFO: 520-210-4448, theseaofglass.org

Traveler brings world-fusion music to Arizona. (Traveler/Submitted)

Decker’s new album was collaborative effort

BY LAURA LATZKO

Tucson Local Media Sta

With his eighth album “Ouroboros,” singer-songwriter Brandon Decker of the psychedelic desert folk group decker. wanted to bring artists into one room to record.

Over two days in June 2022, 16 musicians came together at EastWest Studios in LA, a space where Frank Sinatra, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Green Day, Weezer, the Mamas and the Papas, Metallica and Kendrick Lamar have recorded.

Decker. released the album on Friday, June 9, through the Kingston, New York, label Royal Potato Family. He’ll celebrate it with a release party on Friday, June 23, at Club Congress in Tucson.

At Club Congress, the folk/rock/soul/ R&B group Carlos Arzate and the Kind Souls and the eclectic folk group The Senators will also perform.

The band’s album is “a haunting fusion of poetry and chaos.” The Sedona-based Decker says it explores life, death, grief, struggle, new beginnings, transcendence, joy and hope.

Decker wrote the album after losing his dad to terminal cancer. Prior to that, he and his son had moved in with his parents, to help and spend time with his family.

“The objective somewhere in the creation of the record turned into how can this piece of art reach and impact other people dealing with grief? How can we

find joy in a life that has so much sadness?” Decker says.

Decker has found that as he has progressed in his career, his music has gone from personal to exploring universal topics. His personal journey does inspire his music, though.

“As I’m learning to be a happier, kinder person, how can I be an instrument to help inspire other people? That’s really what the focus of the record was,” Decker says.

Decker says the album delves into spiritual topics, on which he often reflects.

“I guess you could call me a spiritual guy, very flawed, but I’m very focused on finding harmony with existence, whether that’s in my relationship to others, my relationship to the land, my relationship to

The psychedelic desert folk group decker. is led by singer-songwriter Brandon Decker. ((Matty Steinkamp/Contributor)

myself,” Decker says.

The album features a range of styles, including doowop, hard rockers and ballads.

“Every song sits in its own little place on this record,” Decker says. “I guess that’s different from a lot of the decker. albums, which would stick to one musical theme. This one jumps around in the different styles but keeps a wonderful continuity and shape to the whole thing.”

He will often find inspiration while outdoors in nature. He enjoys activities such as hiking, kayaking, backpacking and camping, along with doing taekwondo, yoga and meditation.

“The songs reveal what they are going to be as you write them… Your job as the writer is to just be a conduit. Can you receive the transmission and try to capture it?… All you can do is just find yourself in a position to receive. For me, that means a lot of hiking and a lot sitting down with the guitar daily, spending that time nursing it,” Decker says.

He has always felt a connection with the Arizona desert, especially Sedona.

“For me, songwriting is part and parcel with my experience of life. My experience in life is being in the land of Arizona. I have written very little music outside of Arizona,” Decker says.

The album features the singles such as the vibey groove “Supernovae,” the soft ballad “Sea Change” and the hard-hitting tune “Mojave,” which decker. put out prior to the release.

The title of the album, “Ouroboros,” was inspired by the ancient Egyptian symbol of a serpent eating its own tail.

“It’s the continuity of all things, the never-ending nature, that all things are eternal. I guess ultimately that all things are one. It comes from one thing and goes back to one thing…It was a lot about death and how do we find transcendence over the many deaths we face?” Decker says.

“Ouroboros” was recorded live with no overdubs, meaning there was no piecemealing parts.

The recording featured the core group of six members who make up decker. along with other musicians and singers.

“I just hit up people I had worked with or that I really admired. For instance, Holly Pyle is a singer. She has a band House of Stairs. She’s an incredibly active

songwriter and vocalist who goes between LA and Phoenix. I contacted her, and I told her I would like you to be in this choir, write the choir arrangements and refer me to other choir members,” Decker says.

The album has the signature decker. sound but features horn and string sections and a choir.

“It took what would be the ordinary decker. sound and made it more climatic and cinematic… They are all just really epic… Every song has a purpose and goes somewhere. Every song hits a point that is powerful,” Decker says.

Decker says the album is his most robust sounding music.

“I just had this idea that I really wanted to do something magnificent. That was part of the healing process honestly. I wanted to bring people together for us to do something amazing that could inspire other people,” Decker says.

From demoing to mastering, the album went through seven studios. Around 30 people helped to create it.

Leading up to the recording, the musicians rehearsed for six months. They would often get together in smaller groups to practice.

“We were just playing the album over and over again so that we could just go in and just play the record,” Decker says.

Decker says this helped them to be ready when they went into the studio.

“We would do three to four takes of a song, and once we felt like we hit it, we would move on to the next song. They were incredibly long days, like 14-hour days,” Decker says.

Decker says recording in EastWest Studios made the process feel even more monumental.

“Everyone was extra amped to be there. You could feel the history… It was like being in a museum, like being in hollowed grounds,” Decker says. DECKER from page 9

decker. “Ouroboros” Album Release Party

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, June 23

WHERE: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson

PRICE: $12 in advance, $15 day of show; 21 and older

INFO: 520-622-8848; deckermusic.org

20 can't-miss happy hours around Tucson HAPPY HOUR GUIDE

BY TUCSON WEEKLY STAFF

In an economy that can turn on a dime, everyone wants to drink on one, too. Tucson bars and breweries have a reputation for providing cool cocktails, cra brews and great atmosphere, but not everyone wants to break the bank for a good time. Here are 20 bars, restaurants and breweries with happy hour specials you can’t miss.

Barrio Brewing Co. 800 E. 16th Street barriobrewing.com

No drink list would be complete without the rst mash brewing company in Tucson and one of the rsts in the state. Barrio’s beers are available throughout Arizona, but special prices are available at the brewing location.

Barrio serves $1 o dra s from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday. ey recommend their infamous Tucson Blonde Ale, Arizona’s oldest beer and a quintessential desert drink. Barrio also o ers a variety of discounted meals and snacks that pair nicely with any home-brewed beer.

Bawker Bawker Cider House 400 N. Fourth Avenue bawkerbawker.com

Bawker Bawker is Tucson’s rst and only cider house, o ering at least 10 sweet and savory ciders — naturally gluten free — on tap at a time. e sta locally ferments its cider with little to no residual sugar and includes a avor range from prickly pear to tomato basil. ey’ll celebrate the drop of the new Lion’s Mane tap on Friday, June 16. is

cider house serves happy hour drinks from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, with $1 o on all dra s and ights. Bawker Bawker also provides an allday happy hour for teachers every Friday.

e Bu et 538 E. Ninth Street bu etbartucson.com

Known as Tucson’s oldest bar, e Bu et is a staple in the city’s nightlife. It’s home to a diverse crowd that sticks around for the divey atmosphere, the shu eboard and billiards tables and drinks like the rainbow shot. Rather than a whole hour, e Buffet observes two daily happy minutes. At 6 p.m., they o er two drinks for the price of one. At 11 p.m., they match patrons’ drinks for a $1.

Charro Steak & Del Rey 188 E. Broadway Boulevard charrosteak.com

Happy hour here is the complete package. From 3 to 6 p.m. daily, Charro o ers $6 o Charro burgers, and $2 o house wines, wells, dra s and aperitivos. Don’t forget the half o oysters!

CharroVida 7109 N. Oracle Road charrovida.com

It’s not just happy hour at CharroVida — it’s “happier hours” from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Currently it’s featuring half o house margaritas and $2 o all shareables, cocktails, wine and dra beer.

Club Congress & Tap Room

311 E. Congress Street hotelcongress.com

Club Congress is about more than music. Celebrate happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily in the club, or all night Sundays. e Tap room boasts happy hour pricing Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, and from 10 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. $5 wells are o ered.

Culinary Dropout

2543 E. Grant Road culinarydropout.com

Culinary Dropout prides itself on being an Arizona classic. Equipped with live music events, games and even Yoga in the Yard, the entertainment gets as good as the menu. e Dropout serves its A ernoon Delights menu from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. ey include original drinks, like their Summer Tan Sangria and a list of classic cocktails. e “It’s 3:45 Somewhere” section features beer-inspired cocktails for $8 each.

El Charro Café

311 N. Court Avenue

7725 N. Oracle Road, Suite 101 6910 E. Sunrise elcharrocafe.com

All El Charro Cafés have esta happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, featuring $2 o aperitivos and margaritas, dra beer, well and all glasses of wine.

Bawker Bawker Cider House is Tucson's rst and only cider house. (Bawker Bawker Cider House/ Submitted)

Couple brings new flavors with Samurai Sombrero

BY LAURA LATZKO Tucson Local Media Sta

Aer their son was born last year, the wife-and-husband team of Gabby Delgadillo and Jesus Oleta wanted to make a change in their lives.

e food and beverage veterans ventured out on their own for the rst time with their food truck, Samurai Sombrero, in October. e food truck is open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays at 22nd Street and Pantano Road.

e pair created a food truck instead of a brick-and-mortar restaurant because of nancial considerations.

“Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of advantages. We worked really hard over the years, saving money. With our passion for cooking, we thought a truck was the best idea,” Delgadillo said.

She said the restaurant business is di cult due to the high costs of food. ey are building their customer base and they’re considering a restaurant.

A touch of spice

For years, Delgadillo cooked for friends and family for the holidays and for special events such as parties.

“ ey would always want to come to my house because they would always know I was going to cook something good,” Delgadillo said.

“It would always come up in conversations that we need to have our own thing. ey would call me and say, ‘My daughter is having a birthday party. Can you cook for us?’

“ at’s how I knew that people did love my cooking because they would always request for me to come make something or come over.”

In their recipes, Delgadillo and Oleta pair their own sauce recipes with sushi.

“It’s original Japanese, but we put our di erent twist with our sauces,” Delgadillo

see SOMBRERO page 18

Gabby Delgadillo and Jesus Oleta founded Samurai Sombrero. (Noelle Haro-Gomez/Contributor)

Snooze launches ally campaign for Pride Month

BY VERONICA KUFFEL

Tucson Local Media Sta

Along with colorful pancakes, breakfast tacos and cocktails, Snooze A.M. Eatery is serving something new in June. And no, it’s not another brunch plate.

In honor of Pride Month, Snooze A.M. Eatery launched its “Everyone is Welcome at Our Table” campaign to increase LGBTQ+ allyship through interactive sta training and employee, or “Snoozer,” spotlights.

“At Snooze, everyone is welcome at the table,” said Clint Hughey, director of impact. “Snooze is proud to take steps to ensure that every LGBTQ person feels the power of an a rming community.”

e western brunch chain will also partner with e Trevor Project for its third year, supporting the organization’s mission to end suicide among queer youth.

“We work very hard to foster a sense of belonging at our restaurants for our sta and our guests,” Hughey explained. “We

truly want people to show up as their most authentic selves every day. at’s why we believe it’s so important that every LGBTQ+ person feels the power of an a rming community.”

and inclusive education for the month of June. In partnership with e Trevor Project, the goal of these ally training workshops is to help sta operate in real-world situations, o ering a safe and comfortable environment with every interaction.

Snoozers on social media as they participate in Pride parades and other queer-friendly events. ese spotlights, according to Hughey, will encourage employees to support everyone, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, who eats at a Snooze A.M. Eatery location.

“I would describe this year's campaign as a celebration of Pride Month and individuality through meaningful action,” Hughey said. “ at’s why we feel it’s so important to be vocal allies… Snooze will also be marching in a number of Pride Parades across the country and we are excited to continue to build this campaign in years to come.”

Over the past few years, Snooze has contributed over $70,000 to e Trevor Project, the largest nonpro t in the world for suicide prevention and crisis intervention among LGBTQ+ youth.

e organization acts as a support hotline, advocacy group and resource center for youth coming to terms with their identi-

Snooze A.M. Eatery plans to increase its allyship among Snoozers with interactive see CAMPAIGN page 15

e restaurant chain will also highlight

Snooze A.M. Eatery staff, or Snoozers, marching at a Pride parade to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. (Abigail Brown/Submitted)

ty. While a purchase at Snooze A.M. Eatery won’t directly impact its donation, the company encourages customers to dine at one of its restaurants to support the overall e ort.

“ e work e Trevor Project does is truly lifesaving for LGBTQ+ youth,” Hughey noted. “We know that this is such a vulnerable population, and we feel good about directing our resources here.”

Snooze A.M. Eatery was founded in 2006 with a mission to revitalize breakfast culture, in food and service. Along with southwestern and modern spins on classic breakfast foods, the restaurant chain strives to do good in every neighborhood in which they’re located.

e

“Everyone is Welcome at Our Table” campaign is one way Snooze A.M. Eatery celebrates its culture, allowing a safe space for the community to come together and enjoy the rst meal of the day.

“Creating a true sense of community at our restaurants means welcoming everyone,” Hughey said. “Snooze has always shown support for the LGBTQ+ community and we want to continue to provide a safe place for our Snoozers and our guests.”

El Chinito Gordo 2920 N. Oracle Road elchinitogordo.com

El Chinito Gordo lives and breathes authentic Mexican fare. e restaurant features long drink lists stacked with regional classics and fusion cocktails.

From 3 to 6 p.m. daily, El Chinito Gordo o ers a $2 discount on margaritas, and varied deals on local dra s. Try their seasonal Hard Jalapeño Lemonade before it’s gone, but if you miss it, there are plenty of other tasty options on rotation.

e Delta Bar & Grill

135 S. Sixth Avenue thedeltatucson.com

e Delta’s food and drinks feature comforting tastes straight from the Bayou. Pair any of their sea or soul food with signature cocktails and a robust absinthe menu. Happy Hour at e Delta is 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday to ursday, and until 7 p.m. Friday. ere’s a $3 discount on all dra beers, specialty cocktails and glasses of wine. Try their sig-

nature Delta Old Fashioned, a southern twist on an old classic, for $6.

Ermanos

220 N. Fourth Avenue ermanosbrew.com

A er 20 years of homebrewing in Michigan, the Erman brothers moved down to Arizona to combine their quality food and drinks with a thoughtful environment. Mark and Rick opened Ermanos with a focus on comfort, prioritizing it not as a luxury but a necessity.

e bar runs its happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, as well as 10 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. ey serve half-o bottles of wine, $7 well drinks and $1 o select dra beers. Enjoy one of their signature cocktails, like the Ermanos Sangria or e Monsoon for $10 each.

Frog and Firkin

874 E. University Boulevard, Tucson frogand rkin.com

Frog and Firkin is a festive British pub that hosts UA students and Tucson locals. e bar boasts the largest selection of cra

brews on University, along with creative mixed drinks, like the signature Fish Piss, a $9 mixture of blue Curaçao, grapefruit vodka, and tropical Red Bull. From 3 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, customers enjoy $5 margaritas, $9 tall cra beers and $6.50 tall domestics, as well as $1 o cra pints and wells. On ursdays starting at 8 p.m., the bar o ers $3 Coors Banquets and wells, and $6 mules.

Fuku Sushi

940 E. University Boulevard fukusushico.com

Fuku is a modern sushi bar that promises top-quality fresh sh at a lower price than higher-end competitors. e bar is home to a lively nightlife scene, where patrons enjoy unique drinks like the famous Wildcat Fishbowl. e bar’s happy hour runs from 3 to 7 p.m., and 10 p.m. to close every day, and includes a variety of drinks ranging in price from $5 wells, hot sake and bottled beer to $12 shbowls. ey also sell a wide variety of sushi rolls for discounted prices.

Maynards freshens up with new personnel, menu items

BY KAREN SCHAFFNER Tucson Local Media Sta

Aer closing for two weeks for a refresh, Maynards has reopened with a new chef and new manager, ready to o er happy hours and Sunday brunch again, according to owner Richard Oseran. Richard and his wife, Shana, are introducing other changes as well.

“In the restaurant, we used to have mussels and frites, now we will still have frites and we will still have the steak and frites, but one of the things that we did take o the menu was the hamburger,” Shana added.

A replacement menu item is coming, but Shana is keeping that close to the vest.

e charcuterie board has had a faceli , too.

“You get to pick your own meats, your own savories, your own sweets, your own cheeses, your own pickled vegetables, and then you get the board put in front of you,” Shana said.

“ e (diner) has more autonomy over

what is on their charcuterie board. It’s very di erent and I think that people kind of like it.”

e refresh was a logical move for the Oserans, as they needed to take a hard look at what diners were able to pay.

To that end, new chef Nick Creamer has assembled a collective of talented culinary experts. Chef Wyatt Carrizosa works with the chemistry of food to bring out the best avors, and chef Efrain Vasquez is passionate about creating in the kitchen. Pastries are made by pastry chef Emily Stengel.

“Now we have a bunch of unbelievably talented sous chefs, pastry chefs,” Shana said.

Expect to dine on upscale comfort food. For example, Forbes Meat Company ribeye steak with potatoes gratin and grilled green beans with chimichurri compound butter; or the mezcal, lime and chili marinated seabass with ngerling potatoes, sauteed garlic kale and a tepache glaze. Dessert might include a ai tea strawberry shortcake.

Located in the 116-year-old Depot,

which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Maynards has been operated since 2008 by the Oserans.

ey also own Hotel Congress, which is now under the direction of their daughter, Rebecca Hanley. Maynards was named as an homage to Maynard Flood, a Southern Paci c Railroad engineer, and local artist Maynard Dixon, who painted four murals for the original depot.

e market opened just before Maynards. Previously, diners were limited to cold sandwiches and paninis, Shana said. ese days the o erings are a little more substantial.

ham sandwich. If you eschew meat, there are a couple of choices, such as a vegan BLT or a beet sandwich. Soups and charcuterie boards are also available.

“I think people are going to enjoy the connection between the market and the restaurant,” Shana said. “You can get something there quick, fast, to go, or you can get something in the restaurant.”

Maynards Market & Kitchen

400 N. Toole Avenue, Tucson

520-545-0577

hotelcongress.com/family/maynards

e menu includes housemade pastries and co ee, along with a macchiato, a matcha or a cafe au lait, among other coffee-type drinks.

For something more lling, check out the vegan bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, or the avocado, bacon and cheese.

Lunch o erings include a roast beef or

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday; happy hour is 4 to 7 p.m.

Market’s hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Maynards boasts new dishes like mezcal, lime and chili marinated seabass. (Karen Scha ner/Sta )

e Hoppy Vine

12125 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley thehoppyvineov.com

e Hoppy Vine is a cra room and bottle shop that specializes in cra beers, wine and wine-based cocktails. ey o er happy hours from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to ursdays, and all day on Sunday, when all wine and beers on tap are $1 o . Many of e Hoppy Vines events, like the weekly DJ trivia and musical bingo, start just a er happy hour, so attendees can arrive early and get a head start.

Mint Bar

3540 E. Grant Road, Tucson

e Mint Bar describes itself as “the friendly neighborhood dive bar.” e pub boasts a local vibe and a sense of community, and o ers ping pong, pool darts and weekly karaoke.

Happy hour is 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday. From Sunday to Tuesday, they host a late-night happy hour from midnight to 2 a.m. e bar o ers 50 cents o dra pints, $1 o 32-ounce pitchers, and $1 o wells.

e Monica

40 E. Congress themonicatucson.com

is robust happy hour is set for 2 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, with $2 of shareable appetizers, hour margaritas, wells, dra beers and wines by the glass. Head there and check out the board of wine for the half-priced wine bottles. Among the shareables are panecito; carne seca; chicken and artichoke skewers; mini chimis banderas; freebird chicken; cauli ower and corn nuts; and barrio chips and dips.

Playground Bar and Lounge

278 E. Congress Street, Tucson playgroundtucson.com

Playground Bar and Lounge reopened late last year, two and a half years a er shutting its doors. rough its new, innovative menu and electric atmosphere, Playground has reestablished itself as a one-of-a-kind bar. From 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays, the prices are as exciting as the ambiance. e bar o ers $2 o all beverages and $4 o the entire food menu. e Guavesito — mezcal, guava, grapefruit and lime — is a fan favorite.

Union Public House has a vast happy hour menu. (Union Public House/Submitted)

Pueblo Vida Brewing Co.

115 E. Broadway Boulevard pueblovidabrewing.com

A cyclist’s haven, Pueblo Vida provides top-notch service and taps from local desert dwellers. Along with its cra ales and beers, the brewery o ers monthly biking events and workshops to the public. Every Monday, Pueblo Vida o ers all-day, full pours for $5 each, which covers many of their dra selections, including their agship, Cereus IPA. ey are also rolling out a summer-club punch card, where a er completing each task by Sept. 3, guests get a free T-shirt.

Surly Wench

424 N. Fourth Avenue surlywenchpub.com

e Surly Wench is an eclectic, counterculture bar with a goth edge. e pub’s plethora of recurring events include weekly Black Hat Karaoke, a rst Friday burlesque show and Fineline Revisited, a bimonthly new wave, goth and industrial dance party. From open until 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays, Surly Wench o ers $3.50 Miller High Lifes and $4 wells. But outside of happy hour, patrons can always order the “double- ster” deal, which is a shot of house whiskey and a Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Union Public House

4340 N. Campbell Avenue, Suite 100 uniontucson.com

is American gastropub’s happy hour menu is vast. Every day, from 3 to 6 p.m., the bar o ers $3 domestic dra s, $4 to $6 cra dra beers, $5 single-item wells, and $7 glasses of wine, in addition to a wide variety of discounted food options.

Union also discounts its signature Copper Cup cocktails to $6 during happy hour and all day on ursdays. Happy hour deals are available everywhere, not just at the bar top.

said.

“We add a lot of cilantro, jalapenos. All of our sauces are from scratch… All of the sauces that we make have a lot of flavor. That’s what everyone says: that it is an explosion of flavor.”

Delgadillo had been working on sauces for years prior to opening up the truck. She wanted to create something more flavorful than most sushi restaurants offer.

“I loved eating (sushi), but soy sauce was just not enough for me. Or just wasabi — the regular thing that every restaurant gives you. Or just the spicy mayo,” Delgadillo said.

“For me, I wanted something more. I would go home and play with flavors. I started coming up with all of these sauces, and they paired up so good with a lot of the rolls.”

From working in restaurants, Delgadillo learned customers want flavorful options without being overly spicy. She said that most of their foods are around a medium spice level.

Delgadillo said the food truck’s name was inspired by the combination of Japanese and Mexican flavors and traditions.

At the truck, customers will find fusion options such as the sombrero roll, which is made with shrimp tempura, jalapeno, cilantro, sesame, cream cheese and avocado.

They can also try the volcano roll, which is prepared with cream cheese, avocado, shrimp tempura, salmon baked in spicy mayo and masago.

The valley roll features shrimp tempura, cream cheese, spicy tuna, masago and jalapeno, while the spicy tuna roll pairs the fish with avocado and cucumber.

The food truck offers three vegan options: avocado, cucumber and sweet potato rolls. They also have nonsushi appetizers and entrees such as eggs rolls, yakitori, gyoza, lo mein, teriyaki and orange chicken, fried rice, yakisoba and spicy shrimp and chicken.

They plan to expand the menu. Delgadillo said she tries to add about two new options each month.

Building a reputation

Although the food truck is new, they are already gaining a reputation in Tucson. They have been building a base of regular customers.

Delgadillo said, at first, they were nervous because they put so much time and mon-

ey into the business, and they didn’t know if they would succeed. Having regulars has helped to build their confidence.

“If it wasn’t for the people, we wouldn’t be here. Our customers are great,” Delgadillo said.

They have had breweries ask them to deliver sushi to them, so they can sell it to their customers. This is something they would like to do in the future.

They have taken part in a handful of events and fundraisers. One recent fundraiser was for a mom fighting cancer for the second time.

The couple has a busy schedule each day. They go to a commissary kitchen in the mornings to do prep work before opening the truck.

Although there is prep work with items such as vegetables, all the sushi rolls and other foods are made to order onsite.

Delgadillo said owning a food truck has been a learning experience. There have been times where they have had to overcome challenges such as running out of food.

Delgadillo and Oleta stay busy between their work and home life. They have two kids, a 10-year-old daughter and a 14-month-old son. Oleta’s mother traveled from Mexico to Tucson to help as they started their business.

Before owning a food truck, both had been working in kitchens most of their life.

Delgadillo started in restaurants when she was 17 years old, following in her mom’s footsteps.

She started out busing tables and waitressing, but she found that her bosses often called her back into the kitchen to cook.

“They saw that I could cook, and they would always ask me, ‘Can you cook? Can you do a recipe?’” Delgadillo said.

“I would cook for myself, and they would try my food and be like, ‘Oh that’s really good.’ And then, they would start asking me for advice. I would help them, and they would be like, ‘You need to be in the kitchen. You need to cook more.’”

Oleta established himself as a sushi chef and is well known for his sushi skills.

“All of the bosses and the people who own restaurants know him. Even the Tucson people that love sushi and go out to eat, that sushi chef Jesus, everybody knows him. He’s really good,” Delgadillo said.

Before Delgadillo and Oleta started to see each other romantically, they knew each other for years and had worked together a few times.

“We both worked up the ladder in different restaurants throughout the years, and then finally, a couple years ago, we started going on dates, and we had a baby, and we got together,” Delgadillo said.

“It’s so amazing our story. We both started the same time. We became chefs, and now we are together.”

They both had dreams for years of having their own restaurant. Once they became a couple, they pursued it.

“When we actually got together, we were

able to make it happen. It’s always better when you do it with two people,” Delgadillo said.

“Here, a lot of the truck owners, they always tell us, ‘You guys are lucky.’ We’re like, ’Why?’ and they’re like, ‘Because you guys are together. You guys are helping each other.’”

Working together, they have found a rhythm where Oleta mainly focuses on making sushi, and Delgadillo cooks and makes sauces. Sometimes, they will switch roles when needed.

Working closely together, they have had their small arguments. Delgadillo said they have their days, but they tend not to take any of it home with them.

Being in a small space together, they sometimes will bump each other. They have had to get used to working in a truck.

“You have to really master your moves in a food truck. In a restaurant, it’s easier because it’s so much bigger, and you can walk around. Here, you pretty much have to be super organized, but you make it work, like anything. In the beginning it’s hard, but then you start getting the hang of it,” Delgadillo said.

Samurai Sombrero

7889 E. 22nd Street, Tucson

520-999-5938

samuraisombrero.com

The sushi roll is made by Jesus Oleta but the sauces were created by Gabby Delgadillo. (Noelle Haro-Gomez/Contributor)

“Both of these groups are county-wide, regional efforts,” Shafer said. “They are made up of various members of the community as well as members from each of the jurisdictions in Pima County.”

Shafer was appointed to the Pima County Regional Affordable Housing Commission in December 2022 and joined the Prosperity Initiative Working Group shortly after to serve Marana for the county.

The Regional Affordable Housing Commission, represented by Carla Blackwell at the meeting, guides the County Board of Supervisors in creating safe, affordable, long-term housing. The commission was authorized in October 2022 by the Board of Supervisors to support Pima County in the national affordable housing crisis.

“We had to get up and running quickly because the Board of Supervisors had set aside $5 million to help fund initiatives that come out of the commission,” Blackwell noted.

With funding from Pima County’s recent general fund, the commission recommended certain allocations based on

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radar from the National Weather Service in Tucson and the Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT system to determine when flooding will occur and prepare for extreme flood response and recovery.

The Marana storm preparedness plan is designed to be easy to execute during an emergency phase.

As weather conditions bring rain and roadway floods, public works crews will put up barricades to “dip crossings”

two goals. The first, to build more housing across a continuum of needs from the public. The second, to improve access to affordable housing and related services.

“The commission took a lot of task force action items that were recommended to try to achieve (these) two goals,” Blackwell said. “It’s not just about affordable housing, but how we can put more housing inventory into our region.”

The Regional Affordable Housing Commission recommended allocating the $5 million into four key groups: gap funding, surplus county land, a housing market study and online dashboard and pre-approved housing design models.

The $4 million went to gap funding and requests for proposals. Gap funding provides loans to cover gaps in time, negotiations or financing in affordable housing development. A request for proposal is a formal process to inform and solicit developers on a prospective site.

“The funding… will roll over and we will be doing these RFPs (requests for proposals) repetitively," Blackwell said. “Each time we put the RFP out, we’re going to be revising it and structuring it so it’s easy for people to respond.”

throughout Marana.

The town asks that residents and visitors not drive around or cross barricaded streets. They should take alternate routes as barricades are signs of unsafe conditions and vehicles can be swept away.

The commission is also looking at unused county land for potential projects and putting money into a long-term research program. Along with rollover funds, Pima County has allocated another $5 million for the commission in the next fiscal year.

The Prosperity Initiative Working Group, represented by Bonnie Bazata at the meeting, was initiated to reduce poverty with long-term and short-term strategies.

“Poverty is distributed differently across the county, so Marana doesn’t have as high a poverty rate as some other areas,” Bazata said. “Nonetheless, Marana’s poverty rate is at about 5.6% and goes up to about 6% for children.”

Like the commission, the group was formed in 2022 and includes staff representatives from each incorporated municipality and the Tucson Indian Center. The first phase of the Prosperity Initiative will focus on policy development until September, following a second phase of operational review at the beginning of 2024.

The goal is to create five to 10 policies in categories, like housing, early childcare and education, financial capability and workforce aid, for review and potential

Most vehicles will float or be swept away in as little as 6 inches to 1 foot of water.

In addition, public works will provide residents with sandbags at self-filling stations open seven days a week. There is a limit of 20 sandbags per resident. Shov-

adoption. Each jurisdiction working with the County can determine which policies they wish to adopt.

While a primary focus is on short-term answers, the Prosperity Initiative Working Group is trying to prevent poverty, address community structures and aid in economic stability for more long-term reduction.

“In many of our communities, we focus on alleviating suffering,” Bazata said. “We give people food boxes, we help them with diapers, clothes, many important resources. But we know that if we really want to make a difference, we need to move upstream and look at those other three areas.”

Through Shafer, the town of Marana will assist both groups in policy development for 2023. After Pima County reviews and adopts the proposed actions, Marana will determine which policies it will implement in its jurisdiction.

Throughout the next year, the Regional Affordable Housing Commission and the Prosperity Initiative Working Group will work to solve key issues in poverty and affordable housing for Marana and other towns and tribes in Pima County.

els are not provided.

The sandbags can be picked up at Marana Heritage River Park, 12280 N. Heritage Park Drive; 4228 W. Tangerine Road; and 8057 W. Linda Vista Boulevard.

Southwest provides fodder for Tina & Her Pony songs

BY JACK MIESSNER Tucson Local Media Sta

Indie folk artist Tina & Her Pony never had much interest in horses.

“Really it’s a play on the fact that they say that every little girl wants a pony when they’re younger,” said Tina Collins, the singer and multi-instrumentalist behind the project.

“And I never wanted that. All I wanted to do was sing and play music and travel, and now I get to do that. So, Tina and Her Pony is my vehicle to make my dream come true.”

Tina & Her Pony will perform Sunday, June 18, at Monterey Court. But the Asheville, North Carolina, musician is no foreigner to the Southwest.

Beginning in 2010, Collins spent four years in Taos, New Mexico. The serene, high desert landscape provided her with ample songwriting fuel, and to this day, the natural imagery of the Southwest still creeps into the sound, according to the singer.

“That was where Tina & Her Pony really

got started in 2010, so it’s sort of a second hometown for me. There’s a lot of fans and friends and family there,” Collins said.

“Just living in such a beautiful place, every day I would just step out of my house in Taos, and it never got old. It was a really inspiring place to live, in the sense that it made me want to write a lot.”

Collins has released three albums under the name: an eponymous 2012 LP, 2017’s “Champion,” and most recently, 2023’s “Marigolds.” She first became hooked on bluegrass festivals while living in Tampa in her early 20s. The accessibility of the genre lured her in.

“I’ve found it to be so wide open as far as anything can be a song. I listened to it, and I understood, because it’s so simple. So, for me that was kind of an ‘in’ to music. I was like, ‘OK, I play these three chords and riff on these themes of, like, trains and people named Caroline.’ The themes are so recycled that you can do your own version.”

That potential for artistic liberty piqued

Collins’ interest. Intoxicated by bluegrass and Appalachian folk’s adaptability, her aim from the get-go was to innovate, to push forward from antiquity and transcend the limits of those traditional sounds.

“I love just blending it with other stuff. For instance, one of the most basic things about Tina & Her Pony is that it’s really heavy sounding in the cello, and cello is not traditionally in bluegrass music. That’s a new thing that started in the early aughts.

“I’m not a huge fan of the fiddle. I know that’s not a popular opinion, but I feel like the cello is so much softer on the ears.”

Collins’ knack for musical metamorphosis is ever-present in Tina & Her Pony’s 2023 album “Marigolds.” The musician sat in the producer’s chair for the first time on this record, and while at first a bit intimidated, she quickly found her feet, and the process “turned out to just be really fun.”

According to Collins, her new role allowed her more freedom over the album’s sound. On the project, she experiments with deep, driving electric bass lines, spacey electric guitar licks, and groovy, mellow drums (listen to “Swings,” “Pull You Close”).

“At first it really had more of a bluegrass influence, and that’s really changed over the years to be more like indie folk, like more of a smooth sound,” The musician said. “I don’t even know if it’s Appalachian anymore.

“I definitely was able to explore more pop and soul, and that was really fun for me.

“I co-produced it with one of my good friends Ryan Furstenberg, and he was also the tracking engineer for the album. I picked him specifically because he has more of a pop sensibility when it comes to production than I’ve typically gone for in the past, and I wanted to bring more of that in.”

Collins’ sense of innovation is particularly clear on “Fly Around,” her reversion of the traditional bluegrass song “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss.” The track plays with an in-the-pocket drum beat and a twangy electric guitar lead and preserves little from the original besides a plucked banjo riff which marches through the song’s 2-minute duration.

The artist includes these reimagined classics on her records to pay homage to her rootsy roots and her fondness for the old. Of course, no tune reaches the album untouched by a Tina twist.

“I just love traditional music. It has given me so much, so I just hope to give back to the canon of that genre,” Collins said.

“It’s really fun for me as a queer musician to write new lyrics for a traditional song because it changes the perspective when it’s being sung by a woman, like with the pronouns,” She continued. “How can we make traditional music more queer?”

Tina & Her Pony w/ Sharkk Heartt and Stephy Leigh Gri n

WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday, June 18

WHERE: Monterey Court, 505 W. Miracle Mile, Tucson

COST: No cover

INFO: montereycourtaz.com

Tina Collins builds a new sound from the foundations of traditional folk music. (Lady in the Mirror Photography/Submitted)

Are boomers as healthy as their parents?

BY MIA SMITT Tucson Local Media Columnist

Baby boomers are a generation of Americans, born between 1946 and 1964 and comprise approximately 26.1% of the population in the United States.

Boomers are now 59 to 77 years old. We have had so many advantages not experienced by our parents, such as vaccines against previously experienced “childhood diseases” and the deadly increase of polio in the mid 1950s. We are more highly educated, and when it comes to health issues, we know our good and bad cholesterol levels; we watch our diets and know the difference between trans fats and omega-3 fatty acids. We exercise more and smoke less. We use anti-aging products to try to look younger than our years. But are we as hearty and healthy as our forebears? Maybe not.

Numerous studies and surveys are showing that despite what we may think and wish, we may be less healthy than our parents. The ever-expanding epidemic of obesity has led to an increase in such chronic illnesses as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. We may go to the gym but are still getting overall less exercise. We drive almost everywhere (even vying for the closest parking space at the gym?).

Boomers report more stress from their jobs, fewer community activities, worries about societal changes, and responsibilities to families. They report

more financial stressors, and many people hold more than one job. The “sandwich generation,” caught between caring for aging parents and children, may feel pulled in too many directions with less time to devote to personal health care. We have been a far more mobile and transient generation; moving to new cities, states, and even countries may be enriching but also can be isolating with fewer social support systems.

The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, (HRS) is an ongoing survey funded and sponsored by the Social Security Administration, The National Institutes of health, and the National Institute on Aging. This study is looking at an overview of the physical and mental health, financial status, insurance coverage, family support systems, labor market status, and retirement planning of the aging population

in the United States.

The HRS tracks a representative sample of more than 20,000 people every two years as they progress through middle age to retirement. The first group of baby boomers to enter the study was 5,030 men and women born between 1948 and 1953. Researchers were surprised to find that the majority reported poorer health than the groups born between 1936 and 1941, and between 1942 and 1947. The boomers were less likely than their elders to describe their health as excellent or very good, and reported more difficulty walking several blocks or lifting objects heavier than 10 pounds. They stated more chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and unhealthy cholesterol levels. They also described more chronic pain issues, more psychiatric problems and higher rates of alcoholism.

But are we heading for poorer health? The overall picture is mixed but could be favorable. The life expectancy for most Americans has risen steadily over the past 50 years. Cancer cures and rates of remission are at an all-time high. We do see a rise in the rates of chronic illnesses but this may be partly due to improved diagnostic tools and the fact that many people live longer with better control over the illnesses they face. It may be that this generation is better educated with higher expectations for perfect health; past generations may have accepted some of the fatigue, loss of strength, minor aches, and pains asso-

ciated with aging while the baby boomers have redefined for themselves what good health means.

Our elderly population (older than 65) is healthier now than any time in the past. Access to health care, improved treatment for illness, better nutrition, and wider social services have led to better health. But in our quest to help seniors, younger populations have not fared as well. Disability rates are rising fastest in young adults, according to a study by the Rand Corp.

Numerous analyses, surveys and studies are finding that there has been a decline in health among younger adults compared to that of adults of previous generations.

According to Dr. Christopher Cutter at Scripps Coastal Medical Center in Vista, California, “Research has shown that people who eat healthy, stay active and avoid tobacco can significantly lower their risk of developing many of the chronic health conditions we associate with aging.”

Our goal should be to improve the health status of all Americans. Healthy children lead to healthy young adults. Good health habits in adult years should pave the way to hale and hearty senior years. So, boomers beware: Be vigilant to ensure good health today and in the future.

Mia Smitt is a longtime nurse practitioner who writes a column for Tucson Local Media.

PGA: Pathetically Greedy Association

BY TOM DANEHY

Tucson Local Media Columnist

Ihave to start by saying that I don’t hate golf. It’s certainly not my favorite sport, but as long as soccer and pickleball exist, it won’t be my least favorite. Then there’s the fact that a former elected (and unelected) official absolutely loves the game, so that adds an icky factor to it.

A fun (and infuriating) book on that subject is “Commander in Cheat” by Rick Reilly. It humorously documents hundreds of times the guy cheated in golf. I have never understood cheating. If you are voluntarily participating in a sport, then you should be agreeing to abide by the rules of the game. I can understand trying to cheat in Squid Game, but in golf?

I actually play golf three or four times a year, usually in July after 2 p.m. so I can get on the course without having to take out a second mortgage on our house. I decided a long time ago to stay bad at golf so that I could enjoy the game. It’s like billiards. You can be horrible at it, but then all you need is one good shot and that’s enough to bring you back the next time.

“Yeah, I shot 140 today, but you should have seen this shot I had on the 12th hole.”

The problems come when you start getting good at it and the frustration sets in.

Last week, in one of the most disgusting spectacles I have ever witnessed in sports, the PGA, sold its soul for an unspecified number of pieces of silver.

It was just a year ago that the LIV tour sprang up, bankrolled by people in a country where human rights are anywhere between a mere suggestion and a complete punchline. The LIV backers from Saudi Arabia threw insane amounts of money at people to try to get them to join their minor league tour. Some people went for the money, while others actually knew the definition of integrity and said, “Uh…no.”

The rumors were that they offered Tiger Woods a figure in the neighborhood of a billion dollars. Further rumors were

that Woods told them to take their offer and use it in suppository form. Other PGA members, Rory McElroy foremost among them, were openly critical of the greed-driven LIV and of the players who took the blood money.

On the other side, you have LIV people like Bryson DeChambeau who, when asked about his tour being attached to a regime that murders journalists and doesn’t accord even basic human rights to many of its people, answered, “That is not something I can necessarily speak on because I’m a golfer.”

The PGA had the moral (and ratings) high ground. Most golf fans couldn’t stomach the source of the LIV money and if one of their orchestrated “tournaments” found its way onto TV, the ratings were abysmal. Judging by the dozens of people who showed up to watch the LIV event at Dove Mountain a few months ago, that tour wasn’t attracting

walk-up fans, either.

So, it came as quite a shock when the PGA agreed to merge with LIV. (The merger still faces antitrust concerns.)

I was driving the other morning, listening to a local morning drive-time sports talk show. It’s not my favorite entertainment, but the only alternative is a quasi-political thing, the years-long theme of which is that any member of a certain political party who has ever lost an election was the victim of widespread voter fraud orchestrated by a shadowy international cabal that used rigged (and possibly deadly) voting machines that are somehow linked to a former South American dictator who died more than a decade ago. Sorry, my IQ has three numbers in it.

Of course, in the old days, I used to listen to music on my CDs, but then I got a new “improved” car that doesn’t play CDs. Instead, I have to talk to my

car like I’m some kind of idiot, asking it to play a particular song by a particular artist. But then, as a foreshadowing of the coming Skynet Apocalypse, it picks out and plays an obscure live version of the song I requested. Then I find myself driving along, yelling at a machine, “Your daddy was a BetaMax and your mama’s a Zune.”

So, sports talk it usually is. That day, the main topic was the bizarre rollover by the PGA. Some guest was rattling on about how it wasn’t that big a deal. Then, he said, “Look, everybody has their price.”

That was the time for the host to jump in and verbally assault the moron about the head and neck. Not everybody has a price. The vast majority of the people in the PGA didn’t.

Some people do have a price. Maybe most people do. But not everybody does. Unfortunately, the PGA does.

by WIll Shortz

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

People feel playful around you because of the example you set. The enemy of play is pressure and performance anxiety. You have a remedy for such things. You create a safe, relaxed place for people to be themselves, or experiment in that regard without fearing judgment. You bring out the best in others and then bene t from their bright e orts.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Small preferences and irritations aren't worth fussing over. You may nd yourself agreeing to what's o ered because that's the easiest thing to do. Conventional wisdom balks. On the other hand, since most su ering comes from ghting the ow of life, surrendering to the ride is your ticket to adventure.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)

Familiarity can dull the features of a place, draining the scenery of color. To avoid letting this happen to your current environs, you'll make sure to put something exciting on the books: an adventure elsewhere to take you out of your routine and refresh your perspective. You'll come back with new eyes.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)

You'll use intuition and keep it strong. This week features a breakthrough conversation between you and you. Consider changing up your method of communication. There are so many ways to relate to yourself -- meditation, journaling, mirror work, walking or driving while thinking out loud. Fortune favors experimentation.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Whether you identify as introverted or extroverted, a peaceful type of solitude will fortify your soul this week. It's not just about being alone in a tranquil environment. The energizing e ect will have more to do with meeting yourself with complete and compassionate acceptance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You're not so sure how to approach the game of tug of war presenting itself in the middle of your week. Do you exert yourself the most at the top, or test things out a while? Do you let go early, never or at the optimum time to see the opposition fall? The bottom line is this: It's a game. If a game is not fun, it's not worth playing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Like most beings, you do what doesn't hurt. The trouble comes with the role of time. Some things that hurt in the short term bring long-term pleasure, enjoyment or ease. This week, you'll often tinker with the scale that weighs pain against pleasure. Time is the beam in the center. Adjust your plan accordingly.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21)

You may as well be an appraiser this week because your valuation of things will have a big in uence on sales outcomes both personally and professionally. The rst thing to estimate is your own e orts. All else will ow from how you value what you do. The world will take the price you set as the going rate.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Instead of expecting to get what you wish, you wisely expect to get what people have and are willing to give. The maturity of this choice requires you to tune in carefully and observe the behavioral patterns for clues. Getting what you want is a function of nding the people and circumstances where that's served and trading the local tender.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Whether at home or work, it's a political atmosphere as people position themselves and make power moves to execute a strategy. The plot changes come quick. As each development happens, you'll try to gure out the underlying emotion. "Why" will be more important to know than "what."

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

When things get hectic, you must think ahead to make time for the people who are important to you. It's worth it to you to plan for and protect those hours you'll devote to those in your inner circle. You don't have to do much to make it special either. Just being together is wonderful.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

You'll have instances of certainty and pockets of bewilderment, curiosity and questioning, too. These various states can be attributed to your well-developed sense of self. You're not so involved in your own ego that you would assume to be constantly right. And your sophisticated mind is always open to learning more.

PUZZLE BY DAVID KARP

Guide

GF and Son Contractor

Family Business 25 yrs. BBB

Member & licensed. Specialize in all types of(New/Old) Roof repairs, Coating, Rotten Wood, Fascia Boards, Remodeling & Additions, Permit plans.

Now Accepting Credit cards

Gary or Chase 520-742-1953

GF and Son Contractor

Family Business 25 yrs. BBB

Member & licensed. Specialize in all types of(New/Old) Roof repairs, Coating, Rotten Wood, Fascia Boards, Remodeling & Additions, Permit plans.

GF and Son Contractor

Family Business 25 yrs. BBB

Now Accepting Credit cards

Gary or Chase 520-742-1953

GF and Son Contractor

Family Business 25 yrs. BBB

520-742-1953

Member & licensed. Specialize in all types of(New/Old) Roof repairs, Coating, Rotten Wood, Fascia Boards, Remodeling & Additions, Permit plans.

Member & licensed. Specialize in all types of(New/Old) Roof repairs, Coating, Rotten Wood, Fascia Boards, Remodeling & Additions, Permit plans.

Now Accepting Credit cards

Gary or Chase 520-742-1953

Now Accepting Credit cards

Gary or Chase 520-742-1953

FOX TUCSON THEATRE

The Place to Be • The Artists to See

Co-Founder of The Beach Boys Al Jardine & His Endless Summer Band This Saturday, 6/17

Put on your flip-flops and treat your DAD to a fun, nostalgic night of LIVE music!

BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE START AT ONLY $35!

OR GRAB TICKETS TO ANOTHER OF THE 60+ SHOWS

NOW ON SALE: Graham Nash 6/20

Keb’ Mo’ Band 9/12

The Man in Black 9/15

Kansas: Another Fork in the Road 50th Anniversary Tour 9/19

Daughtry: Bare Bones Tour 9/21

Get the Led Out 9/26

Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken 10/20

Pat Metheny Dream Box Tour 10/24

& Many More!

Soulful Blues. Wailin’ Strat. Ignite your soul. The Robert Cray Band 7/25

Haunting Melodies. Mesmerizing lyrics. A distinct blend of alt country, folk & rock music.

Cowboy Junkies 7/27

Check Out The $20 Fox Fan Seats!

Infectious energy. Captivating melodies. An unforgettable night of bluegrass, folk & Americana. Old Crow Medicine Show 7/19

Melodic reveries. Moody anthems. Timeless sound. John Lodge of the Moody Blues 7/26

Immersive Spectacle. Legendary Album. World-class musicians.

Australian Pink Floyd 8/23 Dark Side 50 Tour