Tucson Weekly March 10, 2022

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Two Years of Coronavirus

With the Omicron wave receding, it may be safe to take off your mask and celebrate

By Jim Nintzel

CURRENTS: A GOP Plan To Screw Troubled Schools

MUSIC: Where To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

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MARCH 10, 2022

MARCH 10, 2022 | VOL. 37, NO. 10

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM

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STAFF

CONTENTS CURRENTS

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Two years of COVID: Nearly 1M deaths in the United States since the beginning, but cases are dropping

THEATRE

11 Delayed by COVID, Hedwig and the Angry Inch makes a triumphant return

ARTS & CULTURE

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Audience members enter the action in a multimedia remix of Shakespeare

MUSIC

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EDITOR’S NOTE Two Years Gone

ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President Jaime Hood, General Manager, jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Associate Publisher, tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com

I CAN’T SAY I WANT TO CELEBRATE COVID’s second anniversary here in Pima County, but I am glad to see the number of cases once again in decline. It’s been a long two years and the damn bug has done a lot of damage to our community.

As my cover story in this week’s issue reveals, the Omicron wave is receding. Case numbers and hospitalizations are down, mask mandates are being lifted and—while COVID continues to spread in our community—the risk of catching COVID is lower, especially if you’re vaccinated.

If you aren’t vaccinated, you’re way more likely to end up in the hospital or the morgue after catching COVID, so I’d urge you get a shot or get a booster, but I’m well aware that plea will fall on deaf ears in certain circles.

Regardless of whether you think it’s a hoax, I round up the state of COVID in this week’s cover story.

Happily, many of our spring events are back on the agenda, including this weekend’s Tucson Festival of Books. This is a huge labor of love for our rivals over at the Arizona Daily Star and the other planners of the festival, so huge thanks to the many volunteers who make it possible. I’ll be moderating with Col. Alexander Vindman, Washington Post White House Bureau Chief Phil Rucker, Pulitzer

Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston and Max Chafkin, who recently published a biography of tech lord Peter Theil. The panel “Will We Ever Be the Same?” is from 2:30 to 3:30 on Sunday, March 13,at the Gallagher Theater. You can also watch it on C-SPAN if you don’t want to fight for a seat.

So what else in the book this week? Columnist Tom Danehy reflects on two years of COVID; UA School of Journalism Don Bolles Fellow Gloria Gomez looks at a bill that would allow charter schools to take over struggling traditional public schools; calendar editor Emily Dieckman previews a remixed version of Hamlet; arts writer Margaret Regan lets you know how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year; XOXO columnist Xavier Omar Otero keeps track of this week’s live music opportunities; Tucson Weedly columnist David Abbott fills you in on the latest at the Legislature; and there’s plenty more to explore, so turn the page and get to it.

Oh, and screw you, COVID. Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about all the cool stuff happening in Tucson at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays during the World-Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.

RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson

Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Managing Editor, jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Alexandra Pere, Staff Reporter, apere@timespublications.com Nicole Feltman, Staff Reporter, nfeltman@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 CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING TLMSales@TucsonLocalMedia.com Gary Tackett, Account Executive, gtackett@tucsonlocalmedia.com Kristin Chester, Account Executive, kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, candace@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.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a performance

by Cassie and Maggie MacDonald

TUCSON WEEDLY

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As the Legislature grinds on, only two pot bills remain

Cover design by Ryan Dyson

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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DANEHY

TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL IN DENIAL ABOUT COVID VACCINES

By Tom Danehy, tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com

SORENSEN

NEAR THE END OF THE WORLD WAR II film The Big Red One, some American soldiers, having learned that the war had officially ended four hours earlier, frantically try to save the life of the wounded German, with Lee Marvin’s character saying that they’re not going to let that guy be the last person to die in that war.

There was a time, a few months into the pandemic, when I wondered if we would know who the last person to die from COVID-19 would be. I was certain that science would come to the rescue, not with a cure because it was a virus, but almost certainly with a vaccine, although I thought that it might take years.

At first, I was foolishly upbeat about the whole thing. Having lived through SARS and the Avian flu scares, I really didn’t expect anything different this time. I remember thinking that after a few weeks of lockdown, we would be treated to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in late April or early May. Like most Americans, in a tough time like that, I was more than willing to put

politics aside in exchange for real leadership, but it was not to be. I had sincerely hoped that the then-President would rise to the challenge, face it head-on and LEAD. But, instead, he alternately ran from it, tried to deny it, and probably even tried to profit from it. Who knows, maybe the country would have fractured under other presidents, as well. We needed a Zelinskyy but were stuck with a Putin.

Even without leadership, I still thought that we Americans would rise to the challenge, put aside our differences, and come together to show the world that we do things the best. That optimism went out the window when people started partying on Memorial Day weekend of 2020. Some of my fellow Americans apparently had the focus and willpower of a 14-year-old boy thrown into a strip club with a stack of one-dollar bills.

For the past couple weeks, I was getting updates about a case Back East. It involved a friend of a friend of a relative. This guy, a firefighter, was a staunch opponent of vaccines and masks. He and his wife and

his wife’s mother had alienated themselves from the rest of the family with their stance on the virus (their “stance” being that there was no virus; it was all a government hoax).

They even missed out on a big family wedding by refusing to get vaccinated.

His wife was a few months pregnant when he first got sick. He went to the hospital and was told that he had a severe case of COVID. He got so angry with the diagnosis that he left the hospital and went home for a couple days. When asked, his mother-inlaw said that he had pneumonia. When his wife was asked about her health and that of the baby, she responded that pneumonia isn’t contagious. (It actually is.)

His condition continued to worsen, but his wife and mother-in-law both insisted to the medical staff that the term COVID not be used because “we’re not stupid! He has pneumonia.” The doctors eventually had to put him into a coma so that they could try different therapies. None worked.

As the wife hit the 15-week mark in her pregnancy, the patient rallied briefly, but then his condition took a nosedive. They were going to try a last-ditch effort that involved blood replacement but before they could implement it, the man died. Thirty-nine years old, formerly healthy, solid career, about to be a dad. Gone.

The last I heard, the widow and soon-tobe-grandmother were trying to see if there was a way to keep COVID off the death certificate.

This is what our beloved country has become, a hollow place where people are willing to die for a lie, to make a spouse a widow and leave a child forever fatherless rather than admitting that science is real.

He probably could have lived another 39 years. He could have had a family and watched his child grow to early middle age.

It would have taken a couple hours of his time, at most, to stand in line and get the two painless doses of a vaccine that works almost miraculously. Instead, he sacrificed himself on the Altar of Owning The Libs.

Now we’re told that the word we’re supposed to start using is “endemic” (instead of pandemic). When I first heard that, it sounded wrong, not matching the definition that I had in my head. I looked it up and two of the three definitions given are completely off, having to do with species of plants or animals that live in a certain region. The third definition—a disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area—is closer.

We’re probably never going to know who the last person to die from COVID will be.

People are going to keep dying from it, but it will mostly be the unvaccinated who live in areas where science is about as welcome as ethnic diversity.

I sincerely hope that changes, but it probably won’t. Sadly, when people look back on this period, no one will ever say that this was America’s finest hour.

Instead, it’s been one of our worst. ■

MARCH 10, 2022

the holidays.”)

This week, the county took another step.

Lesher announced that masks would be recommended rather than required in county buildings as of March 12.

In addition, the Pima County Board of Supervisors will resume in-person meetings starting on March 15. While the public will not be required to wear masks to attend meetings, county officials say they will reduce the number of people allowed in to the 280-person capacity hearing room by two-thirds to allow for physical distancing.

“We’ve been down this road before with COVID, where the disease seems to be receding and then it comes roaring back worse than before, so I’m relaxing these COURTESY PHOTO mitigation rules with cautious optimism,” Lesher said in a county press release. “The County, like everyone else, needs to be vigilant about COVID and not consider the pandemic over. We may need to tightAfter two years and more than 27K deaths in Arizona, COVID is in retreat again—for now en the mitigation strategies again if there is another major spike.”

Healthcare experts say case numbers the Pima County Board of Supervisors

By Jim Nintzel are trending downward, although some declined to extend into March a mask jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com caution that a future variant or fading mandate requiring people to mask up immunity could bring a new wave. in indoor spaces when they could not be AS PIMA COUNTY REACHES THE “All in all, nothing but good news on the physically distant. (Even when supervisecond anniversary of its first official short-term horizon,” said Dr. Joe Gerald, sors voted to enact the mask mandate in COVID-19 case, the Omicron wave has an epidemiologist with the UA Zuckermostly receded, hospitals are seeing relief December, Pima County Acting Adman School of Public Health who has ministrator Jan Lesher conceded that it from high caseloads, fewer people are been tracking the pandemic’s spread in wearing masks and many businesses have was impractical to enforce the mandate, Arizona for the last two years. although she said it would be “a call to adjusted to a new normal.

But he cautioned that COVID could COVID fatigue is undoubtedly setting arms for everyone in the county to step make a resurgence when school starts up and do their part to help prevent the in even among those who have been again in the fall. spread of a deadly virus, especially during following strict precautions. Last month,

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Gerald started his work shortly after the first Pima County patient tested positive on March 9, 2020. Since then, Pima County had seen just more than a quarter-million confirmed cases of COVID as of March 2, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Those same ADHS stats show a total of 3,623 people had died after contracting COVID in Pima County. Across the state, that grim tally had reached 27,708, although it certainly undercounts the actual number, as the official death toll lags for weeks as death certificates are processed by state officials.

In addition, a December 2021 study by the Arizona Public Health Association showed that Arizona’s “excess death” numbers—the number of deaths above the average in the years 2017-2019—jumped by 29% in 2020 (the second highest in the nation, behind New York’s jump of 50%) and by 24% in 2021, which was the highest increase among U.S. states. In total, APHA Executive Director Will Humble noted that “an estimated 36,000 excess deaths have occurred in Arizona due directly or indirectly to the COVID pandemic.”

In a November 2021 report, APHA determined that Arizona was the only state where COVID-19 was the leading cause of death during the pandemic.

“COVID-19 is a distant third (well behind heart disease and cancer) in states that had governors and health directors who made evidence-based intervention CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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House passes it, the measure would go to the state Senate for further consideration.

A similar program in Tennessee found exactly the opposite. The state began taking over underperforming schools with its own Achievement School District in 2011 with the goal of moving the bottom 5% into the top 25% in five years. But after nearly a decade of handing struggling neighborhood schools over to charter school networks, the schools failed to meet the state’s performance goal — and the state is now working on moving several of them back into their original districts.

Critics of the bill say its measures don’t actually address the reasons so many schools are struggling.

A 2019 U.S. Census Bureau review placed Arizona 49th in school funding. The state PHOTO BY JOE BRUSKY ON FLICKR / CC BY-NC 2.0 spent about $10,000 on students that year, well below the national average of $15,700.

Beth Lewis, the director of Save our Schools Arizona, a public school advocacy organizaA ‘punitive model’ for failing schools: GOP proposal would let charters take over district schools tion, pointed out that low funding invariably contributes to lower standardized test scores and graduation rates. It doesn’t help that to be replaced with a “Fresh Start” school, these schools often operate in already poor

By Gloria Gomez or might be forced into the arrangement communities.

UA Don Bolles Fellow if they don’t improve on their own. “Fresh “School performance correlates really Start” schools would be run by an Achieve- closely with the level of district poverty,” ment District School to eventually replace a Lewis said during a Tuesday afternoon IN 2019, THERE WERE 180 ARIZONA failing school on the same campus or within Zoom town hall meeting with school offischools that received a D or F rating and its attendance boundaries. They operate out cials about HB2808. new legislation given preliminary approvof a vacant building or one which is being Arizona’s poverty rate was higher than al by the House would hand over their leased or purchased from a school district. the national rate, even before the devastatoperations or shut them down if they don’t During a Feb. 15 Education Committee ing impact of COVID-19. Students whose improve. hearing in the state House of Representafamilies struggle economically often start House Bill 2808 establishes the Arizona tives, sponsor Rep. Michelle Udall said these school at a lower educational level than their Achievement District. This district is made “Fresh Start” schools would need to be char- peers, experience schooling gaps and might up of high-performing district and charter ter schools, because public school districts not have access to high quality learning schools handpicked by a nine-member can’t buy up schools in other districts. materials at home. board appointed by the governor. Out-ofIf schools fail to reach a C grade after the Many D- and F-rated schools are in comstate charter school operators may also be three year mark, they will be forced into a munities with entrenched poverty. Marana welcomed into the district. partnership with an Achievement District Unified School District Superintendent Dan The new board would use performance school, a Fresh Start school operation or Streeter said Roadrunner Elementary in his data from the 2018-2019 school year and be shut down, at the Arizona Achievement district was a C-rated school in 2019, but has this year to identify struggling schools. No District board’s discretion. been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 school grading was done between those “The goal is to have only high-achieving pandemic and he worries it may be in danyears due to COVID-19 and the shift to schools in the state. The goal is to have no ger in the future if Udall’s legislation passes. remote learning. Based on these results, more D and F schools in the state, so that About 82% of Roadrunner’s student body schools would be given several choices: every child can attend a school that is high is on the free and reduced lunch program, independently improve their performance quality and get the education they deserve,” and the surrounding community’s median within three years, partner with a high-perUdall said during the committee hearing. income is 60% lower than the average for the forming school that will take over operaThe Mesa Republican, who chairs the rest of Marana. Its placement in a rural area tions, be replaced by a “Fresh Start” school committee, noted the program’s application means that community resources are scarce: with a proven academic track record, close of pressure on schools garners positive The nearest library is 14 miles away. down, or consolidate with a nearby school. results.

“These are factors that impact letter The move is an extension of GOP school Udall’s bill last month won preliminary grades,” Streeter said. choice initiatives that favor charter over approval in the House of Representatives, Expecting school districts to resolve syspublic schools. Struggling schools may elect but has yet to face a formal vote. If the temic issues in such a short period of time is

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hardly fair, especially when the bill doesn’t provide adequate funding to do so, Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said.

Schools that choose the bill’s self-improvement route would be granted $150 per student for three years. For schools that are already overstretched, critics say that investment is insufficient. In Maricopa County, Buckeye Elementary School had an F rating in 2019. Its enrollment was 904 last year – assuming enrollment stays fairly equal, the total funding Buckeye Elementary might receive to turn around their performance is $405,000.

If schools decide to partner with an Achievement District or “Fresh Start” school — relinquishing their control and, in the latter case, the whole school — they may apply for one-time funding of $2,000 per student.

That “partner” may end up being an outside charter school operator who profits from taxpayer money.

Implementing punitive measures shifts the focus from student growth to performance and is detrimental to students in the long run, critics said. Punishing schools for not meeting standards drives away high quality teachers — the most valuable asset in a school’s arsenal. Arizona continues a six-year streak of teacher shortages, and a survey last month found nearly 2,000 vacancies.

“When you have a student body that is more needs-intensive and you have a more punitive model for determining school letter grades and determining teacher performance-based pay, that doesn’t necessarily romance the most highly qualified applicants to come and take teaching positions,” Trujillo said.

The schools most at risk of facing takeovers are those that serve marginalized communities. Lewis estimates that 22 out of 77 schools in the Navajo Nation would be affected by HB2808. Joe Bia, a governing board member at Kayenta Unified School District, said that keeping schools open in Kayenta is critical. The town is rural and isolated, and schools and their after-school programs are among the only educational resources for youths. Shutting them down means cutting kids off from internet access they may not have at home.

Changing the way these schools work to meet performance standards might also put the cultural identity of schools at risk.

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decisions and who properly executed key operational priorities,” noted Humble, who headed up the Arizona Department of Health Services during the Brewer administration.

While accurate numbers are not available for recent weeks because of reporting lags, more than 10,000 of Arizona’s COVID deaths have come since mid-July 19 of last year, according to data gathered by Gerald. Arizona has been experiencing more than 400 deaths a week between late November and the end of January, mostly among unvaccinated individuals, as the Omicron variant overtook the Delta variant.

ARIZONA’S OMICRON WAVE STARTED

rising during the holiday season. Omicron, a more transmissible variant, resulted in record-breaking numbers of daily new cases during the holiday season, peaking with 17,907 new confirmed cases in Pima County in the week ending Jan. 9. That number had dipped to 2,225 con-

firmed cases in the week ending Feb. 20, according to a Feb. 28 memo by Lesher to the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

(By comparison, Pima County’s low point during the pandemic came in the first week of June 2021, with just 243 cases.)

Omicron’s high death toll came despite the widespread availability of vaccines. A year ago, there was huge demand for the COVID vaccines, with drive-thru distribution points popping up at Phoenix-area stadiums, the county’s Kino Sports Complex and on the UA mall.

A year later, 74% of the statewide population had received at least one shot of the COVID vaccine as of March 2, according to ADHS. As of last week, roughly 75% of Pima County had received at least one shot of the vaccine. If you take away children under the age of 5, who are not eligible for vaccination, that percentage rises to 79.2%, according to ADHS. But according to the Centers for Disease Control, only 71.5% of the Pima County population aged 5 and older were fully vaccinated with two doses and only 43% of the population had received a booster dose as of last week. Seniors

outpace other age groups, with nearly 63% of those 65 and older having gotten booster shots.

Boosters are recommended for anyone 12 and older, five months after an initial series of Pfizer or Modena vaccines and two months after a Johnson & Johnson (aka Janssen) shot.

The low percentage of people who have received boosters has healthcare experts concerned.

“Low booster rates, low prior infection rates and waning immunity among the elderly poses a risk of continued hospitalizations and deaths despite improving overall conditions,” wrote Gerald.

Don Herrington, the interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, noted last week that booster doses “dramatically increase protection against COVID-19, including the Omicron variant.”

Herrington pointed to data that showed that compared to people who were vaccinated and had a booster, unvaccinated people were 11 times more likely to test positive for COVID, 67 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID and 180 times more likely to die after

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contracting COVID. Meanwhile, compared to people who had been vaccinated but hadn’t received a booster, unvaccinated people 1.3 times more likely to test positive for COVID, 4.1 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID and 7.2 times more likely to die after contracting COVID. Pima County had seen 50,963 breakthrough infections among people who had been vaccinated, according to Lesher, or 7.6% of the fully vaccinated population.

But only 962 of those cases (or .14%), required hospitalization and only 220 (.03%) died.

Fortunately, the number of hospitalized COVID patients continues to decline across the state. Arizona’s doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers have faced huge strains through the pandemic.

Gerald noted last month that hospitals were just emerging from 191 days of having more than 2,000 patients in hospitals statewide. (By point of comparison, during the winter 2021 surge, hospitals only broke the 2,000-patient barrier for 98 consecutive days.)

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KUSD families are predominantly Navajo, and he said the schools work to preserve their cultural heritage and language in classrooms.

“If we’re going to have to change the way that we’re running our schools, I can see that panning out in many catastrophic ways — one impacting elemental cultural aspects,” Bia said.

Tucson Unified School District is another district with cultural identities that would be negatively affected by eliminating local control. It’s home to the largest Afghan refugee student population, a sizable English Language Learner cohort, and is the top choice for Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui families. Trujillo said he doubts transplanting educational frameworks from other regions into a place as diverse as Tucson would work.

“Our communities and our staff that serve these communities know the needs of our children and our communities best.

And what they need is support — they need resources and they need time,” he said.

Instead of forwarding potentially devastating programs, legislators should support programs with proven success rates, like Project Momentum, said Kristi Wilson, the superintendent of Buckeye Elementary School District. The project works in collab-

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During that Delta-Omicron stretch, hospital faced 75 days of caring for more than 3,000 patients.

As a result, many healthcare workers are exhausted by the jobs and burned out. To add insult to injury, they often find themselves the target of conservative politicians who accuse them of overblowing the dangers of the pandemic.

Here in Pima County, the number of hospitalized COVID patients hit a high less than two months ago, in the third week of January, at 307, according to Lesher’s memo to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. By the second week of February, it had dropped to 117—which, as Lesher notes, is still much higher than the low point of 15 in May 2021.

While COVID is still circulating in the community and health officials still urge

oration with school staff to help foster professional development for teachers, design tracking and evaluation methods, and craft curriculum maps and pacing guides to keep classrooms in step with state standards.

It also provides funding equivalent to HB 2880 — $150 per pupil. But the difference is the guidance that comes along with it, and a lack of punitive measures.

Avondale Elementary School District significantly improved working with the Project, tripling their AzMerit mathematics scores and nearly doubling scores in English in the 2017-2018 school year from the baseline established in 2014-2015. Still, those three years of gains were not enough to move all their schools out of D grade territory. A short turnaround time for schools with long-standing difficulties simply isn’t feasible, Save Our Schools Arizona noted in a written fact sheet for Tuesday’s town hall.

“You have to meet kids where they are and then you have to have the resources to help them grow,” Wilson said, “They need more, and teachers need more.” ■ Gloria Gomez is a senior at the University of Arizona and the 2022 UA School of Journalism’s Don Bolles Fellow. The UA School of Journalism started the fellowship in 1977 to honor Don Bolles, an Arizona Republic reporter killed in a 1976 car bombing. This article was originally published by the Arizona Mirror, an online nonprofit news agency.

Find more at azmirror.com.

caution, Gerald predicts more restrictions will be lifted, especially after the CDC issued new guidelines last month that have moved all of Arizona’s counties except Yuma and La Paz counties into a medium-risk category.

“During March more institutions and individuals will be drawing down their COVID-19 mitigations,” Gerald recently noted in an email. “For those who are healthy, vaccinated or recovered, normalization will pose little risk. Those who have personal health conditions, family members with personal health conditions, or workers who interact with those who are vulnerable should continue to mitigate until transmission levels fall further. We are going to continue an awkward condition, where motivating the healthy to maintain their precautions to protect the vulnerable will become even more difficult.” ■

MARCH 10, 2022

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Editor’s Note: While we are delighted to see Tucsonans once again gathering for fun events, we are also aware that variants continue to spread. Please consider getting vaccinated against COVID if you haven’t yet.

HUB’s Dog Days of Spring – Yappy Hours. One of our local ice cream parlors is just having the most pleasant event this month. Every Wednesday evening, you can hightail it on down to the HUB for $1 off a scoop of ice cream.

Or, even better, you can bring in one item for the Pima Animal Care Center donation list and get a free scoop of ice cream! They’ll also have dog-friendly treats on hand in case you decide to bring your pooch along. And 50% of proceeds from dog treat sales go to PACC. 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 16. HUB Ice Cream Parlor, 245 E. Congress St. The Stories the Minerals Tell. Minerals are fascinating. Just ask any kid who’s ever seen one of those “fill your own bag with colorful polished stones” setups at a giftshop. This year’s College of Science lecture series is all about minerals, from their origin to their roles in our lives today. This week, Mauricio Ibañez-Mejia, an assistant professor of geosciences, will discuss how minerals serve as time capsules for the evolution of Earth and the cosmos, and how they can be used to reconstruct the timeline of our planet. From rocks and fossils to mountains and other landforms, minerals have quite the story to tell. 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 10. Watch on Zoom by visiting science.arizona.edu, or attend in person at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd.

Mercado Flea. Another month, another flea! The Mercado Flea is one of the cutest events around, and always has us looking forward to the second Sunday of the month. Nearly 50 vendors sell antique, vintage, used and collectible items in the parking lots and sidewalks on Avenida Del Convento between Congress and Cushing streets in the Mercado District. We love any excuse to spend time over at the Mercado, and this is one of the best: high-quality goods, a chance to support dozens of

local artisans, and a morning in that wintry Tucson sunshine. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 13.

Music of Dreams: An Evening of Japanese Flute. Visit Yume Japanese Gardens this weekend for a night full of music and art beneath the full moon (or nearly full moon—it’s full on Saturday, and the event runs Friday to Sunday). You’ll hear a shakuhachi, a Japanese flute made of bamboo, as you stroll through the lantern-illuminated paths beneath the moon, enjoying the serenity. You can also view Japanese brush calligraphy art, as well as a photo exhibit by Kate Breakey. The pieces from her series “Moon Song” depict different phases of the moon in their unique beauty.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 19. Yume Japanese Gardens, 2130 N. Alvernon Way. $25 GA, $10 kids 3 to 15. Reservations required.

by Emily Dieckman Take a Hike. Part of LTW’s children’s theater series, this show is for all the Sonoran Desert lovers out there. When Jamie comes home from college, she can’t wait to take a desert hike with her little brother Dylan, so they set off on a fantastical journey, making friends with a packrat, a rattlesnake and a roadrunner. As they try to find their way back to their house, they grow closer as siblings and reflect on the true meaning of home, family and friendship. It’s very cute and sweet and close to home. 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 13 and Sunday, March 20. Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road. $12 adults, $10 kids.

MotoSonora Second Anniversary Party. I’m glad we live in the right time and the right place to experience so many different breweries, and most any reason to go hang out at one is a good one. One of Tucson’s newest breweries is celebrating its second birthday, and we’re all invited to the party! There will be plenty of beer, plus live music by local bands all afternoon and evening. Dilly Dank from 2 to 4 p.m., Baja Caravan from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Rilen’ Out from 7 to 9 p.m. The whole celebration goes from 2 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 12. MotoSonora Brewing Company, 1015 S. Park Ave.

B-Movie Night: Catwomen of the Moon in 3D. This 1953 sci-film is an absolute gem, not about Batman’s frenemy, but about a race of feline-woman hybrids with fierce brow game who live on the moon. Frankly, that’s all the information I need to know that this is a can’t-miss. But there are also unitards, mind control and a modern dance performance. The score was composed

by Elmer Bernstein, or, as the opening credits call him, “Elmer Bernstien.”

Unbeatable. This showing at the Screening Room is hosted by Miss Baltimore Bombshell and features trivia, beer and vegan popcorn. 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 11. $5. The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. Renewal at Solar Culture Gallery. At the opening for its latest art show, this local collectivism-centered art gallery is keeping things on brand. Not only is it an art show, but there’s live music

by Baba Marimba, and it’s a potluck.

How lovely to get together to celebrate community, art and food! The space was recently upgraded, and they’ve changed the format to accommodate mostly large, curated art shows. We’ll see you, and your dish of choice, there. 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 12. Solar Culture Gallery, 31 E. Toole Ave. Free.

Stop-Zemlia. Come celebrate and support Ukranian cinema in this one-nightonly showing at the Loft. In her narrative feature debut, writer/director Kateryna Gornostai has put together a beautiful coming of age drama about the beauties and difficulties of being a teenager.

Flowing between fiction and documentary, the story follows high school girl Masha, who feels most comfortable around her two best friends. In her last year of high school, she falls in love, hard. There’s a painfully excellent line in the trailer where she asks, “How does your body feel when you’re in love?” and her friend answers “Really bad! Awful!” with a resigned laugh. Oof—IYKYK. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15. Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.

MARCH 10, 2022

THEATRE were Hedwig, Yitzhak and the band, and that it was very different from the movie in the sense of characters.

Seibert explained that the musical is inspired by Plato’s Symposium. Plato’s Symposium includes a number of stories, including a legend of primal times when there were people with doubled bodies and three genders: male, female and androgynous, which was half-male, half female. As the story goes, after they challenged Zeus, he split them in half so they spent the remainder of their life looking for their other half.

The musical is about a character named Hedwig who is a queer rock singer who is following a rock star who she is in love with. It takes place in West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall and Hedwig is with a United States officer.

Since Hedwig was a male and the officer was a male, the officer could not bring Hedwig back to the U.S. as his bride COURTESY PHOTO unless a sex-change operation was done.

The operation was done on Hedwig, but her husband leaves her so she is now left to explore life on her own as a person of split gender with a huge heart.

“It’s about a botched sex-change, it’s about being left by Delayed by COVID, Hedwig and the Angry Inch makes your husband, it’s about not knowing who you are in the triumphant return world, it’s about being divided and becoming whole again, it’s about discovering that you are actually the one that completes you,” Seibert said.

Hedwig shares her life story throughout this 90-minute

By Jillian Bartsch musical with no intermission. tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com According to Johnson, the audience should expect raw honesty and amazing vocals from both Hedwig and the ARIZONA ONSTAGE PRODUCTIONS WILL BE other lead, Cracchiolo. presenting Hedwig and the Angry Inch from March 18 “It is a heartfelt story that anybody can relate to,” Johnson to March 27. This production comes almost exactly two said. “They could be gay, bisexual, transgender, or straight years after it originally closed after opening night due to and relate to the story because it is a story about being COVID-19. human and a human who needs love in her life.”

Kevin Johnson, the artistic director of Arizona Onstage, The reason Johnson followed the show for so many years explained they were told right before the show opened in 2020 by the owners of the theater that it would be their first was because of its message that every person deserves to be listened to, every person has a story and every person and their last show.

“It was really kind of heartbreaking, like with every other deserves to be able to tell their story.

“It does not matter the denomination, it does not matter theater company in the United States, in the world even,” the gender or gender identity of those in the audience, the Johnson said. fact is love is love and that is what proves again and again, They had rehearsed for months and after closing they thought they would be able to return after a few weeks, but it’s very positive,” Johnson said.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened in 1998 and won it turned into months and then years. many awards. In 2014 it went to Broadway where it won Everyone who was a part of the musical two years ago multiple Tony Awards. kept in contact with each other, so when the time came to Arizona Onstage has been around since 2003 and they reopen Hedwig, everyone was able to pull together like a aim to bring shows, especially musicals, to Tucson that tight family, according to Johnson. otherwise might not get produced, according to Johnson.

This performance of Hedwig will include the same cast “We present musicals and non-musicals that tend to be and band that performed two years ago. Jordon Ross Seibert will be performing as Hedwig and Liz Cracchiolo will be off the normal realm of what people think of as a musical,” Johnson said. “We like to do things a little more edgy.” performing as Yitzhak.

Tickets for Hedwig and the Angry Inch can be purchased “We’re all really excited to be able to do this again, and I at arizonaonstage.org. Prices range from $20 to $25 and it think that that’s really going to come across in the perforwill be held at the Cabaret Space. mance,” Seibert said.

The cast and crew are fully vaccinated and boostered, and Seibert previously performed as Hedwig in Baltimore and won the Baltimore Sun’s best actor in a musical for his there will be cross ventilation of fresh air throughout the theater to provide safety for COVID-19. Anyone attending portrayal.

When Seibert got the role of Hedwig in Baltimore, he first the musical must provide proof of double vaccination and read through the script and realized that the only characters wear a mask inside the theater. ■

AN ACT DIVIDED

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ARTS & CULTURE

PHOTO BY FINE REVOLUTION LLC

“The more you look at it, the more layered it is. And what it’s kind of famous for is raising questions. It’s just this fascinating combination of incredibly exciting revenge tragedy with all these explorations and considerations of what it means to be alive,” said director Kevin Black of the original Hamlet.

SHAKESPEARE REMIX Audience members enter the action in this multimedia, dystopian production of Hamlet: Fine Revolution

good match. He reached out to Danny Vinik, the “creative czar” of BRINK and executive director of BRINK Foundation, and the idea for what would KEVIN BLACK, A PRODUCER, WRITER become Hamlet: Fine Revolution started to grow. and director who is also a professor of But when COVID-19 took the world practice at the University of Arizona’s School of Theatre, Film and Television, by storm, they paused. Vinik held a virtual opening for Pidgin Palace in has loved Hamlet for decades. In 2018, summer 2020 instead, and Black and his though, he started to get serious about doing a unique, multimedia production team put together a seven-minute snapof the show, featuring film clips, projec- shot of the show. Since then, they’ve been working carefully, patiently, tions, and an immersive audience experience—all set in a fictional Denmark devotedly, on getting the show ready to present to a live audience—and for live surveilled by artificial intelligence. audiences to be safely allowed to see it.

When he heard BRINK Foundation 2018, 2019, early 2020…. They often was launching Pidgin Palace Arts, a “contemporary art gallery and pan-gen- feel like so distant it’s like they’re a part erational media lab,” he thought it was a of not just another century, but another

By Emily Dieckman emily@tucsonlocalmedia.com

MARCH 10, 2022

dimension. And so, there’s a particular comfort these days that comes with consuming timeless pieces of art.

Shakespeare’s work is among the best examples. People today still fall hopelessly and ridiculously in love just as Romeo and Juliet did. We make things more complicated than they ever needed to be, like the characters in Twelfth Night. And, like Hamlet, we sometimes find ourselves throwing up our hands and wondering whether the whole thing might not just be futile.

“He had this marvelous, uncanny ability to write a play that was open to modes of telling,” says Black, who produces, directs and stars in the show.

“It’s not that it’s a new story every time, but it’s open to different methods of telling the story, and it travels time really, really well. I think it’s been commonly established for, actually, centuries: You can do Shakespeare in whatever you’re wearing that day.”

And it was Hamlet in particular, the show that brought us “To be or not to be” and “to thine own self be true” that Black was most excited to, as he calls it, “remix.”

“The more you look at it, the more layered it is,” he says. “And what it’s kind of famous for is raising questions.

It’s just this fascinating combination of incredibly exciting revenge tragedy with all these explorations and considerations of what it means to be alive.”

In case you didn’t read Hamlet in high school, or since, the premise: Prince Hamlet’s father recently died, and his uncle Claudius swooped in IMMEDIATELY to marry Hamlet’s mom and take over the ruling of the country of Denmark. Suspicious. Then Hamlet’s father appears to him as a ghost and asks him to avenge him.

In this production, which received funding from the UA College of Fine Arts and Office of Research, Innovation and Impact, the audience will literally be in the middle of the show, sitting in swivel chairs so they can turn to see action wherever it’s happening. (Black was careful to block it in a way that wouldn’t give anyone whiplash.) The characters use handheld devices. People in the castle are being constantly surveilled.

For example, in the “Get thee to a nunnery” scene, one of the show’s most famous, traditionally, King Claudius and an accomplice are watching an interaction between Hamlet and his beloved, Ophelia, from behind a pillar or curtain.

In this production, the scene is played on a television screen, and King Claudius joins the audience in watching the video unfold on a television screen, as though everyone is watching a live feed from another area of the castle.

Black’s concept—combining the timelessness of Hamlet’s story with ultra-modern depictions of surveillance—fits in well with Pidgin Palace’s mission, which, according to Vinik, is to educate people about the way internet algorithms can leave them in “filter bubbles” of sensationalized content, and about the dangers and impact of artificial intelligence—which is no longer in the distant future, but surrounding us today. These lessons are especially important, he says, in such polarized times.

“Humanity’s always been kind of yin and yang,” Vinik says. “Even the very nature of the internet is composed of ones and zeros for binary.”

Total immersion in a theatrical experience is a stark contrast to the past few years, during which we’ve all Zoomed to death, or as Black puts it “pivoted to the point of nausea.”

“We’re trying to make sure it’s not something that’s framed or far away,” he says. “I want the closeness to be something that’s exciting and revelatory about the story.” ■ Hamlet: Fine Revolution runs for just five performances at Pidgin Palace, 1110 S. Sixth Ave. Preview is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, opening night is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, and closing night is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. $40 GA and $20 for students or seniors. Visitors must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Only 30 tickets are available for each performance. Visit pidginpalacearts.com for more information.

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 13

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yes, dancing, to the tunes of Celtic music at Berger.

The two eclectic musicians, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, are sisters, granddaughters of a pair of Nova Scotians who helped bring traditional Scottish and Cape Breton music to a wider Canadian audience.

Maggie plays fiddle and sings and dances, and Cassie commands the keyboards, mandolin and guitar.

But what about Irish music? Fear not, fans. The MacDonalds have won awards from Irish groups more than once, and they plan a Hibernian treat on the eve of St. Pat. Here’s a Q&A with Cassie and yours truly.

MUSIC

good fun. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade &

HIBERNIAN HAPPENINGS

COURTESY PHOTO

How did COVID affect your work the past two years?

We were just one gig into a spring tour that was meant to last seven months when COVID put a wrench in all international travel. Our last gig was in Tulsa, on March

By Margaret Regan Festival is back, and so are concerts of Celtic 16, 2020, so it’s quite full circle for us to be tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com music, dishes of Irish stew and a wee dram in the U.S. exactly two years later. We are of spirits. You’ll even find some Irish art. performing our first show back with you all AFTER TWO SORRY YEARS OF On the night before St. Patrick’s Day, a in Tucson! shutdown—thanks, COVID—Tucson is once couple of musical lassies from Nova Scotia again bursting with craic, the Irish word for will be singing, playing instruments and Will you play some Irish tunes?

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a performance by Cassie and Maggie MacDonald

We’ve got a couple surprises in store to make sure we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style, definitely some familiar Irish songs where folks can sing along. We’ll also do some lesser-known traditional ones with wonderful stories and history.

What is the difference between Scottish and Cape Breton music and Irish music?

A lot of it comes down to repertoire, and

Cassie and Maggie Celtic Concert 7:30, Wed., March 16, at Berger Performing Ars Center, 1200 W. Speedway Reserved seats $27 regular, $25 seniors, available until 11 p.m. night before the show.

Non-reserved seats at the door, payable with credit cards.

Required: masks; COVID vaccination card and ID with photo, or a negative test result within 48 hours before the show. inconcerttucson.com

very specific stylistic differences in the approach to swing, tempo and ornamentation. Maggie and I are very lucky to have been brought up in an extremely musical family in Northern Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia means “New Scotland” in Latin so we tend to have a heavier influence from the Scottish style of playing. But over the years our home province has been recognized on the world stage for unique styles of fiddle playing and singing that sort of stands on its own.

Do you like doing the old tunes?

That music is extremely close to our hearts, which certainly includes the music we learned from our grandparents. Our grandfather, Hugh Angus MacDonald, was an incredible fiddler and one of the very first musicians to record traditional Nova Scotian fiddle music, back in 1935. These older tunes are very special to us, but we equally love to bring a modern and contemporary approach to the traditions we’ve inherited.

MARCH 10, 2022

Does Maggie really dance while she is playing music?

Yes! Dancing is a very important part of the Celtic traditions in Nova Scotia and we always love to put a bit in the show. It’s a very specific style of percussive stepdance that has developed alongside the unique style of fiddling from Nova Scotia. Maggie has been known to throw her guitar over her shoulder and “give a step,” as we would say!

What do you like about performing in Tucson?

We’ve been lucky to play in Tucson twice before. Our very first show was at the beautiful St. Francis in the Foothills Church in 2015. Then we were back in 2017 at the wonderful Berger center. We were absolutely stunned by the warm welcome we received on both occasions, not to mention the incredible natural beauty that met us everywhere we looked. We are thrilled to be kicking off a brand-new year of touring back in your beautiful city. ■

MORE ST. PATRICK’S FUN On Friday, March 11, the Saint Charles Tavern hosts Katie’s Randy Cat, master of Irish Punk from Toledo, Ohio. The show, dubbed “Hanging with the Saints: A St. Patrick’s Parade Pregame,” will be outside on the patio. Local band Miss Olivia and the Interlopers is also on the roster. At 1632 S. Fourth Ave. 520-888-5925 The beloved Tucson St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival, now in its 35th year, will bring back music and dancing on the city’s streets after two years of silence.

The big day is Saturday, March 12. The first activity is a run for Irish early birds and friends. The Desert Leprechaun run features a one mile-walk starting at 8:15 a.m.; a 5K run follows at 9 a.m. Participants gather at 200 S. Sixth Ave. by Armory Park. But hurry. Registration ends Thursday, March 10, at 11:59 p.m. Check runsar.org/events/ desert-leprechaun-5K-run-walk/

Next up, the festival opens at 10 a.m. in Armory Park, at Sixth Ave. and 12th St. The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. at 17th Street and Stone Ave. The cavalcades of musicians and dancers and floats wind up north on Stone, east to Ochoa and 12th Street and then into the park.

After the parade ends, Anna Luther opens the festivities by singing the Irish national anthem in Gaelic. Bands include a raft of local favorites: Nancy McCallion and her band, including Gary Mackender, Danny Krieger, Neil McCallion and Heather Hardy; and Púca with Dave Firestine and Claire Zucker. Katie’s Randy Cat has a second show here.

The lively Celtic Steps Irish Dance and Maguire Academy of Irish Dance demonstrate Irish step dancing, soft show and jigs.

There will be plenty of food and drink and lots of Irish things to buy, including

TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 15

jewelry, art, crafts, and books. A game area entertains the kids.

St. Patty’s Luck of the Irish Pub Crawl tours to seven bars on Saturday, March 12.

Check in at O’Malleys, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; the crawl goes to 9 pm. 247 N. Fourth Ave.; 520-623-8600.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17, Celtic Minstrels performs an all instrumental show from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at El Conquistador Bar, 10000 North Oracle Road. Open to public. The musician, including Don Gest, play classic Irish gear: fiddle, whistle, flutes, guitar and bodhran.

Also on St. Pat’s Day, Nancy McCallion and Friends play Irish songs at the House of Bards, 4912 E. Speedway, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The artist Leslie Hawes is showing charming small images of old barns in the Irish countryside. Just 4 x 6 inches, the pictures are drawn in color pencil on paper.

The “Small Works” show at Contreras Galleries runs until April 22. Contrerashousefinreart.com.

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By Xavier Omar Otero tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS… THURSDAY, MARCH 10 Since their formation at the University of North Texas in 2000—where Mike Eli and James Young were dorm roommates their freshman year—the Eli Young Band has landed 14 singles on the Billboard charts, including four No. 1 hits. “Love Talking,” their brand-new single, finds the song’s protagonist professing his love. Unlike most country songs, this one isn’t an alcohol-fueled confession. Nope. This guy has “never been more sober” and simply “can’t blame a liquor buzz” for

being head over heels. Go figure. Eli Young Band bring Always The Love Songs (2022), their latest EP. At Rialto Theater… On their latest single—a reimagined/remixed cover of George Michael’s “Father Figure”—Marta DeLeon and crew deviate from their usual poppy-punky snarling wistfulness to deliver an infectious 4-on-the-floor dance groove. Weekend Lovers offer something fresh. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Reawakening nostalgic memories of old-school dirty punk, this SoCal three-piece powerhouse offer a unique take on reggae rock. The Resinators.

At Chicago Bar… FRIDAY, MARCH 11 In 2007, chanteuse Elizabeth Bougerol and bandleader Evan Palazzo met in New York City after responding to a Craigslist ad about a jazz jam session above a Manhattan noodle shop. Who would have known then that their self-titled debut album (2014) would spend a year on the Billboard Jazz Charts? Go figure. Discover what the

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hot fuss is all about. The Hot Sardines present Welcome Home, Bon Voyage (2019). At Fox Tucson Theatre… In the early ’90s, Roberto Flores began releasing mixtapes under the tag Lil Rob. In 1994, at the age of 18, he got shot. In a rare interview with Chicago Street TV, Flores candidly detailed the event that shattered his jaw and claimed an eye, nearly ending his musical career.

“They just came down to the neighborhood…They shot at us. We shot at them.

Luckily I didn’t get into any trouble.

That would’ve changed my life forever.” After recovering from his injuries, on his 1997 debut album, Crazy Life, he declared, “Soy Chingon” [loosely meaning “I’m a badass” in Spanish].

Breaking new ground, as his fame grew Flores established himself on the West Coast scene as a rapper with a Chicano worldview. Lil Rob. At Club 4th Avenue… Midwestern folk singer David Huckfelt says he is “beyond excited for this first-ever quadruple songwriter show.” Featuring a veritable cast of outlaws, Native musicians, and cowboys, esteemed Tucson songwriters Howe Gelb, Billy Seldmayr and Keith Secola join Huckfelt to form Lost Barrio Songslingers Circle. At Hotel Congress Plaza… Pursuing a vision, guitarist Aaron Turner began fleshing out material before Sumac coalesced.

His intention was to write some of the heaviest music ever created. Pacific Northwest post-metal powerhouse Sumac hammer out their latest, “Two Beasts.” At Club Congress… Mike Gaube’s Headbangers presents Noise Pollution: The AC-DC Experience.

At The Rock… From the unsullied mountains of the American Northwest, these siblings’ harmonica, upright bass and acoustic guitar-driven repertoire spans from heart-rending ballads to barn-burning bluegrass numbers. The Brothers Reed. At Monterey Court…

SATURDAY, MARCH 12 Over the course of six albums, platinum-selling country star Justin Moore’s brand of traditional country has amassed a loyal following. Music website Country Standard Time

considers Moore to be “country music’s champion of the everyman.” Reminiscing on his upbringing in rural Arkansas and appreciation for life’s simple pleasures, the lead single from Straight Outta the Country (2021) struck a chord with the salt of the Earth, propelling “We Didn’t Have Much” to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Justin Moore & Friends: Heath Sanders and Stephen Paul. At Tucson Arena… Known for their viral remix of Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High),” electronic duo Hippie Sabotage introduce Floating Palace (2021). At Rialto Theater… “In the moonlight, all truths will be revealed.” Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman 1955 film, Smiles of a Summer Night, centering on a deliciously tangled web of affairs, Arizona Opera presents A Little Night Music, in the first of two performances. Featuring the internationally acclaimed American soprano, Patricia Racette. At Tucson Music Hall… As a young boy growing up on the south side of Chicago, this singer-songwriter sang in a Pentecostal church choir before discovering the power of soul, gaining appreciation for its contrasts: The dark and light, anger and joy, earthy and airborne. Shawn James finds A Place in the Unknown.

At 191 Toole. With Gravedancer… In addition to being a multidimensional artist and painter, classically trained Yaqui guitarist Gabriel Ayala’s resumé includes performances for a U.S. President and the Pope. Featuring The Ayala 5Tet, Gabriel Ayala performs a Concert For Healing. At Fox Tucson Theatre…

At 21, singer-songwriter Dan Sheron’s life collapsed. After a failed attempt at journalism in Moscow, reeling from an unbearable heartbreak, in a third-class train car somewhere in western Siberia, singing and drinking with strangers, Balto was born. At Hotel Congress Plaza… In an interview with NME, bedroom popper Claud Mintz offers insight into Super Monster (2021). “I’m constantly observing and analyzing, which is really bad and something I’m trying to break out of. But I think a lot of this record is me stepping out of myself and out of the relationship, and over-analyzing it like I do with everything.” Claud. At Club Congress… Tuc-

MARCH 10, 2022

son Kitchen Musicians Association’s Spring Benefit Concert is being held at Monterey Court. Proceeds to benefit the upcoming 37th Annual Tucson Folk Festival…

SUNDAY, MARCH 13 With a knack for plainspoken songwriting, gravel-throated Texas red dirt country singer Wade Bowen offers his latest, Hold My Beer, Vol. 2 (2020).

At The Rock… Formed in 2020, when blues/roots heavyweights Johnny Main (The 44s) and Eric VonHerzen (Walter Trout, Social Distortion) joined forces to create a supergroup.

The Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation present The Atomic 44s.

At Monterey Court… “Bathroom Stall,” Maia Sinaiko tells Pitchfork, “is about a relationship I had with someone who struggled with addiction, who very tragically passed away three years ago while we were together.” On Crossing Over (2021) Bay Area trio Sour Widows discover a new intensity by

turning inward. At House of Bards…

With influences ranging from the Rolling Stones to Black Sabbath to James Brown intermixed with traditional African rhythms and bush village songs, these Zambian rockers intend to cause havoc. W.I.T.C.H. At Club Congress…

MONDAY, MARCH 14 Tackling destructive habits, on Bad Vacation (2020) songwriter Elizabeth Anne Odachowski is at her most self aware. “I was writing what I needed to hear,” Odachowski explains in a statement. “I was quite literally writing a stronger, more empowered version of myself into existence.” Liza Anne.

At 191 Toole… Here Comes More Bad News. Bay-area punks Spiritual Cramp slither like “Rattlesnakes in the City.” At Club Congress…

TUESDAY, MARCH 15 In the documentary film LoudQUIETloud (2006), Kurt Cobain is said to have

stolen their riffs and Bono avowed to be a major fan. Since their formation in Boston (1986), their unique blunge of surf, psychedelia, and grunge piloted the Pixies to become one of the pioneers of alternative rock. Recorded in a converted church in upstate New York, the gothic surroundings influenced principal songwriter Black Francis the writing and recording process of Beneath the Eyrie (2019). “I wanted to intermingle with the spirit world, with life and death and with the mystical and a more surreal landscape.” Pixies.

At Rialto Theater… To Henry St. Claire Fredericks, Jr. (aka Taj Mahal), convention means nothing, but traditions are holy. A scholar of blues music, Fredericks studied ethnomusicology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There he was introduced to the folk music of the Caribbean and West Africa. Over time he began to incorporate elements of reggae, calypso, jazz, zydeco, R&B, gospel music, and country blues to form his unique sound. According to The Rough Guide to Rock (2003), Taj Mahal is one of the first major artists to explore the possibilities of world music. Known as a blues musician, he has transcended the blues by not leaving it behind. “The blues is bigger than most people think,” Fredericks says. “You could hear Mozart play the blues. It might be more like a

.com

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lament. But I’m going to tell you, the blues is in there.” Taj Mahal Sextet. At Fox Tucson Theatre… From Seattle, this trio’s multilingual music covers a range of styles: Art-punk, psych, pop, cumbia and experimental. The Stranger opines, “With wild songs that gleefully twist rock conventions while maintaining hooks amid the encroaching chaos, Tres Leches recall the Pixies…when they still radiated danger.” Rising from the dark basement, Tres Leches share a taste of Amorfo (2019). At Club Congress…

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 Taking piano lessons (which he initially disliked) from the age of eight, Trevor Christensen later attended the Berklee College of Music before launching Said the Sky. His melodic background and technical training bring a fresh perspective to EDM. Relentless Beats present Said The Sky. Sentiment Tour.

At Rialto Theater… From Nova Scotia, after a five-year absence, Celtic folk duo Cassie and Maggie MacDonald return on St. Patrick’s Eve. At Berger Performing Arts Center…

Until next week, XOXO…

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UP IN SMOKE

As the Legislature grinds on, only two pot bills remain

By David Abbott tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com IT’S BEEN AN EVENTFUL legislative session, what with all the voter restriction bills and Republicans pretending to eat their own by “punishing” Wendy Rogers for hanging out with Nazis while they pivot on their love for Putin in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.

Given that, all in all it has not been a completely terrible session for pot lovers, although there are still two mediocre bills that are not quite dead yet.

This legislative session kicked off on Jan. 10 and there were far fewer

marijuana bills than last year, although what’s left consists of ideas repackaged from last year and a good bill gone bad because of a late amendment.

There were nine bills this session— after upwards of 20 last year, when the legislature endured a 171-day session and Gov. Ducey vetoed nearly two dozen bills to try to push more tax cuts through for his wealthy buddies.

“It’s been a really weird, slow cannabis bill reality with respect to the legislature,” director of Arizona NORML Mike Robinette said at a Southern Arizona NORML board meeting at Harambe Cafe last week. “They’re focused on other stuff, it’s clear.”

Given the partisan makeup of the legislature and the ability of elected officials to gut bills and replace them with completely unrelated content—known as “strikers”—Robinette is not prepared to call any bill completely dead. But most of the proposed cannabis legislation for this year has hit a dead end.

That does not mean, however, they will not come back next year, as zombies are wont to do.

TWO BILLS STILL HAVE A PULSE TWO BILLS HAVE MADE IT partially through the process and were scheduled for more votes this week, after the Weedly deadline.

SB1402, sponsored by Sen. David Gowan (R-LD14), would change 13 rural licenses awarded last April into dual-use licenses.

The licenses are currently adult-use recreational only and were issued in April 2021 in order to fill a void in rural Arizona counties.

The “backfill” was a big win for a few dispensary owners, but not so much for medical cannabis patients who are stuck paying recreational prices—including a

16% excise (aka sales) tax on product—for their medicine.

The bill is intended to fix that oversight, but a recent amendment would add the medical licenses to the state total and count against the cap on the number of licenses enshrined in statute.

AZNORML initially supported the bill because it had the possibility of increasing competition and driving down prices, but is leery about it with the amendment.

The bill passed the Senate Health and Human Services committee on Feb. 2 with a 6-2 vote and the Rules Committee on Feb. 21. Early this week (after deadline) it went to a committee of the whole (COW), where all members of the legislative assembly get together for discussion.

“It was a perfect bill, but then they ruined it with an amendment,” he said.

“The only way to drive prices down is more competition.”

Likewise SB1715, sponsored by Gowan and co-sponsored by Sens. Sonny Borelli (R-LD5) and Rebecca Rios (D-LD27), which would ban hemp-derived Delta 8, Delta 10 and a variety of other hemp derived cannabinoids, was heading to the

MARCH 10, 2022

Senate Rules Committee early this week.

The bill would keep non-cannabis derived products out of the market and likely put manufacturers of hemp products out of business due to cost increases for raw materials. Hemp-derived products are not subjected to testing that is done in the marijuana industry, but there are two manufacturers in the state that fully test products who would be hurt by the bill.

Should it pass through the Rules Committee, it would still face an uphill battle, as it would require a three-quarters vote because of voter protections. ■

NEWS NUGGETS Speaking of Southern Arizona NORML: The volunteer organization will host its monthly trash cleanup of Campbell Avenue between Grant and River Road on March 12 at 7 a.m.

Meet at the Trader Joe’s parking lot on

Campbell Avenue and the Rillito River at 7 a.m. Cleaning supplies will be provided.

For more information, go to soaznorml. org or search for the Facebook page.

Cannafriends, March 24: Tucson Cannafriends, featured in the Feb. 24 edition of Weedly, will meet at the Annabelle Studio, 630 E. Ninth St., on Thursday, March 24, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The event’s Spotlight Sponsor will be LUSH, with many other sponsors including Aeriz, Earth’s Healing, Stiiizy, AZ NORML, Nugjewelz, Balanced Veterans Network, Frank Williams Design, Crest Insurance, iLava/D2/Downtown Dispensary, Mad Terp Labs, Boveda, C4 Labs and Indoor Grow Buddies.

Cannafriends is a community event that brings consumers and vendors together to learn about cannabis, different brands and to find friends who enjoy cannabis.

Tickets for the event are $20 and can be found on EventBrite by searching Tucson Cannafriends. For more information, contact Amethyst Kinney, Cannafriends Regional Director, at amethyst@azcannafriends.com. ■

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maybe he does this a lot. He kept referring to himself as a “pig,” which I found kind of hot but I’m not sure what it implies. When told that I’d like to have a brief chat before jumping into play, he basically said that he prefers to just “jump right in.” When I brought up my boundaries he seemed to respect them but again emphasized that he likes to play with a new partner right away.

He lives in another town but is willing to drive to where I live to meet me. That’s the reason I’m writing you. I need to make a decision here and I can’t. Is it a bad idea to play with a total stranger even if I find the idea hot?

—Suffering Newly Out Guy

SAVAGE LOVE LAY MISÉRABLES

By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net

I lost my lover unexpectedly last weekend.

He was a long-time friend and periodic hook-up, and things were finally starting to turn as serious as I’d always secretly wanted them to be. I’m writing because I don’t know what to do with my desire for him, because that certainly didn’t die with him. He’s the only person I’ve been with in the past year and a half and re-reading our old sexts and thinking about the last time we were together has been turning me on. But I feel all sorts of torn up about masturbating to the thought of him. I want to do it, but I haven’t.

We had a trip planned at the end of March that I am still planning on taking where he was telling me we were going to fall in love.

We had been talking (he was on the other side of the country) and video sexting about all the things we were going to do to each other, and I was looking forward to having the best sex of my life with him (we really connected in bed) while on a tropical island.

Now I will be going alone. Is it healthy for me to masturbate about him? I mean, I know he’d love the thought, but it also makes me feel so devastatingly sad. Thoughts?

—Too Heartbroken For Witty Acronyms First and most importantly, THFWA, I’m so sorry for your loss—the loss of your friend and lover, and the loss of the future you might have had with him. My heart goes out to you.

As for your specific question…

Back in my younger days, when I first started writing this column, I advised people against masturbating about the dead. Being a gay man who came out just as the AIDS crisis was starting, I would go on to lose friends and boyfriends during that pandemic, including the first man I ever truly loved.

Looking back, I gave the advice I did—don’t masturbate about the dead—not because it was good advice for everyone, THFWA, but because sex was so closely associated with death for me that I personally couldn’t bear the thought of doing anything that would make that association any stronger. When I was in my twenties and early thirties, I could only masturbate about things that were still possible in the future I hoped to have, and not about the people and possibilities I’d already lost.

So, as alive as my desire still was for my first true love, I couldn’t fantasize about my time with him. It made me feel his loss too deeply at a time when I knew more loss was coming my way, and soon. And maybe it was easier for me to avoid masturbating about him, seeing as I only had my memories of him, and not a smartphone full of

sext messages and dirty videos.

Anyway, THFWA, what I wanted to say… and what I can see now… is that we all grieve in our own ways. If the thought of masturbating about your lover gives you a feeling of peace or pleasure or makes you feel connected to him—if reading those sexts messages and watching those videos comfort you more than they grieve you—you should do it. But brace yourself for the very real possibility that you’ll be overwhelmed by feelings of loss after you climax. While fantasies have the power to lift us out of the moment, our refractory periods have a way of throwing us back down to Earth. You’ll rub one out, then you’ll cry it out. And if that’s what you need, if that makes you feel better, if that helps you feel his presence and not just his loss… there’s more than one way someone’s memory can be a blessing.

I’m a 22-year-old straight man. My problem is simple but hard to solve: How do I cope with intense sexual desires that cannot be satisfied? I’ve been dealing with this problem since I developed a libido. I have a lot of sexual fantasies that I cannot satisfy for two reasons. First, because I’m not considered attractive by the people I’m attracted to. Secondly, I am now in a long-distance monogamous relationship. The relationship is perfect. We have a lot of great sex when we are together, but I cannot try other things I’d like to explore. My girlfriend doesn’t want to open the relationship and I respect that. I honestly love her more than my need to have other sexual experiences. Also, I believe that even if we opened the relationship, I wouldn’t have much opportunity to try other things anyway. Seeing as I can’t have all the experiences I’d like to—and I feel like a whiny cis-het babyman typing that—what is the best way to cope with frustration? Can I reduce my sexual desire? I have looked at pharmaceuticals, but they all need medical prescriptions. Would physical activity or certain behavioral therapies help? I don’t want this to be a problem for my girlfriend or for me. Am I too greedy? More broadly, how can our society take care of all those people which, for some reason, are excluded from a satisfactory sex life? I hope this is not a stupid question.

—Libido Is Brimming, Intense Desires Obsess Even the hottest people—and by, “the hottest people,” I mean, “the most conventionally-attractive people,” and it needs to be said that not all conventionally-attrac-

tive people are hot and not all hot people are conventionally attractive—don’t get everything they want. Some don’t know how to ask for what they want, some are too paralyzed by shame to ask for it, and some are so out of touch with their own desires that they don’t even know what they want.

So, you shouldn’t look at the conventionally attractive and assume their sex lives are better than yours, LIBIDO, which to be honest sounds pretty good.

Instead of dumping the girlfriend you’ve got because she doesn’t want to open your relationship, LIBIDO, I would encourage you to live in hope. She may not be interested in opening the relationship now, but she might be open to the idea at some point down the road. Most couples in open relationships were monogamous to start, sometimes for many years. A time may come when your girlfriend is not just willing to open your relationship (fully or just enough to let you explore some of your kinks with others), but excited about the idea herself. In the meantime, enjoy the sex you’re having, masturbate about the sex you’d like to have, and stop contemplating chemical castration.

I’m a 35-year-old gay man who spent most of his life in the closet. I’ve been with very few men, and they were all bad hookups. I’ve grown frustrated with the lack of opportunities to meet people, but lately I feel like I need to just be with someone. But I feel like I can’t trust myself meeting people on apps anymore, partly due to fear of STIs, partly due to bad experiences, and partly due to my fear of meeting someone who is scary or possessive. It’s gotten to the point where my desire to be with a guy is causing me real suffering. All because I can’t figure out a way to meet someone without risk. I started talking to one guy on this gay app and our kinks are fairly aligned and everything he’s saying sounds good, but he also seems like

The world is on fire.

Let this pig come see you. Meet the pig in a public place. If the pig gives you a bad feeling—not the bad feeling you arrived with, but some other bad feeling—you don’t have to go through with anything. But if the pig seems nice and you have a good feeling, SNOG, then you can invite him back to your place and have some of that kinky sex you wanna have. (And all “pig” means in this context is, “This dude likes sex and with the right guy or guys he’ll fucking wallow in it.”)

Why is this pig rushing things? Well, maybe he’s been watching CNN and knows the world is on fire—along with at least one of the nuclear power plants in it—and wants to experience the joy and connection of sex with a man he’s attracted to while he still can. And he’s accepted something you’re gonna need to accept if you ever wanna have the sex you fantasize about: There’s no such thing as risk-free sex. You can minimize your risk for acquiring an STI by getting on PrEP and using condoms or by avoiding penetration and sticking to kink play and mutual masturbation; you can minimize the risk of meeting someone scary or dangerous by watching out for red flags and trusting your judgment. But at the end of the day… you gotta take a chance.

And this guy’s willingness to take a chance on you isn’t by itself a red flag, SNOG, as it’s not uncommon for gay men to wanna fuck right away, aka, establishing sexual compatibility before making a huge emotional investment in a potential new sex and/or romantic partner.

I can’t promise you this experience will go any better than your past experiences.

I can promise you that you’ll never have a good experience if you aren’t willing to take reasonable risks, SNOG, and this guy seems like a reasonable risk to me. questions@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage.

Columns, podcasts, books, merch, and more at www.savage.love!

MARCH 10, 2022

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 author Isak Dinesen defined “true piety” as “loving one’s destiny unconditionally.” That’s a worthy goal for you to aspire to in the coming weeks. I hope you will summon your deepest reserves of ingenuity and imagination as you cultivate a state of mind in which you adore your life just as it is. You won’t compare it negatively to anyone else’s fate, and you won’t wish it were different from what it actually is. Instead, you will be pleased and at peace with the truth of exactly who you are right now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As author Mary Ruefle points out, “In the beginning, William Shakespeare was a baby, and knew absolutely nothing. He couldn’t even speak.” And yet eventually, he became a literary superstar—among history’s greatest authors. What happened in between?

I’m not exaggerating when I attribute part of the transformation to magic. Vast amounts of hard work and help and luck were involved, too. But to change from a wordless, uncoordinated sprout to a potent, influential maestro, Taurus-born Shakespeare had to be the beneficiary of mysterious powers. I bring this up, Taurus, because I think you will have access to comparable mojo during the next four weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As talented and financially successful as Kanye West is, the Gemini singer-songwriter experiences a lot of emotional suffering. But no one lives an ideal life, right? And we can learn from everyone. In any case, I’ve chosen quotes

by Kanye that are in rapt alignment with your astrological omens. Here they are: 1.

“I’m in pursuit of awesomeness; excellence is the bare minimum.” 2. “You’re not perfect, but you’re not your mistakes.” 3. “I’m not comfortable with comfort. I’m only comfortable when I’m in a place where I’m constantly learning and growing.” 4.

“Everything I’m not makes me everything I am.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction,” wrote philosopher Saint Teresa of Avila, who was renowned for her euphoric spiritual experiences. So is there any such thing as “fake ecstasy,” as she implies?

Maybe fake ecstasy would be perverse bliss at the misfortune of an enemy, or the trivial joy that comes from realizing your house keys aren’t missing. Real ecstasy, on the other hand, might arise from a visceral sense of the presence of God, or the rapture that emerges as you make love with a person you care for, or the elation you feel when you commune with your favorite animal. Anyway, Cancerian, I predict that

in the coming days, you will have an extra rich potential for the real kinds of rhapsodic delight and enchantment.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo actor Jennifer Lawrence portrayed a rugged, fierce, resourceful champion in The Hunger Games film trilogy. In real life, however, she has few resemblances to that stalwart hero.

“I have the street smarts and survival skills of a poodle,” she has confessed. But I’ve got potentially good news for her and all the rest of you Leos. The coming months will be a favorable time for you to cultivate the qualities of a rugged, fierce, resourceful champion. And right now would be an excellent time to launch your efforts.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Each of us periodically has to deal with conflict. There come times when we must face the fact that a specific situation in our lives isn’t working well and needs to be adjusted, fixed or transformed. We might prefer to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. We may be inclined to endure the stressful discomfort rather than engage with its causes. But such an approach won’t be right for you in the coming days, dear Virgo. For the sake of your mental and spiritual health, you have a sacred duty to bravely risk a struggle to improve things. I’ll provide you with advice from novelist John Fowles. He said, “I must fight with my weapons. Not his.

Not selfishness and brutality and shame and resentment.” Fowles goes on to say that he will offer generosity and gentleness and no-shame and forgiveness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A blogger named MysteryOfWhat expressed appreciation for her errors and wrong turns. “I love all my mistakes!” she exclaimed. “I had fun!” She has a theory that she would not have been able to completely fulfill her interesting destiny without her blunders and her brilliant adjustments to those blunders. I won’t encourage you to be quite so boisterously unconditional in celebrating your fumbles and miscues, Libra. My inclination is to urge you to honor them and feel grateful for them, but I’m not sure I should advise you to shout out, “I love all my mistakes! I had fun!” But what do you think?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Norman MacCaig wrote, “Ask me, go on, ask me to do something impossible, something freakishly useless, something unimaginable and inimitable like making a finger break into blossom or walking for half an hour in 20 minutes or remembering tomorrow.” I hope people say things like that to you soon, Scorpio. I hope allies playfully nudge you to stretch your limits, expand your consciousness, and experi-

ment on the frontier. To encourage such a development, you could do the same for your beloved allies: nudge them to stretch their limits, expand their consciousness, and experiment on the frontier.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Look at your body not as a source of physical attraction but as a shrine,” wrote teacher Sobonfu Somé. Personally, I have no problem if you regard your body as a source of physical attraction—as a gorgeous, radiant expression of your life energy, worthy of inspiring the appreciation of others. But I agree with Somé that you should also treat your body as a sacred sanctuary deserving of your reverence—especially now. Please boost your intention to provide your beloved organism with all the tender care it needs and warrants.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “It’s surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time,” writes author Barbara Kingsolver. Yes! I agree. And by providing you with this heads-up from her, I’m hoping that the subtly potent events unfolding for you in the coming weeks will not go unnoticed. I’m hoping you will be alert for seemingly small but in fact crucial developments—and thereby give them all the focus and intelligence they deserve.

Later, you’ll remember this delicately pivotal time with amazed gratitude.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What’s more important: to learn or to unlearn? The answer, of course, is they are equally

Comics

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important. But sometimes, the most crucial preparation for a new learning phase is to initiate a surge of unlearning. That’s what I’m recommending for you right now. I foresee you embarking on a series of extravagant educational experiences in a couple of weeks. And the best way to ensure you take maximum advantage of the available lessons is by dumping useless knowledge and irrelevant information and numbing habits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Singersongwriter Jill Scott has earned one platinum and two gold records. She approaches her craft with diligence and intensity. On one occasion, she was frying a burger at her boyfriend’s house when she sensed a new song forming in her imagination.

Abandoning the stove, she ran into the next room to grab pen and paper. Soon she had transcribed the beginning of a melody and lyrics. In the meantime, though, the kitchen caught on fire. Luckily, she doused it. Later Jill testified, “His cabinets were charred, and he was furious. But it was worth it for a song.” I don’t think you’ll have to make as big a sacrifice as hers in the coming days, Pisces. But you should respond robustly whenever inspiration arrives.

Homework: Every day for three days, seek out three experiences that will make you laugh a lot. Report results: Newsletter.

FreeWillAstrology.com

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Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS

1 Aid in woodworking

4 Having excessive pride 8 Neighbor of Francia

Chinese “way” 15 Primo 16 Where a sleeping bag may be found 17 Spokeswoman in Progressive insurance ads 18 Warm coals 20 Shakespearean fool 22 Pop singer Jason 23 4G ___ (phone norm) 24 Springs (from) 26 Arnaz of 1950s comedy 27 Sunbeams 28 Hurried home, in a way 30 Beverage brand whose name means “fresh” in Hindi 32 Go for bronze?

33 Walls in a cinema 36 Squeaks (by) 39 Key lime 42 Over again 43 Moviemaker Miyazaki 44 Homophone of a synonym for “obey” 46 Big Board org.

48 Skunk marking 50 1942 romance movie heroine 53 Preceder of Romeo or Bravo 56 Whoop-de-do 57 “Kidding!”

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58 “Good enough” 60 Paper view?

Proofreader’s reminder … or some advice for finishing here?

64 Agcy. making lax regs 65 One who makes bail, perhaps 66 Buggy app version, maybe 67 Drink suffix 68 Acquiesce 69 Primer dog 70 Org. Edward Snowden once worked for 61

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1 Before knowing more

major issue 3 Magnifies, in a way 4 Hurl, say 5 Kind of ring or music 6 Nonunion?

7 Sci-fi or romance 8 And so on 9 Dry, as a vino 10 Afg. neighbor 11 Express service since 2000 12 Harebrained 13 Church areas 19 Provide a good reason for 21 King or queen 25 Fibrous 27 IV device found in many homes nowadays 29 Grandma, in Cambridge 31 Beginning of an ordered sequence

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8x8 grid 35 Big bygone bird 37 Addis Ababa denizen 38 Goal keepers’ kin 40 Suvari of “American Pie” 41 Profs’ aides 45 Some of Jordan’s border 47 Companions of Dionysus 49 Offspring of Kanga 50 Quechua speakers 51 “___ Doone”

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52 Cheap cigar 54 Messes up 55 “Mad Men” worker, in

brief

58 “Hmm …”

59 Prussia’s ___

von Bismarck

62 Foxy 63 Squalled, say

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