The YWCA of Tucson and the Southern Arizona Hate Crimes Taskforce would like to invite you to join us as we welcome the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona to her first Civil Rights Forum for Southern Arizona. Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel will hold the public forum at the Tucson YWCA, located at 525 N. Bonita Ave, on the evening of Tuesday, January 31st.

Doors open at 5:30 pm and the forum will begin at 6 p.m. We encourage the public to attend with their questions for federal prosecutors and federal law enforcement. AUSA Karen Rolley and FBI Special Agent Christopher McKinney will present on how hate crimes are prosecuted using the Shepard-Byrd Act, as well as inform the public on how to report police misconduct and other civil rights abuses. Please invite your family and friends for an educational evening on how to protect your civil rights.

WHAT: US Attorney’s First Public Civil Rights Forum for Southern Arizona
WHO: All public invited to attend – event is free
WHEN: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
WHERE: YWCA of Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave.

Tim Jefferson
Victim Witness Specialist
United States Attorney’s Office – District of Arizona
405 W. Congress St.,Ste. 4800
Tucson, AZ. 85701
(520) 620-7461
timothy.jefferson@usdoj.gov

Mercury Portal celebration at the newly opened Monterey Court, 505 W. Miracle Mile (one block west of Oracle Rd.). Website: www.montereycourtaz.com.

January 28 & 29 2012

Day: Sat and Sun 11am – 3pm $6

Night: Sat doors @ 5pm $16 (21+)

The festival celebration will feature contemporary performance & installation art, live music & DJs, variety & characters and with guest performers DJ Camilo Lara from the Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City) and West Village piano bar icon Jim Allen (New York City), entertainer extraordinaire from the legendary Marie’s Crisis playing day and happy-hour in the Mercury Portal Piano Bar.

INCLUDING:

Salvador Duran,
Marianne Dissard,
Parasol Project DJ Carl Hanni,
DJ Sökó Niño The Missing Parts,
Trima Muzicante,
Whiskey Breath Burlesque,
20,000 Strong Men Time Travelling Vaudevillians,
Circus and More….

Monterey Court Cafe will be offering a sampling of their much anticipated menu featuring such specialty items as Citrus Ceviche cups, Monterey Gumbo soup, marinated lamb skewers, Primavera Pasta and assorted hot and cold empanadas with full liquor, wine and Arizona micro-brewed beers. Tickets are Available at Bookman’s.

Monterey Court is a newly opened collective of artisan galleries and shops in a remodeled courtyard area of a former motel on Miracle Mile. Call 520-582-0514, info@montereycourtaz. The Venue launch announcement for the Mercury Portal festival says to DRESS TO IMPRESS: “retrofit your dress for a 1930s – 1960s Sonoran road-trip.

List of current galleries at Monterey Court:
The Quantum Gallery
Gone to Pieces
Latin Spirit Designs
Dragon’s Spark
Silver Streak Gallery
Hacienda Bellas Arts
Victorian West
Jonathan Fine Art
Small Miracles Craft Mall
Blue Dog Confectionery and Gallery
Velvet Rags

For more about the Monterey Court renovation & upcoming event, click here for KUAT Channel 6 interview on 1/25/12.

Republican 2 term LD 26 House Rep. Vic Williams has filed to run for the District 1 Pima County Supervsior seat to be vacated by retiring Supervisor Ann Day. Prior to becoming a legislator in 2009 Williams was a small businessman & had started his first firm, Racksource, a warehousing equipment company in California, and had also invested in real estate.

House Rep. Vic Williams

Read more from his AZ House of Representative bio here.

Williams is entering a four-way Republican primary for this seat. Political newcomers Stuart McDaniel and Ally Miller, and former CD 8 House candidate/former AZ Republican Party chair Mike Hellon have previously announced their candidacies. Only former LD 26 House Rep. Nancy Young Wright is running in the Democratic primary for District 1 Supervisor (so far).

Williams and Marilyn Zerull won the September 2008 Republican primary for this House seat in LD 26 over Trent Humphries (Tucson Tea Party founder), and then Williams and appointed Democrat House Rep. Nancy Young Wright prevailed in the Nov. 2008 General Election for the 2 House seats. In August 2010 Williams and political newcomer Terri Proud won the Republican primary over Dr. Wade McLean in that race, and also prevailed in the General Election upsetting Democrat incumbent Nancy Young Wright.

So if Williams prevails in the District 1 Republican primary on August 28, he will face off once again against Young Wright.

Williams’ campaign website: www.vote4vic.com, (520) 390-9946 or info@vote4vic.com.

All Pima County Supervisors are up for re-election this year, and to date there have been no announced challengers to the present incumbents- Democrat Ramon Valadez (D 2), Democrat Sharon Bronson (D 3), Republican Ray Carroll (D 4), Democrat Richard Elias (D 5). For my previous May 2011 blog about these Supervisors, click here.