• Markus Steinhauser
• Madeline Madilynody covers her face against the blowing snow as her father Jeff carries her to Mather Point at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Ariz., on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Madilynodys, from Los Angeles, were visiting the Grand Canyon the first time.

• Markus Steinhauser
• A view over the Grand Canyon at Moran Point at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Ariz., on Tuesday, Dec 22. After being covered in thick clouds, the Canyon became visible at that point.

Glimpses of winter weather in Northern Arizona from UA School of Journalism exchange student Markus Steinhauser.

Just when I thought Facebook was OK, I got this friend suggestion on the right corner of my screen.

I've been dragged into our local Build-a-Bear Workshop countless times, but I never realized this corporate pit contributed to my son's growing obsession with saving the planet. Lucky for me there's Big Government. The conservative Website brought to my attention this video posted on the company's interactive game Website buildabearville.com.

...when your unsuspecting tot logs on and hops a virtual train to the North Pole…you should know that he or she will be informed — by Santa Claus — that Christmas may be canceled this year due to Global Warming.

Needless-to-say, this constitutes brainwashing on the sleaziest and most sinister level. The good news is that this nonsense isn’t coming from our government this time and the rocky economy is our friend here. People, we have the means, if we have the will, to topple these charlatans who shamelessly prey on little children. So boycott Build-A-Bear. And, more importantly, tell the world why.

The ice caps are melting. But I guess it's easier to focus on corporations that convince you it's good to pay $45 for a cuddly doll or bear that comes with accessories and its own cardboard condo, than it is to get real about climate change. Next up: Band-Aid commercials with those cute kids singing about being stuck on Band-Aid brands is actually teaching our children how to advocate for health care reform. Beware.

News that downtown's Coronado Hotel won't be sold to Pima County to retain as affordable housing raises two immediate questions.

First, will county officials consider using eminent domain to acquire the property? This prospect could be considered if the eventual buyer proposes converting the Coronado into another use.

The second question is: Could the Downtown Development Corporation, which owns the building, and the Downtown Tucson Partnership, which manages the DDC, have possibly done a worse public-relations job handling this issue? The latest boo-boo of announcing on Dec. 22 that the county would not be the buyer was a hell of an early Christmas present to elected officials.

Word is they are none too happy about the present.

Note: An earlier version of this post said that the Industrial Development Authority co-owned the Coronado Hotel rather than the DDC. (Thanks for the heads up, Downtowner.)

If you have $5 and nothing better to do Christmas night, then get your butt to this show.

Marshall Vest repeated his warning that the state budget is "unsolvable" during a talk with Arizona Illustrated's Bill Buckmaster. Watch the segment after the jump.

I spoke to Vest earlier today as part of a legislative preview piece I'm working on for next month. He threw cold water on the proposal to just cut more taxes and wait for the economy to rebound. That economic plan has been floated by some House Republicans, including Rep. Frank Antenori, and gubernatorial candidates John Munger and Vernon Parker, who are opposed to Gov. Jan Brewer's proposal to raise sales taxes.

“The argument is that if you could only cut taxes, you could stimulate the economy,” Vest says. “But the fact is that tax cuts do not pay for themselves. If you cut a dollar out of your taxes, you might get a nickel back.”

Vest says the state needs to increase taxes—whether sales, income or property—because the state can't cut its way out of the problem.

“In fact, our tax burden is not high,” Vest told me. “The state doesn’t ask very much of its taxpayers…. We’re not going to ruin the economy by raising taxes here."

Vest expands on that thought in his interview with Buckmaster. Watch it after the jump.

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, a Republican who looked over some alleged public corruption cases because Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas had a conflict of interest, takes on Thomas and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today in the Arizona Republic:

I was happy to remove myself from the cases and from contact with Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

My discomfort grew daily and my role in restraining potential abuses of power increasingly more difficult. It was a relief to package up the files and return them to Maricopa County.

Maricopa County is not my jurisdiction, but I can no longer sit by quietly and watch from a distance the abuses of power by Sheriff Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

I am conservative and passionately believe in limited government, not the totalitarianism that is spreading before my eyes.

The actions of Arpaio and Thomas are a disservice to the hundreds of dedicated men and women who work in their offices, and a threat to the entire criminal-justice system.