Putting this edition out is no easy matter and I have to thank the entire gang down here for putting their shoulder to the wheel to ensure this one would hit the streets. You'll find full credits inside the pullout, but I have give a shout-out to my old friend Hector Acuña, who stepped in a few months back to help us out here at the Tucson Weekly and our sister papers in the Tucson Local Media empire. If Hector's name sounds familiar, it's because he was Tucson Weekly's art director back in the 1990s before he went off to bigger and better things. Hector was a genius as a collaborator as well as one of the best friends I've ever had. Together, we've enjoyed cold beer, Mexican beaches, explored the wonders of San Francisco and chased down UFOs in Roswell, New Mexico, to recount just a few misadventures.
Hector took the reins of Best of Tucson®, suggested we bring a little magic of Oz and developed the glorious illustrations on the cover and throughout the book.
Best of Tucson® is Hector's swan song for now, as we've hired a new production chief, David Abbott. Abbott has a couple of decades of journalism experience under his belt, mostly as a reporter and editor in Northern California and, more recently, up in Globe, Arizona. Welcome aboard, Abbott—if you survived our Best of production, you can survive whatever is on the horizon.
There's plenty besides Best of in the book this week: Staff writer Kathleen Kunz tells us about the one-sided race for Tucson City Council in Ward 2; associate editor Jeff Gardner looks at ideas about how cities can thrive in the 21st century; arts writer Margaret Regan previews Ballet Arizona's upcoming production; Chloe Loos reviews the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre's production of The Little Prince; movie critic Bob Grimm takes a shot at Zombieland: Double Tap; web editor Jamie Verwys reveals how two members of the Mission Creeps found love; Chow writer Mark Whittaker reviews a downtown coffeeshop; and there's tons more about how to get properly spooked before Halloween and otherwise, enjoy the week.
Best wishes, everyone!
— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor
Hear Nintz talk about what's happening in Tucson's entertainment scene Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. during The Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM. Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel airs at 4 p.m. Sunday on KXCI, 91.3 FM.
