Carolyn Classen

Carolyn Sugiyama Classen, a life long Democrat, was born & raised in the State of Hawaii, was a Legislative Aide for U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye on Capitol Hill, and practiced law for a while. In Tucson she worked as a tribal staff attorney for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and later was the Interim Executive Director of the now defunct Domestic Violence Commission. In 2008 she became a “My Tucson” guest columnist for the Tucson Citizen newspaper, then continued blogging for Tucsoncitizen.com for over four and a half years. Her blogsite was entitled “Carolyn’s Community” about community events and some political news, until Gannett Publishing shut down the site on January 31, 2014. She started with Blog for Arizona on Feb. 11, 2014. Part time she sat as a Hearing Officer in Pima County Consolidated Justice Courts Small Claims Division since April, 2005 for 15 years. She is married to University of Arizona Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen, a native of Germany. They have one son, who lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and daughter. She is also the Editor of the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition website, www.southernazjapan.org (since Jan. 2013).

Finalists’ presentations for proposed Tucson January 8th Memorial

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Please join us on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 5:30 pm at the Arizona History Museum (949 E. 2nd Street) for brief presentations by the four finalists for Tucson’s January 8th Memorial, and an opportunity for you to share your thoughts and ideas.


The finalists are the team of CSAO (Chee Salette Architecture Office), Rebeca Méndez Design, ag Licht, and Swan/Starts; HOK; Ibarra Rosano Design Architects; and Logan Simpson Design.


The finalists are entering the second phase of the design competition, which is to develop a preliminary memorial design. The January 13th meeting is an opportunity for the finalists to hear from community members before they begin this design process.

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Photo gallery of 2nd Annual Japanese New Year’s Mochitsuki celebration

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Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers welcoming in the New Year of the Sheep
Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers welcomed in the New Year of the Sheep

On January 10, 2015 the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition (SAJCC) sponsored their 2nd Annual mochi pounding celebration for the new Year of the Sheep.  Here are photos of that lively event, held at the Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, home of Odaiko Sonora (taiko drummers), 1013 S. Tyndall Ave. All photos except for the last one taken by freelance photographer James Tokishi.

Tracy, Nicole and Karen from Odaiko Sonora pounding mochi
Tracy, Karen and Nicole from Odaiko Sonora pounding mochi

 

Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers performing
Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers performing as mochi is being pounded

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Consultant Cheryl Cage elected Chair of Pima County Democratic Party

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Cheryl Cage ran unsuccessfully twice against Senator Al Melvin for his seat in LD 26 in 2008 and 2010.  She recently chaired the successful campaign of LD 9 House Rep. Dr. Randy Friese in Nov. 2014 (and had chaired former LD 26 Rep. Lena Saranik’s successful campaign as well in 2006).  This recent win in LD 9 was an upset  over incumbent Republican Rep. Ethan Orr.

She succeeds former Chair Don Jorgensen,  as she was elected at the 2015 Pima County Reorganizational Meeting today. Here’s her resume:

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2015 Sunday Night at the Movies at St. Francis in the Foothills

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Every year the good folks at St. Francis in the Foothills (4625  E. River Rd.) hosts a movie series with a pot luck dinner followed by a provocative, thoughtful movie of some political or cultural/ethnic concern.  Here’s the upcoming list for 2015, always 2nd Sunday of the month (EXCEPT for May) .  Pot luck starts at 5:30 p.m. with the movie about 6 p.m.

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Sunday, Jan.11th
My afternoons with Marguerite – My Afternoons with Marguerite is the story of life’s random encounters. In a small French town, Germain, a nearly illiterate man in his 50’s and considered to be the village idiot by his friends at the local bistro, takes a walk to the park one day and happens to sit beside Marguerite, a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She’s articulate, highly intelligent and frail. Between Germain and Margueritte, there are 40 years and 200 pounds difference. Germain is lured by Marguerite’s passion for life and the magic of literature from which he has always excluded. As Marguerite broadens his mind via reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite  bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey — to literacy and for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Marguerite.

Sunday, Feb.8th
Why We Fight -Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki’s shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

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4th year anniversary of shooting on January 8, 2011 (photos)

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The tragic Tucson Tragedy happened 4 years ago on Saturday, January 8, 2011.  Here are photos taken this afternoon by freelance photographer Jon Scanlon of the memorial plaque on the boulder in front of the Safeway supermarket at the SE corner of Oracle/Ina.  Many people left lovely flowers today in remembrance of this mass shooting at this site.

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Six people died that day on that sidewalk outside the supermarket.  Let us not forget them:

Christina-Taylor Green, age 9,
Dorothy “Dot” Morris, age 76,
Judge John Roll, age 63,
Phyllis Schneck, age 79,
Dorwan Stoddard, age 76,
and Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman, age 30 (whom I knew).
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A Prayer gathering was held today at the Northminster Presbyterian Church on Tucson Blvd/Ft. Lowell (where Phyllis’ funeral was held in 2011), and a Day of Kindness & Remembrance was scheduled  at Tohono Chul Park. Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild rang the fire bell at Tucson Fire Central on Cushing Street in downtown Tucson at 10:10 a.m. this morning, at the exact time of the shooting.
Two events tonight at 7 p.m. —
Memorial services at St. Philips in the Hills,  4440 N. Campbell Ave. and a Memorial poetry reading at the UA Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen  St.
Former LD 2 Congressman Ron Barber who was shot twice on Jan. 8, 2011 will be reading at the latter event.  Mayor Rothschild will be at the Memorial service.

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