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).

Happy Birthday Tucson on August 20

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To celebrate Tucson’s birthday, start off at the Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge (formerly the Cushing Street bridge) west of the I-10  at 9:30 a.m. to watch a solar alignment of the overhead canopy cut- out design (see photo below) onto the bridge’s floor.  The Discovery Date marks  the  Birthday of the Tucson Presidio, San Augustin del Tucson. 

canopy design on Luis G. Gutierrez bridge, courtesy of Charity Bidegain
canopy design on Luis G. Gutierrez bridge, courtesy of Charity Bidegain

This is what is written on the bridge for this Discovery Date:
“The Walled Presidio San Agustin de Tucson, was founded by Hugo O’Connor (sic) on August 20, 1775 as a Spanish outpost. This date is historically celebrated as Tucson’s Birthday. Named after the O’odham village of “Chuck-son”, meaning “Village of the dark spring at the foot of the mountains.” Image from a 1850 woodcut by James Bell. (Dicovery Date and time: August 20, 9:30 a.m.)”

More info on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/luisggutierrezbridge

tucsonbirthday

Then later at 5:30 p.m. check out the Tucson Presidio itself at the SW corner of Church and Washington in downtown for their annual celebration.

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Choice of 2 Democrats for AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Two Democrats Dr.David Garcia and Sharon Thomas  are running in the Arizona primary (August 26) for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The winner of this race will face of the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent John Huppenthal and Diane Douglas.

In case you haven’t cast your early ballot and prefer to vote later, or on election day, there’s still time to consider the 2 candidates on the Democratic ticket:

Dr. David Garcia, Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.  Bio from Citizens Clean Elections Commission Voter guide:

Party:  Democrat     Campaign Funding:  Traditional     Web:  www.dg4az.com

As a 4th-generation Arizonan, public school parent and ASU professor, I know our schools,  students and state are not falling behind because of a lack of talent. We are racing to the  bottom because of a lack of vision and expertise at the top. Arizona’s public schools have been  struggling under the weight of increased demands and drastic funding cuts. We face an  alarming achievement gap, an overreliance on test scores over commonsense instruction, and a  lack of leadership from the state superintendent. I’ve devoted my career to improving our public  schools. I’ve been an education policy analyst, research director and Associate State  Superintendent for Standards and Accountability. I have the expertise and ideas that will  strengthen our public schools. As a professor, I’ve trained hundreds of Arizona’s educators. I  know what our teachers need to be successful in the classroom, and I am proud to have the endorsement of the Arizona Education Association and party leaders such as Fred DuVal. Our schools are not better off than they were four years ago, and we can’t afford more of the same. End the status quo. Vote for strong schools and a  stronger Arizona. Vote David Garcia!

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Free Fall classes at the Garden Kitchen

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I toured this fantastic facility a few months ago and learned about their gardening techniques and delicious cooking classes. Even got to sample some Caribbean dishes and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Check out the numerous classes listed above. At the SE corner of 4th Avenue and E. 32th Street in South Tucson.

Arizona Women’s Political Caucus (AWPC) endorsements for 2014 Primary

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AWPC 2014 Primary Election Endorsements Federal Races (endorsements done by National Women’s Political Caucus) U.S. House CD 9 Kyrsten Sinema (D) Arizona Statewide Races Attorney General Felicia Rotellini (D) Corporation Commission Sandra Kennedy (D)* Arizona Legislative District (LD) Races LD 2 Senate Andrea Dalessandro (D)* House Rosana Gabaldon (D)* LD 3 Senate Olivia Cajero Bedford … Read more