Oro Valley, AZ

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ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Motorists can expect construction along the west side of La Cañada Drive, close to the Oro Valley Recreation Center, over the next approximately two months to allow for a new multi-use path.

The construction project will create a brand new multi-use path, with city officials emphasizing its goal to enhance overall safety for local residents during recreational activities.

"Anytime the town can spend our tax dollars to increase safety, I’m all for it, for sure," said Rob Curcio, who owns Zpizza, located on the same street as the future multi-use path.

"I think it’s wonderful. Unfortunately [there's] too many accidents and anyway we can prevent that would be great," Pat Gutman, a retired Oro Valley resident.

Construction began on August 14 and includes a right-lane closure on La Cañada Drive that will span two months.

The new path will be located between Naranja Drive and Lambert Lane — beginning at the Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center and extending south to Cañada Hills Drive.

The project involves widening an approximately one-mile stretch of sidewalk, designed to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians simultaneously.

In addition to the right southbound lane being closed, the speed limit will be reduced to 25 miles per hour for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"No, it doesn’t affect me because I’m retired," Gutman said when asked if it will affect her daily driving around town.

"As long as I can get from place-to-place, I don’t care that much," said Brian Stahlman, who works near the future path. "It’s pretty nice for me because I’m really close to the area so it doesn’t bother me too badly."

The lane closures and speed restrictions will remain in place until the completion of the construction.

Motorists will encounter signage reminding them to merge and reduce speeds while passing through the construction zone.

Weather permitting, the construction is scheduled to conclude on October 20. Drivers are encouraged to consider alternative routes if feasible, in order to mitigate potential travel delays.

Their dream finally came true last weekend with the grand opening of their 2,300-square-foot shop, Stacks Book Club. The store opened Saturday, July 8 at 1880 E. Tangerine Road Suite 140 in the Oro Valley Marketplace.

Stacks offers more than 2,000 books including fiction, non-fiction, romance and children’s books, a full-service coffee bar featuring Yellow Brick Coffee, and fresh baked goods from Bubbe’s Bagels, Cal’s Bakeshop and on weekends, Prep & Pastry. You'll also find a selection of local brews and wines, plus grab-and-go food from Flora’s Market Run.

“We want this to be a place where whether you're an avid reader or not, there's something for you to find here,” said Crispin. “Whether it's exploring the shelves or it's exploring the pastry case or the coffee menu, there's something for everybody here. And we really want it to be a place where the community gathers. So, if that's book discussions, great, if that's PTA meetings, awesome, if that's high school reunions, meetings or get-togethers, great.

“We really just want it to be a place where we can start to connect with each other again, spend time dialoguing and discussing and understanding each other.”

The shop’s mid-century and industrial design is community-oriented with all of its furniture centered around tables, making it easy to interact with each other for a quick book-and-coffee break or during one of Stacks’ book club discussions.

So far, Stacks has two book clubs — one to discuss some of the latest reads hitting the shelves and a multi-generational reading and discussion group aimed for kids ages 9-12. But there are a few more book clubs in the works, according to Crispin, including possible clubs for romance books and manga.

But even if Stacks doesn’t currently have a book club that piques your interest, the Jeffrey-Francos are open to ideas.

Stacks also has a kid’s corner where they plan to host frequent storytelling events (including events that are bilingual) in partnership with Make Way For Books. The kid’s corner carries a selection of children’s books in English and Spanish, which was important to Crispin, who is Mexican-American.

“I hope people come in here and they're excited to read,” Crispin said. “If you read one book or you read 100 books a year, either way, you're a reader, right? But we hope people that maybe don't consider themselves readers come in here and it's, like, inspiring and they leave with a sense of excitement to find something great on one of the shelves. We hope that coffee lovers come in and have the best cup of coffee they've had and that's the same every time they come in.

“Really, we just want people to come in here thinking, ‘I want to come back’ or people leaving thinking, ‘When am I going to come back again?’ And we hope that they come back, they come back, they come back and they come back.”

Before Stacks Book Club became a brick-and-mortar, it was indeed just a club — founded in the winter of 2016.

“I sent an email to about a dozen friends, saying, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about starting a book club, would anybody want to join?’ I expected to get maybe one or two people to say yes. And instead, we ended up having our first discussion in February of 2017 with about 20 people there,” Crispin said.

During the club’s first meeting, they discussed the science-fiction novel “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. In the dystopian novel, the main character Wade Watts lives in a village called the Stacks — which became the inspiration behind the club’s name.

After moving away from Tucson, the Jeffrey-Francos returned in 2019 and kept the club — and its name — going.

Taking advice from a Startup Tucson coach, Stacks then started doing pop-up events at local restaurants and businesses as a way to start small but work their way up.

“‘That’s a way to bridge the gap so you don't go from nothing to everything and to see if you like it and see if people are excited,’” Crispin recalled their coach telling them. “So that's where the idea came from and it ended up being the best decision that we could have made.”

Over nearly 11 months of hosting pop-ups, the Jeffrey-Francos learned the basics of operating an independent bookstore, but more importantly, they learned the community’s desire for a bookstore like the one they had in mind.

“We learned that there was a real desperation, or a craving, for a space like this, especially on the northwest side, especially in Oro Valley,” Crispin said. “So all the stuff that we learned in that time was invaluable to us. Turns out that to get a Small Business Association loan, you need to have done everything that your store will do, in order to qualify. And so if we hadn't done that pop-up experience, we actually wouldn't have qualified for an SBA-guaranteed loan. And we didn't know that going into it. We didn't do the pop-ups to get that experience. We did the pop-ups to start to meet people and talk about it — (it) ended up being like a really crucial part of this actually happening.”

Opening a community bookstore and coffee bar was always the plan — even if it took a little longer than expected.

Last fall, Stacks announced its plans to open a brick-and-mortar in spring 2023. However, that date was pushed back more than once due to construction setbacks, waiting for equipment to arrive and putting the final touches on the shop.

When #ThisIsTucson chatted with Crispin a couple weeks ago, he said he was feeling “stress, excitement, hope, concern” and just about everything in between before the shop’s opening.

“The amount of excitement that we feel through social media, the amount of phone calls and emails we’re receiving on a daily basis asking if we're open, when we're going to be open and how excited they are, leaves us feeling really excited and thankful at the end of every day for what this place will be,” he said.

Almost everything inside Stacks has a touch of Tucson magic.

From the handcrafted baked goods in the pastry case to the merchandise that is designed and sourced right here in the Old Pueblo, you can find a little bit of Tucson everywhere you look.

Their gift table and shelves have a variety of cards, candles, games, T-shirts and other locally-sourced or desert-inspired items.

“We are as invested in Tucson as we can be,” Crispin said. “Almost our entire beverage program is being sourced from Tucson. (We have) Southern Arizona wine, Tucson beers, Tucson food, Tucson coffee, Tucson tea. We are investing in the local business ecosystem.

“So, when you come here, yes, you're supporting an independent bookstore, but you're also supporting this network of small businesses and independently-owned businesses that are in our own community. … As many things we can do in Tucson, that is our priority and our preference. Because we really do believe that Tucson is a special place. There's a lot of really talented people that are operating and growing businesses here and we think this is the perfect place for those businesses to have an opportunity to just continue to grow and flourish.”

In addition to a selection of gifts, Stacks also offers a yearly store membership.

With the First Edition membership, Stacks members receive benefits including 10% off every purchase (excluding gift cards), 15% off pre-orders, early access to ticketed events and exclusive member-only events. The membership costs $49 per year. (Membership is not required to shop or eat at Stacks.)

“We liked the idea of not being (just) a bookstore (because) a store, to me, feels very transactional, like you come and you go. And a club is more of a place you come and belong,” Crispin said. “And so while it can be a little bit confusing at times when people are like, ‘Do I have to join to, you know, (eat or shop)?’ No, you don't. We have really liked the idea of being a place where you come in, you exist and you belong.”

Despite just opening their brick-and-mortar location this month, this isn’t “The End” of the story for Stacks. The Jeffrey-Francos already have bigger dreams — including a larger shop in a more central or eastern location that will serve another part of Tucson’s community.

But, that’s a dream — and a story — for another day.

“Everyone is welcome here,” Crispin said. “If you’re the biggest book reader, not a book reader, coffee drinker, not a coffee drinker, to us, it doesn't matter. You walk through the doors, this is a place for you.”

Stacks will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information about Stacks Book Club, visit their website or Instagram page.

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Step into a painting with this exhibition that has been touring since 2017 with over 5,000,000 visitors. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will take place at Oro Valley Marketplace starting Friday, Aug. 11.

Discover the works of Vincent Van Gogh with a 360-degree, digital show. The exhibit has digital displays, sound effects and projection mapping. The visit will take around 60 to 75 minutes.

Time slots available every half hour:

Monday and Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. (last entry at 7 p.m.)

Tuesday and Wednesday: closed

Friday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. (last entry at 8 p.m.)

Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. (last entry at 8 p.m.)

Sunday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. (last entry at 7 p.m.)

Ticket prices will start at $36.20 for adults and $19.90 for children. For more information on tickets, visit their website.

Location: 11975 N Oracle Rd, Oro Valley, Tucson. AZ 85737

——-Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Led by a slew of alumni of the youth program, Canyon del Oro High School advanced the furthest of any Tucson area school last year, reaching the Class 4A semifinals where the Dorados lost 16-13 in overtime to Snowflake.

“We know it all runs through Phoenix. So we’re going to have to beat whoever we need to beat on the road — play the state championship in Phoenix, if we get the opportunity to play there. So for us having Tucson pride is huge,” CDO head coach Dustin Peace said. “A lot of them played Oro Valley Dolphins together — 13 of them are on our team — so they’ve been playing football as best friends for this long.

“So they’re waiting on this moment to capitalize.” Peace added. “To say it started in Oro Valley youth football, that’d be kinda cool I think for our community.”

The Dorados open the season on Friday when they host 4A newcomer Mesa Eastmark, which opened in 2019, at 7 p.m. The Firebirds won the 3A state championship last year.

Senior offensive and defensive tackle Sa’Kylee Woodard, who was All-4A last season, and senior quarterback Tristen McClelland, are among those former Dolphins.

“I think to play with the same quarterback I’ve been playing with since I was in eighth grade, same skill guys, same running back, some of the same linemen — I just think it’s awesome,” Woodard said. “Because of the camaraderie and the brotherhood that we share (it’s) just like no other.

“I can respectfully say that nobody has as strong a brotherhood as our team.”

Other than Salpointe Catholic in 2013, three of the last four Southern Arizona state champions came from Oro Valley. That includes Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, Ironwood Ridge and CDO. Canyon del Oro and I-Ridge are part of the Amphitheater Unified School District.

Canyon del Oro returns nine three-year starters from last year’s 10-3 team and has 29 seniors out of 41 players. That includes three returning offensive linemen as starters, with eight starters returning on offense in all to go alongside nine on defense.

McClelland started playing for the Dolphins when he was 9.

“It definitely helps and creates a big advantage,” McClelland said. “It’s super cool just being able to play with them all the way through.”

CDO returns six All-4A Kino Region selections, including senior Chase Laux, the region defensive player of the year. The Dorados also have three All-4A players.

The Dorados are the 4A preseason No. 1 according to the Arizona Republic and Sollenberger’s AZ Football Prep Magazine.

Canyon del Oro’s path to the 4A state championship could take another turn as the open tournament selects the top eight 4A to 6A teams. The open, which started in 2019 has been won by Chandler, Scottsdale Saguaro and Chandler Basha.

“Whatever happens we just take it a day at a time, one game at a time,” Woodard said. “We’re highly ranked in Arizona but that doesn’t matter though, we gotta continue to build and sharpen our craft so I think just taking it game by game see what happens.”

Tucson can be proud to have thoughtful, caring and smart Council members, along with an outstanding, compassionate leader in Mayor Romero. But even the best and brightest can make mistakes.

And they have made a doozy with their rushed (effectively zero public comment); under-informed (nationwide, other municipalities have successfully negotiated side agreements to their utility franchise agreements legally committing their utilities to putting meaningful dollars into climate action plans); and potentially catastrophic approval of the franchise agreement between the City and Tucson Electric Power (25 more years of TEP burning climate-disastrous fossil fuels while continuing its current 20-year track record of empty promises on renewable energy.)

Ordinarily, these kinds of boring, technical agreements generate scant public attention, and the required voter approval is a no-brainer. But not anymore. Not when the region’s biggest belcher of greenhouse gases wants another 25 years to enrich their shareholders at the expense of cleaner air and the region’s dwindling water supply. And charge everyone everywhere all at once for what mostly benefits a few special interest groups.

The City has only itself to blame for this mess. TEP took supreme advantage of a set of circumstances that put the City in a bind—and set itself up as the White Knight, spreading the franchise agreement like a coat across a very muddy puddle so the City could walk across and not get its feet wet.

What we’re seeing is a Tragedy in Three Acts.

Act One. Enter the University of Arizona with righteous climate goals of 100% renewable energy. Problem: not enough electrical capacity. Solution: Build out two miles of high-voltage transmission lines to UA’s doorstep through the Sam Hughes neighborhood.

Act Two. Enter neighborhoods. Not at all happy about their sight lines. They organize and pressure the City. Charter says to underground lines in view corridors (but says nothing about how to pay for it). Sam Hughes is in a view corridor. Cost: $45 million to underground, but only $1.8 million to put on poles. Who cares? City will write checks. UA happy, Sam Hughes happy. (UA deafening silence about kicking in any dough and potentially even bigger City money worries as many more neighborhoods would also qualify as view corridors.)

Act Three. Enter Tucson Electric Power. “Hey, City, we can help.” Just sign on the dotted line right now (the current franchise agreement doesn’t really end until April 26, 2027) and we’ll get you the undergrounding money! No, we’ll put nothing in writing about money to put real meaningful dollars into your Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, but here’s a letter of righteous intent from our CEO. We won’t do Jack to help with undergrounding or quickly move on midtown’s deteriorating electrical infrastructure unless you immediately approve this new franchise agreement and get it to a public vote.

Epilogue. There won’t be a sad one if you vote “no” on Prop 412. You’re going to be paying higher rates that benefit a select few. There’s only a pitiful amount of money in it to fight the climate disaster Tucson faces and fully acknowledges in the City’s climate plan. And if you vote “yes” there will be no/zero/nada leverage to bring TEP to the climate mitigation bargaining table for any parallel agreement that could legally obligate them to change their energy mix.

TEP isn’t the bad guy here and really neither is the City. TEP is just doing what its corporate charter requires: make as much money as legally possible.

The only temporary solution here is to vote “no” on 412 and rethink this whole idea of undergrounding.

What about making those two miles of poles (14 or so) into a City attraction of art by, as Judith Anderson, a member of the Tucson Climate Coalition, suggested, acknowledging Tucson’s cultural heritages: the Yaqui, Tohono O’odham, Latino, Black and more, creating a different kind of view corridor on those poles? Just a thought.