Less than Truckload shipping company in Tucson, AZ

"I wanted to create a surprising yet comforting concept."

Tucson-native Sam Fox, and his team at Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC), are excited to announce that the delicious new dining experience, Doughbird, is opening in Tucson on Wednesday, May 31.

In addition, Doughbird will celebrate the Grand Opening by giving back, with 30% of proceeds from the Grand Opening day benefitting the Bald Beauties Project.

What's on the menu?

With an unexpected but tasty focus on specialty, housemade pizzas, and juicy chicken, Doughbird offers unique flavor combinations that capture guests’ taste buds and invite them back to discover more. In addition to pizzas, expect mouth-watering tenders and wings cooked low and slow.

With a wide selection of house-made sauces perfect for dipping anything, Doughbird also offers a variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Innovative cocktails with delightfully surprising ingredients are offered in addition to a selection of wines and local craft beers from some of Tucson’s favorite breweries.

Fox started Fox Restaurant Concepts in Tucson 25 years ago, home to the original Wildflower. Since then, he has introduced dozens of unique brands and brought many of them back to his hometown, including Flower Child, which opened next door to Doughbird’s eventual location in early April. These two new restaurants join fellow FRC brands Wildflower, Culinary Dropout, Blanco Cocina + Cantina, and Zinburger in Tucson.

“Doughbird focuses on two foods that I happen to really love, pizza and chicken,” said Fox, founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts. “With Doughbird, I wanted to create a surprising yet comforting concept — flavors and ideas that are unexpected but make total sense when you try them together. We’re excited to grow this brand and know that my hometown is the perfect spot for this restaurant.”

Looking for a new job?

Doughbird is currently hiring for all hourly positions at the Tucson location, including the front and back of the house. They are on the hunt for awesome team members who radiate positivity and enthusiasm and are passionate about serving up tasty eats and drinks.

For information about available positions and to apply, please visit foxrccareers.com. Check out our monthly article on more local jobs in the food scene.

Doughbird is located at Campbell Plaza, 2960 N. Campbell Ave. #160. Once opened, business hours will be from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sunday - Thursday, and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Happy hour will be offered Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, visit eatdoughbird.com.

Tucson Foodie is a locally-owned and operated community. Thanks to our partners and revenue from programs like the Foodie 500, Tucson Foodie can offer paywall-free guides and articles. Thanks for supporting Tucson's best food news.

A local developer is planning an entertainment venue that is expected to make northwest Tucson as big of a draw as the downtown area has become.

Called Uptown, the $500 million project is close to breaking ground at the site of the former Foothills Mall on Ina Road and La Cholla Boulevard.

The 51-acre development by Bourn Cos. will include shops, restaurants that spill out onto patios, an entertainment stage, event lawn and splash pad, video screens, a public market, apartments and hotels.

With inspiration drawn from places such as Santana Row in San Jose, California, and Scottsdale Quarter, Uptown will offer an environment unique in the Tucson market, said Don Bourn, the company’s president and CEO.

“We have a great downtown, why not an Uptown?” he said. “It’s an urban environment in a suburban setting and creates multiple places with different lifestyle elements to make a better community.”

Demolition of the former indoor mall is underway, and construction of Uptown’s first phase is expected to begin in August and last about two years.

The first phase will include an apartment complex with 157 units ranging in size from studios to three-bedroom models.

Among the amenities will be a pool deck, elevated above the ground floor public space, and a private rooftop deck for residents.

A hotel with up to 300 rooms will also go up at the site. A brand has not yet been announced.

Bourn envisions up to three hotels at Uptown at full build-out in about eight years, as well as two or three more apartment buildings.

“Down the road, we may add condominiums, townhouses and active senior housing,” he said. “It will be something very different for Tucson.”

The public space, with a large lawn, stage and screens, can be used by local musicians, artists or a farmers' market.

An indoor public market will be created near the existing Barnes & Noble, where local businesses can rent stalls in an exhibition hall-style setting.

Also, national retailers that are not currently in the Tucson market can test the waters with a small presence.

“It will no longer be a traditional mall,” Bourn said. “It will be pedestrian focused.”

The parking garages will be located on Uptown’s perimeter.

As the project was being imagined, Bourn’s team traveled around the country to visit similar entertainment hubs.

“We have a unique opportunity to provide this type of environment locally,” Bourn said, “an urban resort that’s not behind gates and you can live there or visit for the day or for a week.”

To accommodate families, Uptown will also have daycare so parents can plan the day with the kiddos and then have somewhere to leave them if they’d like some grownup time.

“By paying attention to detail,” Bourn said, “we hope people feel like this is their space and think, ‘Let’s head Uptown.’”

Foothills Mall was built in 1982. Bourn owned it from 1994-99 and took it from 12% occupancy to 95% occupancy. Bourn bought the mall again in 2016.

This will be the company’s third large mixed-use center locally.

The Bridges, near Park Avenue and Interstate 10, is anchored by Costco and Walmart and has offices, restaurants and hotels.

Likewise, The Landing, on Irvington Road and Interstate 19, has a Sprouts grocery store and various restaurants and entertainment spots and a hotel under construction as well as an apartment complex.

While some retailers at those sites may also open at Uptown because of their established relationship with the company, Bourn thinks the project will also bring new businesses to Tucson.

The area around Uptown is densely populated, with about 154,131 people within 5 miles of the property, with a median household income of $95,214.

“There are stores that may not have considered the Tucson market before,” Bourn said. “Our hope is when they see the scope of this project, they will consider Tucson.”

The Uptown website, headuptown.com, will be live Monday, May 15, for those interested in receiving updates.

The concept of creating mixed-use projects at old malls has taken off in the past several years as traditional shopping venues have lost foot traffic to online vendors.

“Retail-to-residential conversions range from apartment buildings that are springing up in what were once mall parking lots or the former sites of closed big box stores, to partial or complete ‘scrapes’ in which malls and shopping centers are torn down and replaced with mixed-use communities with plenty of housing,” according to a recent report by the Urban Land Institute. “Retail center owners increasingly see residential as both a new revenue source and a way to invigorate stores by putting potential consumers in close proximity.”

That type of redevelopment is also scoring environmental points.

Conversions improve sustainability, the Urban Land Institute report says, quoting architect Daniel Gehman of Danielian Associates, based in Irvine, California, who has worked on numerous retail-to-residential projects.

Stormwater that once collected residue from cars in asphalt parking lots, for example, can instead be diverted and treated in new residential projects.

Locally, developers are eyeing possible residential development at Park Place Mall on Broadway.

“It just is better for the environment,” Gehman says. “It fits with the whole idea of developing places that are already developed and densifying, as opposed to just sprawling everywhere.”

Gas prices have been headed down across the country in recent weeks, but they have barely budged in Arizona, where filling up will cost you more than $1 more per gallon than the national average.

So, what gives?

Industry analysts say a confluence of factors, including the annual shift to summer gas blends, tight pipeline capacity and refinery shutdowns, have contributed to Arizona’s stubbornly high gas prices of late.

The average price of regular unleaded gas across Arizona was $4.68 per gallon on Friday, down about 2 cents in a week but still up about 18 cents from a month earlier, according to AAA data.

In Tucson the average gas price on Friday was $4.70 per gallon, though until recently prices in the Old Pueblo were typically lower than the state average.

In contrast, the national average gas price on Friday was $3.54 per gallon, down about 2 cents in a week and about 8 cents less than a month earlier.

Statewide, gas prices in Arizona are now a couple cents less than a year ago, when gas prices were spiking in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nationally, a recent decline in the price of crude oil — which represents about 60% of the retail cost of gasoline — has helped tamp down prices.

But beyond oil prices, regional factors including fuel supply chains and demand have much to do with what motorists pay at the pump.

In Arizona, a combination of factors — some long-term, some short-term — have kept gas prices higher than the nation recently, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the online gas-price tracking site GasBuddy.

First, the two major fuel pipelines serving Arizona — one from the west connecting refineries in California to Phoenix and Tucson, and an eastern pipeline bringing products from refineries in New Mexico and Texas — are reaching their capacity limits because of increased demand driven by rapid population growth, De Haan said.

“Pipelines have not been able to keep up with the increase in population, so there’s not enough pipeline capacity to bring the gasoline in to the number of people, in Phoenix especially,” he said.

Maricopa County led the nation in numerical population growth in 2022, adding nearly 57,000 residents for an increase of 1.3% as of July 1, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Pima County added about 12,600 residents in 2022, up about 1.2%.

That tight pipeline capacity only exacerbates problems when supplies are disrupted through things like refinery shutdowns.

Right now, part of the problem is that two refineries that supply Arizona with fuels from the East have been shut down at the same time for maintenance, further crimping supplies.

Except when down for maintenance, oil refineries run 24 hours a day, every day. Arizona has no operating oil refineries.

AAA Arizona spokesman Julian Paredes cited the maintenance closures of refineries in El Paso, Texas, and Artesia, New Mexico, as a major factor in Arizona’s gas-price surge.

“That affected the supply of gas across the entire state, and especially for the Pima County area, but the state average has at least stabilized and isn’t creeping higher for now,” Paredes said.

Refinery outages in California were blamed for a rapid run-up in Arizona gas prices last fall, creating wide disparities in prices even across Tucson as some stations sold off fuel purchased at a lower cost and others were forced to raise prices.

De Haan said refineries nationwide typically shut down in the spring for maintenance, but the eastern refinery shutdowns come as supplies from California have been limited.

“Most refineries do maintenance ahead of the start of the summer driving season, to make sure they’re they’re ready for summer,” he said. “The problem is then, with the lack of refineries from the east, an inability to ship more product from the west.”

Compounding the problem is the fact that many refineries put off maintenance last year amid low pipeline capacity, making this year’s maintenance work more extensive, De Haan said.

“Many deferred last year’s maintenance to this year, and this is the price,” he said. “There’s just not much you can do about it, grin and bear the price.”

Making matters worse, De Haan said, is that the supply issues are coming as Arizona and California shift to summer gasoline blends with ethanol required under environmental laws to reduce air pollution, particularly in Maricopa County.

In the winter months, gas retailers in a designated area including Maricopa County and small parts of Pinal and Yavapai counties must sell a special “Cleaner Burning Gasoline” or CBG blend specified by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Tucson and the rest of the state are not subject to those requirements and so non-CBG may be sold there.

In the summer months — from the end May to the end of September — the Maricopa County area gets a different required CBG blend, while another designated area comprised of sections of Pinal County including Casa Grande gets its own state-required blend.

Meanwhile, California switches to an entirely different blend, which also affects the regional market, De Haan said.

The transition generally starts in March, De Haan explained, as temperatures warm and pipeline operators are purging their pipelines of winter gas, since pipelines can only carry one formulation at a time.

“The complexity is that as the transition is starting, there are several different requirements in use across the state,” De Haan said, noting that the changeover to different formulas is generally done in steps.

“But when you lack pipeline capacity from the West, and then refineries go down that supply the market from the East, and then you have all the fragmented rules on what types of gasoline (is required), that can lead to an explosive environment, which is exactly what we saw across Arizona,” De Haan said.

Motorists should see some relief in the near term as the refineries resume production, De Haan said.

“The transition to summer gasoline is basically behind us, so that that simplifies the situation and that’s why we are starting to see prices ease a little bit,” he said. “The price of oil has gone down somewhat, so there’s been other factors that have helped to tip the scales, and now we are starting to see slight price improvements.”

AAA’s Paredes said any price break may be short-lived.

“When the Texas and New Mexico refineries come back online, which is expected soon, and normal supply lines return, you can expect Arizona gas prices to be more in line with the national average,” Paredes said. “However, this comes just before Memorial Day travel, which marks when gas prices go up anyway.”

De Haan said Arizona could face similar supply issues next spring, though it’s somewhat unusual for two major refineries in the same region to be shut down for maintenance at the same time.

“This is a problem that could repeat itself, this run up, in the spring because the ingredients are still going to be there next year for the same problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, a longer-term solution to Arizona’s fuel-capacity issue may be in the works.

Kinder Morgan, which operates the fuel pipelines serving Arizona, is considering a major expansion to its pipeline leading from El Paso to Tucson to boost capacity, De Haan noted.

In April, the Houston-based pipeline company began soliciting comments and commitments from fuel shippers in support of the proposed expansion, which it says will be scaled according to demand.

De Haan said policymakers also could ease the supply situation by standardizing CBG requirements.

As it is, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets and enforces clean-gas standards except in a dozen states — including California and Arizona — that have regulations that are more stringent than federal rules.

Policymakers could help consumers save money by standardizing clean-burning gas formulas nationwide, or at least among states that share supply pipelines like California and Arizona, which would save consumers money, De Haan said.

“This would save motorists nationwide, if there was one standard, it doesn’t matter where it’s produced or where it goes, it can be used interchangeably,” he said. “This fragmentation between types of gasoline even in Arizona is just the dumbest idea we’ve ever had — politicians have no idea of that complexity they’re introducing.”

“When there’s enough pipeline capacity, nobody notices it because the system’s running, but when things break, then suddenly we realize the complexity of the system that has been created,” De Haan said.

Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know just how important they can become to you and your family.

But when they transition, that heartbreak can often hit just as hard as when we lose a loved one.

Located in Tucson, just off the Rillito River, is a dog shrine dedicated to those who lose their best friend.

"I came across it a couple months ago," said Stefano Natali. "I didn’t know it was there, to be completely honest."

The Larry Cowell Memorial Dog Shrine is a pyramid-like structure serving as a place for dog owners and lovers like Natali to remember our fallen canine companions.

"I think it makes me feel at peace that people would really think that much about their dogs, about their family," he said while walking his own dog nearby. "That they would go out [of] their way to have a little memorial for them."

I first discovered this shrine through a user on Reddit.

After doing some digging, I couldn’t pinpoint when the shrine was erected or who created it. According to the Reddit user, the memorial has been around for a decade.

"I think it’s really cool that somebody started that and there’s people that are continuing to upkeep that," said Tess Brinkeroff.

Brinkerhoff has been around dogs her entire life and like everyone else I spoke to on and off camera, she had no idea the memorial was there, but it’s something she’s glad to know exists.

"I love it," the dog owner said. "I’ve never seen anything like that before. And I feel that, just like how you said, our animals are our best friends, so why would we not do something to be able to remember them."

Filled with old toys, leashes, pictures and other memorabilia dropped off by pet owners over the years, the shrine continues to serve as a space for visitors to reflect on the impact dogs have had on many of our lives.

If you would like to visit the shrine, it is located at 3725 Columbus Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85712.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - The Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) welcomed Pascua Yaqui representatives and members of the Tohono O’odham’s San Xavier District to Tucson International Airport (TUS) to amplify indigenous voices through dedicated art exhibitions in the terminal’s International Arrivals Gallery. The artwork was installed before the inaugural air service between TUS and five Canadian airports.

The International Arrivals Gallery provides a first impression for travelers who have been cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the terminal’s Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facility. The gallery is located pre-security, near the Concourse A exit, so all visitors are welcome to enjoy the space.

TAA Board Chair Keri Silvyn joined Bewley in making remarks to those in attendance on Thursday, May 18. Both Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham representatives shared a blessing in the gallery as well.

“As you look around this gallery, you see the exceptional work of many indigenous artists,” said TAA President and CEO Danette Bewley. “It is important to us that this airport provide a sense of place to everyone who comes through the terminal, including these artists. We want travelers to feel like they are in Southern Arizona, and we want locals to feel like they are home.”

Many of the paintings featuring Tohono O’odham artists represent the annual baihidaj or saguaro fruit harvest. The Hasan, or saguaro, is revered and used to produce a ceremonial wine that is used during an annual rain ceremony.

The ceremony celebrates the start of the summer rainy season, which signifies a new year for the Tohono O’odham. Pottery depicts Kehina social dances, and maze designs illustrate challenges overcome and returning home to the Creator.

“Our Wak Community (San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation) is honored to have these items on display for passengers to view as the arrive in our homeland Tohono O’odham Jewed (Desert People’s Land),” said San Xavier District Chairman Austin Nunez.

While the art has been on display for months, the May 18 event was the first time that everyone involved in the gallery’s development had been in the space together.

Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold

Copyright 2023 13 News. All rights reserved.

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Your tax dollars are being put to work as Tucson crews have begun a series of neighborhood street improvement projects under Proposition 411.

In 2022, voters approved the half-cent sales tax extension to improve local roads.

“It’s a 10-year historic investment in our residential roads,” said Regina Romero, Tucson Mayor.

It’s been exactly one year since Tucson voters approved Proposition 411 and Tucsonans stepped up to decide just where those improvements will happen. An oversight commission hand-picked where the first round of money will be allocated.

The first project started at Blacklidge Drive Bicycle Boulevard. It will include enhanced street crossings at Stone Ave., 1st Ave., Country Club and Alvernon, as well as improved signage, pavement markings and landscaping to enhance the walking and biking environment.

Residents like Nathaniel Allen says it’s well overdue.

“It’s mostly like roads just being bumpy, a little rough on the ride kind of, damaging to some shocks for sure,” said Allen.

Ward 3 Council Member, Kevin Dahl, says these new improvements will connect five parks and four schools, costing more than $1.8 million.

“Making it easier for people to get around town without relying on a car. It’s not only great for those driving cars like me. Less people in front of me, less people that might hit me, but it’s also a key to our climate change future,” said Dahl.

Mayor Romero says these residential improvements will help reduce the number of crashes on our streets.

“$600 plus million will go to repaving residential roads in the entire city of Tucson, whatever work they need. Then $150 million will go to pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements in our city. We are seeing way too many people die on our streets that are either walking or cycling,” said Romero.

James DeGrood, Executive Management Advisor for the City Manager’s Office said it will also upgrade the appearance of Tucson for years to come.

“There’s no question that road surface conditions contribute to the safety of our roads. One of the things we’re looking at is trying to upgrade the overall conditions of our community. Prop 411, we’re so grateful that the voters supported the Mayor and Council in making that decision to invest in our city streets. The other traditional methods we’ve had available to us in the past just aren’t sufficient to cover the amount of work we have to do,” said DeGrood.

For a list of all the Prop 411 projects, click here.

Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold

Copyright 2023 13 News. All rights reserved.

TV

COLLEGE BASEBALL

2 p.m., BTN — Maryland at Penn St.

4 p.m., ACCN — Florida St. at Louisville

4 p.m., FS1 — UConn at Creighton

4 p.m., SECN — Arkansas at Vanderbilt

5 p.m., BTN — Indiana at Michigan St.

7 p.m., PAC12A — USC at Arizona

COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)

9 a.m., ESPNU — James Madison at Syracuse

11:30 a.m., ESPNU — Notre Dame at Boston College

2 p.m., ESPNU — Denver at North Carolina

4:30 p.m., ESPNU — Loyola (Md.) at Northwestern

GOLF

8 a.m., ESPN — PGA Championship, first round

10 a.m., ESPN — PGA Championship, first round

10 p.m., ESPN2 — PGA Championship, first round

IIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S)

6 a.m., NHLN — Hungary vs. Sweden, Group A

10 a.m., NHLN — Switzerland vs. Slovakia, Group B

MLB BASEBALL

10 a.m., MLBN — Tampa Bay at NY Mets OR LA Angels at Baltimore

1 p.m., MLBN — Cleveland at Chicago White Sox

4:30 p.m., MLBN — LA Dodgers at St. Louis OR NY Yankees at Toronto

NBA

1 p.m., ESPN2 — NBA Draft Combine 2023

5:30 p.m., ESPN — LA Lakers at Denver, Game 2

NHL PLAYOFFS

5 p.m., TNT — Florida at Carolina, Game 1

SOCCER (MEN’S)

11:30 a.m., USA — Brighton & Hove Albion

TENNIS

6 a.m., TEN — ATP: Italian Open, quarterfinals

11:30 a.m., TEN — ATP: Italian Open, quarterfinals

RADIO

COLLEGE BASEBALL

7 p.m., 1290-AM — USC at Arizona

NBA PLAYOFFS

5:30 p.m., 1490-AM — LA Lakers at Denver, Game 2

TALK

7 a.m., 1490-AM — “Spears and Ali”

3 p.m., 1450-AM — ”Eye on the Ball”

All events are Tucson times. Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts.

TV channel guide: ACCN is ACC Network (Ch 171 on Cox, Ch 1325 on Comcast, Ch 612 on DirecTV, Ch 402 on Dish) BTN is Big Ten Network (Ch 320 on Cox, Ch 272 on Comcast, Ch 610 on DirecTV, Ch 439 on Dish) ESPN (Ch 24 on Cox, Ch 2 on Comcast, Ch 206 on DirecTV, Ch 140 on Dish) ESPN2 (Ch 25 on Cox, Ch 30 on Comcast, Ch 209 on DirecTV, Ch 143 on Dish) ESPNU (Ch 330 on Cox, Ch 266 on Comcast, Ch 208 on DirecTV, Ch 141 on Dish) FS1 is Fox Sports 1 (Ch 27 on Cox, Ch 32 on Comcast, Ch 219 on DirecTV, Ch 150 on Dish) MLBN is MLB Network (Ch 305 on Cox, Ch 271 on Comcast, Ch 213 on DirecTV, Ch 152 on Dish) NHLN is NHL Network (Ch 310 on Cox, Ch 279 on Comcast, Ch 215 on DirecTV, Ch 157 on Dish) PAC12 is Pac-12 Network (Ch 70 on Cox, Ch. 283 on Comcast, not available on DirecTV, Ch 409 on Dish, Ch 406 on Dish Hopper) PAC12A is Pac-12 Arizona (Ch 75 on Cox, Ch 103 on Comcast, not available on DirecTV, Ch. 409, Ch 406 on Dish Hopper or contact Dish for channel information) SECN is SEC Network (Ch 329 on Cox, Ch 286 on Comcast, Ch 611 on DirecTV, Ch 408 on Dish) TEN is Tennis (Ch 315 on Cox, Ch 277 on Comcast, Ch 217 on DirecTV, Ch 400 on Dish) TNT (Ch 29 on Cox, Ch 36 on Comcast, Ch 245 on DirecTV, Ch 138 on Dish) USA (Ch 28 on Cox, Ch 35 on Comcast, Ch 242 on DirecTV, Ch 105 on Dish)

TUCSON − Two months before Tucson’s fare-free transit was set to expire, the city voted last week to make public transportation fare free through December, until the mayor and council can discuss with stakeholders and negotiate with regional partners on a permanent funding strategy.

Tucson residents including students, people with disabilities, and people with lower incomes spoke out in support of having free fare, noting how affordable access to public transportation allows them easier access to services, work and school.

“I’m a student at the University of Arizona and I believe that free transit is important to students as approximately 70-80% of Sun Link users are at the University of Arizona which is a statistic that states this is a basic need,” said Adriana Grijalva at a meeting on May 9.

As part of the decision to extend the moratorium on collecting fares, a stakeholder group made up of riders, bus drivers, community members, and others will be created to find long-term solutions.

The city first made public transportation free in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and lessen the financial burden of the pandemic on residents. Since then, the moratorium on collecting fares has been extended four times. Before last week’s decision, fare-free transit was set to expire on June 30.

These fare-free efforts were financed with funding from the federal government for the first two years, and from one-time-use General Fund funding for 2022 and 2023.

Although the city wants to make fares free permanently, it must consider where the funds will come from.

The city hopes that regional partners whose stakeholders also depend on public transportation like University of Arizona, Tucson Unified School District and Pima Community College will also come to the table to discuss investing in fare-free transit for the long term.

“If we don't have long term funding options then we need to start talking about what’s a fair fare,” said Mayor Regina Romero.

The city manager recommended funding the next six months of free fare for $4.6 million through local funding sources including $2 million coming from the Hotel and Motel Surcharge in the General Fund, almost half a million from the Transit Investment Plan, as well as several other local sources.

Romero and council members reiterated how important negotiations with regional partners will be. These include the Tucson Unified School District, the University of Arizona and Pima Community College.

City councilmember Paul Cunningham said he rode the bus at different times and on various lines and found the majority of bus users were people going to and from work.

“They had their Circle K smock, they had their Jack in the Box shirt on, they are going to work,” he said, noting he heard about “bad actors” on the bus but just saw people going to work.

Other councilmembers said improving bus service must also be a part of the discussions around fare-free transit.

The city said it recognizes that public transit “connects the city’s most vulnerable people to jobs, resources, and services,” and council members voiced their desire to find a long-term solution.

Tucson, Arizona, is a paradise for lovers of Mexican food, especially those who enjoy cheese crisps, a local specialty that consists of a deep-fried flour tortilla topped with melted cheese and other ingredients.

Cheese crisps are said to have originated in Tucson, when a cook at El Charro Cafe accidentally fried a tortilla with cheese on it and created a crispy and cheesy delight. Since then, cheese crisps have become a staple of Tucson’s cuisine, with many variations and flavors.

If you are looking for the best places to savor a delicious cheese crisp in Tucson, here are some of the top-rated restaurants that serve this dish, according to Yelp reviews and other sources.

1. Mi Nidito Restaurant

One of the best places to try a cheese crisp in Tucson is Mi Nidito Restaurant, located at 1813 S 4th Ave. This family-owned restaurant has been serving Mexican food since 1952 and has attracted celebrities and politicians, including former President Bill Clinton. The restaurant has a colorful and festive decor that reflects its vibrant atmosphere. The cheese crisp here is simple but satisfying, with guacamole as the only topping.

“Their cheese crisp is one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s crispy, cheesy, and flavorful.”

2. El Rustico

This casual and cozy spot serves tacos and other Mexican dishes, with a friendly and attentive staff. On weekends, you can also enjoy live music from a band. The cheese crisp here is more elaborate, with carne asada or al pastor meat as the main topping. You can also add salsa or sour cream for extra flavor.

“The cheese crisp with carne asada was amazing! It had a lot of meat and cheese and the tortilla was crunchy.”

3. Casa Molina

A third place to try a cheese crisp in Tucson is Casa Molina. This family-owned restaurant has been serving Mexican food since 1947 and has a cozy cantina with a stone fireplace and custom furniture. The restaurant has a large menu with other Mexican dishes, but the cheese crisp is one of the favorites here. The cheese crisp here is huge and loaded with toppings, such as tomatoes, onion, carne seca, and green chiles. You can also add guacamole or salsa for extra taste.

“We ordered the cheese crisp with carne seca and it was amazing! The tortilla was crispy and the meat was tender.”

4. Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe

A fourth place to savor a cheese crisp in Tucson is Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe. This family-owned restaurant has been serving Mexican food since 1984 and has a colorful and festive decor. The restaurant is a breakfast and brunch spot that serves Mexican dishes, such as huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and burritos. The cheese crisp here is perfect for breakfast or lunch, with chorizo, eggs, beans, and salsa as the toppings. You can also pair it with coffee, orange juice, or mimosa for a refreshing drink.

“The cheese crisp with chorizo and eggs was amazing! It was a perfect breakfast dish that filled me up.”

5. The Quesadillas

The Quesadillas is a popular restaurant in Tucson, known for its delicious Mexican cuisine. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, but it is particularly famous for its quesadillas, which are considered some of the best in the city. The Quesadillas restaurant is a great place to enjoy a casual meal with friends or family. It offers a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with excellent service. The average price for a meal at The Quesadillas is around $10-$15. Customers often recommend pairing the quesadillas with a refreshing Mexican soda.

"The Al pastor tacos are my favorite. The meat is super juicy and flavorful. The quesadillas are packed with a lot of meat and cheese, very delicious. The salsa bar is fresh and offers a good amount of salsas."

These are just some of the best cheese crisps restaurants in Tucson, but there are many more to explore. Cheese crisps are a simple but satisfying dish that can be enjoyed by anyone who loves cheese and tortillas. So next time you are in the mood for some cheesy goodness, head to one of these restaurants and order a cheese crisp. You won’t regret it!