She weighs only 115 pounds and only standing 5’4” tall, Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco is Tucsons’ very own major league eating competitor.
Lesco who first began her food-eating career as a result of peer pressure from her friends, has been in four official Major League Eating/International Federation of Competitive Eaters (MLE/IFOCE) and seven local Tucson food challenges.
Arizona’s latest marketing campaign successfully generated more interest in tourists from two major cities, officials said.
In 2011, the Arizona Office of Tourism spent $3 million on its latest marketing plan, “In One Word-Arizona.” The campaign ran primarily in Los Angeles and Chicago between November 2010 and May 2011.
After state budget cuts, officials collected data from 30 cities across the country to determine where ads would be successful. This helped the department avoid the high costs of national ad campaigns by distributing its newest ads in select cities.
The results determined the campaign would focus on Los Angeles and Chicago as its “primary target cities.” It was presented in these areas using traditional media outlets, such as local newspapers and radio.
Arizona tourism marketing campaigns have not appeared nationally since 2010.
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The dark night skies and dry air in Arizona made it a hotspot for the astronomy industry, which has generated a significant amount of money for the state.
The industry brings in more than $250 billion a year and 3,300 jobs statewide. Most of this money comes from research projects, said Peter Wehinger, staff astronomer and director of development at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory.
“[Arizona] has a huge concentration of people who work as serious researchers in this field,” he said. “More so than any other state.”
Most research funds come from out of state and federal donors like NASA and the National Science Fund.
I’m a 22-year-old woman who has never touched a gun in her life, but obtaining a concealed weapons permit in Arizona took me little more than a lunch break and $100.
That’s contrary to what many legislators and officials have said about the CCW process this season, as they’ve debated several pieces of legislation attempting to allow guns into more and more public buildings.
Now I’ll be able to carry that concealed weapon into restaurants that serve alcohol, most national and city parks, near schools—and 36 other states that recognize my permit.
In 2010, legislators voted to water down the CCW permitting process and adopted a campaign for “constitutional carry.”
In Arizona, hip slingers needn’t worry themselves over a permit; if the gun’s visible you’re in the clear—even carrying concealed is allowed permit-free in most places. But to carry a concealed weapon in privileged places—like national parks, restaurants serving alcohol, near schools, and to have your right to carry concealed recognized in 36 other states, you’ve got to get a permit.
There are some requirements: citizenship, being 21 years old, not suffering from mental illness (this isn’t ever evaluated though), never have been convicted of a felony, and having “satisfactorily completed a training program or demonstrated competence with a firearm,” according to state law.
When it comes to expansion of gun rights, Arizona’s legislators are shooting blanks. A number of gun bills cleared the legislature in the past two years but repeatedly met Gov. Jan Brewer’s veto, leading many at the state capitol, even some conservatives, to believe that the gun lobby has milked Arizona dry. Part One: Gun…
