On Aug. 15 the Arizona Republic reported that City of Phoenix officials have organized a task force to look at ways to improve Margaret T. Hance Park, also known as the Deck Park. Hance Park opened in with an ambitious plan to create a major urban park in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, yet many of the proposed improvements have failed to materialize.
The park is located adjacent to the Burton Barr Library and is home to the Irish Cultural Center and Japanese Friendship Garden and hosts a number of civic and cultural events throughout the year. For an in-depth look at the history of the park and possible plans for the future, please visit: Officials taking new look at old plans for Deck Park.
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), in partnership with ASU and Cox Business Arizona, recently debuted a high-speed data link designed to transfer DNA data much more efficiently. The new technology can transfer data from Downtown to ASU’s supercomputer in Tempe up to 100 times faster than previous connections. The Arizona Republic reports that the new connection will aid researchers in a variety of efforts, notably breast cancer studies which are often lengthy and exhaustive. For more information on the state-of-the-art technology please visit: TGen unveils superfast data link
A culinary prodigy who graduated from the Art Institute of Phoenix at 19, Reeder has kitchen and management experience with several notable Valley restaurants, including La Grande Orange Pizzeria, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Rumbi Island Grill, Delux Burger, and Pei Wei.
I know plenty of people who are fascinated by eight-legged critters and will rush over to see the spider exhibit from the ASU Spider Lab. I’ll be avoiding it like the terrified, overgrown child I really am. But, the rest of this event should make for spine-tingling fun, this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
1130 received an impressive five (5!!) Phoenix New Times “Best Of” nominations in the categories of Best Steakhouse, Best Brunch, Best Place for a First Date, Best Specialty Drink (Mojito) and Best Hamburger.
The 
Continuing their long tradition of charitable giving to the state of Arizona and Downtown Phoenix interests, the Virgina G. Piper Charitable Trust recently awarded the 
Sept. 15 / Honda Civic Tour featuring Paramore with Tegan and Sara
Nov. 27 / Jim Gaffigan
As seen on Entourage
Five Guys Burgers
But in a welcome twist, a new version of Grease is opening this week with actors who are about the same age as the characters they play. From Aug. 13-29, 
A Reminder of Rose
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010The abundance of murals in Downtown Phoenix have been beckoning me lately. I have driven by this mural for years but never stopped until recently.
These murals are on the old Mercer Mortuary building on 16th Street, just south of Thomas; the newer part of the mortuary is around the corner. They were painted in 1998 by a Phoenix artist, Rose Johnson. She was born and educated in England and moved to the US when she was in her 20s, settling in Phoenix. Rose was well-known and respected in the local art community. In 1998, she moved to Bisbee, AZ, a small arts enclave in southern Arizona, but still had many ties to Phoenix. She was strongly influenced by Mexican art.
Tragically, a little over a year ago, she died in Bali, where she had recently relocated, from acute alcohol poisoning as a result of ingesting liquor that had been laced with methanol. It was the 23rd such fatality to occur in Bali in a 10-day span. She was 48.
This mural is one of her best-known works.
You can read more about Rose here or see an interview of her while she still lived in Bisbee, soon after first visiting Bali. An extensive article appears here. If you click to make the images larger, you can see more of the interesting detail.
We are fortunate that this mural survives as some of her local murals have been so extensively tagged that they have now been painted over.
Tags: downtown, downtown phoenix, Murals, phoenix art, Rose Johnson
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