I am a Neko Case fan. Never kept it to myself. When I left Washington state to come home, I didn't even know Case had moved here. I thought she probably still lived in the Northwest. I didn't really care where she lived--I just cared that she kept making music, because I like it, and I like her shows. In fact, I once went to the Gorge in George (George, Wash.) to see her perform. I stood at the edge of the stage and waited with other fans. Then a hail storm came down, and Case started playing, probably hoping like all of us that it would end. But it didn't, and the show was canceled. And I went home officially entered in some unofficial fan-caught-in-a-hail-storm-fan-club club

When I moved to Tucson, I caught a couple of her shows, and when I found out she lived here, I remember thinking it was pretty cool that she ended up in my hometown.

Then this weekend I read the NYT Sunday Magazine. Inside is a huge feature on none other than Ms. Case.

First problem, the reporter identifies a restaurant location as downtown Tucson. It's Zinburger... the high-end burger place on River Road. Funny, but no big deal.

But the real issue is that Case is getting ready to leave Tucson. She's moving on to a farm in Vermont because, evidently, we have a problem here with social vampires. I don't know who you are, but with all our problems, I am betting we can blame Rio Nuevo on you, too, you, you social vampires you.

"I want to get away from the social vampires in Tucson,” she says. “The people who have no lives of their own and meet me and know who I am and feel entitled to say negative things. I have good friends here, especially in the bands” like Calexico and Giant Sand. Members of these bands and others have often appeared on her CDs. “But a lot of it is just like high school. And I like forests and all the wildlife up in Vermont.” It’s hard to imagine what these acts of social vampirism might consist of, but she prefers to leave them unspecified. She also asks that the Vermont town’s name not be mentioned. “I’ve had stalkers,” she says. Alexandria, Tacoma, Vancouver, Chicago, Tucson and, next, Vermont. Case hopes that her new community will prove to be her permanent home. You wonder.

I remember talking to a Grant Road project critic last year. He told me that Case lived in his neighborhood and was part of the road project ripped right behind Case's backyard. And that she happened to be the biggest donor to the anti-RTA campaign. I don't know if this is true, but interesting. At that point, I guess I could have figured out where she lived, paid a visit and joined the other group - fans-who-turn-into-social-vampires-club club.

It's OK that Case is leaving. I don't think of her as Tucson's--what I take from her music is that she belongs to a lot places. It's nice she was part of the community during her tenure here--advocating for the dogs, and her neighborhood. But I do wonder if she got Tucson.

The clip above shows her farmhouse in Vermont where part of her new record was recorded--comes out in early March. But the tone in the NYT piece doesn't feel like she got living down here. And that's what's disappointing.

I thought the person who wrote a song like "Maybe Sparrow," would get all the sadness and beauty and desire and ugliness that is Tucson. I guess Vermont just has more of the beauty. We all know it's greener, but I bet it has just as many social vampires.

The UA College of Fine Arts reports:

The University of Arizona "Pride of Arizona" Marching Band, directed by Professor Jay C. Rees, has received the prestigious honor of being selected by the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) as one of the top five marching bands in the country for the band's 2008 "Weather Report" field show.

This is the second time that the CBDNA competition has been held and marks the first year that the UA "Pride of Arizona" Marching Band has received the honor. A video performance of the band's "Weather Report" show will be featured in a special presentation at the annual CBDNA national conference on March 27 at the University of Texas in Austin.

The other four bands that won the competition are from the University of California Los Angeles, Colorado State University, Texas Christian University and Western Carolina University.

For more information about the UA "Pride of Arizona" Marching Band, visit http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/uabands/athletic/marchingband.php.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to hike your sewer fees by 45 percent or so. The Weekly's Dave Devine first warned you it was coming a few weeks back.

Now Dave, who hasn't yet joined embraced the blog, brings us this dispatch about the possibility of steep water bill increases:

The Citizens Water Advisory Committee will discuss a possible 10 percent or more increase for Tucson Water customers at its meeting next Wednesday, Feb. 25, based on a recommendation from a finance subcommittee that met yesterday.

Last year, the subcommittee's recommended 10 percent increase was whittled down, with the target being 8 percent annually over the next several years.

Lower demand for water, thanks to a combination of conservation, slowing population growth and the economic meltdown have led to suggested rate increase.

The City Council will have the final say, but the CWAC recommendation will carry some weight.

We should note that because the city has a tiered payment system, a 10 percent hike across the board does not mean that rates for all homeowners will increase by 10 percent.

Other wrinkles: Two potential "revenue enhancements" that the City Council may consider are an increase in the city's utility taxes and a new quasi-property tax for Tucson Water property. Either one increase Tucson Water bills.

On Feb. 22, 1984, the first issue of a brand-new newspaper hit the streets of Tucson. That first, 12-page issue of The Tucson Weekly featured a cover story on Gary Gisselman, then the artistic director of the Arizona Theatre Company.

In the 25 years since then, that little newspaper has grown into one of the most respected alternative newsweeklies in the country.

On Feb. 26, 2009, the Tucson Weekly will celebrate its first quarter-century with the 25th Anniversary Issue. In addition to celebrating the writers, stories and advertisers of the Weekly’s first quarter-century, the special edition will look back on the last 25 years in Tucson—and the city’s prospects for the next 25 years.

Editor Jimmy Boegle said the Weekly plans to go all-out for its silver-anniversary celebration.

"It’s a big deal for any business to survive for 25 years," Boegle said. “But after looking at what the Weekly’s accomplished over 2 ½ decades, I can say this paper didn’t just survive; as far as its content, it’s thrived. There were ups and downs, of course, but we have a 25-year record to be proud of.”

Senior writer Jim Nintzel, the Weekly’s most veteran staffer—he’s been with the paper for 19 years—examined approximately 1,300 issues of the Weekly for a special timeline that will be included in the 25th Anniversary Issue.

“This has been one crazy carnival over the last quarter century, and I’ve been blessed to be a part of it,” Nintzel said. “Looking back at all those issues, I’m amazed at the talent that has appeared on these pages. It’s been a wild ride.”

As the Weekly enters its second quarter-century, many newspapers are struggling due to a combination of factors—especially the current economic downturn. However, Thomas P. Lee, the Weekly’s publisher, said the Weekly has a bright future.

“Seeing daily newspapers collapse all around us is unsettling,” Lee said. “We grew our roots working to be an alternative to bland daily journalism. But Tucson will have the Tucson Weekly to kick around for many years to come. We have our excellent staff, and our loyal readers, to thank for that.”

The 25th Anniversary Issue is the official kickoff of the Weekly’s year-long celebration of the newspaper’s silver anniversary, which will include contests, promotions and special events. In March, the Weekly—which has been on the Internet since 1995—will launch a brand-new Web site. In June, the Tucson Weekly will be bringing the alternative-newsweekly world to Tucson as the host of the 32nd Annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies convention.

For more information, contact Jimmy Boegle at (520) 295-4221, or jboegle@tucsonweekly.com.

... is our Swimsuit Issue, and it's now online! Feel free to comment on its contents here.

We've received word from a couple of folks over at Tucson Newspapers that something rather strange is going on.

Here's what we've heard: Star employees, who normally are paid on Friday, got paychecks today--and those paychecks included cash-outs for whatever Lee Enterprises stock the employee had.

What does all this mean? Our best guess--and this is JUST a guess--is that this may be a prelude to a bankruptcy filing by Star parent company Lee Enterprises, which is overleveraged in debt and has been trying to renegotiate the terms of some of that debt.

We'll keep you posted as we find out more.

I'm not much for making a big deal about Valentine's Day, except when it comes to helping my son fill out the obligatory valentines for his classmates and helping him go through each one when he gets home. You forget how important this exchange was in grade school. Nothing has changed.

But I was reminded recently that there's an entire archive of great Valentine's music out there that could make the day worth celebrating, especially when served by director John Waters. He's like that cool uncle you always wished you had, but with cool taste in music. Check out his DATE record and NPR interview served up for Valentine's Day 2007.

The Tucson Weekly and Budweiser announce the Tucson Dive Bar Tour, taking place on Saturday, Feb. 21. A bus departs The Hut, 304 N. Fourth Ave., at 10 a.m. and continues to a number of notable Tucson dive bars. For information and reservations, contact Michael at 406-0444, or e-mail mrcpadilla@gmail.com.

Steve Emerine, a former Pima County assessor and editor at the Arizona Daily Star, has died. He was 73.

He'd been writing a column for our sister paper, Inside Tucson Business. You can find ITB's report on Steve's death here, and the Star's here.

In The New York Times on Feb. 4, there was an article on what may be the next the step in gotta-go-green consciousness (or guilt, depending on what side of the bed you crawl out of).

A couple decided to get rid of their electricity-loving fridge, and they seem to be doing just fine. Only issue: no room for already-prepped foods, so they need to make more time to prepare real food.

I thought it was interesting, however, that they still use a freezer--so they aren't completely free of using some type of electric appliance to keep their food from rotting.

Next step: Bringing back the fruit cellar?