Arizona
Matisyahu: Head of Arizona concert venue 'deeply saddened and offended' over antisemitism accusations
PHOENIX – The head of a concert venue in Tucson has issued another statement amid ongoing controversy over the cancellation of a concert by Jewish-American singer Matisyahu on Feb. 15.
We first reported on the cancellation on Thursday, which happened hours before the concert was set to begin. The singer later posted a statement on his social media pages in response to not only the cancellation in Tucson, but a cancellation at another venue in New Mexico.
In the statement, Matisyahu appeared to blame antisemitism as a factor in the two show’s cancelling.
“They do this because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Matisyahu wrote, in part.
In her initial statement, the Executive Director of The Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Cathy Rivers, denied that the decision to cancel the concert was not due to politics or religion.
“This decision was made based on safety. The temperature of the day changed, and the tone was not set by us,” read a portion of Rivers’ initial statement.
Head of venue reveals additional details surrounding cancellation
On Feb. 16, Rivers issued a lengthy statement detailing the cancellation.
In the statement, Rivers said “as a member of the Jewish community myself, a female business leader, and a longstanding community partner in Tucson, I am deeply saddened and offended by the public’s accusations of antisemitism as the cause for the Matisyahu concert cancellation.”
Rivers also delved into the circumstances surrounding the cancellation, stating that the venue was made aware of security concerns by Matiayahu’s team on Feb. 12. ahead of the scheduled show in New Mexico that was ultimately canceled.
“With security being a concern for the tour amid online threats of protests from his detractors, The Rialto opted to increase staff security for the concert and the Tucson Police Department was alerted,” read a portion of the statement.
Initially, the venue announced that the Feb. 15 concert would go on as scheduled, but Rivers wrote that staff members later started to call out of work over security worries, and that a local, private security firm had notified the venue that they were contacted by Matisyahu’s team for additional security, and requested to bring firearms.
The venue, according to Rivers, has a “longstanding policy of prohibiting all firearms on our campus.”
“It was at that time that we re-evaluated the risk that this performance would have on Matisyahu, our staff, and our customers for this all-ages concert. Short staffed and with an amplified sense
that the artist himself did not feel safe enough to perform at our venue, we decided that the temperature of the situation had changed drastically enough to warrant calling for the show to be canceled,” read a part of Rivers’ statement.
Rivers said staff members were paid for the hours that they would have worked, and Matisyahu was also paid in full for his would-be performance.
“There was no intention to distance or unalign ourselves with Matisyahu as a performer. This was not done to hurt the artist who we have happily hosted for 13 previous years,” read a part of the statement.
Rivers also said it is “heartbreaking” for her to learn that her decision to “de-escalate a perceived security risk to a performer, our staff, and our customers was met with vitriol by our own community.”
“I see now that I should have been more forthcoming in The Rialto’s initial statement to the community and our ticket holders prior to the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This is a learning experience for us all. I came to understand that our customers and community need to hear the complete story,” Rivers wrote.
Matiayahu has had concert cancellation controversy in the past
Matisyahu, in a photo taken in 2024. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)
This is not the first time a Matiayahu concert cancellation has sparked controversy.
In 2015, the Associated Press reported that organizers of an international reggae festival in Spain canceled a Matiayahu concert, because the singer declined “to declare himself regarding the war and in particular the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state.”
Matiayahu, whose real name is Matthew Miller, responded by stating that the decision was “appalling,” and said organizers of the festival were pressured by the pro-Palestinian group and wanted him “to write a letter, or make a video, stating my positions on Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to pacify the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement] people.”
“I support peace and compassion for all people. My music speaks for itself, and I do not insert politics into my music,” the singer wrote at the time, while questioning whether other festival artists had faced similar demands.
The Rolling Stone later reported that Matisyahu was re-invited to the music festival after the cancellation decision was criticized by the Spanish Foreign Ministry.
The full statement from Cathy Rivers
As the Executive Director of the Rialto Theatre, I made the extraordinarily hard decision to cancel a beloved performer’s concert hours before showtime. I am writing this letter to all who
have called for more information about the cancellation of the Matisyahu concert on February 15, 2024 at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson.
As a member of the Jewish community myself, a female business leader, and a longstanding community partner in Tucson, I am deeply saddened and offended by the public’s accusations
of antisemitism as the cause for the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This would have been Matisyahu’s eighth performance at the Rialto Theatre since 2009. The Rialto was made aware that Matis’ team had security concerns as early as Monday ahead of his Meow Wolf show in Santa Fe. With security being a concern for the tour amid online threats of protests from his detractors, The Rialto opted to increase staff security for the concert and the Tucson Police Department was alerted. We released a statement saying that the show would go on as planned on Thursday morning via social media.
Staff members began to call out of work for the concert citing their own safety concerns. We simultaneously received a call from a local private security firm informing us that they had been
contacted by Matisyahu’s people for additional security. They requested to bring firearms. The Rialto Theatre has a longstanding policy of prohibiting all firearms on our campus.
It was at that time that we re-evaluated the risk that this performance would have on Matisyahu, our staff, and our customers for this all-ages concert. Short staffed and with an amplified sense
that the artist himself did not feel safe enough to perform at our venue, we decided that the temperature of the situation had changed drastically enough to warrant calling for the show to be canceled.
Matisyahu’s team was concerned enough to seek armed security out of concern for his family’s safety. I opted to do the same for my Rialto family.
Our staff was paid for the hours they would have worked for the performance. Matisyahu was paid in full for his performance as well without hesitation, question, or argument on our part. There was no intention to distance or unalign ourselves with Matisyahu as a performer. This was not done to hurt the artist who we have happily hosted for 13 previous years.
The tarnish to The Rialto’s Theatre’s 104-year outstanding reputation as a safe, inclusive, community-driven space for all cannot be overemphasized. This business is built on relationships with performers, agents, and community. To learn that my decision to de-escalate a perceived security risk to a performer, our staff, and our customers was met with vitriol by our own community is heartbreaking.
I see now that I should have been more forthcoming in The Rialto’s initial statement to the community and our ticket holders prior to the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This is a learning experience for us all. I came to understand that our customers and community need to hear the complete story. I hope that I provided the Tucson community and all of our partners around the country and the world with what they have called for.
Arizona
NAU launches first-of-its-kind engineering degree to fast-track Arizona’s future workforce – The NAU Review
As Arizona’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries continue to grow at a rapid pace, Northern Arizona University’s Steve Sanghi College of Engineering is launching a new degree program designed to help meet the state’s workforce needs.
Beginning this fall, NAU will offer a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology, a flexible, workforce-focused degree pathway that prepares students for careers in microelectronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing in as little as three years. The 90-credit bachelor’s degree creates a more accessible pathway into engineering careers through a hands-on, applied curriculum and a streamlined transfer model with Arizona community colleges.
The program follows a 45-45 completion structure, allowing students to complete 45 credits at a community college and 45 credits through NAU. Courses will be delivered through synchronous remote instruction at NAU’s North Valley campus in Phoenix and at Pima Community College in Tucson, increasing access for statewide students.
Addressing Arizona’s growing semiconductor workforce
Designed with workforce readiness in mind, the program emphasizes practical engineering application, systems implementation, testing, quality control, systems analysis, manufacturing, fabrication, process control and project management. Students will gain technical and problem-solving skills aligned with the needs of Arizona’s rapidly evolving manufacturing economy.
“This new bachelor’s degree empowers students to identify real-world engineering challenges and develop practical solutions,” said James Palmer, associate dean for academic affairs at the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering. “We are creating a more accessible pathway into engineering careers while preparing graduates to support Arizona’s growing microelectronics and semiconductor industry.”
Arizona has emerged as one of the nation’s fastest-growing semiconductor hubs, with more than $200 billion in semiconductor-related investments announced in the Greater Phoenix region since 2020, including expansions from Intel, TSMC and Amkor Technology. TSMC alone has committed up to $165 billion toward Arizona operations, including multiple fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities expected to create thousands of technical and manufacturing jobs.
Industry demand continues to grow for professionals with applied engineering and advanced manufacturing skills in areas such as process engineering, manufacturing systems, equipment operations and yield enhancement. NAU’s new degree program was developed to help students quickly enter these high-demand career fields while supporting Arizona’s long-term economic growth and domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
The program also aligns with NAU’s strategic commitment to expanding access to affordable, student-centered educational opportunities that prepare graduates for meaningful careers and long-term success.
Students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology program should contact SCE@nau.edu.
PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s frontrunner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state’s chief executive.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.
“These are wonderful people, but they’ve never actually been in the great battle,” Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.
Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.
The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who’s running unopposed in the primary.
Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the ultra-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus.
Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.
Biggs is one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County’s treasurer in the 2000s.
Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump’s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.
His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats. Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers – a move Hobbs also has touted. “They shouldn’t be given a break,” Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.
Schweikert bemoaned Arizona’s unfavorable affordability rankings as “pretty miserable,” but said consumer prices don’t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.
Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,” Schweikert said.
Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump’s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.
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