Sometimes a story needs an update, so here's the latest on a few topics you may have seen here in the past:
Beleaguered strip club has new name, new owner
The Candy Store, the midtown strip club that built up a reputation for violence and drug deals, has reopened with a new owner and a different name.
Now called Spellbound, the club at 1104 S. Craycroft Road near East 22nd Street will still feature topless women dancing, but Corey Owens, the new owner, said he's working to clean up the joint's seamy image.
That could take some time, Owens acknowledged.
After all, its parking lot was the scene of two deadly shootings in 2009.
Last year, the previous owner agreed to pay $90,000 in fines for violations that included repeated acts of violence, selling or using drugs on the premises and a prohibited sex act, Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control records say.
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In an email, Owens distanced himself from the previous owners, saying they employed managers "who put short-term gain ahead of obligations to staff, guests and community."
Owens said his team has made an absolute, clean break from the prior owners and managers. He plans to work with Tucson police and other law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of his guests, he said.
The club will have upgraded security measures and no tolerance for inappropriate or illegal activity, Owens said.
"We are building a 'gentleman's club,' not a strip club or topless bar," Owens said. There is a difference, he insisted, as the designation is reserved for clubs that seek to attract higher-end clientele.
Foreclosure settlement still elusive
The legal wrangling between a lender and an Oro Valley woman who suddenly lost her home to foreclosure has been wearing on for months.
Tracy Wood, an interior designer who lived near West Moore Road and North Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, thought she had been approved for a loan modification with Saxon Mortgage Services.
Over the course of several months she'd been making modified payments, repeatedly assured by the company she would soon receive the necessary paperwork to complete the modification.
Then her house was sold at auction, despite the fact that she hadn't been notified of the impending sale, she said.
"We have been working toward trying to get a settlement," said Wood's attorney, Vince Rabago. "The question is whether or not we're going to be able to do that in a reasonable manner and in the immediate future."
The house was sold to real estate investors, who've now put it back on the market. Rabago said Saxon has indicated a desire to get the house back from the investors.
But Rabago said patience is wearing thin and he's worried about the pace of negotiations.
In short, he said he hasn't ruled out taking legal action against Saxon, seeking damages for a wrongful foreclosure.
Real estate agent still dreams of downtown fountain
Local real estate agent Raj Kohli is still talking fast (faster than a reporter can take notes) about putting a Bellagio-style fountain in downtown Tucson.
Kohli has garnered a group of core supporters for his vision of a downtown plaza - south of Congress Street and east of the Interstate 10 frontage road - that would include illuminated geysers of water shooting skyward in sync with music.
"The question is not whether we should have this," Kohli said at a recent meeting where he spoke to about 10 people interested in his idea. "The question is why haven't we done this already."
Just who would pay for Kohli's $285 million plaza, which would include restaurants, shops, nightclubs, office space and condos, still isn't clear. But Kohli said it would work best as a public-private partnership.
Kohli is committed to the idea. And he's passionate. At the meeting, which took place at the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce, 44 E. Broadway, he said he's looking for the same commitment from others.
"At this point I'm looking for active participation," he said. For more information: www.tucsonfountainplaza.com
Contact reporter Dale Quinn at dquinn@azstarnet.com or 573-4197.