• Image courtesy of shutterstock.com

In the past few days, I've posted a video about the local and national Opt Out Movement and an op ed from a principal in Brooklyn, NY, criticizing the Common Core tests her students took and her inability to talk about specifics because of a state-imposed gag order.

The Opt Out movement is growing, though it's in its infancy in the Tucson area. Here are some short items about what's going on, along with links if you're interested in learning more.

• Three Tucson parents joined Robin Hiller on her radio show, State of Education, to discuss their desire to have their children opt out of the AIMS test. Their portion of the show begins around the 14:30 minute mark.

• An estimated 30,000 New York children in grades three through eight opted out of the state test this spring. That includes about 27 percent of the third through eighth grade students in West Seneca (about 800 students) and at least 6,000 students in Long Island.

After 13 and a half years, the Plush era on Fourth Avenue will officially come to a close on Monday, April 14, with the establishment reopening the next business day as The Flycatcher.

The smoky swanky nightclub, formerly known as Café Sweetwater, located on 340 East Sixth Street was sold and renamed as Plush in 2001 and now the former owner Maebelle Reed has handed over the reins to long time employee Justin McLamarrah.

McLamarrah, a graduate of Amphi, started working at the bar in 2000 as a barback, later becoming a bartender while he was getting his Bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona. The 38-year-old Tucson native is currently a realtor at Tierra Antigua.

The husband and father of four girls had to legally change the establishment’s name. He and his wife are fans of the bird, the Vermilion Flycatcher, and that's the main reason behind the name selection, according to McLamarrah. For now, the Plush logo will be concealed and the marquee will act as the bar’s signage.

A new Al Jazeera America documentary series, Borderland, premieres today, with the first episode featuring Tucson organization No More Deaths, Pima County Medical Examiner Greg Hess and other familiar border-associated folks. A screening and Q&A takes place this evening in the UA School of Journalism's student lounge on the third floor in the Marshall Building at 845 N. Park Ave., from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. (Someone will be at the west door to let people in.)

The screening starts at 6 p.m. followed by a TQ&A with one of the Borderland producers via Skype. Bring your own popcorn.

From Al Jazeera America:

Six Americans are tasked by a frontier medical examiner with retracing the footsteps of three dead migrants — three of the nearly 6,000 illegal immigrants who perished in the desert in the last 15 years while crossing from Mexico. Gathered at the morgue, the participants are handed three case files and told, “We’ve given them a name. You must give them a story.” The six, from all walks of life, first explore the issue on the U.S. side, embedding with law enforcement and Arizona ranchers angry at the cartels that now control not just the drug trade but the migrant routes as well. Then, split into three groups, they head for Mexico and Central America, learning about the lives of the migrants they’ve been asked to follow. In a twist, the medical examiner instructs the six to work their way back to the United States alongside real migrants by whatever means necessary … on river rafts, on foot through gang-controlled jungle and, once regrouped, on top the infamous cargo train known as La Bestia. Finally, from cartel-held Sinaloa state, they attempt the journeys that proved fatal to their assigned migrants — a dangerous trek through the hot badlands. They’ll live. But will they learn?

From a recent New York Times reviewhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/arts/television/borderland-is-to-debut-on-al-jazeera-america.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1:

"Borderland" is exploitative in a good way, using the ignorance of ordinary Americans to enlighten viewers about a problem so intractable that it's often easier not to look.

Details remain sketchy, but The Range has learned from multiple sources today that Jennifer Coyle, the chief of staff for Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller, resigned from her post earlier this week. While accounts vary among our various sources, it appears that a personality conflict was at the root of Coyle's decision to step down.

We've also heard that Coyle's resignation may only be the first as other staff members are looking to find work elsewhere.

Unconfirmed reports say that Coyle's replacement will be Jeannie Davis Haldorsen, who served as a spokeswoman for Republican Sean Collins' unsuccessful 2012 effort to unseat Republican Supervisor Ray Carroll. Haldorsen's arrival on the 11th floor should make for even more interesting interactions between the District 1 and District 4 offices.

On last night's AZ Illustrated Politics: National Republican Committeeman Bruce Ash and Pima County Democratic Party Latino Caucus Chairman Vince Rabago unpacked the winners and losers in this year's state budget; defended the city's policy of allowing cops and firefighters to sell back unused sick time, which has come under fire from some Tucson City Council members as they try to balance the city's budget; debated whether Congressman Ron Barber (D-CD2) had done enough to defend the A-10 Warthog; and shined a light on the use of dark money in this year's political campaigns.

Sloth Squeak! from Lucy Cooke on Vimeo

It's Friday and everyone at Tucson Weekly HQ is gearing up for some Triple A baseball action, so we are enjoying some cute animal videos to get pumped up. Nothing gets us more amped than watching videos of cute animal that might cease to exist.

That's right, Ranger.

This adorable three-toed ball of cuteness is tip-toeing the fine extinction line. According to Evolutionarily Distinct & Globally Endangered, 80% of the sloth population has been lost. Yeah. Stings, don't it?

So do your part and donate to save the 100 or so left. Click here to give some coin.

NPR has reported that singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester passed away Friday morning. Wincheseter was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in 2011. The Juno award-winning vocalist collaborated with The Everly Brothers, Wynona Judd, Jimmy Buffett and Elvis Costello.

From NPR:

Winchester, like hundreds of thousands of other anti-war protesters who left the country or otherwise avoided the draft, was able to return to the U.S. after President Carter granted them unconditional pardons on his first day in office — Jan. 21, 1977.

He was 69.

Here's an excuse to put on some pants and turn off the Netflix machine. The students and faculty of City High and local sponsors are hosting the sixth annual Pennington Street Block Party from 4 to 7 p.m. on Pennington Street. The block will be closed from will be closed from South Stone to North Scott Ave.

There will be a parklet near Ikes coffee, food trucks, live music and dozens of fun booths for the whole family including dogs and cats.

But wait, there's more:

Test-drive a robot … Record your family’s stories … Enjoy scenes from “Grease” … Build a boat … Play in the Gaga ball pit … Build a worm bin … Hang in a parklet … Conduct experiments … Get info on what to do with household hazardous waste … Ride a bike … Grab a bite … Sing happy birthday … Celebrate student service … Become a teen attorney … Make art … Buy art … Listen to live music … Check out solar energy in action … Watch karate and yoga demos … Learn more about the Sonoran Desert … Experience the border … See chemistry in motion … Meet a therapy dog … Make a book … Draw a self portrait … Get silly with skits … Play arcades … Commit to kindness … Find out about volunteer opportunities…

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will be at the event to present the Ray Davies Student Service Award to commence the event. It's Global Youth Service Day, so celebrate it accordingly. Click here for more information and here to RSVP on Facebook.

• Image courtesy of shutterstock.com

A principal in Brooklyn, NY, doesn't much like the Common Core tests her students had to take. She'd like to tell you why, but she can't.

I’d like to tell you what was wrong with the tests my students took last week, but I can’t. Pearson’s $32 million contract with New York State to design the exams prohibits the state from making the tests public and imposes a gag order on educators who administer them. So teachers watched hundreds of thousands of children in grades 3 to 8 sit for between 70 and 180 minutes per day for three days taking a state English Language Arts exam that does a poor job of testing reading comprehension, and yet we’re not allowed to point out what the problems were.

She can't talk about specifics, but . . .

In general terms, the tests were confusing, developmentally inappropriate and not well aligned with the Common Core standards. The questions were focused on small details in the passages, rather than on overall comprehension, and many were ambiguous. Children as young as 8 were asked several questions that required rereading four different paragraphs and then deciding which one of those paragraphs best connected to a fifth paragraph. There was a strong emphasis on questions addressing the structure rather than the meaning of the texts. There was also a striking lack of passages with an urban setting. And the tests were too long; none of us can figure out why we need to test for three days to determine how well a child reads and writes.

One of Tucson's finest midtown neighborhoods is Colonia Solana, which is filled with stately mansions along the winding roads just west of El Con Mall.

You can get a peek inside many of those fine homes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, during a home tour of the historic properties. Tickets are just $35 and proceeds benefit the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation.

Find more info here.