Just a little after noon today, residents near Waverly Street and Grant Road heard a sound coming from the chimney of one of the homes.

No, this wasn't Santa making an early delivery stop in the Old Pueblo; it was a man in his 30s who, by his own account, had been stuck in the chimney for several hours.

Tucson Fire Department responded to the 911 call just after 12:20 p.m. and it soon became a full-on technical rescue.

The technical rescue team utilized a rescue ring and rope to remove him from the chimney and then he was able to use the ladder with assistance to get back down to the ground. 

The man got out of the chimney unscathed, though he is currently in police custody.

The sport of axe throwing is nothing new, but over the last 10 years the sport has spread across North America, growing in popularity and becoming more accessible than ever before.

Just last year, Tucson saw two ranges come to town, including Splitting Timber Axe Range on 6401 W. Marana Center Blvd., which will play host to the world’s best throwers this weekend during the 2019 World Axe Throwing League (WATL) Championship.

The championship takes place on Dec. 8 and will pit 64 of the world’s best against each other for the title of world champion.

Evan Walters, commissioner of the World Axe Throwing League, said that Splitting Timber has applied to host competitions in the past as an affiliate member, and proved to be the perfect location for their biggest event.

He’s looking forward to seeing who the competition will bring out.

“There are so many awesome things about our tournaments such as seeing familiar faces, meeting new axe throwers, and just having fun with everyone in the axe throwing community, but for this competition it's much more high stakes,” he said. “All of the best axe throwers from around the world are competing for the title of world champion and it's going to be such a close competition. I'm very excited to see who takes it.”

Walters himself started out as an axe throwing coach just as a way to get out of the office before meeting the founder of the league and getting offered the role of commissioner. He’s involved in all aspects of the league, which has been around since 2017.

“Our vision is to prove that indoor axe throwing isn't just a unique experience; it can be a competitive sport,” he said. “We want to unite indoor urban axe throwing facilities from around the world under one professional axe throwing association.”

Walters said the sport is exploding fairly quickly.

“From just three years ago to being on ESPN, it's taking the world,” he said. “When we first started we had about six affiliated companies in four countries join, and now we have over 150 companies in 19 countries. We very well expect that to continue growing for some time.”

The championship will be a double-elimination tournament with the top 64 players from all of the league's seasons and tournaments over the past year. They'll face off in three-match rounds, with the best of the three matches moving on to the next round. If they lose they go into a B-bracket, and the winner of the B bracket and A bracket will compete at the end for the title of 2019 World Axe Throwing Champion. Along with the title, the winner will receive a cash prize.

Splitting Timber co-owner AJ Hughes loves to see people having fun and looks forward to introducing new people in Tucson to the sport this weekend.

“Axe throwing is all about the community and the people are the best part,” she said. “They’re all so welcoming, encouraging and supportive of one another.”

She’s especially excited to see some local axe throwers from the range have qualified to compete in the championship.

Tom Lickliter starting throwing about five years ago in his backyard for fun before joining leagues in January. He won his last three local regional championships, competed in two national events and qualified to compete in the World Championships a few weeks ago.

“I have been practicing four to five days a week since then,” he said. “My best advice is learn how to throw from an axepert at Splitting Timber then practice, join the leagues and most of all have fun.”

Shaun Thrush works at Splitting Timber and has been competing for about nine months. He will be competing in the Wildcard and Duals tournaments taking place Dec. 6 and 7.

“I had seen my friend’s video on Facebook last December, wanted to go, we went the following week and I was hooked,” he said.

To prepare for the championship, he has focused on “Lots and lots of practice and clearing his mind.”

Hughes, who runs Splitting Timber with daughter Bethany Buckmaster, is excited to share the fun of this sport with the community.

“I’m looking forward to see the axe throwers coming from around the world,” she said. “The people are what makes axe throwing so fun.”

For more information on the championship, including a full schedule, visit https://worldaxethrowingleague.com/espn-watl-world-championship-2019/.

The event is free to spectators and there will be a beer garden and several food trucks.

For those who can’t make the championship in person, it will be broadcast on ESPN.

How to get started with axe throwing
Some of Tucson’s local axe throwers from Splitting Timber shared their best tips for getting started with axe throwing.

“The best advice I can give for a new thrower is be patient at first and just figure out where to stand each time so the axe naturally hits the wood edge first.” - Jules Mondeau

“Best tip... find an axe, find a throw and stick with it. Consistency is key.” - Josh Brill

“It’s not about strength, it’s about finesse. If you throw too hard, the axe will over rotate.” - Bethany Buckmaster

“I always tell people that come in (to Splitting Timber) randomly to just do it. They come in and say they want to try it sometime. I tell them let’s do it now. Don’t be afraid and come as much as you can afford the money and time wise.” - Shaun Thrush

A long time has passed since my first year of teaching. Fifty years ago this September I began my 30-plus year career as a high school teacher. (Yes, I'm that old.) I taught in a one-high-school district outside of Riverside, California. The district wasn't my first choice, but it was the only job I was offered. Teaching jobs were scarce.

The next year I applied for a job in the Portland, Oregon, area. Again, only one district offered me a job, which I took. I stayed there until I retired in 2003.

I was an English teacher, which was a liability. Too many prospective English teachers were chasing too few jobs. But the jobs were there if you looked. By the time I had been teaching a few years, though, college education profs were warning their students, if you're planning to get a credential in English or social studies, you could be in trouble. Openings in those areas were few and far between. It would be a good idea, students were told, to get a second credential in another area to hedge your bets. People who could teach math, science and special education were in demand, not English and social studies teachers.

Over the years, I may have had some colleagues who didn't have traditional teaching credentials. If so, I don't remember them, and I'm sure they weren't in the English department. I can say with reasonable certainty, no classrooms in schools where I taught had full time substitutes. There were plenty of credentialed teachers to go around.

Today, too many Arizona teachers lack a teaching credential. Too many classes are being managed by full time substitutes. And Arizona is hardly alone. The same is true in other states.

Where have all the teachers gone?

I kept my 1969 contract, my version of taping the first dollar I made to the wall. My salary was $7,140. That's in 1969 dollars, of course. A 1969 dollar would be worth a little more than seven dollars today. So figuring for inflation, my first year salary was the equivalent of $50,000 today.

Today's average starting salary in Arizona is in the $35,000 range.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva weighed in on a recent report from two national human rights groups on the harsh conditions for individuals in the Eloy Detention Center.

The report, "The Carceral State of Arizona" was released by the Advancement Project and Puente this October, and alleges degrading and inhumane treatment of migrant detainees in the Eloy facility.

The report ranks Eloy as one of the deadliest ICE facilities in the country, claiming there is a lack of adequate emergency services, food and medications, among other mistreatments. 

Grijalva, who has introduced legislation since 2015 to combat private prisons and detention centers, said that the Eloy Detention Center has been "plagued by a long and tragic history of neglect."

"Since 2003, there have been more than a dozen deaths," Grijalva said in a statement Wednesday.  "Unfortunately, many of these deaths could have been prevented had the facility acted according to law. Yet, the reality is that for-profit detention centers and private prisons are motivated by profit, not human decency. The incarceration of pregnant women, individuals with serious health needs and immigrants must stop. The federal government continues to contract with the private prison complex who acts without accountability or oversight. We must end private prisons and immigration detention centers. Congress must provide that accountability and oversight."

In 2017, Grijalva introduced the Justice is Not For Sale Act which, along with requiring "federal, state, and local governments to directly operate and perform core services at adult prisons and detention centers," requires ICE to "use Alternatives to Detention, and increases oversight to prevent companies from overcharging inmates and their families for services like banking and telephone calls."

To see the full report, visit https://insideeloy.org/pdfs/carceral-state-report.pdf

It's the oddest thing. Ex-Superindent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal doesn't appear to like A-F state school grades any more than I do. And, to raise the level of oddity a notch, he was superintendent in 2011 when the state grading system went into effect.

I was a regular Huppenthal critic when he served as Education Superintendent from 2011 to 2015. These days, he is a frequent commenter on my posts, and I continue to disagree with him on almost every educational issue worth disagreeing on. But under my last post criticizing the state grading system, Huppenthal chimed in with a total of five comments, which he summed up when he wrote, "The letter grading system does more damage than good. And, I am the guy who originally put it into state law." He went on to write, "They mix two calculations which can't be mixed: growth and achievement."

I agree with every word.

As I wrote in the previous post, the A-F grading system doesn't help much when, to use the example of two elementary schools in TUSD, a school with about 25 percent of its students passing the state's high stakes test and another school with about 70 percent passing both got a "B" state grade in 2019.

It doesn't make any sense to regular human beings that schools with such widely different student passing rates should get the same grade. To understand, you have to know that the school with a 25 percent passing rate increased about ten points from 2018, while the 70 percent school dropped about four points. You also have to know that student growth makes up half of a school's grade.

There’s a new furry face at the Reid Park Zoo, one with an intense stare and a caramel-tan coat featuring black rosettes.

Bella, a 10-year-old jaguar from the Akron Zoo in Ohio, recently took up residence in Tucson.

“Bella is a curious cat and has investigated everything in her surroundings. She has become comfortable quickly, resting on her back and rolling around playfully, as cats big and small do,” said Sue Tygielski, director of zoo operations, in a statement.

Bella was born in Ohio and was selected by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan to move to Tucson.

Like many people who move to Arizona from out-of-state, allergies were a factor in this jaguar's move, according to the zoo. Bella has skin allergies, and the hope is that Tucson’s climate will be more comfortable for her. Bella will also serve as an ambassador for her species, raising awareness about the challenges that jaguars are facing in the wild.

Guests can look for Bella in the Zoo's South America loop during visits to the Zoo. As Bella adjusts to her new home, she may spend time between her habitat and behind-the-scenes in her night house.

Bella replaces Simone, a 23-year-old jaguar who passed away in July. Simone was the oldest jaguar at an AZA-accredited zoo, and lived nearly all of her life at Reid Park Zoo. She arrived in Tucson from another zoo when she was just 7 months old. Median life expectancy for jaguars is 18.

Simone was euthanized Friday, July 5 due to age-related health issues. Simone’s sister Nikita passed away in 2017, also due to age-related health concerns.

The Great Cover Up recently announced their 2019 lineup, featuring 26 Tucson-based bands performing over the course of three nights at 191 Toole and Club Congress. While it’s always a secret which local bands are covering which international acts, we do know each list:

The artists being covered: The Pixies, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sex Pistols, Neil Young, The Doors, CCR, Janis Joplin, Daniel Johnston, Guns & Roses, The Clash, Lana Del Rey and many more.

The local artists performing: Taco Sauce, Miss Olivia & The Interlopers, Little Cloud, The Bennu, Eric Schaffer & The Other Troublemakers, Nick Prevenas, Mr. Manager and more.

For those not in the know, The Great Cover Up is a local music festival where local bands cover big-name acts. For years, The Great Cover Up has grown into a Tucson staple, and now some participating bands even dress up in costumes and include stage props along with their cover music. And even better, all proceeds from the event will be donated to a designated nonprofit. (This year’s beneficiary is 91.3 FM KXCI.)

The Great Cover Up 2019 runs from Thursday, Dec. 12 to Saturday, Dec. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m. each night, music starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for one night, $12 for two, $15 for all three.

Dec. 12 @ 191 Toole / Dec. 13 @ Club Congress / Dec. 14 @ 191 Toole.

A minimum custody inmate is on the loose in Tucson after escaping authorities Sunday night.

Inmate Kevin A. Purdon, ADC #309804, escaped the Catalina unit and was last accounted for at 7:40 p.m. Purdon was admitted to prison in 2016 after being convicted out of Pima County to serve four and a half years for solicitation of a dangerous drug violation.

Arizona Department of Corrections has dispatched its chase teams, tracking dog teams and fugitive apprehension unit to find the fugitive inmate. Local authorities are also assisting in the search.

Anyone with information of his whereabouts is encouraged to call 911.

More than three years ago, former state senator and Pima County supervisor Ann Day was killed in a head-on collision caused by an erratic driver. Yesterday, that driver, 27-year-old Jarrad Barnes, was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison.

In 2018, a jury found Barnes guilty of negligent homicide (a lesser charge than manslaughter), criminal damage, endangerment, driving with an illegal drug and possession of marijuana. They found him not guilty of driving under the influence.

On the morning of May 7, 2016, Day was driving a Toyota Prius eastbound on Ina Road. Barnes was driving a Chevrolet Impala westbound on Ina Road when he swerved into the median and crashed into Day’s car. Immediately after, her vehicle was hit from the rear by a pickup truck.

Paramedics were on the scene within minutes, but Day did not survive the crash and was pronounced dead at Banner UMC’s Trauma Center shortly after. She was 77 years old.

According to the sheriff’s department, witnesses saw Barnes driving over the speed limit and hitting curbs before crossing over the road’s median. After the crash, authorities found marijuana and a glass pipe inside Barnes’ car.

On top of his prison sentence, Barnes will face three years of probation, 200 hours of community service and must pay more than $6,000 in restitution.

Day, who’s sister is former Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O’Connor, represented Pima County’s District 1 for three terms from 2000 to 2012. She served in the Arizona Senate for 10 years before that.

First came high stakes tests, the educational equivalent of trying to improve children's physical fitness by measuring their body mass index, strength and stamina, then measuring them again next year. And the next year. And the year after that.

High stakes tests yield terabytes of data, but no measurable student improvement. All we learn from the time consuming, curriculum distorting exercise is, test scores correlate with family income. Actually, we don't even learn that. We knew it already.

Then came A-F school grades issued by the state based on students' scores on the high stakes tests. In their original form, they were just a different way of presenting schools' test scores. The only added value was, they made intuitive sense to people who want a simple way of rating schools. We all know what letter grades on report cards mean, so the system was easy to understand. Schools with an "A" or "B" grade were likely to have mostly middle-to-high income students and high academic achievement. The "C," "D" and "F" schools were likely to have lower income students and lower academic achievement.

Lots of people complained about the grades, with good reason. They echoed the class bias of test scores, but the grades made the results were even more judgmental. They lavished praise on schools with high income students — "You get an A! You get a B! — while they labeled schools with low income students anywhere from average to failing. No matter how talented the teachers and administrators at the schools teaching low income students were, no matter how hard they worked, it was nearly impossible for them to get the top grades schools with higher income students received as a matter of course.

People at the Department of Education heard the complaints, so they decided to try and make the grading system more nuanced. Educators, statisticians and computer techies set to work to create a weighting system which made the grades more equitable.

The changes were at least a partial success. The current state grades reflect more than the students' family income. That's a step in the right direction, isn't it?

Well, maybe. But the changes create a new problem. If the new, improved grading system doesn't tell us which schools have the highest test scores, what does it tell us?