Don't get me wrong. I think TUSD needs lots more money. To raise salaries. To lower class size. To buy new books, technology and other classroom supplies. To hire nurses, librarians, counselors and people who teach art and music. To fix the schools' crumbling infrastructure. To upgrade school buses.

All that is an important part of improving the education students receive, especially in Arizona's cash-starved schools. But if I were to do one thing to improve student success at TUSD, it wouldn't be boosting the district's budget. It would be improving the standards of living of students whose families are near the bottom of our socioeconomic ladder. Improve their quality of life outside school and school success will improve on its own. Standardized test scores, classroom attentiveness and attendance will rise. Incidents requiring discipline will fall.

It's a simple idea, really. If students' lives improve before they arrive at school in the morning and after they leave in the afternoon, they will come to school more prepared to learn. They'll become better students, even in overfull, undersupplied classrooms.

Reputable educational studies in schools around the world conclude that family income correlates directly with student achievement. As incomes rise, student achievement rises as well. If we raise the overall income of families at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder— by "overall income," I'm referring to a host of goods and services which raise people's standard of living, not just money — their children's success in school will rise as well.

It should be clear by now, I'm not talking only about TUSD. I'm talking about the way the country approaches the task of improving student success in school. Instead of focusing on "failing schools," we need to shift the conversation to the ways society fails our children during the hours they aren't in school.

But there's an obvious problem. It's not easy, or cheap, to improve the lives of people at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. It's a heavy lift. It costs a lot of money, the majority of which will come from the uber-wealthy. Our response to the economic inequality which has grown worse over the past half century will have to change radically. And the automatic privilege granted to whites, especially those with means, will have to be replaced by a more equitable way of dealing with economic and racial disparities.

County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez, a Democrat who has served in the office since first winning office in 1992, announced today that she will not seek reelection in 2020.

"All events in life have a beginning and an end and this is also true with my journey as your Pima County recorder," Rodriguez said in a statement. "I have decided to announce my tenure as your Pima County recorder will end at the end of my current term as I will not seek reelection in 2020."

The recorder is in charge of maintaining Pima County's records, including real-estate records and voter registration records. In Pima County, the recorder also sends out and verifies early ballots and has other election-related responsibilities.

The gig pays $76,600 in case you're interested in running for office.

I've been out of town recently, so I haven't been personally involved in any of the board meetings or other events connected with the proposed Family Life Curriculum. With that in mind, here are some thoughts and discussion topics, from a bit of a distance.

1. I strongly support the new Family Life Curriculum. The changes are long overdue. Children and young adults need medically accurate information about sex, safe sex and the scope of human sexuality. The idea that keeping students ignorant will assure that they will become happily heterosexual adults who will abstain from sex until marriage — which I guess is the ideal for most people who oppose the curriculum — is both absurd and destructive.

I can't say that I support every word and every concept in the curriculum. I'm not an expert in the field, so I don't pretend to understand all the fine points. That being said . . .

2. It is an exercise in futility to try and fine tune the language and instructions in the Family Life Curriculum. Teachers will read through the curriculum and get some in service training, then they will teach the material, each in their own way. The only portions that need to be written with precision are the curricular commandments: the Thou Shalts and Thou Shalt Nots.

If a curriculum states "Thou shalt not teach any form of birth control other than abstinence," that has an absolute, direct effect on the way teachers approach sex education in their classrooms. If it says, on the other hand, "Thou shalt teach about many forms of birth control including abstinence, while making sure to point out that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method," that is an important directive which teachers must follow.

Likewise, if teachers are told, "Thou shalt teach a certain topic in 4th grade" and "Thou shalt not teach another topic until 7th grade," those are absolute instructions which are supposed to be followed to the letter.

Beyond the commandments, a curriculum is a series of guidelines. Take it from a teacher who spent 30-plus years kinda following the district curriculum while spreading his own special sauce on all his lessons. It's up to the individual teachers to decide exactly how they will approach the topics mapped out in the curriculum.

Bisbee's historic Copper Queen Library earned the recognition of Best Small Library in America 2019 on Sept. 6 from Library Journal, a library industry publication that's been around since 1876.

The Copper Queen was chosen for the honor due to the staff's "can-do attitude and the ability to combine and capitalize on assets and potential in unusual forms," according to a press release announcing the recognition.

LJ Editorial Director Rebecca T. Miller wrote that they were thrilled to honor Bisbee's library.

"This library, chosen from a competitive field, celebrates community engagement, models creativity, and makes the most of partnerships," she said.

The Copper Queen was founded in 1882 before Arizona was a state and it is the first Arizona library to receive the award.

The LJ article commended the library's attention to the diverse community it serves, which has a high population of low income residents.

Library Manager Jason Macoviak gave a lot of credit to the volunteers who are the heart of the library in LJ's article and encouraged other small libraries to be creative and take risks.

“A lot of our success just comes in trying random things and seeing if they work,” he says, then building on what resonates with the community."

Cooper Queen will receive $5,000 along with the cover of the September 2019 edition of Library Journal.

Read the full article from LJ here.

For more information on the Copper Queen or to see the programs they offer, visit their website. 

Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward made national news for her promise that Republicans will "stop gun-grabber Mark Kelly dead in his tracks."

Any Arizonan with a head and a heart remembers the horrific 2011 shooting at a Gabby Giffords "Congress on your corner" event and knows Mark Kelly, who is running for Senate, is Giffords' husband. Ol' Chemtrail Kelli apparently has neither head nor heart. She certainly has no reservations about using gun violence imagery in a fundraising email as a way of rallying the troops voters in the battle against the Democratic enemy, Mark Kelly.

But in Ward's defense, she didn't invent the idea of "targeting" Democrats with gun-laced appeals for money and votes. It's a longstanding Republican family tradition.

Sarah Palin's SARAHPAC posted a graphic in 2010 stating, "20 House Democrats from districts we carried in 2008 voted for the health care bill. IT'S TIME TO TAKE A STAND." Each district is marked with a gunsight's crosshairs.

After the Giffords shooting, Palin was criticized for the graphic. She tried to turn the blame back onto Democrats, claiming she was the victim of a "blood libel," a term that refers to the antisemitic myth during the Middle Ages that Jews killed Christian children and used their blood for ceremonial purposes. Palin's mind-bogglingly stupid and insensitive misuse of the term, compounded with her clownish campaign for vice president, assured the Republican party that absurdities can pay political dividends. Hail to the current Nonsequitur-In-Chief.

A "No Satirist Could Top the Real Thing" Note: In Sarah Palin's 2015 book, "Sweet Freedom: A Devotional," she has a chapter titled, LOCKED AND LOADED FOR BATTLE. After a biblical quote about facing adversity, she writes,

 The Bible promises trials for followers of Christ, so we’re wise to prepare for battle now. A soldier doesn’t begin his training after he’s called into battle; he’s been sacrificing and preparing for months and years before his boots hit the battlefield. So, how do we put on our armor for a spiritual battle? By studying and memorizing God’s Word. It forms a protective shield over our souls, warding off enemy attacks.

Onward Christian soldiers, marching locked and loaded.

WASHINGTON – Hunting groups are applauding new federal rules creating longer seasons, extended hours and expanded methods for hunting and taking different types of game on national wildlife refuges.

The changes, announced last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, affect 1.4 million acres of federal land, more than 800,000 of which are in Arizona where seven of nine national wildlife refuges would be included in the changes.

Zack May, president of Southern Arizona Quail Forever, said the changes reduce contradictions between state and federal hunting rules while making national public land more accessible to sports enthusiasts.

“Anything that improves public access to public land is a good thing,” he said.

While hunters cheered the changes, environmentalists groups greeted them with a shrug. Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, called the expansions “relatively minor and somewhat silly,” pointing to Kofa as an example.

“The reality is that there’s not that many hunters that go there,” Hartl said. “It’s hotter than hell 98 percent of the year.”

Kofa, at more than 660,000 acres, is the largest of the wildlife refuges affected by the changes.

The Interior Department said the new rules open hunting and fishing on 77 national wildlife refuges and 15 hatcheries. The rules also remove or revise more than 5,000 hunting regulations “to more closely match state laws,” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a new release announcing the change.

The department says the rules open or expand twice as much land as had been opened in the previous five years, and brings the number of refuges allowing hunting to 381. Affected refuges now have expanded season dates, longer hours or more hunting take methods for several bird and big game species, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The hunting and fishing changes unveiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service affect 77 national wildlife refuges and 15 fish hatcheries. (Photo by Bureau of Land Management/Creative Commons)

May, who hunts primarily in Buenos Aires and Cibola national wildlife refuges, said he has experienced “minor issues” with conflicting state and federal regulations and credited the new rules to a good working relationship between the two governments.

The final rule specifies that Fish and Wildlife officials will work with the Arizona Game and Fish Department on opening more opportunities in the next three years, including the two refuges not included in this year’s changes.

Hartl questioned the need for further expansion, characterizing the fanfare in the Interior Department’s announcement as a move to appease President Donald Trump’s political base.

“It’s such a modest thing,” Hartl said. “There’s no pent-up demand. It’s not as if this has been a contentious issue.”

A May Fish and Wildlife Service report estimates that only about 3% of Kofa’s 95,404 visitors visited the refuge for hunting during the 2017 fiscal year.

But others see the rules as a sign the federal government is listening to the real owners of the land: the public.

Hunting groups such as Safari Club International contend that people should be able to utilize public space, regardless of its popularity. Benjamin Cassidy, director of government affairs, said giving hunters the opportunity to hunt in places like Kofa “should be commended.”

“I think it continues in the tradition of listening to the American people and seeing how we can improve the experience on public lands,” he said. “Americans own these public lands.”

National wildlife refuges in the Southwest U.S. saw over 7 million visitors in 2017, according to recent Fish and Wildlife Service reports.

Nick Wiley, chief conservation officer for Ducks Unlimited, called the changes a “fresh look” at access to public lands – Arizona included.

“There’s a strong hunting interest from the people in Arizona and the hunting community,” Wiley said.

Local authorities are currently on the search for a male shooting suspect on Tucson’s southwest side. 
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a shooting in the 4000 block of West Camino Elario on Wednesday, Sept. 4 just before 2 p.m.

According to the PCSD, they received a call of someone who was shot in a residence and sustained non-life threatening injuries.  The individual was taken to the hospital.

The suspect, described as a Hispanic male in his 30s, goes by Nico and was last seen in a pink or red shirt near Tetakusim Road.

It is believed that when the suspect fled he might have crossed through Pasqua Yaqui land, so there is a Pasqua Yaqui police deputy working with the Sheriff's Department.

According to PCSD, he may be armed with a rifle.

Residents in the area are encouraged to stay inside, lock their doors and stay alert as authorities work to locate him.

Police do know his name and residence.

Anyone who has seen a man matching the description or has any information should call 9-1-1 or 88-crime.

The Reid Park Zoo said goodbye to one of its animal inhabitants this week, 20-year-old Elinor the reticulated giraffe. Born in the Knoxville Zoological Gardens on May 29, 1999, Elinor came to Tucson when she was 11 years old in 2010.

According to the zoo, Elinor died Monday, Sept. 2, just a day after “demonstrating signs of respiratory distress.” The zoo’s medical team responded to the situation, but were unable to keep Elinor alive.

She did have a history of breathing problems, and a necropsy performed at the University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will reveal more information in the coming weeks.

The median life expectancy of giraffes like Elinor is 19 years. Elinor lived at Reid Park Zoo with two other giraffes: Jasiri, an 8-year-old male, and Denver, a 30-year-old female who is the second oldest giraffe in the United States. Giraffes are listed as a vulnerable species and less than 70,000 animals remain in the wild.

After two inmates escaped custody while being transported to the Pima County Adult Detention Complex, the Sheriff's Department has suspended it’s use of Kansas-based transport company Security Transport Services (STS).

On Aug. 26, STS was transporting 56-year-old Blane Barksdale and 59-year-old Susan Barksdale, who were being extradited to Tucson in relation to charges connected in the murder of Frank Bligh, a 72-year-old Tucson man.

The Barksdales overpowered STS guards in Utah, escaping and driving near to St. Johns, Arizona.

According to a press release from the department, there is no indiction the Barksdales are traveling towards Pima County.

STS has been contracted with the county since November 2016 to provide transport services. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is one of eight counties in the state who use private transport companies to help keep costs down.

Other reasons for using a private company have to do with the high cost of extradition, distance and deadlines when an inmate has court proceedings.

STS transported 15 inmates in 2006, 100 in 2017 and 100 in 2018. So far this year, they have transported about 70 inmates.

The contract as is expires in November and the Sheriff’s Department has suspended use of their service "pending a review of the incident/escape.”

Anyone with information on the escape or the Barksdales should contact 9-1-1 or 88-crime. They are believed to be armed and dangerous. 

Tucson City Councilmember Regina Romero has won the three-way Democratic primary for mayor of Tucson, overpowering former state lawmaker Steve Farley and downtown developer Randi Dorman.

Greeted by cheers of si se puede! inside a packed American Eat Co., where Romero hosted an election night watch party, she thanked the people who helped on her campaign.

"I'm so proud of the campaign we had because nobody gets to this point without all of you; nobody does," she said. "We first started knowing it would be a difficult road but we said our campaign is going to be people powered, and it is."

Romero thanked the other candidates and spoke to her desire to bring together the Democratic party.

"The door is open to unify the Democratic party... because when we are united we are most powerful and I want to keep supporting the other candidates," she said.  "I open the door to continue working with all of you."

Romero called her 12 years serving on council and the Democratic nomination the "privilege of my life," and will continue to keep her vision strong in the upcoming general election.

"The vision will take us on to November, the vision of moving the City of Tucson to the next level of progress and prosperity, to continue working for equality and equity and inclusivity," she said.

Romero captured 49 percent of the vote compared to Farley's 38 percent.

"We came up a little short," Farley said in a concession speech at the Arizona Inn. He thanked his supporters and endorsed Romero's campaign.

Downtown developer and Political newcomer Randi Dorman was in third, with 12 percent of the vote.

No Republican is running in the November general election, but advertising executive Ed Ackerley is running as an independent.

In the four-way Democratic primary in Ward 1, Lane Santa Cruz led with 43 percent of the vote. Following her are Rob Elias (22 percent), Miguel Ortega (20 percent) and Sami Hamed (15 percent).

Santa Cruz stood beside Romero before the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd for the unveil of the first results. Romero congratulated her and commended her for staying true to her principals.

"Lesson for everybody: do not underestimate the moms," Santa Cruz said. "I'm feeling super proud and have so much gratitude, because we did not do this alone. We still have the generals to get to but its bringing us closer to that just world that we all fight for."

This post has been updated throughout the evening.