AZGFD

The Arizona Game and Fish Department reports:

PHOENIX – Eddie “Flathead Ed” Wilcoxson was asleep on the fold-out cot of his 24-foot pontoon boat on Friday, April 12, when what would become a state record flathead catfish began taking drag at Bartlett Lake.

About 35 minutes later, at 2:37 a.m., Wilcoxson, 56, boated what Arizona Game and Fish Department officials verified is a 76.52-pound flathead catfish. It measured 53.5 inches in total length with a 34.75-inch girth.

It also became the heaviest recorded fish of any species in state history, topping the 74-pound flathead catfish caught in 1988 out of the Colorado River by Walter Wilson of Bard, Calif. …

“Everybody’s got the same chance I do,” Wilcoxson said. “You just have to get out and do it.”

Read more and see more images at AZGFD.gov

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

John Moore / Getty Images

Immigrant inmates line up for breakfast. Striped uniforms and pink undergarments are standard issue at the facility.

John Moore / Getty Images

An immigrant inmate exercises while another sits on his bunk at the Maricopa County Tent City jail on March 11, 2013. Striped uniforms and pink undergarments are standard issue at the facility.

John Moore / Getty Images

A deputy leads a tour group at the Maricopa County Tent City jail.

The tent jail, run by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, houses undocumented immigrants who are serving up to one year after being convicted of crime in the county. Many of the immigrants have lived in the U.S. for years, often with families. Most will be deported to Mexico after serving their sentences.

Sheriff Arpaio has come under scrutiny for his record on immigration enforcement, including lawsuits accusing him of civil rights violations and racial profiling. He recently won his sixth four-year term as sheriff.

John Moore / Getty Images

An immigrant inmate reads on his bunk at the Maricopa County Tent City jail on March 11, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.

John Moore / Getty Images

Immigrant inmates eat breakfast at the Maricopa County Tent City jail.

John Moore / Getty Images

A minister leads immigrant inmates during a Protestant church service at the Maricopa County Tent City jail.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dustin Murley and Jessey Sisson race on their ostriches during the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz, March 10.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dustin Murley falls off his ostrich as Jessey Sisson looks on during the ostrich race at the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dustin Murley falls off his ostrich as Jessey Sisson looks on during the ostrich race at the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dustin Murley is run over by his ostrich after falling off during the ostrich race at the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz. on March 10.

Chandler, Ariz. has more than a 100-year history with the world’s largest bird, the ostrich, but it wasn't until 1989 that the community decided to celebrate its feathered friend with the annual Ostrich Festival.

The three day event held in late winter or early spring offers your typical fun festival fare with one exception, ostrich racing.

“An ostrich is not really the most intelligent animal in the world,” said Steve Boger, whose Hambone Express brings ostrich racing to the event. “The only thing that’s less intelligent than an ostrich would be a person who would get on one and ride it.”

“It’s kind of like getting in the car with no steering wheel and no seat belt,” he told the Arizona Republic. “You’re definitely at their mercy.”

With no stirrups or reins and only a small pad to serve as a saddle, falls are common in this event, he said. Continue reading the Arizona Republic article.

Why ostriches? From the 1890s to the 1920s the desert community was home to 80 percent of the American population of ostriches. They were brought to Arizona, which had a similar climate to their native Africa, to harvest their feathers for use in women’s hats. However, with fashion being fickle, the fancy plumes were no longer a necessity and ranchers began unloading their ostriches in the 1920s.

The ostriches never returned to Arizona in any great number, but the festival was created as a community galvanizing event and to honor the history of the bird's contribution to the area's growth.

For the record, the Humane Society of the United States doesn't condone ostrich racing.

“At first glance it (ostrich racing) does appear to look fun, but it’s cruel,” said Kari Nienstedt, the Arizona director of the organization. “We don’t condone any event that torments captive wildlife causing undue stress and possible serious injury to an animal.”

Nienstedt further wishes that Chandler would celebrate the ostrich in a more humane way. 

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Dustin Murley raises his hand as he races his ostrich during the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Ariz.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Spectators prepare to watch the ostrich race during the annual Ostrich Festival.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

Jessey Sisson rides his ostrich during the ostrich race at the annual Ostrich Festival.

John Moore / Getty Images

John Moore / Getty Images

U.S. Border Patrol ranch liaison John "Cody" Jackson (L) and a fellow agent meet with cattle rancher Ron Fish (R) near the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday.

U.S. Border Patrol ranch liaison John "Cody" Jackson (R) and cattle rancher Dan Bell ride through Bell's ZZ Cattle Ranch at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, March 8, 2013 in Nogales, Arizona. Agent Jackson meets regularly with local ranchers to coordinate the agency's efforts on border issues, including drug smuggling and illegal immigration from Mexico. Bell, a third generation rancher, grazes cattle on nearly ten miles of border property. Nogales, Mexico is seen on the far side of the border fence.

John Moore / Getty Images

Ross D. Franklin / AP

Tournament volunteers walk along the golf course after a snow storm suspended play for the day during the Match Play Championship golf tournament, on Feb. 20, in Marana, Ariz. Play was suspended for the day.

Ted S. Warren / AP

Snow covers a cholla cactus during a snow storm at the Match Play Championship golf tournament, on Feb. 20, in Marana, Ariz. Play was suspended for the day.

By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters

 Dove Mountain looked more like a winter wonderland than a golfing venue after driving snow forced play to be abandoned in the opening round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday.

Just over three-and-a-half hours of golf was possible on a bitterly cold and breezy morning before rain, sleet and then snow led to matches being suspended at the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event.

Ice formed on the greens and, with further snow showers forecast for the rest of the day in Arizona's high desert, officials called off play for the day after waiting a couple of hours to re-evaluate conditions.

Almost two inches of snow covered the entire course, driving range and practice putting green at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club after all but 10 matches had started with none finishing.

"Once we got two inches of snow, even if it melted in the next hour or so, it would still take another hour-and-a-half ... to let the golf course drain where we could play," Mark Russell, the PGA Tour's vice president of rules and competition, said.

Continue reading.

Ross D. Franklin / AP

A spectator walks past a snowman made on a fairway after the first round of the Match Play Championship golf tournament was suspended due to snow Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Marana, Ariz.

Recently on PhotoBlog:

• Fore! Kangaroo mob invades Australian golf course
• Pole of Cold: Life inside coldest known region in Northern Hemisphere
• Lonely Lady Liberty awaits tourists and repairs after Sandy

Matt York / AP

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., listens to a question during a town hall in Sun Lakes, Ariz., Feb. 19, 2013.

The Associated Press reports — During a heated town hall gathering in the Phoenix suburb of Sun Lakes, Sen. John McCain said the border near Yuma is largely secure, but he said smugglers are using the border near Tucson to pump drugs into Phoenix. He said immigration reform should be contingent on better border security that must rely largely on technology able to detect border crossings.

"There are 11 million people living here illegally," he said. "We are not going to get enough buses to deport them."

Some audience members shouted out their disapproval.

One man yelled that only guns would discourage illegal immigration. Another man complained that illegal immigrants should never be able to become citizens or vote. A third man said illegal immigrants were illiterate invaders who wanted free government benefits.

McCain urged compassion. "We are a Judeo-Christian nation," he said. Read the full story.

Related:

White House, Rubio spar on immigration

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Pat Weber, 81, leads the Sun City Poms cheerleader dancers as they rehearse in Sun City, Ariz. on Jan. 7.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Donald Smitherman, 98, kisses his wife Marlene at the end of a dance in Sun City, Ariz.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

A sign marks the boundary of Sun City, Ariz.

Sun City, Ariz. was built in 1959 by entrepreneur Del Webb as America's first active retirement community for the over-55s. Webb predicted that retirees would flock to a community where they were given more than just a house with a rocking chair in which to sit and wait to die.

Today's residents keep their minds and bodies active by socializing at over 120 clubs with activities such as square dancing, ceramics, roller skating, computers, cheerleading, racquetball and yoga. There are 38,500 residents in the community with an average age 72.4 years.

-- Pictures taken Jan. 5 - 8 by Reuters photographer Lucy Nicholson, and made available to NBC News today.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Barbara Miller, 77, and Inge Natoli, 90, practice synchronized swimming in Sun City, Ariz.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

John Longo, 88, swims his daily mile training for the Masters national championship in Sun City, Ariz.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Jimmy Trollen, 80, rides in a boat he converted into a vehicle in Sun City, Ariz.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Constantine Moundalexis, 55, shows his mother, Catherine Morgan, 82, her graduation photograph in Sun City, Ariz.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Zerik Hakobyan, 86, touches her great-grandson Roman Hakobyan, 16 months, at the grave of her late husband Ovanes Hakobyan in Sun City, Ariz.

ICE via AP

The unfinished tunnel discovered by authorities in Tijuana designed to smuggle drugs into the United States.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said Thursday that an approximately 220-yard passage, pictured at right, was lit and ventilated. It began under a bathroom sink inside a warehouse in Tijuana and did not cross the border into San Diego.

AP's report on the incomplete tunnel from Tijuana also mentions another found recently in Arizona:

Elsewhere, a 240-yard completed passage was discovered less than a week ago near Yuma, Ariz. U.S. authorities say that tunnel was operational.

As U.S. authorities heighten enforcement on land, tunnels have become an increasingly common way to smuggle enormous loads of marijuana into the country. More than 70 passages have been found on the border since October 2008, surpassing the number of discoveries in the previous six years.

Read more...

DEA via AFP - Getty Images

This image provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) on Thursday shows the US Entrance to a cross border tunnel linking a commercial building in San Luis, Arizona to Mexico that was discovered through a probe conducted by the DEA. The DEA on Thursday announced the details of a 240-yard (219m)passageway that was equipped with lighting and ventilation. US Justice Department officials say the sophisticated tunnel was used to transport drugs from Mexico to the commercial building on the Arizona side. Authorities said the investigation also included arrests and drug seizures.

DEA via AFP - Getty Images

The US Entrance to a cross border tunnel linking a commercial building in San Luis, Arizona to Mexico.

DEA via AFP - Getty Images

The cross border tunnel linking a commercial building in San Luis, Arizona to Mexico.

DEA via AFP - Getty Images

DEA image of 39 pounds(14.5kg) of methamphetamines recovered by officials from a cross border tunnel linking a commercial building in San Luis, Arizona to Mexico.

•Sign up for the msnbc.com Photos Newsletter

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Inmate Julie Harper, center, marches with members of America's only all-female chain gang early in the morning at Estrella Jail in Phoenix, Arizona. Photos taken in May 2012 and made available to msnbc.com on June 28, 2012.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

The chain gang work in 104 degree heat, hacking at weeds at Bartlett Lake.

Photos and text by Jim Lo Scalzo, European Pressphoto Agency — It's a scene reminiscent of the Deep South at the turn of the 20th century: A dozen prisoners in pinstripes working by the side of the road, their legs shackled together and their brows dripping with sweat. Yet this is present-day Phoenix, and the prisoners are all women.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Kelly DeGrose, center, listens to a detention officer lecture them after a day's work on the chain gang.

With a few exceptions, chain gangs were abandoned in the U.S. by 1955. But Arizona's Maricopa County, which includes metropolitan Phoenix, reintroduced the practice in 1995, and today the county runs the only all-female chain gang in the country. Women volunteer for the duty, looking to break the monotony of jail life. Most are in for minor convictions - a DUI sentence, a probation violation - and are housed at the Tent City, a collection of surplus military tents erected next to Maricopa County's Estrella Jail to ease overcrowding. 

Previously on PhotoBlog: Rikers Island inmates graduate with high school diplomas

The "chain girls," as they call themselves, gather at 6 a.m., when detention officers drive them to that day's work site. It could be a local park to pick up trash, a highway roadside to pull weeds, or even a county cemetery to help bury the indigent. Though summer temperatures in Phoenix can rise above 110 degrees, inmates volunteer with surprising eagerness.

"It's worth it just to get out for a few hours," says Mickey Haas, who is serving time for a DUI. Fellow chain girl Honi Simmons agrees, adding: "It comes with a good story. I don't think people will ever believe I was in a chain gang."

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Members of the chain gang line up for work early in the morning at Estrella Jail.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Members of the chain gang are seen in a bus driver's mirror en route to White Tanks Cemetery to help bury the indigent.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

The chain gang help bury an unclaimed body at White Tanks Cemetery, an indigent burial site in the desert west of Phoenix.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Inmates Alma Madrigal, left, and Jennifer Thomas, right, help Lisa McCorvey roll up her sleeves before a day's work.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Members of the chain gang clean the dust off their boots after another day's work in the desert.

Ross D. Franklin / AP

In an election to fill former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' congressional seat, Democratic candidate Ron Barber, right, celebrates a victory with Giffords, left, as he gives her a hug prior to speaking to supporters at a post election event in Tucson on June 12, 2012.

Michael O'Brien of msnbc.com reports — Democrat Ron Barber has won a special House election in southern Arizona to finish the term of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, The Associated Press projected.

Giffords, who was critically injured in a Jan. 2011 event in her district, resigned earlier this year.

A former aide to Giffords, Barber, who was also injured in the attack outside a supermarket that left six dead and 12 others injured, faced a challenge from Jesse Kelly, a Republican who narrowly lost to Giffords in the 2010 midterm elections.

The campaign was imbued with emotions that still linger from the attack, which forced Giffords’s retirement – despite remarkable progress toward recovery – earlier this year. Read the full story.

Related content:

• NBC Politics: Giffords officially resigns from Congress
• More images of Gabrielle Giffords on PhotoBlog

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Matt York / AP

An air tanker drops retardent on a fire Monday, May 14, 2012, near Crown King, Ariz.

msnbc.com news services reports: Firefighters battled two wildfires in northern Arizona Monday night that have forced residents from their homes.

A fire in Crown King has forced 350 residents from their homes in a historic mining town just weeks ahead of the busy tourist season. There, the fire began on private land Sunday and has grown to 1,300 acres, destroying two buildings and one trailer, Prescott National Forest spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

•Sign up for the msnbc.com Photos Newsletter

Terry Tang / AP

Individually packaged hand-knitted uteri are placed on a countertop at the lobby of the State Capitol in Phoenix, Thursday, April 5. Critics of an Arizona proposal to limit birth control gave more than a dozen state lawmakers the personalized gift. The packages were delivered each in a clear plastic bag, labeled with a lawmaker's name and containing a letter from a Tempe woman asking legislators to oppose the measure.

Obviously there is a big political quagmire here that I won't get into. Instead I'll just say, who knew you could knit a uterus? Read more