WASHINGTON – Banks are neglecting foreclosed homes in minority neighborhoods compared to those in white communities, according to a housing advocacy group that said it will file Fair Housing Act complaints over the supposed practice.

Gov. Jan Brewer used a veto of a Tucson development district bill to send a lengthy message to legislators about her budget priorities.

Brewer’s letter explaining the veto Monday of the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District says it is unwise to approve legislation with spending or tax changes before there’s agreement on a new state budget.

Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 8.7 percent in February as most sectors of the economy added jobs amid gradual improvement in the state’s economy.

State Department of Administration economists say seven of the 11 major sectors gained jobs, three lost jobs and one was flat.

An ambitious economic development bill meant to be a follow-up to the 2011 Arizona Competitiveness Package will jettison some of its more contentious provisions due to the Ninth Floor’s concerns that it will cost too much money.

But lawmakers and business groups pushing the bill say they’re optimistic that an agreement will be reached with Gov. Jan Brewer to cut state taxes on capital gains — the core component of the bill — even if they’re unable to achieve the outright elimination many GOP legislators sought earlier in the session.

A bill to require drug testing for all applicants for unemployment benefits is alive but apparently in trouble at the Arizona Legislature.

The bill has already been approved by the Senate but it barely emerged from a House committee on a 7-6 vote Thursday.

An economic development bill championed by Rep. J.D. Mesnard and House Speaker Andy Tobin passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with unanimous GOP support, but several Republicans said they had concerns about the measure and even the bill’s sponsor said it’s likely to undergo changes.

Arizona’s tax collections in February dropped from the same month a year ago, raising questions about its impact on the state’s fiscal situation.

WASHINGTON – Lori Nelson didn’t choose to leave Phoenix’s construction industry – she was forced out.

After a three-decade career in construction ended abruptly when she was laid off in 2009, Nelson had to choose between leaving Phoenix to find construction work elsewhere or changing careers to stay in the city with her family.

Republican members of Arizona’s congressional delegation gathered at the state Senate to excoriate the Obama administration and the federal government over policies on forest management, the environment and a host of other issues they say are hurting the economy and hampering job creation.

Republican members of Arizona’s congressional delegation and Gov. Jan Brewer will meet at the state Capitol on Friday for a hearing by the Congressional Western Caucus.