Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

A Phoenix attorney and former top aide to former Gov. Janet Napolitano is expected to be the next U.S. Attorney for Arizona. The statea��s Democratic congressional delegation has given its unanimous support to Dennis Burke. Once the background checks conducted by the Justice Department are completed, Burke is expected to be an easy nomination for President Barack Obama, say political insiders.

Professional hockey will live on in the desert, at least for a while. Billionaire Jim Balsillie failed in his bid to have a bankruptcy court judge order the Phoenix Coyotes sold to him and, over the NHLa��s objection, moved to Hamilton, Ontario. His downfall was his self-imposed June 29 deadline for completing the deal.

TUCSON - A plan by the Pima County Sheriff's Department that would have stationed deputies at fast-food joints to sniff out drunken drivers appears to have fallen flat.

Deputies raided a Phoenix car wash on June 13 that is suspected of employing illegal immigrants, detaining at least 15 workers, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

TUCSON - A Cochise County lawmaker has stepped up to the plate to help revive a tax intended to keep spring training in Pima County. Rep. David Stevens, R-Sierra Vista, said he's been assured the measure will now be given a vote in the House.

A Maricopa County judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas against the Board of Supervisors. Both objected to a move by the board to transfer $24 million to the state to balance the budget.

FLAGSTAFF - A Flagstaff bank has been ordered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to raise $2 million in new capital.

State legislators still want to punish lobbyists who lie. The Senate Government Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to impose stiff penalties on registered lobbyists who knowingly provide false information to lawmakers and other public officials.

A House committee has endorsed new legislation to have Arizona voters decide whether to amend the state Constitution to generally prohibit discrimination and favorable treatment by state and local government based on sex, race, ethnicity, color and national origin.

The Arizona House has approved a bill loosening state regulatory protections for groundwater to help a Texas company's proposal to store natural gas in a stadium-sized underground cavern.