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Recent Articles from Ben Giles
AG rules Bisbee bag ban illegal
The finding is the latest loss for Bisbee, which prohibited local retailers from providing single-use plastic bags to customers in 2014. State lawmakers then banned such local ordinances the following year, and now the attorney general has weighed in following a complaint from Sen. Warren Petersen, a Gilbert Republican.
Teachers union takes Ducey to task for pay raises for aides
Arizona’s teachers union called for a 20 percent pay raise for all educators in the state, arguing that if it’s good enough for Gov. Doug Ducey’s deputies, it’s good enough for teachers.
Scottsdale lawmaker recounts years of sexual harassment in state House
Arizona Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said she’s been sexually harassed at the state Capitol since her first year in office.
Moderate GOP lawmakers exist in name only, study finds
So-called “moderate” Republican state legislators in Arizona aren’t so moderate after all. Only a handful of Republican senators and representatives vote alike with a few Democrats in their respective chambers, according to an analysis by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
Some GOP lawmakers vote solid red, support caucus bills
Representatives like Vince Leach, R-Tucson, and Don Shooter, R-Yuma, and Sens. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix and John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, are among the Republicans most faithful to their own caucus when it comes to voting.
Small group of Republicans buck their party, vote their conscience
Republican Sen. Warren Petersen and Reps. Eddie Farnsworth and Rusty Bowers certainly don’t vote alike with Democrats. They also have the distinction of being the most likely to buck their own party.
House Dem leader crosses aisle more often than party colleagues
In the Senate, minority leaders don’t often vote with the GOP. In the House, it’s the top Democrat, Rebecca Rios of Phoenix, who casts the most votes with her Republican colleagues.
Swing-district Dems use divergent vote tactics in Legislature
No legislative votes are picked apart come election season quite like those of lawmakers from Arizona’s swing districts. While Sen. Sean Bowie follows conventional wisdom, Reps. Mitzi Epstein and Kelli Butler don’t play by bipartisan rules.
Fernanda Santos: Journalist grows roots in the borderlands
Fernanda Santos spent 12 years at the New York Times, including the past five as a correspondent based in Arizona. When faced with a decision to continue at the newspaper or stay in Phoenix, she chose the desert. Now she’ll teach a new generation of journalists at Arizona State University.
Activists deliver petitions demanding Ducey advocate against confederate monuments
Over 1,000 petitions were delivered to Gov. Doug Ducey’s office Thursday morning demanding the governor advocate for removing Confederate monuments from state property.
Ethics committee opens inquiry on Dem Miranda, votes along party lines
The Arizona Senate Ethics Committee will investigate a Democratic state senator for allegedly violating signature gathering laws, but won’t do any real sleuthing until the attorney general weighs in.
Ousted agency head considers run for governor
Tim Jeffries, the former director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security who Gov. Doug Ducey ousted roughly a year ago, is now considering a run for governor.
