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Vince Yanez understands what the Arizona Board of Education could be getting in to this year when it begins a “systematic review” of the state’s English Language Learner program.

After his daughter was shot, execution-style, in 1979 by a gang member out to kill a police officer’s child, John Gillis and his wife were forced to sit outside the courtroom during the killer’s trial.

WASHINGTON – Skeptical senators Tuesday challenged Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on how her department plans to provide a “meaningful” border-security figure, which is the key to a route to citizenship for immigrants here illegally.

The Episcopal bishop for Arizona joined several religious and union leaders Wednesday urging that family-unification policies be included in any comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

WASHINGTON – Jerssay Arredondo said life as an illegal immigrant and a gay man can be a “double struggle” – which was all the more reason for him to be on hand as the Supreme Court heard arguments on same-sex marriage. “We must remember that immigrant rights are (gay) rights” and vice versa, the 21-year-old Phoenix resident said Wednesday on the steps of the Supreme Court.

The director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday defended his agency’s decision to release more than 2,000 illegal immigrants last month, saying it was necessary to keep the agency within its budget.

WASHINGTON – While much of Washington is focused on the impact of Friday’s “sequestration” cuts, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith is worried that a proposed solution to that problem could end up seriously hurting cities.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said people should not take her attendance at a White House dinner Sunday night as a suggestion that she and President Barack Obama are now “BFFs.”

Eight Arizona hospitals were ranked in the top 5 percent in the nation by a national healthcare rating agency, giving Arizona the 13th-best rate of high-achieving hospitals among states.

Grand Canyon National Park could have to cut hours and delay the opening of some park sections if automatic federal budget cuts are allowed to take effect March 1, a park advocacy group said Wednesday.