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

As the state prepares to turn 100 years old in 2012, reflection is inevitable.

Looking back on old photographs, such as a sturdy miner posing in front of a giant hole in the earth, recalls the glory of days when Arizona and its residents were sustained on what the state’s rugged, diverse terrain could provide.

Arizona’s famous five Cs have been used as a quick way to describe the economic engines that drive the state. Representations of copper, cattle, climate, cotton and citrus are all emblazoned on the Great Seal of the state of Arizona, although these industries are not the forces they once were.

From something as grand as helping build a house or as simple as dropping off supplies at a fire station, Arizona lawmakers give back to their communities.

A legislative committee on Wednesday debated changing the way student success is measured in Arizona schools, which would also change the structure of education funding.

A handful of Democratic lawmakers held a press conference today to announce they are donating their special session paychecks to a nonprofit employment assistance organization and chastise their Republican colleagues for not extending federal unemployment benefits.