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State examining stimulus impact with an eye on jobs
State agencies are submitting their reports to the Governor's Office of Economic Recovery for the first comprehensive look at how Arizona has been impacted by the federal stimulus act. The Office of Economic Recovery, which oversees the state's use of money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will collect the data through Oct. 6 and plans to submit a report to federal offic[...]
Arizona prepares order for swine flu vaccine
A first batch of roughly 60,000 doses of the new swine flu vaccine could arrive in Arizona next week, state health officials said Sept. 29. Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble said his office is collecting orders from county health departments for submission to the federal Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday. Arizona likely will get the first doses of a nasal spray v[...]
Compliance with law requiring $25 decals for OHVs below expectations in first year
Supporters hoped a state law requiring owners to purchase $25 decals to operate off-highway vehicles would raise $4 million to $6 million annually to help fund rider education, law enforcement and other projects.
JLBC OKs $7M to complete parks projects
The State Parks Board, with the approval of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, released about $7 million to finish nearly completed projects that were put on hold in February. About $50 million of the parks budget was swept as part of state budget cuts and about a third of the agency was laid off, said Ellen Bilbrey, a public information officer for the Parks Board. In the process, Heritag[...]
Census data: Arizona second in police, corrections spending, 38th in education
Arizona outspent all but one state on police protection and corrections as a percentage of overall state and local expenditures while its education spending ranked 38th in U.S. Census Bureau data released Wednesday (Sept. 30).
ADEQ director: Recycled water, renewable energy key to Arizona’s future
Capturing rainwater for drinking. Reusing what goes down the shower drain to water the lawn. Irrigating trees with used water from a air-conditioning system. Recycling water in these and other ways is key to meeting Arizona's long-term water needs, the head of the state Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday (Sept. 29).
Arizona State Fair’s H1N1 preparations include hand-washing stations, education
The Arizona State Fair will still feature a petting zoo, livestock competitions, a pig race and a 1,000-pound swine named Harvey even though a few fairs elsewhere have cut back on contact with animals due to concerns about the H1N1 virus.
Verschoor considering run for State Treasurer’s Office
Sen. Thayer Verschoor, who will reach the end of his term next year, said he is exploring a run for the State Treasurer’s Office. But the Gilbert Republican said he does not intend to run against Treasurer Dean Martin if the Martin decides to seek re-election to the position.
Brewer gives $11.6M of stimulus money to health centers
The Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery announced Gov. Jan Brewer has awarded $11.6 million in federal stimulus money to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Arizona group sues Game and Fish, saying agency had no permit to trap jaguar
An Arizona-based environmental group filed suit against the Arizona Game and Fish Department in U.S. District Court in Tucson on Sept. 24, claiming the agency lacked a necessary permit to capture jaguars.
Wanted: new revenue
Lawmakers will be facing quite the conundrum in 2010 - how to raise more revenue for the cash-strapped state without raising taxes. The Republican-led Legislature stymied attempts by Gov. Jan Brewer to put a sales tax increase on the ballot, and outright rejected the idea of passing a tax increase itself.
Corrections disciplines 16 over death of inmate in outdoor enclosure
The Arizona Department of Corrections has disciplined, dismissed or accepted resignations from 16 employees in connection with the death of a female inmate left in an outdoor enclosure and a strategy that used such enclosures as an alternative to force with prisoners, the agency's interim director said Sept. 22.
