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Redistricting commission files suit seeking to halt Horne’s investigation
The state redistricting commission today filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Attorney General Tom Horne’s investigation into whether the commission violated open meetings laws during the hiring of its mapping firm in June.
Cardon announces $18.2 million fed grant to ACA for small business loans
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has awarded an $18.2 million grant to the Arizona Commerce Authority, which President and CEO Don Cardon said the authority plans to use as the foundation of a revolving loan fund for small businesses.
Commerce Authority set to begin awarding grants from deal-closing fund
The Arizona Commerce Authority board of directors approved guidelines for its $25 million Arizona Competes fund, vowing close scrutiny of any company that wants a grant from the deal-closing fund.
Bundgaard ethics investigation postponed
The inquiry into whether Sen. Scott Bundgaard breached ethical rules involving his roadside fight with an ex-girlfriend has been put on hold pending the resolution of a separate complaint he filed against three members of the ethics panel.
School groups sue over empowerment accounts
Groups representing teachers and public school districts filed suit on Monday against a new state voucher-style system for disabled students, alleging that the program violates constitutional bans on state aid for private and religious schools.
Redistricting chairwoman pushes ‘donut hole’ map for congressional districts
The chairwoman of the Independent Redistricting Commission wants the panel to take a fill-in-the-blanks approach to re-mapping the state's political districts, asking her fellow commissioners to tentatively adopt a map that leaves blank nearly the entire Phoenix metro area, which would include four of the state’s nine congressional districts.
Ed Board delays release of school grading system
The Arizona State Board of Education decided today to delay releasing the specifics of its new school assessment rating system to further study how certain populations of students should be figured into the overall score.
Report: Prisons have security lapses
The Arizona Department of Corrections’ oversight of private prisons has improved since a deadly, July 2010 escape, but the Office of the Auditor General also found the state-run prisons have their own security problems.
Bivens makes Senate run official, says he isn’t a ‘placeholder candidate’
Former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Don Bivens said he won’t be deterred from a U.S. Senate run by other possible candidates and likely put to rest whatever fleeting rumors still remain that U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords would jump into the race.
A New Direction: Cracking down on illegals is losing luster in down economy
With another election season fast approaching, border security remains a priority, but many lawmakers and political insiders say support for local immigration-enforcement measures appears to be waning. The prevailing mood is that lawmakers might not have the appetite to wage emotionally draining battles over illegal immigration at a time when the state faces a more immediate menace — a saggin[...]
Lawsuit filed against Cortes; claims she’s a ‘fraudulent” candidate
An East Valley resident today accused Republican Olivia Cortes of being part of a “cynical ploy” to dilute the vote against Senate President Russell Pearce, who is facing a Nov. 8 recall election. In her complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, Mary Lou Boettcher alleges that Cortes is a Pearce supporter and called her a “fraudulent and diversionary candidate.”
Colleges decry budget cuts, sit atop $320M in cash
Community college officials came in full force to the state Capitol earlier this year to outline the potential ramifications for the proposed steep cuts to their budgets. Yet at the time they made their case, most college districts were sitting atop millions of dollars in cash reserves.
