Petersen and Toma trying to torpedo deal that would lead to state’s obligation to pay for gender-affirming surgery
Top Republican lawmakers are trying to torpedo a deal that would result in a court order that would forever obligate the state to pay for gender-affirming surgery for its employees and dependents.
Organizations advocating for homeless residents’ rights drop lawsuit aimed at preventing ‘sweeps’
Three organizations advocating for rights for the homeless have quietly dropped their lawsuit to prevent "sweeps'' of encampments by the city of Tucson.
State Republicans can vote as usual in next year’s presidential preference election
Arizona Republicans will get to vote as usual in next year's presidential preference election after the head of the state party rejected a demand from leaders of the Maricopa County GOP to cancel the state-run election and instead run the vote themselves.
Student and teacher mental health programming supported by Covid funds could be in limbo
Student and educator mental health programming supported by Covid grant relief funds may be in limbo after the Arizona Department of Education requested reports on the efficacy in remedying learning loss.
Independents, with a lowercase i, are now Arizona’s biggest voter group
The largest political party in Arizona is no longer a party. The latest voter registration numbers from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office show that independent voters edged out Republicans in July to become the largest single group of voters in the state.
Toma and Petersen claim doctors have no legal right to challenge abortion ban
Arizona's top two Republican lawmakers say doctors have no legal right to challenge a 2021 ban the GOP-controlled Legislature enacted on abortions due to fetal abnormalities because they aren't saying they intend to violate it.
Smugglers steering migrants into remote desert, posing new Border Patrol challenges
Border Patrol agents ordered the young Senegalese men to wait in the scant shade of desert scrub brush while they loaded a more vulnerable group of migrants — a family with three young children from India — into a white van for the short trip in triple-degree heat to a canopied field intake center.
Effort to regulate short-term rentals will resume
Stakeholders and lawmakers say that they will renew efforts in the next legislative session to increase municipalities’ ability to restrict short-term rentals to increase the amount of long-term rental properties and for-sale residential properties.
Alternative micro-school fails to meet zoning laws
Tia Howard wanted to start her own micro-school. So, she contracted with a curriculum provider, found a piece of rural residential land, signed a contract and made a $5,000 deposit. But Howard soon found Pinal County’s zoning code does not account for micro-schools. And per an interpretation from the county, a micro-school would be barred from rural residential land as it does not fall under the[...]
GOP leader telling executive committee meeting might not be legally, logistically possible this week
The leader of the Arizona Republican Party is telling members of the party's executive committee that it may not be legally or logistically possible to hold a meeting this week to consider canceling the state-run presidential primary election.
Some US airports strive to make flying more inclusive for those with dementia
Over 14 million people are expected to check into airports nationwide for Labor Day weekend and, inevitably, some will be travelers with dementia or another cognitive impairment. Nearly a dozen airports — from Phoenix to Kansas City, Mo. — in the last few years have modified their facilities and operations to be more dementia-friendly, advocates say.
Sierra Club report card lauds environmental funding, laments climate inaction
The Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Wednesday released its fall 2023 Environmental Report Card for the Arizona Legislature and governor, and though the organization gave a majority of the state’s legislators negative marks for climate inaction, it praised the state budget’s climate initiatives.