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To hell with the price, ’cause the money ain’t a thang
Christine Jones’ gubernatorial campaign has been a gravy train for consultants. According to her campaign finance report, Jones raised $590,000 – of which $500,000 was self-funded – and had already spent a whopping $540,000 by end of 2013.
Business groups push for shorter legislative sessions
Arizona’s legislative sessions, which routinely run far past the 100-day mark, sometimes make a mockery of the term “part-time legislature,” and some of the state’s most influential business groups are looking to change that.
Brewer targets sales and property taxes to boost manufacturing
Gov. Jan Brewer is looking to bolster her vaunted “Arizona Comeback” by creating new incentives for manufacturers to set up shop here.
Sheriff’s death photos spark restriction debate
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever lay dead in the driver’s seat of his wrecked pickup truck, his head turned away from the camera, his body slumped over toward the passenger’s side and his left arm bloody at the elbow. The shock of seeing the respected lawman dead sparked lawmakers to review what kinds of images should be considered public records.
AAA urges state leaders to focus on road safety and funding
With the recent commencement of the legislative session and release of Governor Brewer’s 2015 executive budget, public policy debates on a variety of critical issues have once again assumed the spotlight. Indeed, our elected officials are tasked with making difficult choices, balancing our state’s growing needs with dwindling resources.
Giant ‘Haboob’ dust storms cause EPA to relent on Arizona anti-pollution plan
Like a toddler with a water hose, the monsoon brings the rain in bursts, unevenly spraying but never quite quenching Arizona’s dry earth.
Often, the season’s thunderstorms unleash an apocalyptic scene — a wall of dust, with its tinge of yellow and red against the setting sun, rushing to swallow the Valley whole and enveloping its homes with its unwelcome sandy mist. Free from crip[...]
Lawmakers look into legislative replacement process
Vacant political seats attract would-be politicians like manure attracts flies. Arizona lawmakers are stepping into a big pile of statutes governing how to deal with vacant seats with a pair of bills approved by a House committee last week.
Horne’s campaign borrows $100k from sister
Horne reported $276,000 in revenue in his most recent campaign finance report, but $100,000 of that came in the form of a loan from his sister, and the incumbent AG raised only $173,000 from individuals and a measly $1,412 from PACs.
Backyard chickens an appropriate topic for legislature
I’m so glad to see that the state of Arizona might take a stab at this issue! Why didn’t I know about this story (“Backyard fowl bill filed by Mesa lawmaker,” Jan. 24) a few years ago? I’ve been following “chicken fights” across the country since 2009. I chronicled many of the more humorous and poignant ones in a guide to backyard chicken keeping called, “The Backyard Chicken Fight[...]
Higher pay key to solving teacher shortage
Research says that the quality of teaching is the No. 1 influence on the learning of children and will either advance them or hold them back. The Education Trust, a national research and advocacy organization says, “The caliber of teachers drives student success.”
New abortion drug rules could make procedure more expensive
State health officials are implementing new rules that will limit the use of an abortion drug in Arizona and could actually make the procedure more expensive.
Industrial hemp legalization bill shelved over legal concerns
An Arizona Senate committee decided Jan. 27 to hold off on a proposal to legalize industrial hemp production until at least next week over concerns raised by state police that such a move could increase drug testing for criminal prosecutions.
