US launches online system to seek asylum on Mexican border
The Biden administration on Thursday launched an online appointment system as the only way for migrants to get exceptions from pandemic-era limits on asylum — the U.S. government's latest major step in eight days to overhaul border enforcement.
Arizona led nation for rise in homeless youth last year, HUD report says
Arizona saw the largest increase in the number of homeless youths in the nation last year, at a time when other large states were seeing those numbers decline, according to a recent federal report.
Court backs schools over social media posts
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit unanimously ruled school districts reserve the right to discipline and expel students for content posted on social media, so long as the post creates a substantial disruption in schooling and collides with the rights of other students.
Maricopa County’s ozone pollution is high and getting worse
Maricopa County’s ozone levels are getting worse, harming the health of its 4.5 million residents and threatening to cost the region billions of dollars in the coming years.
Keep failed, out-of-state energy interests out of Arizona
Out-of-state organizations are pushing for Arizona to adopt the same failed policies as California. I will work to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy at the national level that protects consumer choice, invests in reliable energy sources, and brings down costs for Arizonans.
US law based on anti-Latino racism fuels immigration fight
As thousands of children were taken from their parents at the southern border during a Trump administration crackdown on illegal crossings, a federal public defender in San Diego set out to find new strategies to go after the longstanding deportation law fueling the family separations.
Biden signs water bills benefiting 3 tribes in Arizona
President Joe Biden has approved three bills that will improve access to water for three tribes in Arizona amid an unrelenting drought.
Phoenix led nation in inflation in 2022, but rise may slow in 2023
After a year in which the Valley saw the nation’s highest inflation rate for metro areas, experts say consumers can expect inflation to ease in 2023 – but warn that it’s not going away entirely.
Water reductions for new year may be just the beginning, experts say
Experts say few Arizona residents will notice any immediate change to the availability of water in their daily lives now that steep cuts are in effect on the amount of water the state can draw from the Colorado River. But that does not mean they can relax.
Arizona restricts farming to protect groundwater supply
The Arizona Department of Water Resources this week put a limit on the amount of land that can be watered, designating the Hualapai Valley as an irrigation non-expansion area. That means anyone who hasn't farmed more than 2 acres there during the past five years can't.
Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns
Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives, including some from Arizona, meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River.
Cannabis sales soar, but don’t threaten 5 C’s
Sales of marijuana in Arizona soared to $1.6 billion in 2021, just one year after recreational cannabis was legalized in the state, making Arizona second only to California for retail sales that year, according to an industry research group.