Arizona sheriff seeks state and federal help to handle arrival of asylum-seekers in rural area
The sheriff of Arizona's easternmost border county asked state and federal officials for help Thursday with the sudden daily release of more than a hundred migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., including families with small children.
Feds ready to dismiss lawsuit against Arizona over border containers
The federal government is finally ready to drop its lawsuit against the state over the storage containers it contends were erected illegally last year on Forest Service land by Gov. Doug Ducey.
Why proposed rural groundwater control bills are bad
There has been a lot of talk recently about rural groundwater bills not getting a hearing at the Arizona Legislature. Over the years, proposed legislation has gone by many names, including “Groundwater Conservation Areas,” “Special Management Areas,” “Rural Management Areas,” and “Local Groundwater Stewardship Areas.” Regardless of the name, the concept is the same, and all are bad[...]
How Congress can close the digital divide
Arizona is in line to receive almost $1 billion in federal funds as a massive new broadband infrastructure initiative, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, gets underway. This major investment will make a big difference for residents of our state.
Court considers Cochise County’s claim supervisors had authority to do full hand count of ballots
The Arizona Court of Appeals considered Cochise County’s claim that the board of supervisors did in fact have the authority to conduct a full hand count of ballots in the 2022 election, contrary to an earlier trial court ruling barring them from doing so.
Openings for wildlife will be installed in areas of U.S.-Mexico border wall
Openings intended for wildlife will be put into portions of the U.S.-Mexico border wall -- including sections in Arizona -- under terms of a settlement in a 4-year-old lawsuit over how the Trump administration paid for new construction.
Court to hear arguments on full hand counts in Cochise County
At least one appellate court judge appears ready to let Cochise County do a full hand count of its early ballots. But not of those voted at polling places.
County mired in frivolous lawsuits, sketchy hire
We’re peeved about the costly elections-related tussles in Cochise County: failed attempts to conduct an illegal 100% hand count of ballots; a lawsuit filed by two supervisors during an Open Meeting Law violation to compel our elections director to break the law; the intentional delay of canvassing election results and the transfer of election duties to our partisan election skeptic recorder.
Ex-Cochise County elections director gets $130K settlement
A former Cochise County elections director has received a $130,000 settlement following claims of a toxic work environment.
AZ makes significant strides in opioid crisis
More than five people in Arizona die each day from opioid overdose, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. To address the crisis, state administrators, behavioral health providers, prevention specialists, educators and researchers have made remarkable progress.
Bill keeps home addresses secret, impact unclear
Citing death threats, lawmakers passed a bill May 3 meant to seal their home addresses from the public if a judge agrees, but it’s not clear how the new legislation will work in practice or if anyone will still be able to check that lawmakers live in the districts they represent.
Committee falls short of required signatures to prompt election to oust Cochise County supervisor
The Committee to Recall Tom Crosby announced last night, “with disappointment,” that it failed to collect enough signatures by deadline to trigger an election to oust the controversial Cochise County supervisor.