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Starting a Phoenix business should not take 58 steps
Phoenix should look at consolidating fees and streamlining the building and zoning permit process, which can be lengthy and opaque. Aspiring restaurant owners, for example, must submit seven sets of plans with their applications. This is too much.
Cities crack down on homeless encampments. Advocates say that’s not the answer
Tent encampments have long been a fixture of West Coast cities, but are now spreading across the U.S. The federal count of homeless people reached 580,000 last year, driven by lack of affordable housing, a pandemic that economically wrecked households, and lack of access to mental health and addiction treatment.
Economy slowing down, jobless rate up slightly
The Arizona economy is slowing down. New figures Thursday from the Office of Economic Opportunity show the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October at 4.2%. That's up two-tenths of a point from the prior month and the fifth consecutive increase after the jobless rate hit a record low in May.
Maricopa County tackling 3 major health issues
One of public health’s primary jobs is to identify the biggest health issues faced by residents and develop strategies to educate and prevent those issues from causing harm. We take a different view than health care.
Creighton University addresses health care staffing shortage
Over the next 10 years, Creighton University expects to help fill more than 23,000 jobs and add an estimated $3.6 billion in economic output to Arizona; yet this will not be enough.
Arizona could be first state to perform randomized controlled clinical trials of ‘magic mushrooms’
Arizona could be the first state to conduct randomized controlled clinical trials of “magic mushrooms.”
DIY filtration boxes from ASU help prevent spread of Covid in Phoenix cooling centers
Being homeless in the hottest large city in the United States can be fatal. According to Maricopa County’s 2022 Heat Deaths Report, more than half of all heat-related deaths in Maricopa County last year were unhoused people. That makes cooling centers crucial safe spaces for unhoused people to escape the heat for periods of time.
Court rules employee who contracts Covid on job entitled to benefits
An employee who contracts Covid on the job is entitled to benefits under the state's workers' compensation, the state Court of Appeals has ruled. And his survivor is entitled to benefit if the disease kills him.
Court strikes down GOP lawmakers’ bid to immunize doctors, hospitals from claims of negligence during pandemic
The state Court of Appeals has struck down a bid by Republican lawmakers to immunize doctors and hospitals from claims they acted negligently in treating patients during the Covid outbreak.
Protecting children from their opportunistic social influencer parents
A new law in Illinois will require parent social media influencers to set aside money for their children, under age 16, who appear in the parents’ vlogs. Sounds like a good intentioned law, right? Well, it’s a bit complex.
Court questioning if police officer violated restaurant owner’s civil rights
A federal appeals court is questioning whether a Scottsdale police officer violated the civil rights of the owner of a restaurant when he essentially arrested him twice for the same alleged violation of one of former Gov. Doug Ducey's Covid executive orders.
The crisis hiding in plain sight? Advocating for 1.2+ million students facing homelessness
In 1988, about 1% of U.S. families were experiencing homelessness. Today, that number has grown to 34%. Since 2004, the number of students experiencing homelessness has risen by 63%. In a 2022 report from The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), it was reported that 1,280,886 students experienced homelessness during the 2019-2020 school year, which represented 2.5% of all students enroll[...]
