A prostitution camp in the Marshall Islands provided many of the birth mothers caught up in former Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen’s allegedly illegal adoption business, according to statements attributed to his co-defendant in a warrant to seize his assets.
Read More »Precinct committeemen: Flexing clout when lawmakers leave 
Precinct committeemen, the party faithful who show up at legislative district meetings and encourage people to vote, occasionally get a chance to have an even more influential role in state politics.
Read More »House panel approves measure to fill legislative vacancies promptly
After Arizona Senate Democrats were left short-handed during a special session on education funding last October, lawmakers are pushing for a change that would require legislative vacancies be filled promptly.
Read More »Sherwood appointed to state Senate 
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Tempe Democratic Rep. Andrew Sherwood to the state Senate.
Read More »Democrats short one senator for special session 
Senate Democrats will be short a vote if lawmakers are called back to the Capitol for a special session this week.
Read More »LD26 Dems nominate Mendez, Sherwood, party chair to fill Senate seat 
Democrats in Tempe and west Mesa nominated two state representatives and a local party leader as candidates to fill a vacant Senate seat.
Read More »Backlogs growing again at child safety agency, director says
The head of the state's child welfare agency wants to scrap laws and rules that require caseworkers to do a full investigation of every complaint of child neglect.
Read More »With 2015 session title, Sen. Ableser again tops list for most missed votes 
Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser of Tempe retook his crown for missing the most votes of any lawmaker this year, after losing the title last year to former Democratic Sen. Steve Gallardo. Ableser voted on only 73 percent of the bills that came before the Senate this year.
Read More »Greg McKay confirmed as new Child Safety director 
The state Senate confirmed Greg McKay as the new director of the Department of Child Safety despite objections from some legislators who say they lacked all the necessary information to vet Gov. Doug Ducey’s appointee.
Read More »Pre-election victors: 7 lawmakers face zero opposition in 2014, more have limited competition 
It may be hours before polls close and votes are counted in Arizona’s 2014 primary elections, but for a handful of candidates, today is just a formality. Five senators and two representatives are running unopposed in both the primary and the November general election, ensuring their place at the Capitol. And election is all but assured for many more candidates who are running on one-party-dominant districts.
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