Arizona has improved its transparency on government spending but has a lot of work to do when it comes to providing information on tax credits for businesses, an advocacy group reported Tuesday.

Students with poor grades may have to buckle down on their studies before they can play in the football game or dance on the cheerleading team if a bill approved by the House on March 4 becomes law.

Arizona public schools would get a one-year freeze on consequences from a new high-stakes learning test under legislation the state Department of Education plans to offer during the next session.

Max Ashton is a senior at Brophy College Preparatory with a 4.0 grade point average. He is also blind.

The iArizona Committee is headed by Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and backed by a broad coalition of local politicians, construction contractors and business interests. Their ultimate goal is to boost Arizona’s economy and status as a transportation hub connecting Los Angeles, Dallas and Mexico, as well as linking Arizona’s manufacturing and economic hubs to one another.

WASHINGTON – More than half of the 47 Arizona hospitals ranked in a recent survey of patient safety got a grade of C, the lowest grade offered in the first year of the national report. The survey by the Leapfrog Group measured 26 patient-safety factors, everything from the hospital’s computer system to how often catheters are removed and even the frequency of surgeons accidentally sewing up a patient with an object left inside.