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Christian lawmakers push battle over church and state after Roe
In the harshly lit breakfast bar of a Fairfield Inn, a dozen men and women sit hunched over microwaved eggs and steaming cups of coffee. Representing more than half the states in the nation, they have come to southern Virginia to craft policies to take back home: measures to ban abortion, restrict gender-affirming care and condemn gay marriage.
Indigenous people unite to navigate abortion access after Roe
Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade a year ago, demand for Indigenous Women Rising, a national fund that covers the costs of abortions – and the traditional ceremonies that follow – for Indigenous people has skyrocketed.
Some US airports strive to make flying more inclusive for those with dementia
Over 14 million people are expected to check into airports nationwide for Labor Day weekend and, inevitably, some will be travelers with dementia or another cognitive impairment. Nearly a dozen airports — from Phoenix to Kansas City, Mo. — in the last few years have modified their facilities and operations to be more dementia-friendly, advocates say.
Scholarships have helped displaced Afghan students find homes on university campuses
As the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, Fahima Sultani and her fellow university students tried for days to get into the Kabul airport, only to be turned away by gun-wielding extremists. Nearly two years later, Sultani, now 21, is safely in the U.S. and working toward her bachelor's degree in data science at Arizona State University in Tempe on a scholarship.
First legislative sessions after Roe produce patchwork of abortion laws
A year after the U.S. Supreme Court returned regulation of abortion to the states, the first full legislative sessions post-Roe v. Wade produced a lot of confusion and little agreement, with more extreme measures going so far as to propose criminalizing pregnant people – once unthinkable on all sides of the debate.
Health records vindicate Arizona tamale vendors
Home cooking scares Arizona health officials, but real-world evidence should put them at ease. A new investigation finds no confirmed illnesses related to homemade meals or snacks sold in the seven states with the broadest laws.
Arizona officials petition for federal aid in extreme heat situations
To curb the rise in heat-associated deaths, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has made efforts to provide assistance and disaster relief for residents susceptible to heat exhaustion and other heat-related harms, with the creation of the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation within the city’s government.
At graduations, Native American students seek acceptance of tribal regalia
For Native American students, tribal regalia is often passed down through generations and worn at graduations to signify connection with the community. Disputes over such attire have spurred laws making it illegal to prevent Native American students from wearing regalia in nearly a dozen states including Arizona, Oregon, South Dakota, North Dakota and Washington.
Funding to support oral histories in boarding school era
The U.S. government is embarking on an effort to record the oral histories of survivors and descendants of boarding schools that sought to "civilize" Indigenous students, often through abusive practices.
GOP states targeting diversity, equity efforts in higher ed
Republican lawmakers in at least a dozen states have proposed more than 30 bills this year targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education, an Associated Press analysis found using the bill-tracking software Plural.
Gress aims to help mobile home dwellers facing eviction
Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, is amending a bill to increase compensation for mobile home owners, including residents of three parks in Phoenix currently facing eviction and homelessness. The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, but it didn’t have unanimous support.
Pandemic, culture wars revive ‘school choice’ policy push
With memories fresh from pandemic-era school closures and curriculum battles — particularly over how matters of gender and race are taught — legions of parents are trekking to the marble floors of their state Capitols to fight to create education savings accounts, also known as ESAs. Such accounts exist in Arizona and West Virginia, though Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs argues the dollars would be b[...]
