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.
State taking initial steps to explore possibly legalizing use of certain mushrooms
It won't make Arizona into Colorado or Oregon. And whatever happens will take years. But the state is taking the first steps to what could be legalizing the use of certain mushrooms -- and, specifically psiolocybin -- for use, at least for some people.
Fewer Californians are moving to Texas, but more are going to Arizona and Florida
The number of former Californians who became Texans dropped slightly last year, but some of that slack was picked up by Arizona and Florida, which saw their tallies of ex-Californians grow, according to new state-to-state migration figures released Thursday.
In many Indigenous cultures, solar eclipse is more than spectacle
The belief is pronounced on the Navajo Nation but not shared among all Indigenous cultures North, Central and South America that will be in the primary viewing path for the "ring of fire" eclipse Saturday. Navajo, which has the largest reservation in the U.S., is closing well-known tourist destinations like Monument Valley and the Four Corners Monument to allow residents to be at home with curtain[...]
Government sues Union Pacific over using flawed test to disqualify color blind railroad workers
The federal government has joined several former workers, including some who worked in Arizona, in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind and might have trouble reading signals telling them to stop a train.
Top prosecutors back compensation for those sickened by US nuclear weapons testing
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and 13 other top prosecutors from around the U.S. are throwing their support behind efforts to compensate people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing.
Catholic hospital mergers threaten access to reproductive care – even in abortion ‘safe havens’
As more and more states ban abortion following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, patients have flocked to states where the procedure remains legal. But even in those places, reproductive services may be tougher to come by because of the rise of Catholic-run health care.
Big Ten clears way for Oregon, Washington to join, sources say
The Big Ten has cleared the way for Oregon and Washington to apply for membership and join the conference, four people with familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday, dealing a crushing blow to the beleaguered Pac-12.
More Pac-12 movement? Arizona and Washington regents call special meetings
The pieces of the conference realignment puzzle could again be moving quickly. The boards of regents for Arizona's two biggest universities and the University of Washington scheduled special meetings for Thursday night amid speculation that more Pac-12 schools could leave the flailing conference.
Biden goes west to talk about his administration’s efforts to combat climate change
President Joe Biden will travel to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah next week and is expected to talk about his administration's efforts to combat climate change as the region endures a brutally hot summer with soaring temperatures, the White House said Monday.
Masks are out at In-N-Out after burger chain bans employees from wearing them in five states
The In-N-Out burger chain will bar employees in five states from wearing masks unless they have a doctor's note, according to internal company emails leaked on social media.
9th Circuit denies bid by environmentalists and tribes to block lithium mine
The latest bid by conservationists and tribal leaders to block construction of a huge lithium mine already in the works along the Nevada-Oregon line was denied by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.