The Arizona Senate GOP’s second in command won’t seek re-election this fall. Senate Majority Leader John McComish announced Monday afternoon he’ll leave the state Legislature when his term expires in January 2015.

Gov. Jan Brewer announced that Arizona will use state funds to keep Grand Canyon National Park open for an additional nine days if the federal shutdown persists.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Thursday of a “potentially catastrophic” hit to the economy if the nation reaches the debt limit next week and defaults on its obligations.

Quiet about his thoughts on Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid proposal for most of the session, Senate Majority Leader John McComish emerged late as a key player in the push for AHCCCS expansion in the Senate.

A group of Arizona business leaders say they have until Aug. 5 to tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency why forcing the Navajo Generating Station to spend as much as $1 billion on retrofits to the coal-powered plant would have dire consequences on the state economy and residents’ pocketbooks.

Senate approval of the governor’s Medicaid expansion bill clearly reflects the will of the people. Senate Majority Leader John McComish led the charge, breaking rank from Republican colleagues who opposed the bill.

Some of the concerns raised in the Legislature regarding Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan haven’t fallen on deaf ears.

In the amendment that included Brewer’s expansion plan in the Senate’s budget on May 16, the Ninth Floor included several changes aimed at alleviating concerns over her proposal.

The Arizona Senate has struck down an effort that would make it harder for voters to recall unpopular incumbents in a rare move that saw Republicans join Democrats against a GOP priority designed to protect lawmakers, and possibly, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

This week's most outstanding quips, gibes and utterances.

A bill to allow school employees to carry guns in schools received the preliminary approval of the state Senate today, while another Republican gun measure appears to lack the votes to clear the chamber.