County tailors ballot project to politically connected firm
As an Arizona county prepares to spend up to $1 million in state money to test anti-counterfeit features on ballots, it appears the project was tailored for one company in particular that has pushed the idea with the help of political allies in the state for more than two years.
Millions scramble to afford energy bills amid heat waves, but federal program to help falls short
As climate change ratchets up temperatures in Arizona and across the U.S., millions of the poorest Americans grapple with agonizing decisions — between enduring perilous heat or paying costly bills. While President Joe Biden has invested billions into federal programs that subsidize the poorest Americans' energy costs, the money reaches only a fraction of the most vulnerable during the swelteri[...]
Texas man who threatened poll workers and Arizona officials is sentenced to 3 1/2 years
A Texas man who advocated for a mass shooting of poll workers and threatened two Arizona officials and their children has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in federal prison, prosecutors said Friday.
First generation of solar panels will wear out, recycling industry taking shape
In Yuma, a desert city where Arizona, California, Sonora and Baja California meet, North America's first utility-scale solar panel recycling plant has opened to address what founders of We Recycle Solar call a "tsunami" of solar waste. Plans to address climate change rely on massively scaling up clean, solar electricity.
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.
Biden looks to provide relief from extreme heat as record high temperatures persist
With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden today plans to unveil new steps to protect workers, improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible, the White House says.
Mayes, 21 other attorneys general oppose 3M settlement over water systems contamination with ‘forever chemicals’
Twenty-two attorneys general, including Kris Mayes, urged a federal court Wednesday to reject a proposed $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially dangerous chemicals, saying it lets manufacturer 3M Co. off too easily.
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.
Big fight for a little bird: Pygmy-owl gets threatened species status
Federal officials this week granted threatened species status to the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl, capping 17 years of “litigation and controversy” from advocates fighting to win protection for the 6-inch raptor.
Coconino County official tells House ‘anti-ESG’ bills threaten public investments
Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar told House lawmakers Tuesday that it’s her job to get the best, and safest, return on public investments for taxpayers, but that “anti-ESG” legislation puts public dollars at risk.
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.
US Southwest swelters under dangerous heat wave, new records on track
A dangerous heat wave threatened a wide swath of the Southwest with potentially deadly temperatures in the triple digits on Saturday as some cooling centers extended their hours and emergency rooms prepared to treat more people with heat-related illnesses.