Former Arizona House speaker David Gowan will not be charged by the attorney general despite a lengthy investigation that called reimbursements for travel and per-diem payments given to him “troublesome.”

Former House Speaker David Gowan deliberately put off the release of public records last year to buy time to disguise questionable spending by his staff, himself, and fellow lawmakers.

Arizona Capitol Times House reporter Hank Stephenson has won the Arizona Press Club’s prestigious 2016 Sledgehammer Award.

Travel-related expenses by the Arizona House decreased sharply in 2016, after the Arizona Capitol Times exposed then-House Speaker David Gowan and some of his close allies for leading an unprecedented increase in the chamber’s travel budget the previous year.

Arizona boasts of little-known gems and beautiful, hidden nooks that add just a touch of “wow” to a state prominent for its wide spaces and panoramic vistas. Here’s a selection of the best as chosen by the staff of the Arizona Capitol Times.

Tourist Overlook, Grand Canyon

Arizona residents starting Friday can begin converting their current driver's licenses into a new version called the new "voluntary travel ID" that complies with the federal REAL ID law.

Two top House Democrats want that chamber's Ethics Committee to investigate Speaker David Gowan and other key Republicans. In a formal complaint Tuesday, Minority Leader Eric Meyer and Minority Whip Rebecca Rios cite published reports about the travels of the GOP lawmakers.

House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro has repaid the American Legislative Exchange Council for a travel stipend he received for attending the organization’s July 2015 conference in San Diego, which he drove to at no personal cost while using a state fleet vehicle.

If you’re not sure what the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is or does, don’t feel bad; you’re in good company. I’ve traveled all across this state as a former speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and as the director of the departments of Weights and Measures, Insurance, and Financial Institutions.