Audit says state leased land to Saudi company at rates below market
State Auditor General Lindsey Perry is blasting the State Land Department for leasing land to a Saudi-owned company in western Arizona for below-market rates and not requiring it to pay for – or even report – the amount of groundwater it has been using.
Hobbs, GOP expect to find common ground on some issues
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ State of the State Address on Jan. 8 shared some mutual policy goals between Democrats and Republicans, but already the two sides are showing their differences for how to meet them.
Hobbs ready with veto stamp again if necessary
In an interview with Capitol Media Services, Hobbs already is sending messages to GOP lawmakers they would be sadly mistaken if they think her willingness to cooperate and all that optimism means she's willing to give her blessing to many of their programs in the name of cooperation.
Water, housing, abortion, teacher pay could be top issues for lawmakers
It's taken four decades, Saudi cows munching on alfalfa grown with Arizona water and national headlines about whether Arizona is finally drying up.
AZ farming, ranching is measure of productivity, not GDP
To put this in perspective, our economic impact rivals mining and tourism in terms of “economic output” on an annual basis. Thus, keeping farming and ranching so productive becomes good for the public focused on saving money during this inflationary era and good for the state’s economy.
Corporation Commission approves proposal Rio Verde residents hope will solve water issues
The Arizona Corporation Commission approved a proposal Tuesday that residents in the Rio Verde Foothills area hope will solve their water woes and end an “eyesore” in the state.
Tensions are bubbling up at thirsty Arizona alfalfa farms as foreign firms exploit unregulated water
Matthew Hancock's family has used groundwater to grow forage crops here for more than six decades. But concerns about future water supplies from the valley's ancient aquifers, which hold groundwater supplies, are bubbling up in Wenden, a town of around 700 people where the Hancock family farms.
Solar panels will cut water loss from canals in Gila River Indian Community
In a move that may soon be replicated elsewhere, the Gila River Indian Community recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over a stretch of irrigation canal on its land south of Phoenix.
An innovative flush: Phoenix turns to artificial intelligence for improved wastewater monitoring
From self-driving cars to automated services, artificial intelligence has been influencing every aspect of day-to-day life – even in ways we can’t see. In Phoenix, artificial intelligence is helping the city from underground.
What a difference a year makes for Arizona water
With November marking the first anniversary of the major overhaul of the Water Infrastructure Authority of Arizona (WIFA) – the body now charged with securing new water supplies and conserving water for Arizona – it’s a good time to reflect on the challenges we’ve faced, the progress we’ve made, and WIFA’s future.
Californians bet farming agave for spirits holds key to weathering drought and groundwater limits
Leo Ortega started growing spiky blue agave plants on the arid hillsides around his Southern California home because his wife liked the way they looked. A decade later, his property is now dotted with thousands of what he and others hope is a promising new crop for the state following years of punishing drought in California, Arizona and other Western states, and a push to scale back on groundwate[...]
Travers pushing for exception to state laws that allow clergy to hide abuse confessed
A first-term Democratic lawmaker wants to enact an exception to state laws that allow clergy to refuse to disclose what was told to them in confession or similar confidential communication.