Mercury: Skylar Diggins-Smith absence not related to disagreement with Diana Taurasi

PHOENIX – Despite a bench disagreement with teammate Diana Taurasi during a loss in Las Vegas, Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith missed Thursday night’s home loss against Dallas due to a non-COVID illness and not because of a fight, the team said.


More Phoenix school districts adding electric buses to their fleets

PHOENIX – Phoenix school districts are changing their bus fleets to electric, and two that serve mostly Latino students – Cartwright Elementary and Phoenix Union High School – are leading the charge.


Public housing has been privatized in some Arizona cities

ELOY – A few Arizona cities have outsourced to private companies the management of their public housing authorities. But that transfer of oversight has led to problems such as a lack of public-facing information on who qualifies for such housing aid.


Tribal police agencies struggle to attract, maintain officers, panel told

WASHINGTON - A Navajo Nation official told a Senate panel this week that the tribe’s police department lacks the resources to attract and retain officers, a problem that experts say is faced by tribal police departments across the country.


Feds approve 35,000 more work visas, as firms struggle to fill open jobs

WASHINGTON - Arizona businesses welcomed the federal government's release this week of another 35,000 H-2B visas for temporary guest workers, as a tight U.S. labor market has left companies scrambling to fill vacancies.


Battle for Arizona Avenue: Hamilton-Chandler rivalry extends to baseball with first title meeting

TEMPE – A rivalry best known for football has extended to the diamond. Hamilton High School and Chandler High School showcased their talents in the baseball 6A state championship game. Is a new rivalry underway?


Private landlords have become the key to subsidized housing

PHOENIX – Most Arizona housing authorities that manage HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program, known as Section 8, lack a formal process for approving landlords.


California to test solar panels over irrigation canals to save water, boost electricity output

TURLOCK, Calif. – The Turlock Irrigation District in central California is conducting a pilot project to save water and increase power output by putting solar panels over canals. The project might eventually help the state save up to 63 billion gallons of water per year.


‘Documented Dreamers’ fear deportation after aging out of visa protection

WASHINGTON - BASIS Peoria senior Ayaan Siddiqui, whose visa-holding parents brought him here at age 1, does not face deportation to India - yet. But like 200,000 other "documented Dreamers," he could when he turns 21, which is why he rallied for a bill to change that.


Arizona traffic fatalities reached 15-year high in 2021, U.S. data shows

WASHINGTON - Arizona traffic fatalities hit their highest level in 15 years in 2021, when the state saw a 6.5% increase in highway deaths that experts blame in part on bad driving habits made worse during the pandemic.


What about Deandre? Suns’ James Jones looks forward now that offseason underway

PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones eyes “consistency and continuity” as fans wonder about Deandre Ayton’s future.


‘Can’t kill the dead’: Hamilton baseball team wins 6A title following controversy

TEMPE – A week after being told its season was over, Hamilton High School won the 6A baseball title following an improbable series of events.