Landlords asked to help solve homelessness through new Maricopa County initiative
PHOENIX – Threshold is a centralized network of resources to support property managers so they can provide more people with affordable housing. Operated by HOM Inc., an Arizona company working with nonprofits in the state to combat homelessness, the service is funded by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which is using federal COVID-19 relief funds and general funds.
Firefighters get pay boost, say more needed as wildfires keep growing
WASHINGTON - Advocates welcomed the announcement that federal firefighter pay will increase by as much as $20,000 this year, a potentially "life-changing" step for the chronically underpaid crews. But they say more still needs to be done to attract and retain firefighters.
Tampon shortage spotlights fight against ‘period poverty’
PHOENIX – The latest supply chain problem – a shortage of feminine care items – has prompted Arizona advocates to renew calls for “period equity” to ensure that menstrual products are accessible and affordable for all.
As budget deadline nears, Arizona educators rally at Capitol to protest public school spending
PHOENIX – Members of the Arizona Education Association rallied Tuesday at the state Capitol to again call on lawmakers to funnel a bigger chunk of the state’s $5 billion budget surplus into public school spending.
Despite calls for reform, guns are still a growth industry in Arizona
WASHINGTON - At a time when headline-grabbing mass shootings are driving calls for gun reform, gun manufacturing appears to still be a growth industry in Arizona, which had the third-most in the nation. The number of manufacturers grew 218% over the last decade.
White House touts ‘robust’ Arizona economy; critics call that half the picture
WASHINGTON – Despite rising inflation and high gas prices, White House officials insisted this week that Arizona is sharing in the nation's "robust" economic recovery, with low unemployment, and expanding wages in the state.
College debt relief plan could mean $111.9 million for 10,000 in Arizona
WASHINGTON - More than 10,000 Arizonans could see $111.9 million in federal student loan debt erased as part of a $5.8 billion loan discharge announced this week for former students of the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges.
Despite record-high gas prices, Memorial Day travel nears pre-pandemic levels
WASHINGTON – Higher prices for gas, airfares and just about everything else do not appear to be holding back travel this Memorial Day weekend, which is “falling back to pre-pandemic levels,” experts said Friday.
Arizona cities continued booming growth last year, Census Bureau says
WASHINGTON - Arizona had five of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. last year while Phoenix continued to add residents, bucking the trend of major cities that lost population during the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau.
For many in Arizona, back to work does not mean back to the office
WASHINGTON - More than two years into the pandemic, a sizable number of Arizonans have yet to go back to the office. A new Census survey found just over 60% of Americans working on-site in May. In Arizona, just 58.1%. of employees were working on site.
Exoskeleton suit designed to reduce strain on manual laborers
PHOENIX – The WearTech Center, GoX Labs and Arizona State University collaborated to develop an exoskeleton suit called the PhenEx. The suit is designed to reduce the strain on workers as they lift heavy objects.
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.
