As wildfires rage, federal firefighters see bump in minimum hourly pay
WASHINGTON - Fighting wildfires did not get any easier this month, but it did get a little more profitable for thousands of full-time and temporary firefighters employed by the federal government, which raised their minimum wage from $13 an hour to $15 an hour.
With 253,000 Arizonans behind on rent, court halts eviction moratorium
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court's decision to overturn a national eviction moratorium late Thursday comes as an estimated one-fifth of U.S. renters are behind on the rent - including 253,000 in Arizona.
Border town ‘fed up’ as ban on nonessential travel extended yet again
WASHINGTON - The federal government's COVID-19 ban on nonessential border crossings set to expire Saturday has been extended for another month, further crippling local businesses that rely on cross-border customers.
ClipDart barber business snips away inequities of Black hair styling
Kyle Parker created the ClipDart network after having trouble finding barbers who could cut and style Black hair. The business platform allows people to find barbers or have barbers come to them.
A poor measure of need: Researchers urge update to decades-old federal poverty line
Researchers are suggesting a new way to measure poverty, saying access to billions of dollars in public aid are affected by a federal standard that has not been updated since the late 1960s.
Staying afloat: How Asian communities helped their small businesses survive COVID-19
As COVID-19 battered small businesses across the country, some Asian-owned businesses found the best relief came from their communities, not Congress.
Few rental assistance dollars reach renters, as eviction moratorium ends
WASHINGTON - The federal government's COVID-19 moratorium on renter evictions ends Saturday, leaving thousands of Arizona renters vulnerable while state and local officials have distributed just a fraction of the funding aimed at keeping people in their homes.
Tourists returning to Grand Canyon, but businesses still feel pandemic effects
GRAND CANYON – More tourists are coming to the Grand Canyon, but some businesses are struggling to stay afloat while pandemic restrictions are lifted.
Minimum wage earners can’t afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere, report says
PHOENIX – Americans need to earn $20.40 an hour for a one-bedroom rental and $24.90 an hour for a two-bedroom unit, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. But the average hourly worker makes $18.78 an hour.
Jobs of desperation: How rideshare, food delivery workers lose in the gig economy
Rideshare and food delivery work became even riskier during COVID-19, which put thousands of people out of jobs and into the gig economy. Some now are trying to unionize to negotiate better pay and conditions.
Gallego, other officials join White House push for infrastructure plan
WASHINGTON - Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego joined other mayors and governors at the White House Wednesday to push for the administration's $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, a measure she has said is needed to reverse decades of "massive underinvestment."
Direct child tax credit checks start for thousands of Arizona families
WASHINGTON - Thousands of Arizona families will start getting direct payments from the federal government this week under the expanded child tax credit program, part of the American Rescue Plan that could mean up to $300 per child per month for the next year.
