Inflation hits Valley animal shelters; adoptions decline amidst soaring costs
PHOENIX – With inflation rising in Maricopa County, animal shelters are feeling the impact through a drop in adoptions and an increase in animal surrenders.
Teaching Tempe: City leaders learn to ready workers for infrastructure jobs
WASHINGTON - Tempe was one of 16 cities invited to Washington this week for a Labor Department "academy" to help local governments learn how to overcome challenges with the implementation of the "once in a generation" Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Phoenix area inflation cools, but still higher than national average rise
WASHINGTON - Phoenix-area inflation has cooled since its peak last summer, but the region's 4.4% increase since last June is still higher than the national average of 3% over the same period, new data shows.
Federal development funds will let Oklahoma tribes expand access to capital
WASHINGTON - Three Oklahoma tribal nations will receive more than 40% of the initial $73 million in funding from a federal small business initiative that for the first time is being targeted directly to tribes.
For July Fourth picnic prices, inflation is down this year – but not done
WASHINGTON - Americans can expect to pay less for their Independence Day cookouts than they did last year but don't go setting off fireworks over the drop - it's still 14% higher than two years ago after a historic spike in 2022.
Report: Shifting to EV fleets would save state, local governments millions
WASHINGTON - Arizona governments could save almost $283 million over the next 10 years if roughly 20,000 gasoline-powered light-duty vehicles in their fleets that are due to be retired were replaced with electric vehicles, according a recent report.
Supreme Court nixes Biden plan for $430 billion in student-loan relief
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Biden administration student-debt relief plan that would have aided more than 40 million people, 916,000 of whom live in Arizona and currently hold a total of $32.6 billion in loans.
Economic growth in Dominican Republic fueled by investment and migrant labor
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic is one of the fastest-growing countries in Latin America thanks to a boom in tourism and foreign investment. But it relies heavily on migrant labor from Haitians, who are often mistreated inside the Dominican Republic.
What’s next in art? Da Vinci digital exhibit in Scottsdale example of growing trend
SCOTTSDALE – The Lighthouse Artspace Phoenix in Scottsdale has extended its run of “Leonardo: The Universal Man exhibit,” a 360-degree immersive art experience that uses music, narration and video. But the show is just the latest in a string of similar experiences. An ASU art history professor says this kind of projection mapping is art's next big trend.
Arizona gets $1 billion for broadband, part of $43 billion federal program
WASHINGTON - Arizona will get just under $1 billion in federal funding for high-speed internet access improvement, part of more than $42.45 billion released Monday under the Commerce Department's Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment - or BEAD - program.
‘Rarest card in the set’: Family trades in Druw Jones rookie card for $250,000
PHOENIX – The Druw Jones rookie card was found and sold to Dave and Adam’s Card World in early June. The collectible could hold even more value in the future.
Arizona official, others, urge Senate to renew economic development fund
WASHINGTON - A northern Arizona official was among a panel of local government officials from across the country who called for the "long overdue" reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration - even as they all outlined ways it could be improved.
