Git-r-done delegation: State ranked OK on congressional effectiveness
WASHINGTON - They didn't have the high profiles or long tenure of some other members, but Arizona lawmakers in the last Congress ranked relatively high on a recent scorecard of congressional effectiveness, finishing 10th in the House and 14th in the Senate.
Another Hill to climb: Obscure law denies Dreamers congressional jobs
WASHINGTON - One benefit of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is work authorization, but it does not extend to Capitol Hill - a surprise to some Arizona Democrats who, barred from hiring Dreamers, are now trying to change the law.
Arizona law enforcement struggle to halt deadly street racing
Arizona law enforcement officials are trying to address the street racing problem across the state as public complaints and the death toll continues to mount.
With drug overdoses rising, leaders take action
PHOENIX – Amid record overdose deaths in the U.S., policymakers are proposing measures to expand treatment, reduce the chance of overdose and direct more funding to the problem.
‘I instantly knew he was dead’: Drug overdoses surge during pandemic, piling tragedy upon tragedy
TUCSON – While stay-at-home orders kept people safe from contracting COVID-19, home is where isolation and limited access to treatment fueled substance use disorders and led to a spike in overdose deaths.
Threats against state, congressional lawmakers jumped in recent years
WASHINGTON - Threats against members of Congress rose from 3,939 in 2017 to 4,500 in just the first three months of 2021, and threats are up against Arizona state lawmakers, too, evidence of a U.S. political divide that one researcher calls "incredibly dangerous."
Border deployment the latest in National Guard’s ‘roller coaster’ year
WASHINGTON - Last week's decision to send the Arizona National Guard to the border was another deployment in a busy year that has seen Guard members go from stocking grocery shelves to fighting wildfires to setting up vaccination sites - and helping at the border.
Arizona near top of states for bills aimed at voting rights, limits
WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers began the year with the third-highest number of voting restriction bills in the nation, but it appears only a few will survive as the Legislature winds down. But voting rights activists say those few bills will still disenfranchise minority voters.
Corporation Commission votes to strengthen policies on power disconnection
PHOENIX – The Arizona Corporation Commission votes to amend power disconnection policies. If finalized, the rules would go into effect in summer 2022.
Critics blast bill that would purge names from list of mail-in voters
WASHINGTON — Voting rights advocates and Arizona Democrats on Wednesday denounced a bill that would remove voters from the Permanent Early Voting List, calling it an attempt to disenfranchise up to 150,000 voters, particularly those of color.
Relief, but a vow to fight on: Arizonans react to Chauvin convictions
PHOENIX – The excruciating video of George Floyd’s murder last year led to three guilty verdicts Tuesday against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes, 46 seconds, galvanizing a global battle against police violence toward Black people.
Analysts say ‘America First’ flap not likely to hurt Gosar in long run
WASHINGTON - Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has tried to distance himself from reports he was backing a caucus that would defend “Anglo-Saxon political traditions,” but political analysts say the flap is unlikely to harm the conservative Republican’s re-election prospects.
