Tribal leaders, lawmakers push bill to ban mining near Grand Canyon

WASHINGTON - Tribal and environmental officials urged House lawmakers to protect sacred land and natural resources by passing a mining ban on just over 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon, a move critics called "ill conceived" and driven by "scare tactics."


Democrats push Dream Act through House, outlook in Senate less certain

WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers split on party lines, like much of the rest of the House, as Democrats pushed through a bill that would protect millions of "Dreamers" from deportation and create a pathway to citizenship, a bill Republicans said would only lead to more illegal immigration.


No More Deaths isn’t on trial, prosecutor says in opening, Scott Warren is

TUCSON – The trial of Scott Warren, a volunteer for No More Deaths, gets underway in Tucson. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.


Mueller restates Russia report, as lawmakers restate their positions

WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers did not appear to be swayed Wednesday by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's careful recap of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, with both Democrats and Republicans digging in to their previous positions on the report.


The winners and losers in Arizona’s $11.8 billion budget

PHOENIX – Teachers, victims of child sex abuse and low-income kids were among the winners in the budget the Legislature passed late Monday.


Census: Arizona continued to lag far behind U.S. on school spending

WASHINGTON - New Census Bureau figures show that per-pupil spending in Arizona's public schools was fourth-lowest in the nation in 2017, still mired at the back of the pack even though spending rose faster that year in the state than it did in the rest of the country.


Trump OKs Navajo Nation disaster declaration in wake of February storms

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for the Navajo Nation that will allow it to seek reimbursement for funds it spent responding to a February storm that dumped snow on the reservation, isolating some communities and leading to flooding in other areas.


Buckeye had nation’s fastest growth, Phoenix added most people in 2018

WASHINGTON - Buckeye saw its population grow by 8.5% from 2017 to 2018 and Phoenix added 25,288 new residents in the same period, claiming the top spots among U.S. cities for growth that year, the Census Bureau said, as Arizona continued its steady population rise.


For homeless young adults, HomeBase offers structure, shelter and a way out

PHOENIX - They are called unaccompanied homeless youth, the 18- to 25-year-olds who face their own set of challenges and needs as they try to get back on their feet. The U.S. has as many as 36,000 of them on a given night, but a transitional housing facility in Phoenix is designed to help them out.


Inmates at Arizona prison prepare retired greyhound racers to live with families

ELOY – More than a dozen inmates at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy spend their days working with former racing greyhounds to rehabilitate and train the canines and prepare the dogs to go home with a family.


New law changes how English Language learners are taught. But what comes next?

MESA – A new law aims to help students who don’t speak English natively succeed, but how will educators implement it?


Maricopa County includes pets in annual homeless survey for the first time

PHOENIX – Questions about pets were included into the Point-in-Time Homeless Count for the first time.