‘A clean slate is needed’: Arizona lawmakers urged to reform criminal justice system
PHOENIX – Criminal reform advocates are asking Arizona legislators to change laws that keep hundreds of formerly incarcerated people from voting or getting jobs.
Arizonans join smaller, calmer, but still impassioned Women’s March
WASHINGTON - Snow and near-freezing temperatures were not about to keep Sierra Maughan of Arizona from joining thousands of others who marched in Washington Saturday in the fourth annual Women's March, an event repeated in marches around the country.
New rules on school prayer, religious groups, hailed and assailed
WASHINGTON - Arizona religious groups said the Trump administration's release this week of regulations aimed at protecting religious expression "rights a serious wrong," but others expect the moves will have little practical impact.
Court says Arizona assault merits deportation for Iraqi refugee
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court said an Iraqi refugee can be deported after he was convicted in Arizona of aggravated assault - a first-time offense that netted him a sentence of just 48 hours behind bars - because if was crime involving "moral turpitude."
The hidden homeless: Growing number of older people living on the streets
PHOENIX – Central Arizona Shelter Services says it helped more than 1,300 people older than 55 who are experiencing homelessness in the 2018-19 fiscal year. That’s nearly 30% of the total the agency served. And homelessness for Arizona residents is on the rise, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Phoenix police shootings dropped in 2019, after sharp spike in 2018
WASHINGTON - New data from the Phoenix Police Department show shootings by city officers fell sharply last year, from 44 incidents in 2018 to just 15 in 2019, bringing the city more in line with its average of recent years.
Reported hate crimes fell in Arizona; advocates skeptical of real gains
WASHINGTON - Reported hate crimes in Arizona fell to the lowest rate in five years in 2018, a drop that outpaced a slight drop nationally, according to the latest FBI data, but advocates cautioned against celebrating too soon, noting that not all hate crimes are reported.
Arizona inched up among states on rates of women murdered by men
WASHINGTON - For the first time in five years, Arizona was back among the top 10 states for highest rates of women murdered by men in 2017, the most recent year studied by the Violence Policy Center in its annual report.
Veterans connect with next generation through storytelling
PHOENIX – The Veterans Heritage Project connects the next generation of students to veterans and history through interviews.
Minimum wage increase puts Arizona near top; advocates say more needed
WASHINGTON - Arizona's minimum wage rises from $11 to $12 an hour on New Year's Day, a move advocates said is "long overdue" but also a long way from solving the state's poverty issues.Business officials counter that the higher wage will only make jobs more scarce for people looking for work.
A moving story: Arizona still nets a gain of residents from other states
WASHINGTON - Arizona continues to be a net importer of people, taking in 2.2 million new residents from other states from 2010 to 2018, while losing 1.7 million to other states in that period.They came from Maine to Hawaii and they went to every state, according to Census Bureau data.
Latinos left behind as big tech continues to grow
TUCSON – The tech industry continues to grow nationwide, but its workforce still is nearly 70% white. Less than 7% of workers are Hispanic.
