Trump boasts of record judicial appointment pace, promises more to come
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump boasted Wednesday about the record 158 federal judges that have been confirmed under his watch, with dozens more to come as he carries through on a campaign promise to remake federal courts - a prospect that alarms liberal groups.
Tucson voters handily reject sanctuary city proposition
TUCSON – Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated Proposition 205, which would have declared Tucson the state's first sanctuary city. The vote came amid warnings from the Trump administration of possible federal sanctions costing the city millions of dollars.
Lawyers leery of ICE’s move to schedule court dates for DACA recipients
WASHINGTON - Lawyers in Arizona and southern Nevada are alarmed after receiving notices that Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to set new court dates for their clients who are currently protected from deportation by DACA.
He was a robber, she sold drugs; only one can get help with school
WASHINGTON - The American Opportunity Tax Credit lets people, including former inmates, claim a credit for college education expenses - unless they were convicted of a drug crime. Lawmakers are trying to lift that ban, saying someone jailed for drugs should not be denied benefits a murder can get.
Racist taunts aimed at Native American high school athletes denounced
SCOTTSDALE – Salt River High School volleyball players were targets of racial taunts. Their governing body is organizing a committee to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No money, no lights: Shutoff of senior woman’s electricity leads to calls for reform
PHOENIX - The Arizona Corporation Commission is spending the next few months pursuing reforms for the utility companies it oversees in Arizona. There is no state government standard as to how and why a user’ who is behind payments on a bill has their utilities shut off.
Census officials will work to accurately count all communities in 2020
PHOENIX – Census officials emphasized improvements in accuracy for 2020 to reduce historical undercounts of minorities.
Report: Phoenix sixth-highest metro area in nation for gun suicides
WASHINGTON - The Phoenix metro area had the sixth-highest rate of firearm suicides among the nation's urban areas, according to a new report by House Democrats tying the availability of guns to the prevalence of gun suicides.
Justice Department pressing ahead with plan to collect immigrants’ DNA
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is moving forward with plans to collect DNA samples from immigration detainees, including those without criminal offenses, raising alarms among both privacy and immigration advocates.
New Fry’s grocery store ends food desert for downtown Phoenix
PHOENIX - A new Fry’s Food and Drug will open in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday, the first grocery store in an urban area dotted with new businesses and housing.
Johnson & Johnson settlement on surgical mesh includes $2.8 million for Arizona
PHOENIX – Arizona will receive $2.8 million of a nearly $117 million settlement from Johnson & Johnson over safety concerns of a surgical mesh product.
Advocates worry as ‘domestic violence green cards’ get greater scrutiny
WASHINGTON - Applications for "domestic violence green cards" have risen steadily since the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, but the percentage flagged as possibly fraudulent has risen even faster. But advocates say greater attention does not mean more problems.
