One act, two takes: Tucson mosque debates whether act was hate crime
WASHINGTON - When tenants of a student housing complex poured beer and tossed cans from a balcony onto children in the Islamic Center of Tucson's parking lot last month, some city officials saw a hate crime, but mosque representatives have been hesitant to call it that.
Opponents promise Supreme Court decision won’t be last word on asylum
WASHINGTON - Critics vowed Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Trump administration's restrictive asylum policy move forward will not be the last word and that they intend to keep challenging the plan.
House panel questions officials on efforts to help Native women
WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers questioned administration officials Wednesday on what they are doing to deal with the problem of missing and murdered indigenous women - and they weren't always satisfied with the answers.
House panel’s votes on gun bills give likely preview of battles to come
WASHINGTON - A House panel worked late into the night in a sometimes heated, sometimes emotional hearing on gun-control bills Tuesday, a potential preview of congressional debates to come in the weeks after a string of mass shootings.
Court: Death-row inmate should get new chance to show lawyer failed him
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court ruled that an Arizona death-row inmate should have another chance to prove his attorney did not fully investigate evidence of his intellectual disabilities in his trial for a 1989 Phoenix double-murder.
Mesa mayor, others in Washington to urge action on gun background checks
WASHINGTON - Mesa Mayor John Giles was in Washington Monday with police chiefs and mayors from across the country, meeting with senators and White House officials to urge action on House bills that have been stalled in the Senate since February.
March for Our Lives Arizona steps into gun violence fray in communities of color
PHOENIX – Congressional candidates and members of the Arizona Legislature spoke at a town hall about gun reform organized by 17-year-old Genesis Rivas, director of special projects for March for Our Lives Arizona.
12 Valley police agencies join program linking to video-doorbell owners
WASHINGTON - A dozen Valley police departments are among 400 in the U.S. partnering with video-doorbell maker Ring to connect police and local homeowners who use the company's technology, raising concerns among some privacy advocates. But police say the program is safe and helps solve crime.
Arizona joins other states calling on Supreme Court to overturn DACA
WASHINGTON - Arizona joined 12 other states this week that asked the Supreme Court to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which they say has caused "irreparable harm" to their states.
Court upholds ruling that town conspired with fundamentalist church
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court upheld a lower court's finding that Colorado City, Arizona, had been run as an extension of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, violating non-members' rights in the process.
Protesters, proponents and the cultural clash over Phoenix police
PHOENIX – Police departments have looked to technology for solutions to criticisms, such as body-worn cameras to monitor police and public behavior and early-intervention software to sniff out bad behavior. Experiments with better community engagement, including civilian review boards with subpoena power, also are being considered or field-tested. Phoenix police plan to launch accountability procedures to document every time an officer draws a gun.
Brnovich makes long-shot pitch to Supreme Court to take opioid lawsuit
WASHINGTON - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Sackler family from "looting" Purdue Pharma of billions of dollars being sought by victims of the opioid crisis the company is accused of helping create.
