Search result for Samantha Witherwax


Some fliers curse airline fees, but balk at possible congressional cure

WASHINGTON - Larry Ward thinks the fees that airlines charge are "absurd," but the Fountain Hills resident is no more enthusiastic about any possible solution to the problem that involves Congress.


Tribes, Grijalva ask Obama to protect 1.7 million acres at Grand Canyon

WASHINGTON - Tribal leaders joined Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, on Tuesday urging President Barack Obama to designate 1.7 million acres around the Grand Canyon as a national monument, bypassing Congress in the process.

Confluence photo

IRS referrals for tax-fraud prosecutions still falling in state, nation

WASHINGTON - The number of taxpayers the IRS referred for criminal prosecutions fell last year to the lowest levels of the Obama administration, and the agency said it expects numbers will continue to drop in coming years.


White House honors young inventors motivated by ‘hotshot’ firefighter deaths

WASHINGTON - Ohio native Savannah Cofer was shocked by the smoke from all the wildfires that were burning in Arizona while she was on a family trip to the Grand Canyon in 2013.


Airline performance was up, but so were passenger complaints in 2015

WASHINGTON - Airline passengers got slightly better service last year - but they weren't happy about it.


Phoenix advocate urges Washington to remember plight of homeless kids

WASHINGTON - When she arrived at UMOM New Day Center with her three children in the car they briefly called home, Stephanie - a veteran suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder - was under a lot of stress.


Hundreds rally as Supreme Court weighs Obamacare contraceptive mandate

WASHINGTON - Protesters gathered at the Supreme Court Wednesday - one side dancing to Lady Gaga and the other singing hymns - while justices considered whether religious groups can be required to provide contraceptives to employees under Obamacare.


Arizona officials share conservation ideas at White House Water Summit

WASHINGTON - Phoenix and Tucson water officials took the occasion of the first-ever White House Water Summit to announce plans Tuesday for a more than fivefold increase in the joint conservation effort between the two cities.


World War II vets from Arizona reminisce, reflect in trip to Washington

WASHINGTON - With a steady, practiced motion so natural it was hard to imagine he learned it 70 years ago, Jim Mende raised his right arm slowly before snapping it into a crisp salute against the bill of his ball cap.


Lawmakers challenge proposal to have Oak Flat listed as historic site

WASHINGTON - Supporters of a copper mine proposed for Oak Flat have been given until Friday to make the case that the area, deemed sacred by the San Carlos Apache, should not be designated a historic site.


Obama call to close Guantanamo prison panned by Arizona GOP lawmakers

WASHINGTON - Arizona Republicans responded swiftly - and vehemently - to the plan announced Tuesday by President Barack Obama to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where some of the most notorious terrorism suspects are detained.