Latest from Emilee Miranda
Three years on, COVID-19 no longer grabs headlines, still poses a threat
WASHINGTON - COVID-19 is down sharply from the height of the pandemic, but it has still accounted for more than 2.3 million infections and 32,182 deaths in Arizona since the first cases were confirmed in January 2020. And health experts say it's not going away.
After overwhelming voter OK, political ‘dark money’ law hailed as model
WASHINGTON - It could be months before the impact of Proposition 211 is seen in Arizona, but experts are already hailing the new law aimed at exposing "dark money" in politics as a model for the rest of the nation.
Voters limited their own power to legislate, told state lawmakers to butt out
WASHINGTON - Arizona voters this fall made it slightly tougher on themselves when it comes to passing laws at the ballot box, but they also sent a strong message to state legislators - keep your hands off voter initiatives.
Heat the turkey, not the conversation: Surviving a post-election holiday
WASHINGTON – While Americans might be tempted to discuss politics while passing the gravy this Thanksgiving, experts say that food is the only thing that should be heated at the holiday dinner table – and they offer hosts some tips for redirecting the dinner table talk.
Turkeys gobble, but they don’t go cheap: Thanksgiving meal costs skyrocket
WASHINGTON - Consumers will face "historically high" prices for their Thanksgiving meal ingredients this year, with experts urging them to plan ahead, look for deals and be ready to substitute traditional foods for something cheaper.
Food banks get lesson in economics: More demand, less supply, higher prices
WASHINGTON – Arizona food banks head into the holiday season having to buy more food, at higher prices, for more clients, with fewer donations to help pay for it. It's a perfect storm of inflation, supply chain issues, increased demand – and a bird virus that's hit turkeys.
After several tries, Prop 211 backers hope to shine a light on ‘dark money’
WASHINGTON - Give $50 to a campaign and, under Arizona law, your name, address and employer are reported to the state. Give $5,000 - or more - to an independent group working to support or oppose that candidate and you do so in secret. Prop 211 aims to change that.
Prop 132 called both rational tax safeguard, anti-democratic power play
WASHINGTON - When Arizona voted in 2020 to increase school funding by raising income taxes on higher earners, they did so by a comfortable 52-48% margin. Too comfortable for backers of Proposition 132, which would require 60% approval for any initiative that raises taxes.
‘You never forget’: Honoring Arizona’s veterans one flight at a time
WASHINGTON - Thirty Arizona veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars were in Washington this week to visit the memorials to their service, the latest of more than 2,000 vets to make the trip from the state free of charge as part of Honor Flight program.
DACA suffers another court setback, but program remains in place for now
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that DACA, the deferred deportation program for young migrants, was unlawfully created in 2012 but that protection for current DACA recipients can continue for now.
‘Good Samaritan’ bill aims to allow cleanup of abandoned, leaking mines
WASHINGTON - Arizona officials have high hopes for a proposed "good Samaritan" law that could help clean up some of the tens of thousands of leaking, abandoned mines in the state by removing legal liability for those who take on the job of mine remediation.
Romero lauds federal dollars for roads, rail, cites need for PFAS funding
WASHINGTON - Federal funding from the massive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be "critical" to Tucson's ability to address contamination of the city's water supply by the chemical PFAS, Mayor Regina Romero told a Senate panel Wednesday.
Mesa mayor joins White House panel on hate in ‘horribly divided country’
WASHINGTON - Mesa Mayor John Giles joined local officials, Cabinet secretaries and community leaders at the White House Thursday - the 21st anniversary of the first post-9/11 hate crime, in Mesa - to call for renewed efforts to combat violent extremism and rising hate crimes.
Both sides find something wanting in Biden’s student-debt relief plan
WASHINGTON - There are nearly 900,000 Arizonans who could benefit from a White House plan for student debt relief - and almost as many opinions about whether it's good or not, with conservatives saying it goes too far and progressives saying it does not go far enough.
Arizona life expectancy fell an ‘extraordinary’ 2.5 years in 2020
WASHINGTON - Arizona life expectancy fell by 2.5 years in 2020, one of the steepest drops in a nation that saw the biggest lifespan declines since World War II. Arizona life expectancy fell from 78.8 years in 2019 to 76.3 in 2020, below the U.S. average of 77 years for that year.
After nearly 37 years, stolen de Kooning painting is back on public display
LOS ANGELES – A Willem de Kooning painting stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985 is back on public display in Los Angeles. The Getty Center spent three years restoring “Woman-Ochre,” which was heavily damaged during the theft. The painting will return to Tucson this fall.
Sex work equals survival for some migrant women in Tapachula, Mexico
TAPACHULA, Mexico – To survive while their journeys are stalled in Tapachula, Mexico, many migrant women turn to sex work. They face abuse, poor pay and lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care.
‘We are ready to receive you’: Blue states prepare for influx of patients seeking abortion care
PHOENIX – Health care clinics in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington and other states are preparing to become “safe havens” for pregnant people living in states where abortion is restricted or banned, like Arizona.
Biden announces regional migration initiative at Summit of the Americas
LOS ANGELES – President Joe Biden announced a new migration initiative Thursday during the Ninth Summit of the Americas. The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration is a commitment by countries in the Western Hemisphere to enhance stability and create opportunities for safer and orderly migration.
Blinken urges young journalists to defend their craft – and themselves
LOS ANGELES – The ninth Summit of the Americas kicked off Tuesday night with remarks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but much of the discussion was on the safety of journalists in the Western Hemisphere and the growing mistrust of the news media.
