Latest from John Brown
Kris Mayes, other AGs support FDA proposal to make donating blood easier for LGBTQ population
PHOENIX – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 21 other state attorneys general in supporting a Food and Drug Administration proposal that would make it easier for LGBTQ individuals to donate blood and plasma.
‘My child, my choice’: Parents, children march to support school voucher program
PHOENIX – Parents, children and educators on Wednesday marched to the state Capitol to support an education voucher program that Gov. Katie Hobbs has said she wants to dismantle. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts provide up to $7,000 annually in state funds.
Officials warn shoppers of fake Super Bowl LVII merchandise
PHOENIX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security are intercepting fake merchandise.
Colleges expect more undocumented students this spring after Prop 308
WASHINGTON - Arizona voters did a sharp about-face this fall, narrowly voting to allow in-state tuition for undocumented state residents, a 180-degree reversal of a policy that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2006 prohibiting such aid for Dreamers in the state.
Not quite universal, but families flocked to universal voucher program
WASHINGTON - Arizona parents have flocked to apply for the state's new universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, which let any family apply for state funds to pay for their child's schooling, regardless of need.
Supreme Court wrestles over state challenges to federal immigration policy
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with how strictly the federal government must enforce immigration policy, and whether states should have a say in how that policy is enforced.
Arizona students come to lobby as courts, Congress, fight over Oak Flat
WASHINGTON - A group of Arizona high school students and alumni was in Washington this week to lobby for a bill that would block development of a copper mine at Oak Flat, land that is sacred to the San Carlos Apache.
Hell on your cell: Arizonans got 50 million campaign robotexts this fall
WASHINGTON - It’s not just the elections that are heating up - your phone is, too. Almost 50 million unsolicited political robotexts were sent to Arizona phones this fall, according to one company's data, and more than a million robocalls were sent in the same period.
Supreme Court presses state on its rejection of Arizona death-row appeal
WASHINGTON - Supreme Court justices challenged Arizona's claim Tuesday that a death row inmate should not get a chance to appeal his sentence, based on what one justice called a "Kafkaesque" ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Higher ed math: Proposition 308 would let Dreamers pay in-state tuition
WASHINGTON - Proposition 308 would let undocumented residents or Arizona pay in-state tuition to attend one of the state's universities. If approved, it would reverse a 2006 ballot measure that passed by a huge margin, but supporters say times have changed in Arizona.
Civility in elections declining as political polarization rises, but there may be hope
PHOENIX – “Coward.” “Conspiracy theorist.” “Psychopath.” These are just a few of the insults hurled at opposing candidates in Arizona political races this election season. Experts say election civility is declining as political polarization rises, and the Arizona gubernatorial race between Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs is a prime example.
‘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.
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.
Tribal officials: Court ruling poses ‘real threat’ to sovereignty, safety
WASHINGTON - Indigenous leaders called on Congress Tuesday to reverse a Supreme Court ruling that expands states' ability to prosecute crimes on tribal land, a ruling they said threatens their sovereignty and their ability to protect their citizens.
Court: 292-year sentence in string of nonviolent burglaries is not excessive
WASHINGTON - A divided federal appeals court said a 292-year sentence for a string of nonviolent burglaries over three months in Bullhead City was not "grossly disproportionate" to the crime and did not violate the Eighth Amendment.
Arizona traffic fatalities fell sharply, as deaths nationally spiked
WASHINGTON - While the U.S. saw a record increase in traffic fatalities in the first quarter of 2022, Arizona highway deaths fell by nearly a third. A new report says 190 people died on Arizona roads in the first quarter of 2022, down from 277 in the first three months of 2021.
Charity in virtual reality: Habitat for Humanity, law firm raise money in the metaverse
PHOENIX – Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona and Rose Law Group came together to raise money for the nonprofit in the metaverse, which they say is a first-of-its-kind collaboration.
LGBTQ advocates want blood donation restriction lifted for gay and bisexual men
PHOENIX – U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton and others are pushing for the FDA to eliminate current blood donation restrictions on gay and bisexual men.
Nearly $1.2 billion at risk for Arizona public schools if Legislature fails to override cap
PHOENIX – Arizona public school districts could face budget cuts of 16% if the Legislature doesn’t override the aggregate expenditure limit, a spending cap that voters approved in 1980.
