Search result for Isaac Windes

GAO: Rush to build border wall caused harm, damages continued after pause

WASHINGTON - A new Government Accountability Office report confirms what critics have long said, that the Trump administration's rush to build a border wall caused significant environmental damage, depleted water sources and devastated sacred tribal sites.


Our methods: The nationwide spread of the ‘constitutional sheriff’

AZCIR and the Howard Center spent months investigating the national spread of the constitutional sheriffs movement led by Richard Mack.

Richard Mack shares his interpretation of the Supreme Court decision Printz v. United States during a presentation of his training in Gilbert, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 2023. (Photo by Brendon Derr/AZCIR)

Controversial sheriffs’ group expands ideology to so-called ‘constitutional counties’

GOLDENDALE, Wash. – The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association is encouraging a nascent movement of so-called “constitutional counties” across the country.

Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer talks in his office in Goldendale, Wash., on July 5, 2023. Sheriff Songer is an advisory board member of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. (Photo by Isaac Stone Simonelli/AZCIR)

God-given rights: The nationwide spread of the ‘constitutional sheriff’

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An extremist belief that sheriffs’ authority supersedes the federal government is expanding across the country, including through state-sanctioned, taxpayer-funded training for law enforcement officers.

Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association founder Richard Mack speaks to a crowd of about 100 people at a Yavapai County Preparedness Team meeting in Chino Valley, Ariz., on Oct. 8, 2022. (Photo by Isaac Stone Simonelli/AZCIR)

Haitian workers endure harsh living, working conditions in company settlement

Undocumented or stateless, after the Dominican Republic stripped their citizenship status, Haitian workers and those of Haitian descent find it difficult to leave harsh living and working conditions at Central Romana's sugar cane fields.


Haitian sugar cane workers in the Dominican Republic suffer amid U.S. embargo on Central Romana

LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic - Haitian and stateless sugar cane workers in the Dominican Republic continue to suffer worsening conditions of forced labor that has led to a U.S. embargo on sugar produced by Central Romana Corp.


Some back-to-school events go beyond backpacks and pencils and offer health care, groceries for entire families

PHOENIX – Some back-to-school events have moved beyond notebooks and backpacks and try to help the whole family with health care, groceries and haircuts. “If parents or grandparents aren’t happy and healthy, they can’t help their kids,” one partner said.

Isaac Elementary School District and United Healthcare gave away 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies during its joint back-to-school event at Isaac Middle School. (Photo by Kylie Werner/Cronkite News)

Supreme Court nixes Biden plan for $430 billion in student-loan relief

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Biden administration student-debt relief plan that would have aided more than 40 million people, 916,000 of whom live in Arizona and currently hold a total of $32.6 billion in loans.


Supreme Court rules race-based college admissions unconstitutional

WASHNGTON - A divided Supreme Court said that race-based college admissions policies are unconstitutional violations of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. Arizona universities do not believe it will affect them, but advocates called it "a shameful day."


‘A teachable moment’: Jalen Hurts, Eagles lay blueprint in Super Bowl 57 loss

GLENDALE — After his historic Super Bowl performance ended in an Eagles loss, Jalen Hurts reasserted his rapport with struggle as the source of his success.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts played nearly flawless football in Super Bowl 57, but his costly fumble in the second quarter gave the Kansas City Chiefs new life. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

On heels of pandemic, Valley hospitality industry eyes potential windfall from Super Bowl 57

PHOENIX – The potential of a competitive game and nice weather have brought fans from around the country to the Valley. That excites hotels and restaurants who could use the economic boost.

Phoenix-area hotels and restaurants are excited about the prospect of an increased revenue stream with the presence of Super Bowl 57, scheduled for Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. (Photo courtesy of The Phoenician)

Super Bowl 57 to be won in the trenches, tried and true

PHOENIX – The Chiefs and Eagles have ranked toward the top of the league in scoring offense all season, but the nature behind the numbers appears to pose a contrast in style and tempo that may impact the kind of game either is most likely to win.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, left, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enter Super Bowl Sunday with high-powered offenses, but the game will be won in the trenches. (Photo by Mitchell Leff and Dylan Buell/Getty Images)