Kelly announces Senate bid, opening high-stakes race to unseat McSally
WASHINGTON - Former astronaut Mark Kelly said he will seek the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2020, jumpstarting what experts were already predicting would be one of the "most competitive" races of the year in the bist to unseat Republican Sen. Martha McSally.
West Nile virus now is a permanent part of Arizona’s ecosystem, study finds
PHOENIX – A study from Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute discovered the sometimes-fatal disease known as West Nile virus is in Arizona to stay. It also found that Maricopa County is a breeding ground for infestations in adjoining states.
Arizona food banks prepare for possible government shutdown – again
PHOENIX – Food banks that helped furloughed federal employees learned lessons that will help if the government shuts down again.
Arizona lawmakers agree on crucial drought contingency plan
ELOY – Arizona lawmakers approve a drought contingency plan that addresses declines in water levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir that provides water to many users in Arizona.
Arizona skateboards shred the Union Hills Classic competition
GLENDALE – Arizona skateboarders competed in Cowtown Skateboards’ Union Hills Classic skateboarding competition
What’s next for No More Deaths after latest convictions of volunteers?
TUCSON – No More Deaths has a long history of battling authorities over the aid the group provides for migrants along the border. Now that four more volunteers have been convicted, what’s next for the group?
4 No More Deaths volunteers found guilty of entering refuge, abandoning property
TUCSON – Four No More Deaths volunteers were found guilty on Friday for charges involving leaving aid in restricted areas of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
Former Arizona forester taps years of history in new Forest Service job
WASHINGTON - Former Arizona State Forester Vicki Christiansen will draw on her years of experience as she takes on her new role as chief of the U.S. Forest Service, which faces problems of funds, growing wildfires and a lingering culture of harassment at the agency.
Officials hopeful ‘fire funding fix’ helps tame brutal wildfire seasons
WASHINGTON – After years of wrangling, Congress last year passed the "fire funding fix" that creates a $2.25 billion emergency fund that federal officials can tap when the cost of fighting wildfires exceeds the budget, as it has done regularly for years now.
ASU grad hoped to raise ‘a little’ to aid synagogue; nets $1.2 million
WASHINGTON - Shay Khatiri, an ASU grad and Iranian immigrant, has no ties to Pittsburgh, but he wanted to do something after the Oct. 27 synagogue attack there killed 11. So he set up a GoFundMe account that he thought might raise $700. It wound up raising more than $1.2 million.
Natural disaster, unnatural calm: Trying to stay upbeat after hurricane
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. - They lost everything in Hurricane Florence, but weeks later the residents of a shelter in Morehead City, North Carolina, were trying to look at the positives of the experience, as community and familiy came together, with one resident saying they had all been blessed to be here."
Report: Crimes against Native women vastly underreported in urban areas
WASHINGTON - A lack of solid data in government and law enforcement records has led to the underreporting of hundreds of deaths and thousands of missing persons cases for Native American women and girls who are living in urban areas, a new report says.
