‘We should not write unlimited checks’: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego criticizes bill to reallocate taxes to Chase Field renovations

PHOENIX – State legislators and local officials are at odds over a bill that would use tax money for Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field improvements.

Exterior view of Chase Field sign with text "Home of the Diamondbacks."

2 bills would provide nearly $20 million for communications, equipment to help battle Arizona wildfires

MUNDS PARK – Arizona lawmakers are considering two bills that will enhance fire departments’ ability to communicate with other agencies during a wildfire and pay for engines and water tenders that can travel over rugged terrain.

Firefighting gear, including a helmet and jacket, on a red floor with lockers and a fire truck in the background.

Arizona ICE Act draws protests as lawmakers debate role of local police in immigration enforcement

PHOENIX – The Arizona ICE Act would mandate all local law enforcement aid in federal immigration law. As the bill works its way through the Senate, protesters question the potential strain on local law enforcement and immigrant communities.

A group of people at a rally with signs, including one that says, "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND! AMERICA IS FOR MIGRANTS!"

Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego clash in Senate debate for Arizona’s open seat

PHOENIX – Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego clashed in their first Senate debate for the Arizona seat that will be vacated by Kyrsten Sinema.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake shake hands before their Arizona U.S. Senate debate on Oct. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. It is expected to be their only debate before Election Day. (Pool photo by Cheryl Evans/Arizona Republic)

Shaman sidelined: Chansley among more than 70 to miss signature threshold

WASHINGTON - Jacob Angeli-Chansley, also known as the "Qanon Shaman," will not be going back to Congress - at least not in an official capacity. He was among more than 70 would-be federal candidates who missed an April 1 deadline for signatures to get on the ballot.


Arizona GOP legislators pass immigration bills on border crossing and E-Verify

PHOENIX – Arizona lawmakers have advanced a package of immigration legislation that critics are calling “SB 1070 2.0” and gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that would make illegal entry a state crime.

Arizona state Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, reacts to Sen. Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, as she explains her vote on SB 1231 at the Arizona Capitol on Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

Senate votes to put the ‘illegal’ in illegal migration, make it a state crime

PHOENIX - The Senate voted Wednesday to make it a state crime to illegally enter Arizona by crossing the border between ports of entry - a proposal that Democratic opponents called both racially motivated and unconstitutional.


Sinema’s lackluster fundraising quarter raises eyebrows over campaign hopes

WASHINGTON - Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema raised a fraction of what her leading challengers brought in in the last quarter of 2023, raising new questions about her chances in what could be a bruising, three-way race.


Likely Lake entry into Arizona Senate race sets up ‘Super Bowl’ of elections

WASHINGTON - Kari Lake's expected entrance Tuesday into the already-crowded field seeking to unseat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., sets the stage for what one analyst said has the potential to be "the greatest race in United States Senate history."


Gallego raises more, spends more for potential Senate run against Sinema

WASHINGTON - Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., raised more than $1.6 million in the last quarter with $10.8 million on hand - for a race she hasn't committed to. Meanwhile, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, is raising - and spending - money twice as fast for his bid for Sinema's seat.


Homeless encampments would be torn down, people charged under Arizona Senate bill

PHOENIX – Under Arizona Senate Bill 1413, police officers would be required to tear down homeless encampments and charge the person or people living there with criminal trespassing. The bill passed the Senate Wednesday.

David King sits and clutches his Bible on the couch that doubles as his home near the Human Services Campus in Phoenix on March 1, 2023. (Photo by Logan Camden/Cronkite News)

Legislature votes to lift cap on school spending for second year in a row

PHOENIX – The Arizona Senate and House have overridden the aggregate expenditure limit for the second year in a row, which will allow school districts to spend their Legislature-appropriated funds. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the action was “long overdue” and called the limit from 1980 an “​​archaic cap on school funding.”

The Arizona House and Senate both voted this week to override the aggregate expenditure limit, a constitutional amendment that limits public school spending based on a formula from 1980. (File photo by Alex Gould/Cronkite News)