Arizona has a relatively high number of people dissatisfied with the state’s air quality.In the latest Gallup poll, 77 percent of Arizonans say they are satisfied with the air quality, but that’s one of the lowest levels of satisfaction in the country…

Bill Macumber, who served 38 years in prison for a double-murder before being released with help from the Arizona Justice Project, is back in jail.The Arizona Republic broke the news that Macumber, 78, was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a young relative in Colorado…

More than two weeks after a fire was started near Slide Rock State Park north of Sedona, the Slide Fire is now completely contained.The Forest Service reported 100 percent containment of the fire yesterday…

Financial advice-giver Kiplinger says Phoenix is one of the best American cities for new college graduates.By finding out where entry-level jobs are, what the median salary is for recent college graduates, and the cost of living, Phoenix was ranked as the eighth-best city for recent college grads…

A 39,000-square-foot hospital is scheduled to open in Laveen early next year.The City of Phoenix released a statement today with details: the hospital will have 16 inpatient rooms, two operating rooms, an emergency room, a high-tech laboratory and a full radiology suite…

The total tab for fighting the human-caused wildfire near Sedona is nearly $10 million.According to information released this morning by the Forest Service, the cost is at $9.9 million and counting, now more than two weeks after the fire started…

The American Legion, a veterans service organization, is setting up a “crisis center” in Phoenix to help people who have been affected by the mess at the VA health care system.The interim investigation of the Phoenix VA hospital by the VA inspector general found that more than 3,000 veterans were…

Arizona’s newest regulations against medicated abortion will remain blocked while the court battle continues.The court battle is over rules that were recently implemented by the state health department to comply with House Bill 2036, signed into law in 2012. A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel overturned the lower court’s…

Reports of hundreds of migrants being flown to Phoenix and released at a bus station are missing half the story — these women and children are seeking asylum in the United States.The people being released are doing so under what’s called humanitarian parole, allowing them to stay in the United…

For the second time this year, Walmart protesters have taken their message to the Paradise Valley home of Walmart chairman Rob Walton.With the backing of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, a few dozen protesters went on a march from McDonald Drive to Walton’s home near the base of…

Governor Jan Brewer says neither her office nor the Arizona Department of Public Safety had any idea that the federal government was dumping off migrants by the busload in Phoenix in Tucson.Brewer, in a letter to President Obama, says her administration learned from news media reports that about 400 migrants…

Cesar Chavez is running for Congress.No, not the legendary Mexican-American labor leader from Arizona. The Cesar Chavez running for Congress in the Phoenix area is a guy who changed his name to Cesar Chavez, the Arizona Republic discovered…

If you’re a fan of public parks, Mesa probably isn’t the city for you.The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization, ranked Mesa’s parks system 56th out of the 60 largest cities in the country…

The wildfire that started nearly two weeks ago near Slide Rock State Park, north of Sedona, is now 90 percent contained.According to information released by the Forest Service, the fire was about 21,200 acres yesterday, about the same size it was two days prior. Officials don’t expect the fire to…

It’s June, which means it’s getting a little warm here in Phoenix.With 100-degree temperatures in our foreseeable future, we have our picks for the 10 things that seem to get the hottest during the summer:…

In case you missed any news action this week, we’ve got you covered.Here’s our recap of the most-read news stories of the week:…

Firefighters are still making progress on the Slide Fire burning north of Sedona.The containment was at 55 percent yesterday, and 75 percent as of this morning, according to the latest update from the Forest Service. The size of the fire barely grew over yesterday, to about 21,200 acres…

President Obama announced this morning that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has resigned.Shinseki, a retired U.S. Army general, held the post since January 2009, but calls for his resignation have been coming in recently over widespread allegations of VA mismanagement, including allegations from a retired VA doctor in Phoenix that…

Arizona’s new Department of Child Safety has been formed through a pair of bills passed by the Legislature in a special session, and signed by Governor Jan Brewer.The outline of the agency proposed last week by Brewer at the cost of $60 million is essentially what was created by legislators,…