The four men stood at the mouth of the downtown drainage tunnel in Nogales, on the wrong side of the U.S.-Mexico border. It was just before dawn on January 30, 2015, and a recent storm had unleashed a torrent of choking flood water that roared in the darkness. On these…
Faith leaders from a range of religious backgrounds banded together to condemn several bills moving through the Arizona Legislature that they say promote discrimination against immigrants and refugees. One proposed law is House Bill 2370, which would allow the state to refuse to help refugees if it can’t ensure they…
The Arizona Senate Federalism and States’ Rights Committee voted unanimously today to move forward a proposal to make it illegal to take, harass, kill, or otherwise interfere with a herd of horses that runs free along the Salt River. House Bill 2340, which has already passed in the House of…
In a bizarre turn of events, U.S. Senator John McCain’s field director for his 2016 re-election campaign, Blaze Baggs, was arrested by Yavapai-Prescott tribal police on February 23 and booked into county jail on a charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly tearing a sign off a casino wall in Prescott…
Like symptoms of the varicella-zoster virus, former state Senate President Russell Pearce, proud papa of the Grand Canyon State’s anti-immigrant-gestapo legislation, Senate Bill 1070, is back in the political game, seeking a prestigious seat on the Republican National Committee, the governing body of the national GOP. Arizona has three seats on…
A last-ditch effort by ex-prosecutors Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander to avoid a $101,294 legal sanction for abusing their power has failed. The ruling against the pair by Arizona U.S. District Court Judge Steven Logan means that disbarred ex-Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas — who would have benefited if the…
Ever since the presidential election season really kicked off last summer, pollsters in Arizona have tracked voter preference among the state’s Republican voters, but they have paid little attention to the Democrats. Not any more. Two political consulting firms, MBQF and Marson Media, conducted a phone survey of likely Democratic…
The heated political race for one of Arizona’s seats on the U.S. Senate just got a little hotter today as the Democratic frontrunner, Ann Kirkpatrick, unveiled her first political ad of the election season. The ad targets her main Republican opponent, U.S. Senator John McCain, by making a mash-up of…
Former Arizona Lottery Director Tony Bouie often took advantage of free luxury box seats at sports games, records show — and he sometimes took family or friends. Bouie, a former NFL player appointed to his post in February 2015 by Governor Doug Ducey, resigned in January two days after publication…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been aware for years that poor medical care in its detention centers is contributing to in-custody deaths, but has systematically overlooked it, according to a new report by a coalition of advocacy groups. The American Civil Liberties Union, Detention Watch Network, and the National…
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake said this week he “finally got a little worried” about Donald Trump. “I kept dismissing it and dismissing it,” Flake told the Phoenix New Times on Thursday of the possibility that Trump would carry the Republican nomination for president. Then came Trump’s crushing victory over GOP…
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake released a video today of his vehicle convoy in Africa that was charged by elephants. Flake and a delegation of Congressmen were on a mission to several African countries last week to learn more about the devastating effects of wildlife poaching. He and U.S. Representative Chris…
In some Arizona cities, calling 911 several times a month may be grounds for eviction. City policymakers push such policies, often called nuisance ordinances, hoping to promote crime-free neighborhoods. But state Representative Celeste Plumlee (D-Tempe) argues they have an “unacceptable” side effect: They discourage victims of domestic violence and sexual…
Anyone remember Tom Horne? You know, the Republican political zombie and onetime Arizona Attorney General who hired his girlfriend, Carmen Chenal, as an assistant attorney general, got himself investigated by the FBI, and was witnessed riding around town with Chenal, wearing a trucker hat as a disguise, as he pulled…
The latest poll numbers are in, and even though Donald Trump is still maintaining his lead in Arizona, it appears U.S Senator Marco Rubio is rapidly gaining momentum. The political consulting firm MBQF, which has been tracking Republican voter preference in Arizona trends since July, reports that Rubio jumped 11.3…
One of Arizona’s most prominent Latino-rights organizations has thrown its support behind Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. It is the first time Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA as it is more commonly known, has publicly backed any politician since its’ 2009 founding, said Tomas Robles, the nonprofit’s…
Flying in the face of those who claim it would be unpopular to give the greater Grand Canyon watershed national monument status, a new non-partisan poll finds that not only is there tremendous support for it but that it cuts across geographical and political lines. “The results were overwhelming, and…
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye approved a power-line hookup for the father of an alleged mistress in January, sparking outrage among political observers and the 32 nearby households that remain in the dark. The issue blew up up in social media last week after Begaye failed to show up at…
Uber’s and Lyft’s independent drivers may soon be able to pick up passengers arriving at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just like they do at airports in several other cities across the United States. The Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board voted 5-4 Thursday night to approve a new policy that…
Arizona’s favorite Pope-boycotting congressman, Paul Gosar, had harsh words for employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, headed by probably his favorite Obama administration target. Apparently lumping all 15,000 EPA employees across the country together, he charged that they are a “collection of porn addicts, office thieves and drunk drivers… not fit to…
A bill targeting notary publics who prey on immigrants by pretending to be lawyers and providing legal services cleared its first hurdle at the Arizona Legislature on Wednesday. Senate Bill 1271 passed out of the Senate Government Committee with a 6-1 vote. The measure would allow county attorneys, not just…
Citing concern about terrorism, an Arizona House of Representatives committee passed two bills Wednesday attempting to encumber federal efforts to resettle refugees in Arizona. The first, House Bill 2370, sponsored by Representative Bob Thorpe (R-Flagstaff), prohibits the state from using resources to enforce, administer, or cooperate with federal efforts to…
