Governor’s Office Reporter
Campaign finance websites still broken as election 2020 nears
The 2020 election is a year away and the state’s campaign finance websites are broken.
Opioid deaths, overdoses on the rise despite states efforts to curb crisis
Two years after Gov. Doug Ducey called a special session to fast-track the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act, more Arizonans are overdosing and dying from opioid-related overdoses now than any time since the state started recording those figures.
Leadership styles, eras mark differences in outcomes of immigration measures
In one of the most enduring images of Gov. Jan Brewer, she stood on Jan. 26, 2012, on the Phoenix Sky Harbor runway and wagged her finger at President Obama as they discussed his challenge to SB1070, the immigration law she championed. Eight years later, when challenged, Ducey sat in the Executive Tower and sent his top aide to pull the plug on his similarly divisive immigration proposal and quell a growing uprising to it.
Environmental Reporter
At Grand Canyon, threats remain both inside and out of the park despite protections
Although the Grand Canyon is heavily protected, it still faces decades old challenges. Advocates say the number of threats are growing.
Congress authorizes Colorado River drought plan with unanimous approval from Arizona lawmakers
A bill that would authorize the federal government to enact a drought plan for Colorado River basin states in times of shortage has passed Congress.
Late hours, no pay, diminishing returns: Scouring the Arizona desert for black-footed ferrets
'Someone has to do it': Inside a volunteer hunt for the elusive, nocturnal and increasingly endangered creatures
Legislative Reporting Intern
Teachers fight school tax credit expansion, call for more public education funding
Scott Kelbick has children — 90 of them. This week, he was among the hundreds of Arizona public school teachers who rallied at the state Capitol to fight for more money for those kids.
Marchers, armed protesters face off at March for Our Lives
Thousands of people gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Saturday, joining hundreds of concurrent marches across the U.S. protesting gun violence in schools and calling for gun-control laws.
In the middle of the Phoenix marchers were a few dozen protesters, some carrying AR-15 rifles and other weapons and others waving signs in support of the Second Amendment.
Chandler mom's death inspires bill to create harsher car crash penalties
People who drive on a suspended license and commit other traffic violations would face significantly harsher penalties under a bill moving through the Legislature.
Washington Correspondent
Arizonans join hundreds in raucous protests demanding action on DACA
Hundreds of protesters packed the lobby of a Senate office building Thursday, their chants echoing off the marble walls as they demanded that Congress vote to protect DACA recipients.
Citizenship requests hit new high in state, nation, more growth likely
Naturalization applications in Arizona jumped 48 percent over the past three years, to more than 19,000 last year, a number that advocates expect will continue to rise as immigrants look for reassurance in the current political climate.
Despite outreach efforts, 42,200 immigrants fail to meet DACA deadline
More than one in four of the estimated 154,200 immigrants who stand to lose their DACA protection in the next five months did not meet Thursday’s deadline to apply for a renewal, according to numbers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Reporting Intern
Recruiting public school teachers in Arizona a tough sell
Interviewing for a job can be a nerve wracking experience for most people, but for Deanna Maxwell, she felt a sense of mutual desperation.
Maxwell, a recent college graduate, was interviewing for teaching positions in a variety of school districts across Arizona, a state that has experienced a massive teacher shortage in recent years.
Self-driving cars pass lights and sirens test in Chandler
Google’s self-driving car project Waymo and Chandler’s police and fire departments held a demonstration at the city’s Municipal Utilities Center on June 28, showcasing how the company’s cars respond to emergency vehicles.
Longtime mining museum volunteers usher in new era
What once was a sought after field trip destination for elementary-school students across the state now sits vacant on the corner of Washington Street and 15th Avenue. The sign that displayed its name is now removed. The building’s sky blue paint is fading and flaking, but the mining equipment outside, which still works, waits to be put to work once again.
News Reporter, Photographer, Magazine Reporter, Editor
Homeless not Hopeless
It was another cold night. Romonia "Mona" Dixon and her family were sleeping on the streets again. The shelters were full, and there was nobody to ask for favors. Dixon laid her head on a piece of cardboard, which was the only thing separating her head from the lifeless, dirty pavement.
Group at ASU strives to help those battling addiction
Andrew Bird sat down in his backyard feeling defeated. He sat there alone, with a bottle of liquor in one hand and a clenched, bloodied fist from continuously punching a wall out of anger in the other. It was at this point he knew he had a drinking problem, and only a day after he promised himself he would remain sober.