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Maricopa County, Senate reach agreement to end subpoena fight over routers
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors reached an agreement with the Senate over subpoenas issued for routers and digital logs, heading off a fight in the Arizona Supreme Court that could have potentially cost the county hundreds of millions of dollars. The agreement reached Friday will allow the county to keep its routers out of […]
For Valley Sikhs, a painful anniversary is a call for ‘small acts of kindness’ and love
Four days after the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi was planting some flowers around the edge of the gas station he owned in Mesa when a man, incensed by anti-immigrant sentiments and allegedly looking for revenge for the attacks, shot and killed Sodhi. The man would later shoot at a Lebanese-American […]
A GOP senator likened COVID vaccines to the Holocaust, tweeted a swastika and told a Jewish group who complained to ‘learn your history’
After comparing vaccine supporters to Nazis and sharing an image of needles in the shape of a swastika on social media, Republican state Sen. Kelly Townsend dismissed a Jewish organization who admonished her to “learn your history.” On Sunday, Townsend tweeted an image a Nazi flag made up of needles with a caption that anyone […]
Did surfer-turned-conspiracy-superspreader Conan Hayes work at the AZ ‘audit’?
Conan Hayes may not be a household name, but the surf wear clothing brand he started, RVCA, may be recognizable to many. The former professional surfer made millions from the company before selling it to the larger apparel company Billabong, but lately he has been focused on something entirely different: proving Donald Trump’s 2020 election […]
How Apple and Google killed an Arizona bill aimed at their app store profits
Apple and Google hired a bevy of lobbyists in Arizona in early 2021 to kill legislation that would have slashed the profits the companies make through their app stores. Rep. Regina Cobb was subjected to a flood of text messages and phone calls from those lobbyists in February when she authored an amendment that would […]
A GOP lawmaker’s nonprofit was billed $400K for ‘audit’ security
Newly released documents show that the Arizona “audit” has spent more than $400,000 to hire off-duty police officers to provide security for the ballot review that concluded last month at the state fairgrounds. Not much has been previously known about how much money is flowing in and the agreements between the Senate and Peoria-based Law […]
Unproven ivermectin gains popularity as alternative COVID treatment among vaccine skeptics
Some Arizonans are seeking ivermectin, the unproven alternative treatment for COVID-19 that has become popular among conservatives as both a way to prevent and treat infections, leading to an uptick in calls to poison control centers and at least one hospitalization. Ivermectin has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19. […]
Dem lawmaker asks court to reject Jan. 6 defamation case from Gosar, Finchem, Kern
Democratic Rep. Charlene Fernandez is asking a court to dismiss a defamation case brought against her by two Republican state legislators and a GOP congressman because statements Fernandez made to the FBI about the two GOP legislators are privileged. The case stems from a letter sent by Fernandez and other Democratic lawmakers asking the FBI […]
Yuma city administrator facing charges for hit-and-run, lying to state troopers
The top employee for the City of Yuma is facing criminal charges for an alleged hit-and-run accident in June, including filing a false police report. The charges against Yuma City Administrator Philip Rodriguez stem from a June 3 accident on Interstate 8 outside the city limits. Rodriguez is accused of side-swiping an RV, fleeing the […]
GOP legislators spread debunked claims at Lindell’s ‘Cyber Symposium’
Three Arizona Republican lawmakers spread spurious allegations and long-debunked claims about the 2020 election on Thursday at a “Cyber Symposium” organized by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. “We are here to encourage you, to let you know, that we will get to the truth and that you can do it in your states,” Sen. Wendy Rogers, […]
Arizona’s COVID-19 infection rate is back at winter surge levels
Arizona’s COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise to levels not seen since the winter surge, and the state last week averaged more than 2,000 cases per day. In November, when cases began to rise at the start of the state’s second surge, Arizona saw trends similar to what it is seeing now: The number of […]
Pediatricians urge Ducey to rescind school mask-mandate ban
Arizona schools are grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks in the opening days of the fall semester, and more than 150 doctors have signed onto a letter praising schools that have defied a state law banning mask mandates and are urging Gov. Doug Ducey to change his mind on the law. “I honestly can’t believe we are […]