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‘Social equity’ marijuana licenses were meant to right a wrong. Critics say they’ll just make cannabis giants even richer.
When Arizona voters approved recreational marijuana use in 2020, the new law included provisions that aimed to give the opportunity of a lifetime to people most harmed by the War on Drugs: a chance to win a coveted license to operate a dispensary. Now, the final licenses to sell marijuana in Arizona are set to […]
Fraudsters stole $4.4 billion from DES, and it could happen again
During the pandemic, fraudsters stole $4.4 billion in federal COVID CARES Act unemployment money from the Arizona Department of Economic Security, and experts say it is bound to happen again. “This was a completely preventable issue and it was not hard to fix,” Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government Group, a public records […]
Paul Gosar has a history of posting far-right memes on Twitter
Paul Gosar has stoked national outrage for a Tweet depicting himself as an anime character killing and attacking prominent political figures, the latest in a string of posts from the Republican congressman that draw on far-right and racist memes and imagery. On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the House Ethics Committee and law […]
Biden appoints state Rep. Charlene Fernandez to Department of Agriculture post
President Joe Biden announced he will be appointing Tucson Democrat Rep. Charlene Fernandez to become the next State Director of Rural Development for Arizona for the Department of Agriculture Thursday. . On Twitter, Fernandez said she is choosing to continue to support communities by accepting the role, adding “I look forward to continuing to prioritize […]
Ducey’s top COVID-19 advisor urges parents to get the ‘safe’ vaccine for their kids
Pediatricians across the Valley are beginning to schedule appointments for vaccinations for COVID-19 and the Arizona Department of Health Services is emphasizing the safety of the vaccine as the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve it for ages 5 through 11 as soon as next week. “This will help to prevent your child […]
GOP legislators spoke at a QAnon convention chock full of conspiracies and hate
Four Republican members of Arizona’s state legislature attended a QAnon convention in Las Vegas over the weekend that included speakers from the fringe of the conspiracy world as well as antisemitic imagery. One of the legislators, Rep. Leo Biasiucci of Lake Havasu City, bragged to the attendees of Patriot Double Down that he stood strong […]
Analysis finds COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in Arizona
A new report found that COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in Arizona during the pandemic, unlike in other similar states that had more aggressive mitigation measures. More than 20,700 people have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The report, by the Arizona Public Health Association, examined […]
Ron Watkins hopes to move from QAnon to Congress. And he needs Arizona voters to do so.
Five days before Ron Watkins, the notorious MAGA conspiracy theorist who helped spread the violent far-right QAnon conspiracy, posted a video to his Telegram account announcing his candidacy for a rural Arizona congressional district, he registered to vote in Maricopa County. Watkins, who is widely believed to have been behind QAnon’s master account, has been […]
Ducey among governors targeted in new ad campaign for ‘anti-science’ COVID policies
A political action committee that aims to elect candidates with backgrounds in science and engineering is spending $10 million against Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates in six states who back “anti-science” COVID-19 policies, including Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. “We are going to hold Governor Ducey accountable on a number of anti-science measures,” Joshua Morrow, executive […]
“Pseudo Satellite” plane completes test in Arizona desert, worries privacy advocates
A new breed of aircraft that flies in the stratosphere just completed a set of tests in the Arizona desert, breaking new records and worrying privacy advocates about what the aircraft may hold for the future. “There is rapid technological progress on a lot of different fronts that has implications for privacy and surveillance and […]
Bennett headlining “audit” town halls with group that organized “Justice for J6” rallies
A group that has organized rallies across the country to support “political prisoners” of the January 6 insurrection will be holding a series of town halls across Arizona to discuss the so-called “audit” of the 2020 election, featuring former Secretary of State Ken Bennett, the state Senate’s liaison for its controversial review of the vote […]
Gosar shares, then deletes meme used by neo-Nazis, white nationalists
This story contains descriptions of videos and images of a racially charged nature, as do some of the links. Republican Congressman Paul Gosar tweeted out a video meme last week, which he later deleted, that has roots in neo-Nazi and white nationalist culture. The since-deleted tweet, which was saved by the internet archive, begins with […]