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Third Arizona Educator in Maricopa County Arrested for Sex Offenses Against Students

Mar 22, 20243 min read
An educator in Buckeye was arrested on Wednesday was arrested for having an illegal sexual relationship with a minor student, marking the third arrest of a former Maricopa County teacher for sexual offenses against students. The Buckeye Police Department (BPD) confirmed the arrest Alyssa Todd, who was employed as a coach and teacher at the Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies (OIAIS) High School when police claim she sexually abused a 15-year-old male student.

Arizona Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments from Arizona Republican Party Appealing Sanctions over Election Lawsuit, Grills Opposing Attorney

Mar 22, 20245 min read
The Arizona Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week from the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) and opposing litigant Secretary of State (AZSOS) over lower courts awarding sanctions against the AZGOP for filing a “groundless” lawsuit “in bad faith.” The AZGOP sued Arizona officials immediately after the 2020 election for conducting a post-election audit that the AZGOP contended did not comply with the law. The AZGOP said the law required the audit to be conducted at the precinct level, but the audit was conducted at the voting center level according to the state’s Election Procedures Manual (EPG), which the AZGOP claimed contradicted state law.  The AZGOP said A.R.S. § 16-602 requires precinct-level audits. The relevant part of that statute, (B)(1), provides, “ At least two percent of the precincts in that county, or two precincts, whichever is greater, shall be selected at random from a pool consisting of every precinct in that county.” In contrast, the EPM states that in counties which utilize vote centers, vote centers will be used for the audits. 

Bill Aims to Crack Down on Sham Sober Living Facilities in Arizona

Mar 22, 20243 min read
A bill aiming to crackdown on unlicensed sober living facilities passed out of the Arizona State Senate unanimously, but could face hurdles as it moves forward. State officials say an increasingly common scam occuring in Arizona involves facilities that brand themselves as sober living facilities but do not offer people any actual help. Many Native Americans in Arizona have been targeted by the homes, and those who go into these homes sometimes end up losing contact with loved ones while there, according to lawmakers.

Grand Canyon University Student Says She was ‘Silenced’ About ‘Biased’ Econ Textbook

Mar 22, 20244 min read
A Grand Canyon University student says she has not been allowed to offer her opinions in class while her econ textbook is full of them. Elizabeth Olson sent excerpts of the book, "Essentials of Economics" by Gregory Mankiw, to The College Fix and a syllabus showing it is being used for assignments and discussions throughout the course at the private Christian Arizona university.

Arizona Poll Finds Trump Leads Biden, Gallego Has Slight Lead over Lake

Mar 21, 20243 min read
Former President Donald Trump currently has the support of just under half of Arizona voters and boasts a slight lead over President Joe Biden, according to a poll released Wednesday. The Emerson College poll found 48 percent of registered voters in Arizona support Trump's bid to return to the White House, while 44 percent want to see Biden elected to a second term.

‘Clean Energy’ Candidates Reportedly Seek ‘Takeover’ of Arizona Energy Board, Want State Electricity to Reflect ‘Justice, Equity and Inclusion’

Mar 20, 20243 min read
A slate of self-described "clean energy" candidates who are reportedly engineering a "takeover" of the Salt River Project (SRP) Board say they want to increase Arizona's reliance on renewable energy with a focus on "justice, equity and inclusion." The SRP Clean Energy Team of candidates for the SRP Board and Council elections, for which voting has commenced will conclude April 2, admits online that its "vision for SRP" involves "a diverse board" that intends to "address voting rights to give all customers a vote" and govern to "ensure justice, equity and inclusion, while prioritizing climate issues and sustainable clean energy" in Arizona's energy generation.

Arizona Republican Leaders Submit Brief Defending Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby from AG Kris Mayes’ Prosecution over 2022 Election Integrity Efforts

Mar 20, 20246 min read
State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and Speaker of the House Ben Toma (R-Peoria) filed a Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae in the prosecution of Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby on March 8. Crosby, along with Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd, was indicted by a grand jury in November 2023 for briefly delaying canvassing of the 2022 election in order to investigate the laws that were broken. Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes charged them with the class 5 felonies of Interference With an Election Officer—even though they were in part administering elections themselves as officials—and conspiracy since they both voted together to delay the canvassing.

Arizona Democrat Claims Police Refused to Hear His Side of Sexual Abuse Allegation in 2015

Mar 19, 20243 min read
State Representative Jevin Hodge (D-District 8) acknowledged on Monday that he was accused of sexual misconduct as a college student in 2015, but claimed police would not hear his side of events. Hodge acknowledged a Monday article which revealed he was banned from the George Washington University campus after he allegedly tried forcing a woman to have sex with him in 2015, but claimed the encounter ended without any aggressive act.

Arizona’s SB 1511 Seeks Insurance and Healthcare Coverage Equality for Children and Adults Who Detransition Back to Their Birth Gender

Mar 19, 20243 min read
SB 1511 would hold insurance companies and healthcare providers who offer gender transition coverage and procedures accountable for providing equal treatment for individuals who choose to detransition back to their birth gender after having had their gender medically altered. SB 1511 states that those insurers who provided coverage for gender transition "may not deny coverage for gender detransition procedures." The bill also requires physicians and healthcare institutions performing gender transition services to provide gender detransition procedures.

Kari Lake, Mark Finchem Appeal Their Case Seeking to Ban Electronic Voting Machine Tabulators to the U.S. Supreme Court, Add New Evidence Including ‘False Statements’ by Defendants

Mar 18, 20248 min read
Kari Lake and Mark Finchem filed a Petition for Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit against Arizona officials to stop the use of electronic voting machine tabulators. The 210-page petition added new allegations stating that the defendants lied to the court and that new evidence had surfaced exposing the vulnerabilities of the machines to bad actors. “New evidence from other litigation and public-record requests shows defendants made false statements to the district court regarding the safeguards allegedly followed to ensure the accuracy of the vote, on which the district court relied,” the petition asserted. 

Inflation in Phoenix Area Slows Down

Mar 18, 20242 min read
Inflation in the Phoenix metropolitan area appears to be calming down, according to new Consumer Price Index data from February. The CPI saw an uptick of 2.2% year-over-year from last February, and a 0.7% increase between December 2023 and this February. That's lower than the nationwide year-over-year rate of 3.2%.

Arizona Election Official Who Fought Against Hand Counting Ballots Hired as State’s Elections Director

Mar 18, 20243 min read
An Arizona election official who resigned from her former position in Cochise County over her refusal to hand count ballots in the 2022 elections is now the statewide election director after a promotion from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. Lisa Marra was appointed by Fontes to become the Arizona Elections Director and will oversee equipment testing, candidate filings, election night reporting and canvassing during the 2024 elections.

Mayes Issues Consumer Alert on Crisis Pregnancy Centers; Republicans Want Retraction

Mar 18, 20242 min read
Arizona Republican lawmakers are asking Attorney General Kris Mayes to retract a consumer alert on crisis pregnancy centers. A news release from Mayes' office on Wednesday said that the centers, which are meant to assist pregnant women as an alternative to Planned Parenthood or other abortion facilities, are masked as "legitimate healthcare clinics" but have the intent of encouraging women not to have abortions. 

Progressive Election Lawyer Marc Elias Attacks New Election Integrity Lawsuits in Arizona, Claims Republicans Want to Cheat

Mar 17, 202410 min read
Republicans have filed five election integrity lawsuits recently in Arizona, attracting the ire of election fraud denier and progressive attorney Marc Elias. Elias issued a video last week analyzing some of the lawsuits, which he described as “anti-voting lawsuits” that seek to make it “harder to vote and easier to cheat,” part of a “plan Republicans have to undermine elections and suppress voters.”

Sedona Designates ‘Safe Place to Park’ for Homeless Arizonans Living in Vehicles

Mar 16, 20243 min read
The Sedona City Council voted on Tuesday to designate an area for homeless Arizonans who live in their vehicles to park overnight. In a decision proponents presented as a partial solution to the city's housing crisis, the city council voted to allow residents to park and stay overnight in an unpaved parking area that formerly served Cultural Park, which closed in 2004.