Tucson Politics

  Another attempt from Kari Lake and Mark Finchem to revive a lawsuit that sought to ban the use of electronic ballot tabulators in Arizona’s most populous counties has been dismissed by a federal appeals court.

  A D.C. Circuit panel ruled 2-1 to uphold a 2003 rule that allows mining companies to claim an unlimited amount of land around a mining site for related activities like chemical processing and waste dumping.

  Maricopa County has been scrambling this week to assure voters that its election systems are secure after a temporary worker stole an electronic tabulator key from the county’s Tabulation and Election Center on June 20.

  Arizona lawmakers patched a large part of the multimillion-dollar budget hole left by expiring federal pandemic funds, but the money isn’t enough to guarantee the state will avoid the return of a waitlist for families seeking child care assistance.

  Environmentalists sued Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and the head of Arizona's Water Resources Department on Monday, alleging state officials are failing to protect the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona.

  Tucson's city Department of Transportation and Mobility is rolling out its annual program to warn drivers away from dips flooded by monsoon rains.

  GOP congressional candidate Jack Smith, challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Eli Crane in CD 2, drew a hard line on immigration in a broadcast forum Monday night, but expressed willingness to work with the federal government on wildfires and infrastructure.

  Vail School District has an idea to provide homeschooled kids with a formalized menu of classes, athletics and extracurricular activities. Plus, Southwest Gas goes boldly into a Sahuarita franchise election, and more from government meetings around Tucson.

  "It is ludicrous to think Southern Arizona should spend but a moment distracted by LaWall's 'newly found Democrat' she found to run for office against another sitting Democrat, when we should not take our eyes for a second off of flipping the Legislature and defeating Trump from another presidency." — Laura Conover

  Progressive activists are challenging a ballot initiative that if approved by Arizona voters, would give lifetime appointments to state judges, claiming that the name of the measure is “deceptive.”

  Arizona and Florida - whose rates of uninsured children are among the highest in the nation - set goals last year to widen the safety net that provides health insurance to people 18 and younger, but their plans to expand coverage illustrate differences on the government’s role.

  A Diné data-cruncher looks to get a better understanding with public health training of how the legacy of uranium and other metals impacts the entire Navajo Nation and other tribal lands.

  A second person has filed to run as a write-in candidate for Pima County constable in JP9, which had no one listed on the ballot after the incumbent was booted from the race — but one may face a legal challenge.

  Voters can get a look at candidates in several Southern Arizona primary races next week.

  Updated: The Arizona Department of Health Services has dialed back on their announcement of a "recall" of  "Diamond Shruumz" mushroom-infused candies, which have been associated with several severe reactions across the country.

  Arizona’s unemployment rate fell in May to its lowest rate ever recorded, reaching a seasonally adjusted 3.4% and falling below the previous record of 3.5%, but the job boom has yet to translate into popularity for President Joe Biden.

  Voters in as many as nine states could sidestep legislators and directly decide whether to expand access to abortion through citizen-led ballot initiatives, though GOP lawmakers have tightened signature requirements or raised the percentage of the vote required for initiatives to pass.

  A judge on Thursday blocked the transfer of $115 million from the state’s share of the national opioid settlement that legislators approved less than a week ago as a key component of balancing a nearly $1.4 billion budget deficit.

  The Democrats’ House campaign arm plans to inject $2.8 million into two battleground districts in Arizona, targeting U.S. Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, who both won by narrow margins in 2022.

  As she promised, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has appealed a judge’s ruling that she violated state statute when she bypassed the Senate confirmation process for appointing directors of state agencies.

  Two Phoenix-area men face federal charges after investigators said they allegedly produced fake IDs, including Social Security cards and permanent residency documents, officials said Thursday.

  Pima County School Superintendent Dustin J. Williams has made four new appointments to three local school boards. All four of the new governing board members will serve until the November election, in which they will have the chance to run for re-election.

  The Tucson’s Housing First program is seeking volunteers to help put together care kits to be handed out to homeless residents across the city.

  Cooling centers set up to help people escape Tucson's summer days are made from two old cargo containers, part of an effort to repurpose dozens of the steel boxes used as part of former Gov. Doug Ducey's ad-hoc border barrier.

  Through the end of November, Arizona doctors can get temporary licenses to perform abortions in California for Arizona patients - but so far no Arizona doctors have signed up after the urgency subsided when the state Legislature repealed the 1864 ban.