Tag: Arizona

Rising Crime Rate Spurs Increased Demand for Highly-Trained Protection Dogs

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Connor Rafferty has been bitten dozens of times by canine “Ditto,” though he’s not shy when it happens. Wearing a padded safety suit, Rafferty, a professional “bite trainer” at K9 Defense in Scottsdale, Arizona, waited for Ditto to make a go at him on July 11. And Ditto, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, was quick…


Weather Forecasters Warn of More Extreme Temperatures as Southwestern Heat Wave Continues

PHOENIX, Ariz.—Homeless on the streets since 2017, Roosevelt thought he knew what an Arizona heat wave felt like. But these past two weeks have been hellish for Roosevelt and his girlfriend, Tru, squatting by an iron fence in “The Zone,” a sprawling urban encampment of homeless people in Phoenix. Roosevelt wore a long head wrap…


Extreme Heat Wave Coming for Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico, California

Forecasters warn of a long and intense heat wave coming for the Southwest United States that could rank among the most severe in recent history. The focal point of the blistering heat will fall mostly on Arizona, California, and New Mexico, with peak intensity expected later next week, according to regional offices of the National…


Arizona Adults Can Now Get Birth Control From Pharmacies Without a Prescription

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Thursday that birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives will be available to people over 18 at their local pharmacy without needing a prescription. Until the latest announcement, women 18 years or older in Arizona seeking contraceptives needed annual prescriptions from a doctor to obtain them. Those under 18 will…


Driver Who Triggered Deadly Arizona Freeway Collision Had Just Been on TikTok, Officials Say

CHANDLER, Ariz.—A tractor-trailer driver was on the social media app TikTok just before causing a Phoenix-area freeway collision that killed five people, authorities said. The Arizona Department of Public Safety announced in a news release that 36-year-old Danny G. Tiner was arrested at his home Thursday on multiple charges related to the January crash, including…


Arizona Governor Signs Executive Orders Authorizing ‘Gender-Affirming Health Care,’ Restricting ‘Conversion Therapy’

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed two executive orders to ensure sex-change procedures for state employees and to restrict “conversion therapy” as harmful to the health and well-being of LGBT individuals. “Our LGBT community should never have to face hate and discrimination, and I will do everything in my power to fight for full equality,” Hobbs,…


Arizona County Elections Director Quits, Accusing Officials of Politicization

An Arizona county elections director resigned from her position on Tuesday after accusing officials of politicizing elections and creating a harmful work environment. The Pinal County government announced the resignation of Elections Director Geraldine Roll, who stepped into the position to oversee the recount process after the 2022 midterm election. In a scathing email sent on…


Arizona Governor Strips Counties of Authority Over Abortion Prosecutions

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs stripped counties of their right to hold authority over abortion prosecutions in an executive order announced on Friday. Under the executive order (pdf), Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has exclusive authority over criminal prosecutions of medical providers, other entities, or individuals for violations of Arizona’s abortion statutes. The order also prohibits state…


IN-DEPTH: ‘Beyond Belief’: Industrial Wind Developments Could Threaten Fragile Desert Ecosystem

A landmark interregional transmission line project has broken ground this week to carry high-voltage electricity 732 miles from the largest wind farm in North America to Nevada. The TransWest Express Transmission Project (TWE) will take electricity generated by the $5 billion, 3,000 megawatt, 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project (CSMWE) located in Carbon…


Kari Lake Responds to Defamation Lawsuit Filed by Top Arizona Elections Official

A top election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against GOP candidate Kari Lake, who responded by accusing him of trying to censor her. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer claimed he’s faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences” because of allegations made by Lake about the 2022 midterm elections. Following the…