KJZZ's Stories You Don't Want to Miss

An Arizona state lawmaker's slate of candidates could upend the state Republican Party. Hopis were among the earliest Alcatraz prisoners. Arizona university students and staff express outrage over decision to remove diversity from policies. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Shifting dynamics and electoral politics are shaping the relationship between Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Legislature. Local businesses are bracing for potential shortages after avian flu hit the largest egg producer in the southwestern United States. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear the nonprofit Apache Stronghold's case to preserve Oak Flat from a proposed copper mine. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Voters in Mexico will make history this weekend as they head to the polls in the country's first judicial election after major reforms to the constitution. The current bird flu outbreak is the first one labeled an animal disease emergency by state officials. A bill which would force school board members in struggling school districts to step down advanced in the state legislature on Wednesday. Plus the latest metro Phoenix and tribal natural resource news.

City officials say sweeping reform efforts on police policy, training and accountability continue regardless of the decisions made in Washington D.C. One way electric providers are responding to record summer heat is by paying customers to turn down their air conditioners. More than $300 billion in federal funding meant for Indian Country has been blocked – that's according to a tracker compiled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Plus the latest, community, Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

After months of partisan fighting, lawmakers in April reached a last-minute deal to send emergency funding to a state agency that serves Arizonans with developmental disabilities. Several cities across the region that tap into underground water reserves are sinking. For better or worse, the Mill Avenue is changing. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill Wednesday making it a state crime for protesters and others to set up encampments on college campuses. After a surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, one man managed to get back to work in his patio studio. A federal judge in Phoenix heard arguments Wednesday from the nonprofit Apache Stronghold, urging the court to halt a land swap between Resolution Copper and the U.S. Forest Service. Plus the latest business, Fronteras Desk, and metro Phoenix news.

Thousands gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Thursday for a major May Day rally opposing policies tied to President Donald Trump. Arizona politicians say they have a way to save groundwater in areas where it's dangerously low and at the same time increase the state's housing supply. While the Trump administration prioritizes the Resolution Copper project east of the Valley to bolster domestic mineral production, opponents of what could become one of the world's largest copper mines are trying to delay that process. Plus the latest business, Fronteras Desk, education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a bill into law that will expand scholarship opportunities for community college students who want to become teachers. New, temporary art installations are springing up at public parks across Phoenix. The Pentagon has now restored all of its content referencing Native Americans and their contributions. Plus the latest community, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs says she will veto every bill sent her way until the Legislature passes a bipartisan solution to provide emergency funding for the Division of Developmental Disabilities. It's been almost a week since scores of asylum seekers who entered the U.S. under the CBP One app were told they had seven days to leave the country. The Valley is a popular spot for data centers but is there enough water to sustain them? Plus the latest business, tribal natural resources and education news.

Earlier this week, the EPA rolled back some guidelines from the Clean Air Act that Arizona lawmakers from both sides of the aisle say were unfairly punishing efforts to keep emissions down. Nonprofits are bracing for higher demand for services on smaller budgets after tariffs and a rocky stock market close. A surge of demand of cannabis created an imminent need for a marijuana-specific trained workforce. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, health, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.

A controversial land swap authorized between the U.S. Forest Service and Resolution Copper would allow the company to access a multibillion dollar copper deposit on Tonto Forest land considered sacred to some tribes. The U.S. is denying Mexico's request for Colorado River water for the first time since the two countries signed a water-sharing treaty in 1944. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix and science news.

Questions still remain about how the Isaac School District's finances got so out of control and what the future holds for its teachers and staff. As technology evolves, so do scams —and in today's fast-paced, highly digitized world, senior adults are more vulnerable than ever. An endangered fish will be released into a lake southeast of Phoenix later this week. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk and politics news.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont brought what he calls the “Fight Oligarchy” tour to Tempe late Thursday. The Isaac School District has announced it may close some of its schools at the end of this school year. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and science news.

Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijlava passed away Thursday following complications from cancer treatment. A local nonprofit and trade school have teamed up to launch a welding program for women recently released from Perryville prison. The measles outbreak in Texas is causing concern in Arizona. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and education news.

President Donald Trump has again delayed tariffs on goods from Mexico after a conversation with Mexico's president. Uranium transport from the Pinyon Plain Mine south of the Grand Canyon has only been steadily underway for about two weeks. Arizona's public universities are taking a measured approach in response to executive orders issued by Trump attacking diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix and tribal natural resources news.

Shoppers in the U.S. are contending with the possibility that already high grocery prices could get higher if President Donald Trump follows through with his promise to levy taxes on Mexico and Canada next week. Even years after the pandemic drove public schooling largely online, experts say more desks are empty in Arizona schools every day than there should be. The National Park Service is now hiring seasonal workers to fill positions at parks across the country. Plus the latest politics, sports, metro Phoenix and aging news.

School funding is closely tied to student enrollment, and public school enrollment is declining. A coalition of Arizona fishermen and scientists are working together to try to get statewide protection for an ecologically important estuary in Sonora, Mexico. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the first bill of the legislative session Tuesday. Plus the latest metro Phoenix and business news.

The price of eggs has skyrocketed in recent months., but the problem has nothing to do with inflation. It has more to do with a virus. Arizona's largest public school district announced immediate layoffs, as well as future cuts for the 2025-26 school year. Some traditional Indigenous stories can only be uttered during the wintertime. University of Arizona researchers say vegetable farmers are more concentrated in Yuma County than car manufacturing is around Detroit. Plus the latest Fronteras, metro Phoenix and politics news.

Rising premiums, and in some cases outright cancellations by home insurers citing wildfire risks, is a problem not just in California, but also, Arizona. Parents in Buckeye's Liberty Elementary School District have started a petition to recall two school board members. Democrats in Arizona want to make big changes to the state's school voucher program after it fell victim to two fraud schemes in recent years. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Medicaid expanded coverage of traditional healing practices for tribal members across four western states, including Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs appointed Judge Maria Elena Cruz to fill a vacancy on the Arizona Supreme Court. Phoenix's Isaac School District has agreed to sell one of its middle schools to another district in order to keep schools open amid a budget crisis. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and business news.

Find out how people in Arizona are reacting to President Donald Trump's flurry of executive orders, including several that change how asylum seekers ask for protection in the U.S. and even challenging birthright U.S. citizenship. Plus, get the latest business, Tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

What does President-elect Donald Trump's Day One promise of mass deportations actually mean? Lawmakers are not rushing to renew Proposition 123, the education funding mechanism set to expire in July. Mesa Public Schools has announced that it will eliminate some positions next school year, due to declining enrollment. Plus, get the latest business, Tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona's Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, are supporting a bill which would require undocumented immigrants charged with crimes to be taken into custody. Mexico is working on breaking up migrant caravans setting out from the south of the country toward the U.S. border in the days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. A new study found that adding public school employees to the state's employee health insurance plan would decrease health care costs for teachers and other school workers. Plus the latest science, business, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

The VA is expanding the list of cancers that some veterans can get benefits for, if they served in designated locations. It appears there has not been a massive surge of migrants to the border before President Joe Biden leaves office, as some had predicted would happen. The Arizona Department of Education abruptly ended free tutoring for elementary school students two months after extending the program through the end of the school year. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources and science news.

Arizona Republicans passed a resolution Wednesday declaring that they believe recent executive rules on water requirements for development are illegal. Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren wants his own chief of staff to serve as the tribe's new attorney general. At least one Arizona school will be handing off teaching duties to artificial intelligence in 2025. Plus the latest science, tribal natural resources, business and metro Phoenix news.

Health officials in Arizona are continuing to monitor for cases of avian flu. In Tempe, city officials are considering microgrid power sources to keep certain community spaces cool, even in an emergency. Marijuana use among older adults is on the rise. Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is following through on her promise to sue a Saudi Arabian agriculture firm for “excessive” groundwater pumping. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Arizona's water agency has a plan to conserve water by converting agricultural land for other purposes. After years of fighting, Phoenix and Tempe have reached a deal about future development near Sky Harbor Airport. Researchers in Arizona discovered what they say is the oldest firearm in the continental U.S. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

As Democrats across the country formulate plans to oppose the incoming Trump administration, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is taking a different approach. One of the oldest observatories in the country now boasts one of the newest ways to explore the universe. Native candidates up and down the ballot made historic gains across the country. Plus the latest in Fronteras Desk, business and metro Phoenix news.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has signaled her strategy to navigate a split government hasn't changed. The Arizona Department of Education has begun distributing what will be more than 16,000 Narcan anti-overdose kits to schools throughout the state. Phoenix is facing significant budget shortfalls — about $200 million over the next two years. Plus the latest health, tribal natural resources, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk new.

Earlier this week, the Yavapai-Apache Nation and U.S. Forest Service inked a rare land exchange in the Verde Valley to expand one of the smallest reservations in Arizona. By approving Proposition 314, voters have effectively increased Phoenix police officer workload by making them immigration agents, too. The Phoenix Union High School District wants the state to investigate after two independent audits found issues with the district's hiring practices. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and health news.

Two competing measures on Arizona's ballot will allow voters to pick how the state's primary elections will be run in the future. The state-regulated delivery of recreational marijuana to adults is scheduled to be available starting Friday. UA and ASU are working together with the Rob Dollar Foundation on a new device designed to help bicyclists stay safer on the roads. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona will be one of ten states this election to vote on an abortion-related ballot measure. President Biden is planning to formally apologize for the nation's 150-year campaign to assimilate Indigenous children while meeting with a Phoenix-area tribe. The president of the Arizona State Troopers Association says hundreds of positions remain vacant inside the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Plus the latest in Fronteras Desk, education, metro Phoenix and politics news.

A video of Phoenix police violently arresting a disabled Black man has sparked national outcry over the officers' actions — and the fact that the man was charged with assault and resisting arrest. Volunteers from all five regions of the Navajo Nation are gathering signatures to trigger the recall of President Buu Nygren. A former state lawmaker is challenging a longtime incumbent congressman in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources and Fronteras Desk news.

At least one high-profile opponent of an abortion rights measure appearing on Arizona ballots has conceded it will likely pass. Phoenix leaders are frustrated over a new state law that expands what's allowed for backyard guest houses, also called casitas. The city of Tempe will use nearly $2 million in federal funds to help build affordable housing in north Tempe. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

State legislatures don't get as much attention during elections as the races for president and Congress — but they might have more impact in your daily life. It's not the first time a question about abortion laws has appeared on ballots in the state. The Arizona Department of Administration has approved a waiver request to allow $15 million in funding to be used for school safety personnel. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, business, aging and Fronteras Desk news.

After Phoenix's hottest summer ever, fall is now off to a record-breaking start. ASU announced it will close its Lake Havasu campus and implement a tuition surcharge for on-campus students due to what the university said is $24 million of state cuts to higher education. And what is it like to be a border resident right now? Plus the latest metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources and business news.

The series "Policing the Police" that looks at the U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the Phoenix police department continued all this week. Chronic absenteeism has increased in schools in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su was in Tucson this week, talking to local leaders and workers about the newly-proposed federal heat protections. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, business, health and metro Phoenix news.

KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms. When Arizona legislators passed the state budget this year, they changed the way they allocated poverty weight funds to K-12 schools. Coconino County hopes to reach residents who need immediate medical help by using vending machines. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, business, and tribal natural resources news.

Summer 2024 has been Phoenix's hottest ever. In spite of that, fewer people appear to have died as a result of heat in Maricopa County this year compared to last. A new survey released by the Arizona Department of Education shows many teachers who didn't return this year, left due to student behavior and discipline issues. The Apache trout, Arizona's state fish, was removed from the federal endangered species list Wednesday. Plus the latest health, business, metro Phoenix and tribal natural resources news.

A three day court hearing wrapped Wednesday over whether a criminal case against Arizona's so-called fake electors should be dismissed. Both Presidential candidates want to eliminate taxes on tips—but is it bad policy? A local ordinance passed in Pima County will require county contractors to follow regulations to protect their workers from extreme heat. Plus the latest science, metro Phoenix, and tribal natural resources news.

Phoenix leaders will soon meet behind closed doors to discuss how to respond to the Justice Department's investigation into the city's policing practices. The Scottsdale Unified School District has adopted a new policy regarding its booster organizations. Phoenix has set yet another heat record this summer. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, Fronteras Desk, metro Phoenix and politics news.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Republican Legislature's description of an abortion rights ballot measure does not violate state law. An Apache-led nonprofit that has nearly exhausted its legal options to protect a sacred site from copper mining is traveling across the country on a prayer journey. Some workers at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport say they need more protections from extreme heat. Plus the latest Q&AZ, health, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.