Vince Yanez understands what the Arizona Board of Education could be getting in to this year when it begins a “systematic review” of the state’s English Language Learner program, Structured English Immersion, a state-mandated program that puts non-English-speaking students into English class for four hours a day.... Read more»
Advocates contend the survey shows public opinion is behind their opposition to a bill aimed at helping each county manage its permanent early voting list. The bill would allow counties to drop from their lists those who fail to vote by mail in two straight elections.... Read more»
Many Arizonans have expressed alarm at the seemingly unceasing stream of critical reports about our state’s public education system. Funding levels, class size, test performance — no matter what is measured, it seems, Arizona ranks poorly if not near the bottom.... Read more»
After getting a “bum rap” for skipping a White House dinner last year, Gov. Jan Brewer said she suspects people will see her attendance this year as evidence that she and President Barack Obama are"BFFs.” But Brewer said she’s just doing the people’s work.... Read more»
After years of delivering deep cuts, lawmakers this session are discussing ways to give Arizona State Parks some more money and bring back a lottery-funded grant program the agency administered.... Read more»
When Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery accused Attorney General Tom Horne of illegally coordinating his campaign with a supposedly independent expenditure group, state law restricted him to seeking civil penalties. Prompted by that, a state lawmaker wants to give officials the power to not only fine those found guilty of such a violation but also send them to jail.... Read more»
The Fiesta Bowl game and its many related events have become a football extravaganza that kicks off the new year for the Phoenix area with national publicity and a hefty economic boost. But over the past three years, the Fiesta Bowl has also become the source of continuous embarrassment in the Valley of the Sun, for bowl officials, civic boosters and state legislators, as well. And it isn’t over.... Read more»
This week is the final opportunity to comment on an ADOT study about the feasibility of a passenger rail line or express bus service between Phoenix and Tucson.... Read more»1
A Cronkite News Service analysis of national and state data found that Arizona voters living in precincts with higher percentages of minorities had a greater chance of casting provisional ballots in the Nov. 6 election.... Read more»1
Delaying capital improvements needed after years of deep budget cuts to Arizona State Parks will only exacerbate the problems and increase future costs, a state lawmaker said last week. “If you don’t take care of your infrastructure, it’s like not taking care of your house and if you let that little $2 item go and don’t fix it, you end up with a $100 repair bill.”... Read more»
Democrat Richard Carmona bought $139,200 worth of ads on Phoenix Spanish-language television stations against $89,200 by Republican Jeff Flake during their tightly contested U.S. Senate race, according to documents kept by the outlets.... Read more»
Now that voters rejected Proposition 204, the task of funding education when a temporary sales tax expires in May will remain with the state Legislature.... Read more»
Interviews with Joseph Garcia, director of ASU’s Morrison Institute Latino Public Policy Center, financial planner Shelly Fishman, and historian Ken Scoville previewed the upcoming Tucson Modernism Week.... Read more»
For those whose role can involve fundraising and who would seem to have more than a passing interest in the outcome of the presidential campaign, few of Arizona’s state and federal elected leaders had made personal campaign contributions to Mitt Romney or Barack Obama... Read more»
Optimist that I am, I always believed that even though our society is so politically divided, there were certain issues that we could all rally around as human beings, such as preventing violence against children and youth. But even this seemingly benign, universally acceptable issue is drawing criticism.... Read more»1
They say men are from Mars. That also might be true for policy analysts – especially when trying to discuss intelligently the vagaries of Proposition 204.... Read more»
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