Buckmaster: Economic gap growing in Tucson

As schools across Arizona face down an impending fiscal cliff, lawmakers met on Thursday to discuss what their options are — despite the fact that legislation to address the issue has been ready to go since the session started. Read more»   

A group of election reform bills that Republicans say would make elections more secure and speed up results would actually make voting more difficult and time consuming, and are solutions to nonexistent problems, critics said Monday. Read more»   

The West has been slammed by wet weather this winter: Good news for the Colorado River, where all that moisture hints at a possible springtime boost for the reservoirs that have been crippled by drought - but many more years of heavy snow are needed to make a serious dent. Read more»   

A Republican budget proposal sold as a continuation of last year's bipartisan budget while lawmakers head into what will likely be heated debates and economic uncertainty passed its first hurdle Tuesday morning. Read more»   

Scientists are finding in an ongoing study that despite the haze from far-off blazes, enough indirect sunlight was available to fuel the nation’s burgeoning solar panel industry in 2020 - good news as the U.S. government is seeking to quickly ramp up solar energy production. Read more»   

One state lawmaker wants Arizona police departments to focus on increased policing and deterrence programs to combat what he said is an out-of-control surge in violent crime, but critics say that his recommendations will only lead to increased incarceration for low-level crimes. Read more»   

A decision on the legality of DACA - when it eventually goes to the U.S. Supreme Court - is not expected to be issued until 2024, and while Congress appears unlikely to take action, participants in the program are left uncertain if they will be protected from deportation. Read more»   

A proposal in the Arizona House to target predators who were able to plead felony offenses down to a misdemeanor and increase the punishments for sexual offenders could put teenagers in prison for having intimate relationships with their peers. Read more»   

Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward and her team spent more than $530,000 on what one GOP consultant said were “vanity projects” designed to boost her ego instead of winning races on an election that ultimately ended in disaster for Republicans in Arizona. Read more»