What's open, what's closed on Christmas & New Year's

The Bureau of Land Management announced that it is receiving $161 million in federal funding to restore several landscapes across the western United States, an effort the agency says will create jobs and recreational opportunities while improving water quality and critical habitats. Read more»   

A judge rejected arguments from federal officials attempting to unravel a lawsuit by environmental groups over the proposed Interstate 11 plan, including two possible routes that could carve through "pristine desert" west of Tucson. Read more»   

A former Bosnian Serb soldier, linked a brutal 'rape camp' during the breakup of Yugoslavia, was found guilty of immigration fraud in an effort to hide his wartime past, including lying on an application for permanent residency and when he attempted to gain U.S. citizenship. Read more»   

Ranchers and Republican lawmakers are welcoming a Supreme Court ruling that narrows the range of waters subject to federal regulation, calling it a win for private property rights - but environmental groups say the ruling will be “disastrous for Arizona." Read more»   

Peering into the scrying mirror — depicting a world equally grotesque and apocalyptic — Tucson artist Daniel Martin Diaz's new book “Iconoclasm: AI and The Devaluation of Humanity's Achievements” makes inquiries into the impact of artificial intelligence on the arts and the shape of things to come. Read more»   

A federal judge in Montana partially sided with environmentalists, agreeing that the Forest Service violated the Clean Water Act by discharging aerially deployed fire retardant into waterways without a permit, but allowed the continued use of aerial retardants while obtaining a permit. Read more»   

The number of housing units in Pinal County grew to 185,650 as of last summer, the fastest rate in the state with an estimated 3.5% increase from July 2021 to July 2022, echoing the population increases experienced in Maricopa County. Read more»   

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised his party he'd play hardball during negotiations with Joe Biden over the debt ceiling. So what's with all the Nerf? Read more»   

After several staff shake ups in the past few months, Gov. Katie Hobbs has hired former Arizona House of Representatives Democratic Leader Chad Campbell as her new chief of staff. Read more»