The queen's hats

The Texas Observer, the storied progressive publication known for its feisty, combative and often humorous investigative journalism, is shutting down and will lay off its 17-person staff, including 13 journalists, several members of its board said Sunday. Read more»   

Businesses in Arizona would be fined if they deny their employees religious exemptions for the flu vaccine and any vaccine with emergency authorization under a GOP proposal on its way to the governor’s desk. Read more»   

Some victims of sex crimes want their perpetrators to spend more time being closely monitored and receiving treatment before they can petition for release from lifetime probation. Read more»   

Following in the footsteps of six conservative-led states, Senate Republicans want to pull Arizona’s membership from a multistate coalition that aids in cleaning voter rolls, following false claims that the coalition is part of a liberal conspiracy to rig elections. Read more»   

Former Navajo Nation President and Council Delegate Ben Shelly died on March 22 from a long-term illness at 75. Read more»   

A U.S. House panel grilled TikTok’s CEO for more than five hours Thursday over the social media giant’s ties to China, and indicated there may be bipartisan consensus for a national ban on the platform. Read more»   

Arizona Game and Fish wants to rid the state of the invasive gastropod pest apple snails - which probably came to Arizona through the aquarium pet trade - and it’s counting on responsible pet owners, outdoor enthusiasts, citizen scientists and volunteers to help. Read more»   

A live-fire and classroom training program organized by the ATF at Pinal County Airpark provided training for local law enforcement as 1,876 bomb threats and 860 explosions were recorded in the U.S., including 381 bombings, 12 of which were reported in Arizona. Read more»   

A federal judge ruled that former students from more than 150 colleges who had filed a borrower defense to repayment claim were entitled to automatic loan cancellation - but when the final legal hurdle was cleared, tens of thousands of private-loan borrowers were left out. Read more»