Hate crimes in Arizona in 2020 were the highest reported since 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, according to new FBI statistics, but advocates and experts say many more hate crimes mostly likely were unreported. Read more»

Live theatre was among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic - many companies had to furlough staff members, cancel performances and forgo various planned events - but for the first time in almost two years, companies are finding ways to make sure the show goes on. Read more»

A new Arizona law making it a crime if your vehicle is blocking a sidewalk was one of 12 new laws that went into effect Wednesday - others deal with penalties for “doxxing”, classifying gun stores as essential businesses and adding new provisions for aggressive or reckless driving. Read more»

Advocates and Arizona government officials are praising the newly expanded Child Tax Credit, which has provided thousands of dollars to Arizona households, calling it “help when we need it the most.” Read more»

Across the state, many nonprofits are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks through community outreach on the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Read more»

Arizona has 304,180 infants and toddlers who need child care but only 234,270 slots to accommodate them, with poor and rural families most likely to be left out, a recent study said. Read more»

According to data collected by the ADHS, verified opioid overdoses jumped from 375 in February to 479 in March, the height of pandemic-related restrictions on business and travel. Confirmed opioid overdoses peaked at 500 in August, before starting to move back down. Read more»

President-elect Joe Biden has said dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic will be one of the first orders of business for his administration, and the head of the Navajo Health Department will be there to advise him on it. Read more»

Arizona elections officials finished counting the last of more than 3.4 million ballots over the weekend and are vowing to certify the results in the next two weeks, despite ongoing challenges from state Republicans. Read more»

Roopali Desai, the attorney for the secretary of state, said the suit does not seem to be concerned with overvotes as much as it aims to “undermine the integrity and credibility of the election.” Read more»

The Trump campaign added Arizona this weekend to the list of states where it has gone to court to challenge the ballot count, charging that Maricopa County rejected ballots that should have been given a second review. Read more»

National and local law enforcement agencies are preparing to respond in case civil disturbances break out after Tuesday’s elections, which experts fear may have a “different venue for challenging election results, namely in the streets.” Read more»

Advocates fear that years of steady improvements in the level of “food insecurity” among Arizona children could be reversed this year by the economic toll of COVID-19, a shift that could have long-lasting effects. Read more»

The Supreme Court Tuesday said the Census Bureau can stop its count of the population, a blow to tribal leaders and local advocates for underrepresented communities in Arizona who said they would be hit hardest by an undercount. Read more»

Arizona nonprofits are working “nonstop” to register voters before opponents can overturn a federal judge’s ruling that extended the state’s voter registration deadline from Monday to Oct. 23. Read more»