Arizona State University student Melissa Merrick started her Wednesday pulling wires, plastic bottles and bags and anything else that could be recycled or reused from 6,000 pounds of garbage. All for research. Read more»

As manager of a gas station convenience store, Leslie Robb said he’s noticed that people who come in glancing at the Arizona Lottery sign often make a detour to grab chips and a soda before plunking down money on tickets. That effect is more pronounced as Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots rise: In addition to increased lottery sales, he sees more customers and more extra purchases of this and that. Read more»

A liberal think tank said that only Oklahoma and Alabama made deeper cuts to K-12 education funding than Arizona during the economic downturn. It says Arizona reduced funding by an inflation-adjusted 17.2 percent from fiscal 2008 through fiscal 2014. Read more»

The two largest jackpots in Powerball history, including one split by a Fountain Hills man, contributed to a record-breaking fiscal 2013 for the Arizona Lottery, its executive director said. Read more»

When Arizonans open their wallets to make a political donation, it’s more likely to go to someone they know than to a party or PAC, an analysis of federal campaign data shows. Read more»

Arizona joined a Justice Department lawsuit Tuesday to block the proposed merger of Tempe-based US Airways and American Airlines, saying the merger would eliminate competition and hurt consumers with higher airfares and fewer choices. Read more»

A federal appeals court Thursday overturned the 2011 conviction of an Arizona man caught with 150 pounds of marijuana in his truck, saying police withheld information about the reliability of the dog that discovered the drugs. Read more»

A Phoenix driver with only a high school diploma could be charged as much as 12 percent more in auto insurance premiums than a plant supervisor with a college degree, according to a report released Monday. Read more»

Valley health officials insist that it’s safe to drink the water, but area residents don’t appear to be so certain. Read more»

It’s no surprise that Phoenix-area homes are more likely to have a swimming pool, and maybe not so surprising that they have more garages than homes nationally. But fewer mice? Read more»

The federal government wants to target childhood obesity with new limits for calories, sugar, fat and sodium on snacks sold in the nation’s schools via the Smart Snacks in School standards announced last week. Most Arizona school officials welcomed the change, saying the state adopted similar nutrition standards for all school foods – including snacks – in 2006. Read more»

The Department of the Interior on Friday approved a 500-megawatt wind-power farm near Kingman, a project that could cost up to $800 million and bring hundreds of construction jobs to the Mohave County area. Read more»

Condolences and offers of assistance poured in from Washington, Phoenix and elsewhere Monday as the tragedy of the 19 Prescott-area hotshot firefighters killed in the Yarnell wildfire sank in. Read more»

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday let stand lower court rulings that blocked an Arizona law denying healthcare benefits to domestic partners of state employees. Gay-rights groups had claimed the policy discriminated against same-sex couples, a charge state officials disputed. Read more»

Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers was in Washington on Wednesday urging Congress to reverse “unconscionable” cuts to the Community Development Block Grants program, which helps more than 1,200 local governments. Read more»