Republican lawmakers are poised to give the Arizona Department of Public Safety money to equip all state troopers with body-worn cameras — but along with the money comes severe restrictions on the public’s ability to ever see what those cameras capture.... Read more»
The Arizona election 'audit' won’t be halted, but a judge rejected arguments to seal documents outlining the procedures that are guiding how the review ordered by state Senate Republicans is carried out.... Read more»
A Wednesday court hearing to determine whether election auditors hired by Arizona Senate Republicans can shield the policies and procedures guiding their work from the public will take place in open court after a judge on Tuesday rejected an attempt by the auditors and Republicans to bar the press and the public from the court.... Read more»
As the Arizona Senate prepared to begin its election 'audit' on Friday, it was unclear whether Senate Republicans would permit journalists to cover the unprecedented event except under severe restrictions that would seriously limit their ability to do their jobs.... Read more»
Sahuarita police have declined to release the name of the teenager arrested after an online threat led to the closure of nine Sahuarita schools Oct.1, saying they want to protect his identity because of negative comments on social media.... Read more»
Can a president change the Constitution by way of executive order? President Donald Trump thinks he can, saying in an interview this week that he plans to revoke the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship.... Read more»
After refusing to release school letter grade records distributed to Arizona public schools and claiming that no list of all scores existed, the Department of Education has reversed course and released the records to media outlets who sought them.... Read more»3
The Arizona Department of Education physically pushed an AZCIR reporter out of its Capitol Mall offices Thursday in response to a request to inspect the latest school letter grade records. The agency’s security guard told AZCIR’s reporter he was trespassing and pushed him out of the public building.... Read more»
Rep. Martha McSally pulled a provision that would have allowed CBP to evade FOIA laws from a border bill moving through Congress on Wednesday, after TucsonSentinel.com broke the news about the measure the previous day. No one has yet offered an explanation for the exemption being included in the bill in the first place.... Read more»1
A hearing Wednesday may — inadvertently or on purpose — move forward a law, backed by Rep. McSally, that would exempt Customs and Border Protection from FOIA almost entirely, allowing the agency to keep records about its border enforcement activities under wraps. ... Read more»2
Among the finalists to be the next TUSD sup't are three familiar faces and one outsider: Donna Hargens, ousted from her Kentucky district, which is being audited over mismanagement allegations. The sweeping review could lead to a complete takeover of the district by the state.... Read more»3
The speaker of the Arizona House bowed to widespread pressure and announced Tuesday morning that he is rescinding a background check policy that targeted reporters, keeping media critics from working on the floor of the legislative chamber.... Read more»
The attorney for the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona, Dan Barr, blasted Gowan's move to kick reporters off the chamber floor in a letter to the state House speaker, saying, "no one is fooled by what is going on here."... Read more»
Arizona lawmakers are improperly redacting, delaying and denying the release of text messages they've used to conduct legislative business, in violation of state public records laws, the Arizona Capitol Times reported after a four-month investigation.... Read more»
Saying local governments are wasting resources responding to public records requests filed by a handful of individuals intent on harassment, a state lawmaker wants to give agencies the power to deny such requests.... Read more»2
Open government advocates found hope late last week after the governor reopened his daily calendar for public inspection and the legislature began discussions to change the language of a bill that allows most state business to be conducted behind closed doors. ... Read more»
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