The US Forest Service has proposed eliminating the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that’s blocked road construction on millions of acres of public lands for decades. Conservationists say nearly 45 million acres of forest in 37 states could be opened to development and that roadless areas in the Southwest are home to endangered species.
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that a sweeping set of school voucher reforms will no longer be sent to Arizona voters this fall after a legal challenge disqualified thousands of signatures needed for the initiative to make the ballot.
Flagstaff leaders held numerous public meetings last week about a proposal to use drones as first responders in the city. Fire, police and other officials said they want to create a policy with the community on the drones as first responder program.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes - Arizona’s largest water rights holder - has again called for
the US Bureau of Reclamation to delay a decision on future Colorado River management. They want federal officials to conduct substantial talks with them and the 29 other tribes in the Colorado River Basin. The Arizona Republic reports, collectively, the tribes hold about 20 percent of the water rights across the basin.
One in ten Arizona kindergarteners now begins school without a required vaccine, according to new CDC data that shows vaccine exemptions are at their highest-ever level nationwide. Arizona leads the trend: for the 2025-2026 school year, 10% of Arizona kids have a non-medical exemption for at least one vaccine. The rate has nearly doubled since 2020.
Housing construction is picking up in Arizona. But the state still faces a shortage of homes, and many households remain cost burdened. A new report says rent prices appear to be leveling off after years of increases while home construction is at its highest point in a decade.
And, the woman who filed a "homewrecker lawsuit" against Kyrsten Sinema wants to call the former senator as a witness in court this week. Sinema is accused of breaking up the 14-year marriage of her former bodyguard.
