Arizona

How one state pushes cybersecurity to local agencies

Arizona’s whole-of-state cybersecurity program gives local governments free access to cloud-based cybersecurity tools—an approach that extends security and helps build a problem-solving community.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

There's a Deal to Conserve the Colorado River, Now Comes the Hard Part

After two decades of an ongoing “mega drought” in the West, there are a variety of water conservation efforts to choose from. But one idea in California sticks out.

  • By Rachel Gottlieb

A Fight Over How Tax Hikes are Passed at the Ballot Box

A proposal before Arizona voters would change the threshold for approving tax initiatives from a simple majority to 60%. Is it a check on outside groups funding tax-and-spend measures? Or a hit to citizens' power to approve new funding for their priorities?

  • By Kery Murakami

Republican Election Deniers Rack Up State Level Primary Wins

Former President Trump's clout in state elections was on display this week. In Arizona, his picks for governor and five seats in the legislature won their primaries. In Michigan, five of 10 Trump-endorsed legislative candidates on the ballot prevailed.

  • By Daniela Altimari

The Rise of the Trump Agenda in This Year's Governors Races

Republicans in a number of key gubernatorial contests want to pursue priorities in state government aligned with the former president's platform. Will the strategy work to win over voters?

  • By Daniela Altimari

Arizona’s Statehouse Lifted Covid Precautions. Two Lawmakers Worry About What It Means for Their Family.

They’re navigating decisions familiar to many parents with children too young to be vaccinated, worrying about risk as guidance on how to deal with the pandemic changes.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

Best Places for Winter Outdoor Activities

A new list from Outside magazine recommends some of the nation’s top spots for a winter vacation.

  • By Andre Claudio

Western States Prepare for Battle in Historic Wildfire Season

States are poised to spend hundreds of millions, even billions, in state funding while U.S. senators urged the Biden administration to provide additional relief money quickly.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Relaxed Rules Attract Entrepreneurs to State 'Sandboxes'

‘We’re really concerned about predatory lending to low-income families.’

  • By Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights in a Pivotal Arizona Case

COMMENTARY | But the court’s ruling will have national consequences.

  • By Michael Ritter and Cornell William Clayton, The Conversation

Analysis: All 50 States Experience Historic Personal Income Growth in 2020

The rise in personal incomes nationwide is the biggest in 20 years, and because of the pandemic, can largely be attributed to unprecedented government assistance, according to a Pew report.

  • By Brent Woodie

Longer, More Frequent Droughts Hit Western US

COMMENTARY | Periods of drought in the western United States have become longer over the past 50 years, according to a new study.

  • By Rose Brandt, Futurity
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

Growing Number of Cities Weigh Tribal ‘Land Acknowledgements’

In Arizona and other states, some local governments are formally recognizing Native American connections to lands.

  • By Caitlin Dewey, Stateline

After Mob Attack on U.S. Capitol, State Governments Take Precautions

Washington's governor announced plans for a heavy law enforcement presence at the state Capitol next week. Other states have taken extra security measures as well.

  • By Andrea Noble

SolarWinds Hack Also Hit States and Local Governments, Reports Say

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Experts worry local news could spread anti-vax conspiracies … Minnesota officials want to keep up fence around state capitol .... Massachusetts town sets out empty chairs as Covid memorial.

  • By Laura Maggi

As Coronavirus Continues, State Lawmakers Debate How to Meet Safely

Some state legislative bodies have convened outside, while others anticipate hybrid sessions of in-person and virtual hearings and votes. And at least some states will only be holding typical sessions, with adjustments.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Arizona Legislature Closed After Giuliani Hearing

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Covid-19 patients flown out of South Dakota… Alabama sheriff takes down “thugshots” social media post… Republican governors call for Congress to pass Covid aid.

  • By Andrea Noble

County Program Offers Grants to Help People Pay for Funerals

Residents in Maricopa County, Arizona, can apply for up to $1,200 toward funeral expenses if they've lost a loved one and also suffered financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Covid-19 Cases Dropped by 75% in One State After Local Leaders Were Allowed to Require Masks

A CDC report said the drop followed a spike in cases in Arizona after the state's stay-at-home order expired, underscoring the utility of face coverings in curbing spread of the disease.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

How One Tribe Is Fighting to Vote Early

The fight over a single early voting site serving a small reservation in Arizona illustrates a continuing struggle by Indigenous communities across the country to have equal access to the ballot.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros and Carrie Levine, Stateline

The Federal Government Promised Native American Students Computers and Internet. Many Are Still Waiting.

Native American students in BIE operated schools were forced to start the school year without adequate technology, sometimes sharing a single computer among siblings, because the agency disbursed funding late and failed to purchase equipment in time.

  • By Alden Woods, ProPublica