September 2013

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith has never been shy about communicating with state and federal government officials about issues facing municipalities and possible solutions to problems that arise from those issues.
September 25, 2013
Wells Fargo has let more than 500 employees go. Since August, JPMorgan Chase has dropped more than 750 jobs, most of those in Phoenix and Tempe.  Kristena Hansen of The Phoenix Business Journal has been reporting on the layoffs.
September 25, 2013
Staff and funding shortages at Arizona’s Child Protective Services have been troublesome for many years. The situation had become so stark that the most recent legislative session got started with an overwhelming vote in favor of emergency funding for CPS, but Clarence Carter, director of the state Department of Economic Security which oversees CPS, has made a significant budget request for the next fiscal year.
September 25, 2013
The Arizona Geological Survey and the state Division of Emergency Management are teaming up to give you a way to identify and deal with natural hazards. It’s an interactive website focusing on four hazards that are common to Arizona: earthquakes, earth fissures, floods and wildfires.
September 25, 2013
Arizona lawmakers celebrated a new metal-theft bill that was signed Tuesday at the state capitol. Replacing stolen copper and metal wires has become an expensive problem for homeowners and businesses.
September 25, 2013
The company that once provided health care services for Arizona’s 33,000 inmates told state officials the corrections health system “is broken and does not provide a constitutional level of care.” That information came from records unsealed by a federal court on Tuesday.
September 25, 2013
Arizona’s mortgage industry is suffering more job losses. JPMorgan Chase said it will lay off an additional 500 employees at its refinancing division in the Phoenix area. Chase spokesperson Suzanne Ryan said the company has sent out pink slips to a total of 720 mortgage processors since August.
September 24, 2013
Federal health officials have announced a major study of valley fever in the hope of learning the best way to treat the potentially deadly illness. At a symposium on valley fever this week, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the clinical trial will involve about 1000 patients with the most common form of the illness.
September 24, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have settled a civil action over violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The settlement includes a major fine for the BIA.The EPA’s Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld says access to clean, potable drinking water remains a critical issue for many tribal communities.
September 24, 2013
The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Monday that tribal members living on tribal land cannot be prosecuted by the state for failing to register as sex offenders. The judges said state law registration requirements cannot supersede what is required by federal law.
September 24, 2013

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