Six years after a promising, bipartisan push to reform U.S. immigration policy was upended in Congress, a so-called Gang of Eight Senators officially revived the effort today. The group—led by Democrat Charles Schumer of New York and Arizona Republican John McCain—says its proposal is comprehensive, including making the southern border more secure and creating an eventual path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

An Italian company that wants to build a huge new photovoltaic solar power plant outside Maricopa, Ariz., is holding a public hearing Tuesday night to discuss the facility with its neighbors. (Map courtesy of BLM) Dennis Godfrey of the Bureau of Land Management says the 1,700-acre site, about 12 miles west of Maricopa and north of the Sonoran Desert National Monument, has been designated by the BLM as a Renewable Energy Development Area,“That land is/has low resource conflicts, meaning there’s not visual or cultural or wildlife characteristics that would preclude it as being used as a renewable energy site," Godfrey said.

Arizona universities and colleges are among the thousands being evaluated by the White House. Today the federal government launched a website that will help future students and parents decide what college to attend.

The University of Arizona broke ground Thursday on a new cancer center at Saint Joseph Medical Center. The downtown Phoenix clinic will be a second hub for the University of Arizona’s nationally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for the Southwest region, which is centered in Tuscon.

An effort to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is underway. Has the successful recall of former Senate President Russell Pearce set an important precedent?Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb weighs in on the Arpaio recall and a counter-effort to recall County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.

A Senate vote is expected Monday on a resolution supporters say would establish state sovereignty. It's similar to a measure that was rejected by Arizona voters last year, allowing the state to reject federal actions it believes are unconstitutional.

Four community airports in Arizona plan to challenge an FAA order to close their air traffic control towers.  The airports are targeted in the federal budget-cutting program known as “Sequestration.

VATICAN CITY (Associated Press) — Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope Wednesday, becoming the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Francis, associating himself with the humble 13th-century Italian preacher who lived a life of poverty.