Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

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Can’t find the time to listen to every story on KJZZ? We've got you covered. Get the week’s top stories from the KJZZ newsroom, including highlights from The Show and the latest in Arizona business, education, science and tribal natural resources news.

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December 08, 2023

Arizona is receiving $24 million to build safer wildlife crossings and reduce collisions with mostly elk along a stretch of Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff. Generative AI tools are capable of writing and creating images — and that has some university professors concerned about cheating. Arizona tribes are trying to tap into the potential of agritourism to reshape their communities financially. Plus the latest science, business and metro Phoenix news.

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December 01, 2023

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake can’t inspect around 1.3 million ballot envelopes from the 2022 general election she lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs. Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers are waiting for processing along a remote stretch of the border in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. A Republican-led panel took shots at Arizona State University, accusing the school of discouraging conservative speakers at two recent events. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, science, tribal natural resources and business news.

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November 17, 2023

The city of Phoenix this month completed an unprecedented effort to clear its largest homeless encampment. A parent of two students at Desert Mountain High School says his children were bullied after Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction, accused two student clubs of spreading antisemitic materials on campus. What if you knew you had Alzheimer’s disease before you had any symptoms? Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, tribal natural resources, business and metro Phoenix news.

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November 09, 2023

Maricopa County’s largest shelter is starting to screen its older clients for possible neurological disorders. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne wants Arizona schools to keep Amnesty International and UNICEF off their campuses. Some Phoenix leaders are pushing for more security along the city’s light rail line. Plus the latest science, metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources and Fronteras Desk news.

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November 03, 2023

Phoenix leaders held a ceremony Thursday to kick off renovations for the future police headquarters. The president of a large Christian university in Phoenix is pushing back against a nearly $38 million fine assigned by the federal government. The Environmental Protection Agency says it will fund new research focused on how PFAS — known as forever chemicals — affect animals and plants in agricultural areas. Plus the latest science, metro Phoenix, business and tribal resources news.

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October 27, 2023

Critics say being a “right to work” state is deceiving and keeps Arizona workers from bargaining and forming unions. The Phoenix Union High School District has partnered with an online certification program in an effort to recruit and retain qualified teachers. Tucson’s City Council has approved a plan laid out by municipal authorities to secure drinking water for residents in the coming years. Plus the latest science, metro Phoenix, business and tribal resources news.

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October 20, 2023

Important deadlines are quickly approaching for federal funding for climate change programs. Migrant families separated under the Trump administration’s "zero tolerance" policy will receive support from the U.S. government under a new settlement between the Biden administration and the ACLU. Gas prices have remained high in Arizona even as prices drop nationwide. Plus the latest science, tribal natural resources, education and metro Phoenix news.

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October 13, 2023

Arizona will be auctioning off shipping containers used to construct former Gov. Doug Ducey’s illegal makeshift border wall. Flu cases and other respiratory infections are on the rise in Arizona. Wednesday was an important holiday for one Native community outside of Tucson. Plus, the latest in business and metro Phoenix news.

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October 05, 2023

A judge this week denied the city of Phoenix’s request for more time to clear the region’s largest homeless encampment. Save Our Schools Arizona delivered a memo to the state’s legislative leadership, governor, treasurer and superintendent of public instruction demanding a plan to deal with what it calls massive overspending on school vouchers. The U.S. government wants to change how it manages Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona to keep a disruptive invasive fish from spawning in its waters and harming protected species. Plus the latest business, tribal natural resources, metro Phoenix and science news.

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September 29, 2023

Only one Phoenix City Council District will remain unchanged after leaders approved new district maps Tuesday. Researchers at the University of Arizona are working with farmers to find new ways, and new crops, that might help with conservation. Plus the latest education, business, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

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September 22, 2023

More Arizona school counselors are facing compassion fatigue. Extreme temperatures led to hundreds of deaths in spite of record investments to protect people from heat. Nearly a third of the Navajo Nation still lives without running water, but that doesn’t stop travelers from veering off the grid. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, science and business news.

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September 15, 2023

The ambitious executive immigration plan known as DACA is now likely heading back to the U.S. Supreme Court. After years of hearing complaints about light rail security, one Phoenix council member wants to consider barriers to keep out people who don’t pay fares. SRP has invested $2.6 million to fund 36 research and development projects at Arizona’s three state universities. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, education, metro Phoenix and science news.

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September 08, 2023

The lawsuit against the City of Phoenix to disband its largest homeless encampment, known as the ‘Zone,’ is still ongoing. Over the past several weeks, health insurance giant Humana has reported an uptick in older adults being hospitalized for COVID-19. Arizona is channeling $40 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding toward tutoring students falling behind in school. Plus the latest in business, tribal natural resources and Fronteras Desk news.

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September 01, 2023

The University of Arizona’s Agricultural Extension is helping farmers transition to the farms of the future. The Buckeye Elementary School District is implementing a new program at two of its campuses this year. The Department of Justice and the state of Arizona have reached an agreement on how to handle remediation efforts from the shipping container border wall. Plus the latest science, business and tribal natural resources news.

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August 25, 2023

The National Park Service says annual visitor spending in Arizona topped $1 billion. The telecommunications network for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is reinvesting in its residents a year after a major disruption in service. And we have the answer for why Phoenix’s official weather readings are taken at Sky Harbor Airport. Plus the latest science, Fronteras Desk and education news.

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August 18, 2023

The Laveen Elementary School District is under scrutiny after a video was released showing a superintendent physically restraining a fifth-grade student. The federal government is rolling back some restrictions on Colorado River water after a wet winter boosted reservoir levels. It’s not just saguaros — the heat is withering all types of plants in Phoenix. Plus the latest science, tribal natural resources and Fronteras Desk news.

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August 11, 2023

President Joe Biden has designated more than 1,500 square miles to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park as a new national monument. U.S. House Republicans were back in southern Arizona this week for a remote congressional hearing about what they call a crisis at the border created by the Biden administration. More than 30 bills that would affect the LGBTQ community were introduced in the Arizona Legislature this year, but few of them passed. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, science, business and education news.

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August 04, 2023

A new suit alleges Customs and Border Protection is illegally turning away asylum seekers who don’t have an appointment through the CBP One smartphone app. The Creighton Elementary School District in Phoenix is in the midst of an investigation into its special education program. After months of negotiations, state lawmakers finally struck a deal that will allow Maricopa County voters to decide whether or not to extend a half-cent sales tax earmarked for transportation projects. Plus the latest business, tribal natural resources, science and metro Phoenix news.

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July 28, 2023

Gov. Katie Hobbs has released new cost estimates for Arizona’s school voucher program, as part of an effort to get lawmakers to limit the program’s growth. The Wood for Life project is helping Arizona forests while also providing fuel for Native American communities in several other western states. A bill introduced this week by Congressman  Raul Grijalva and other lawmakers would strengthen federal protections for workers exposed to extreme heat. Plus the latest science, metro Phoenix and business news.

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July 21, 2023

The longest stretch of 110 degree days in Phoenix history continues. A Phoenix firm has proposed building a dam on a tributary of the Little Colorado River for hydroelectric power. It’s been a little more than two months since the pandemic-era protocol Title 42 came to an end at the U.S.-Mexico border. So what does it look like now? Plus the latest science, business, education and metro Phoenix news.

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