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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March 15, 2024

Arizona’s Medicaid agency is struggling to claw back millions of dollars doled out to fraudulent sober living homes. In his annual state of education address to state lawmakers, Arizona schools Superintendent Tom Horne warned teachers are leaving schools at an alarming rate. A photo showing a black bear scaling the border wall in southern Arizona has gone viral on social media — but the photo isn’t actually new. Plus the latest arts, metro Phoenix and tribal resources news.

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March 08, 2024

Republican state lawmakers are backing a package of bills restricting immigration. The state of Arizona has a chief heat officer for the first time. This week, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced $72 million to aid tribal communities in electrifying their homes on a path toward zero-emissions energy systems. Plus the latest in politics, Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

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March 01, 2024

Republican Kari Lake said recently that she wants to look forward on the campaign trail for a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona.  As Arizona is in desperate need of more health care professionals, some high schools are giving their students a head start. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, business and metro Phoenix news.

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February 23, 2024

The state’s largest emergency shelter program may soon have to cut services to people experiencing homelessness. Republican lawmakers and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs are scheduled to begin budget negotiations as the state contends with a massive budget deficit. The owners of a uranium mine just south of the Grand Canyon have embarked on a messaging tour of Arizona to counter what they say are inaccurate portrayals of the mine. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, education and tribal natural resources news.

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February 16, 2024

Fans of major artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have had to deal with surging ticket prices for popular tours in recent years. An effort to require the approval of Congress or the state Legislature to deploy the National Guard is sweeping the nation. The Department of Defense is green-lighting investigations into sites that have been exposed to PFAS contamination. Plus the latest education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

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February 09, 2024

Arizona lawmakers agreed to a bipartisan bill Thursday to fix election deadline issues that would have put Arizonans’ votes in upcoming elections at risk. The Department of Defense will help fund investigations for two sites in the Tucson area thought to be the root of groundwater contamination issues. In 2008, the Explosion Detection Dogs Program was created, and they’ve become an essential part of airport security. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, education and metro Phoenix news.

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February 02, 2024

For the first time, the U.S. Geological Survey is considering potential harms to tribes from mining uranium in northern Arizona. High school graduation is an exciting time. But for special education students and their families, it can be complicated. Flute-making is a time-honored artform among tribal communities across Arizona, but this traditional craft may also be under threat. 

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January 26, 2024

State Republican lawmakers are tightening the leash on several Arizona agencies, and in some cases, seeking to abolish them altogether. Experts say that for thousands of years, women were at the forefront of producing the world’s beer. A new uranium mine has opened near the Grand Canyon. What does this mean for tribal lands? Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

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January 19, 2024

Keeping the Arizona Commerce Authority going is a priority for Gov. Katie Hobbs, but a Republican-controlled panel voted against continuing the agency. Dams are coming down on rivers across the West and many tribes are all for it. Phoenix has launched a special court for low-level offenders experiencing homelessness. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

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January 12, 2024

The federal government reopened the Lukeville Port of Entry last week, but the underlying issues that prompted the closure are still going on. A pilot program to help Phoenix property owners affected by homelessness could become permanent. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is getting in touch with school districts to see if they're complying with the state's required Holocaust education law. Plus the latest metro Phoenix and science news.

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January 05, 2024

The Lukeville Port of Entry reopened early Thursday morning in southern Arizona. The Arizona Department of Child Safety is making a concerted effort to reduce the number of foster children in group homes. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office says Cox Communications will spend millions of dollars to settle a lawsuit over allegations that the company broke the state’s consumer fraud act. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, metro Phoenix and science news.

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December 21, 2023

U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly say they want more money for Arizona’s border communities. Preservationists are trying to save a chapel designed by Paolo Soleri. A letter that appeared to be from Arizona State University expelling a student for creating adult content caused a stir among users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Plus the latest science, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

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December 15, 2023

Arizona’s Supreme Court is considering whether Arizona should ban almost all abortions, or allow them early in pregnancy. Phoenix will soon require certain property owners to register with the city. Water management in the drought-stressed West is complicated by the interplay between mountains and what is known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix 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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