Clemency bid denied for Arizona prisoner set for execution
Arizona’s clemency board has unanimously declined to recommend to Gov. Doug Ducey that the death sentence of a prisoner be delayed or reduced to life in prison in what would be the state's first use of the death penalty in nearly eight years. The decision by the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency on Thursday marks one of the last steps before Clarence Dixon’s execution in the 1978 killing of Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin. The board made the decision after hearing tearful comments from Bowdin’s sister, Leslie Bowdin James, who reflected on the brutality her 21-year-old sister suffered.
news.yahoo.com"A very chaotic situation': Crews tackle growing wildfires
Destructive U.S. Southwest fires have burned dozens of homes in northern Arizona and put numerous small villages in New Mexico in the path of danger, as wind-fueled flames chewed up wide swaths of tinder dry forest and grassland and plumes of smoke filled the sky.
Arizona Supreme Court reinstates massive income tax cuts
The Arizona Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the state's voters do not have the right to reject a massive income tax cut approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey last year. The decision means a tax cut is in effect that will hit nearly $2 billion when it is fully in place and mainly benefits the wealthy. Lawyers for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a conservative pro-business group that pushes for lower taxes and regulations, argued the state constitution does not allow referrals for measures that provide for the “support and maintenance” of state government and that the tax cut bill falls into that category.
news.yahoo.comNo Senate run for Arizona Gov. Ducey, blow to GOP recruiting
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has notified Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell that he will not enter his state's high-profile Senate contest, a disappointing development for establishment Republicans who saw Ducey as their best hope to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly this fall. Ducey's decision was confirmed Thursday by a person with direct knowledge of the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talk. Ducey, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third term as governor, also notified donors of his decision in a letter, as first reported by The Arizona Republic.
news.yahoo.comArizona Gov. Ducey (R) announces he won’t run for Senate, in blow to GOP recruitment effort
Ducey had been heavily courted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the National Republican Senatorial Committee and others in Washington who saw him as the strongest GOP candidate to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) this fall.
washingtonpost.comSteve Bannon claims Trump rally will prompt Arizona to decertify Biden's 2020 election victory. The vote cannot be decertified in any way.
"We're going to decertify Biden electors in Arizona, in Wisconsin, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in the great state of Georgia," Bannon said.
news.yahoo.comRepublican Maricopa County supervisors call on Kelli Ward to resign from GOP leadership
Republicans on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors are calling for Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who is closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, to resign following the release of the state Senate's election audit report.
news.yahoo.comArizona sells Unilever bonds over Ben & Jerry's Israel move
The state of Arizona has sold off $93 million in Unilever bonds and plans to sell the remaining $50 million invested in the global consumer products company because subsidiary Ben & Jerry's stopped selling its ice cream in Israeli-occupied territories.
COVID-19: Border town mayor has had enough of Republican governors blaming the Delta surge on asylum seekers
As COVID deaths across the United States continue to surge this summer, doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to the low vaccination rates in many Southern states as the main cause. However, some prominent Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, have claimed that asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border share some of the blame. Gerardo Sanchez, mayor of San Luis, Ariz., one of the busiest stretches along the border, tells Yahoo News he’s heard enough.
news.yahoo.comDucey, others, call for resignation of Homeland Security Secretary after comments leaked
Gov. Doug Ducey called for Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to resign after comments made to Texas border patrol agents were leaked on Thursday, calling the border crisis “unsustainable,” and saying that “if our borders are the first line of defense, we're going to lose.”
news.yahoo.comArizona governor blocks cash from schools mandating masks
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday upped the pressure on the growing number of public school districts defying a state ban on mask mandates as they try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Republican created a $163 million school grant program using federal virus relief funds he controls, but schools that have mask mandates or have to close because of COVID-19 outbreaks won't be eligible for the additional $1,800 per student. “Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged — mandates that place more stress on students and families aren’t,” Ducey said in a statement.
news.yahoo.comBiden calls school chiefs, lauds defiance of anti-mask rules
President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called “the right thing” after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections.
One killed in Grand Canyon as warnings of flash floods and thunderstorms across US this weekend
A 29-year-old woman was killed and others were injured during a flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park, according to the National Park Service. Rebecca Copeland of Ann Arbor, Michigan was named as the deceased. The same system saw parts of Arizona hit by devastating flooding with the city of Flagstaff declaring a state of emergency on Friday as torrents of water flowed down streets, carrying away vehicles.
news.yahoo.comPark: Michigan woman dies in Grand Canyon flash flood
Grand Canyon National Park officials on Friday identified a Michigan woman as the person found dead in frigid water after a flash flood swept through a commercial rafting group's overnight camp site along the Colorado River. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also issued an emergency declaration Friday in Coconino County, which he said will make up to $200,000 available for response to flash flooding in the Flagstaff area.
news.yahoo.comTucson to ignore Arizona's 'Second Amendment sanctuary' law
Officials in the city of Tucson plan to ignore Arizona's new “Second Amendment sanctuary” law that bars state and local governments from enforcing certain federal gun regulations, possibly setting up a court fight as a growing number of cities and counties in the United States declare themselves similar firearm havens. The move by Democratic Mayor Regina Romero and the City Council again puts Tucson and Republican-led state at odds over how to regulate gun sales and use. The southern Arizona city has long tried to enforce gun laws stricter than the state’s, including mandating background checks for guns purchased on city property and destroying seized firearms.
news.yahoo.comSouth Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem deploys National Guard to U.S-Mexico Border
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) announced Tuesday that up to fifty of her state's National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas border at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The big picture: South Dakota's National Guard's deployment to the border is slated to last between 30 and 60 days. The deployment is to be paid for by a private donation, Noem's office said, and the details of the mission have yet to be finalized. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insight
news.yahoo.comArizona GOP Votes to Revoke Election Powers of Democratic Secretary of State
The Republican-dominated state legislature in Arizona voted Thursday to strip Democratic secretary of state Katie Hobbs of her election-related authority and diverted that power to Republican attorney general Mark Brnovich.
news.yahoo.comDeSantis says he’ll send Florida police officers to help Texas, Arizona enforce border
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that Florida law-enforcement officers will go to Texas and Arizona to help with border control, as Florida continues to challenge the Biden administration in federal court about immigration enforcement.
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