Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPHOENIX (AZFamily) — Numerous U.S. Department of Justice members involved in the federal oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have been removed from the case which is the fourth-largest sheriff’s office in the country The DOJ was participating in the case as an intervenor or move to conclude such measures that unduly impede the performance of law enforcement functions.” Former DOJ Attorney Emily Gunston said that could lead to changes ‘We’ve looked at this executive order that was issued We are now changing our position on the case.’ That would be unusual,” Gunston said Gunston spent nine years in the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights CBS News has reported there’s been a mass exodus of attorneys from that division in recent days The Civil Rights Division is historic and storied element of the Department of Justice The folks who work in that division do the work of protecting the constitutional rights of minority groups in this country,” Gunston said She explained that while the DOJ could file a motion to have the case dismissed, the ACLU of Arizona “It is unfortunate if the United States doesn’t continue to do its part in the case It doesn’t make the case go away,” Gunston said he called the practice of federal oversight “judicial takeovers of law enforcement” and said the oversight mutates over time “to prevent local governments from ever satisfying their requirements and regaining local control.” Galvin said they are exploring the county’s options “We have hired outside counsel to examine this issue and we look forward to exploring all paths in defending Maricopa County’s taxpayers,” Galvin said in a statement to Arizona’s Family Investigates Arizona’s Family Investigates reached out to the four attorneys removed from the DOJ’s MCSO case for comment on their departure Department of Justice declined to comment on the removal of the attorneys from the case and the status of the investigation involving the Phoenix Police Department Arizona’s Family Investigates has reported extensively on the cost of the monitor which is the county’s biggest expense related to the case itself Maricopa County has paid $30 million in monitor fees and a lease for the monitor’s staff to use Costs to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have totaled $244.8 million since the start of the oversight See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? 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Tell us about it by contacting us Maricopa County is starting a pilot program that will let parents restrict what books their children read at the library The program will only be available at Queen Creek Library for now Moves to block books from some libraries have gathered nationwide attention as opponents argue parents shouldn’t block book access for other kids Maricopa County Board Chair Thomas Galvin says this would allow parents to block books only for their children instead of from others as well The child’s library account would have to be linked to the parent or guardian’s Parents would have to visit the Queen Creek library in person to complete the form if they wanted to participate SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY — After the Maricopa Community College District cancelled its cultural convocations indigenous graduates came together to celebrate their accomplishments in a tribe-sponsored ceremony Friday at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick you are the answer to your ancestors’ prayers so let’s get it done,” graduate and Pascua Yaqui Tribe member Anita Soto said The change in plans came after the Trump administration sent a letter to institutions requiring the end of activities based on race or national origin to maintain federal funding “We recognize that these required changes may be disappointing to some of our students and employees we remain committed to fostering a welcoming learning environment for all students as they pursue their educational goals,” an MCCCD spokesperson said in a statement the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community stepped in but we’re resilient and we keep moving forward,” Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council Member Mikah Carlos said Graduate and Navajo Nation member Collin Skeets shared his story with his peers Friday night to prove to my daughter that I needed to finish school so that way I could show her things are accomplished,” Skeets said “I want to teach history and emphasize American Indian history with American history.” Report a typo Maricopa County and the Arizona Diamondbacks are scheduled to meet to discuss a deal to fund stadium improvements at Chase Field one person involved in those conversations wants them to think bigger Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin wants the state to establish a single entity to own and operate stadiums for all of Arizona’s sports teams “Such a sports and entertainment authority could bring cohesion, efficiency and long-term vision to an ecosystem that too often runs on patchwork deals and short-term fixes,” Galvin wrote in an op-ed in the Arizona Republic Galvin suggested that organization could be based on the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority which owns and operates State Farm Stadium professionally managed and funded through a smart blend of user-generated revenue and public-private partnerships that put a low burden on taxpayers,” Galvin wrote The authority was created in 2000 after Maricopa County voters approved Proposition 302 to provide funding for the Cardinals’ stadium along with investments in the Cactus League and youth sports According to Arizona Auditor General reports the Authority is funded by a mix of county hotel and rental car taxes taxes and other fees collected at the stadium Galvin pitched the idea as a solution to the years-long back and forth between the county and the Arizona Diamondbacks The sides have sparred over what repairs are needed at the stadium and who should pay for them The Diamondbacks estimate the facility needs $500 million in repairs and upgrades to its air conditioning Chase Field is owned by a little-known government entity called the Maricopa County Stadium District it doesn’t have the same level of revenue sources as the Tourism Authority that owns State Farm Stadium Galvin argued the stadium district isn’t equipped to fund improvements moving forward “The Diamondbacks play in a stadium owned by a special district that lacks both the authority and funding tools to modernize the aging facility leaving the team and fans stuck in limbo,” he wrote the Maricopa County Stadium District had just over $8 million in revenues against nearly $20 million in expenses in 2024 The Tourism Authority had over $100 million in operating revenues in 2024 against $132 million in expenses according to its most recent financial audit Galvin published the article ahead of a stakeholder meeting that will include officials from the city They are meeting to discuss a bill moving through the Arizona Legislature that would allow sales tax revenues from Chase Field to be used to fund improvements Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has long opposed the bill arguing it puts too much of a financial burden on the city without including concrete language guaranteeing the team will make good on its commitment to invest hundreds of millions of dollars of its own money into the project Maricopa County was initially neutral on the bill but is now opposed after lawmakers added new language requiring the county’s contribution to equal the amount provided by the city Galvin said the county’s portion of stadium sales tax wouldn’t cover that commitment requiring the county to dip into its general fund Hobbs said she believes all sides are close to a compromise “My priority in the bill is making sure that we're protecting taxpayers creating jobs and keeping the Diamondbacks in Arizona,” Hobbs said But she stopped short of saying whether she would sign the legislation even if the city and county remain opposed to it and I want something that really addresses all the concerns,” Hobbs said The Trump administration has cut funding to AmeriCorps a national program that deploys members to help with everything from disaster relief to homelessness and supporting senior citizens — including hundreds in Maricopa County Jesse Sandoval is the AmeriCorps director for the Area Agency on Aging in Maricopa County He says he received an email last Friday stating that funding had been cut He says upwards 500 seniors are now without help "We were serving isolated seniors 65 and over and they are people we've identified that do not have family or friends," said Sandoval AmeriCorp members help with things like grocery shopping or "We were combating things like depression and anxiety we may be able to connect them to other community resources for transportation but even those resources have giant wait lists," Sandoval said Sandoval had to inform many of the seniors of the cuts letting them know that we have a 24-hour helpline to help them with the fundamental things But really it's a socialization that they were more afraid to lose," he said Sandoval is unclear why the program was cut He says they were in compliance and had successfully passed their audits Maricopa County will introduce a new pilot program allowing parents to place restrictions on what books their children can check out in the Queen Creek Library the first of several potential changes at the county libraries amid criticism by conservative activists over books available on the shelves Officials said the parental choice program operates similarly to parental control features on phones Parents can fill out a form in person at the Queen Creek Library identifying specific books that they do not want their child to access Librarians will apply those restrictions to their child's account preventing those titles from being checked out There's no limit to how many individual books can be restricted but officials said the program does not allow parents to block access to entire categories of titles The pilot comes as the Board of Supervisors considers broader changes to the Maricopa County Library District's collection policy which determines what books are offered in more than a dozen public libraries across the Valley But public libraries have historically stood firm against such efforts Most of the large library systems in the Valley — including the county library district — have language in their collection policies noting that their facilities serve a diverse population and that not all materials may be suitable for all readers tasking parents with determining what books are appropriate for their children to check out Speakers said the books — both health guides that explain and depict various types of sex — were profane and inappropriate. Both books rank on the American Library Association's list of the most challenged texts in the country Candlewick Press, the publisher of "It's Perfectly Normal," describes the book as giving children over 10 years old "the knowledge and vocabulary they need to understand their bodies and identities in order to make responsible decisions and stay healthy." Sourcebooks, which published the American version of "This Book Is Gay," called it a "candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ." The publisher lists the book as suitable for children over the age of 14 "I can't even read sections from these books to you right now without risking being kicked out of this meeting The majority-GOP board is now initiating a review of the library district's policies — and supervisors appear to have differing views on exactly what a final policy should look like said in March that the books should be "moved or removed." Conservative Mark Stewart said he supported a policy that would ensure "a child has to either check it out or get permission from their parents." Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said she would not want her children or grandchildren to have access to the books named by public speakers "It is so unfortunate that over the last couple years this wish to remove or restrict access became labeled 'book banning,'" she said "Thank you for pushing back and calling it what it is: parental control over what their child is able to access and read in the public libraries." described the matter as "a balancing act." He said he will aim for a policy that addresses speakers' concerns while respecting the First Amendment "But I think the biggest criteria for us is making sure that we have a policy that protects kids from being subjected to any obscene material." Parental control or banning books?Courtney Konderik director of operations for Arizona Women of Action she stressed that the organization aimed to relocate certain materials away from the children's section of the libraries — not remove them entirely from circulation "This puts parents in control of what their child is exposed to," she said but it would gives parents the control to check any books for their child that they feel are appropriate and align with their values." Not every other public speaker seemed to be on the same page as Konderik. One called for supervisors to get rid of the books entirely — or burn them. Others accused the board of breaking state law, citing a statute that bars "explicit sexual material" from public display That law includes carveouts for educational materials and works of "serious literary said she had sent a list of nearly 300 "explicit child books" to the board so it could reconsider their presence in the county libraries update the access policies and remove these materials from the children's section Do it before someone else has to force you to." the two books named by the conservative coalition have proven largely uncontroversial said the district had not received any formal requests to remove either of the texts from its collection She said she was unaware of "any significant comments or incidents" regarding the books at any of the library branches and had no record of any comments being submitted about the titles via the libraries' customer service portal Mears said "It's Perfectly Normal" was checked out nine times since the start of the year and "This Book Is Gay" was checked out six times She said the books were both added to the library district's collection about a decade ago and have each been checked out hundreds of times since then Mears declined to comment on the board's policy review. But the county libraries' current collection policy appears in line with that of other large library systems across the Valley The Arizona Republic examined collection policies for libraries in Phoenix All contained similar collection criteria to the county's policy and all contained intellectual freedom statements affirming library users' ability to read and speak freely "The Library District believes that reading and viewing library materials are individual private matters," the county's current collection policy reads "While one is free to select or to reject materials for oneself one cannot restrict the freedom of others to read Library District Director Jeremy Reeder said in a statement that officials will use the pilot program to incorporate feedback from parents and determine whether it makes sense to expand the initiative to other libraries He said the library system "remains committed to offer an extensive collection to communities." supervisors said in an April 23 meeting that the board was continuing to review its libraries' collection policy It's unclear when that probe will be completed Galvin said he had "no idea" on the timeline of the inquiry and Brophy McGee noted it will "take some time" to fully address the matter "given the legal issues that have to be navigated." "It's something we want to get done this year as soon as possible," Galvin told The Republic Examining issue: Maricopa County to discuss camping ban amid growing pressure on homelessness Maricopa County’s new recorder is rejecting an agreement that splits control of the county’s elections between his office and supervisors and is threatening to sue the supervisors if they don’t give him more power Recorder Justin Heap’s protest puts control over elections in the state’s most populous and high-profile swing county up in the air and sets up a messy fight between prominent Republican officials that could affect voters with local elections approaching in May and the 2026 gubernatorial election looming is seeking more staff for the recorder’s office and more control over early voting He claimed in a news release this week that the previous board of supervisors took this away from his office in a “backroom eleventh hour power grab,” referring to a shared-services agreement they approved shortly before he took office He said the new supervisors’ refusal to quickly meet to discuss a new agreement is “jeopardizing Maricopa County election readiness.” Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin rebutted Heap’s claims in his own news release saying that “conversations have been happening for weeks,” and that supervisors look forward to working with Heap on a new agreement Pressure is on to run smooth and accurate elections after false claims and real problems over the last four years damaged voter trust in Maricopa County But because of the way Arizona law splits duties between the recorder and supervisors Heap will need to collaborate with the supervisors to make that happen The hostile start to their relationship points to the challenges The officials will need to reach consensus before April when the county must send out ballots for Glendale’s and Goodyear’s all-mail elections a Republican former congressman who is now on the leadership team of the Democracy Defense Project said Heap won’t be able to win the supervisors’ support — or instill confidence in voters — by being combative “The most important thing is that our democracy “The people are sending folks to the county board of supervisors and they are sending a representative to the recorder’s office Former Recorder Stephen Richer signed the latest agreement with the board in October — after Heap had defeated Richer in the Republican primary but before Heap won the November election Heap is continuing the aggressive tone of his campaign in which he called the county’s elections a “laughingstock.” As a candidate he expressed doubt over the fairness of past election results and promised voters that he would upend the election system even though recorders in Arizona generally don’t control most of the county’s election operations Recorders typically oversee voter registration and early voting while supervisors hire election directors to handle Election Day voting and ballot counting The supervisors, too, have said they want to improve the county’s elections. On Wednesday, they voted unanimously to set aside $480,000 for two independent audits to examine the processes and technology used to run elections Galvin said Heap told him his office will participate Get the latest news on voting and elections in the Grand Canyon State delivered to your inbox for free every other week By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors Maricopa County supervisors have been slowly taking back control of elections from the recorder’s office over the past decade or so The past two recorders, Richer and Adrian Fontes — now the secretary of state — argued with supervisors over how best to divide up duties, but almost always behind closed doors. Heap’s public criticism marks a significant turn from that united front “There are people who work to get stuff done and there are people who just like fighting,” Richer said in a statement “You can get away with the latter personality type when you’re in the state Legislature and you’re not actually responsible for anything other than your own vote It’s harder to survive like that when you have to run things.” The current supervisors and Heap started out cordially they sat together around a table and tried to work out a key point of disagreement: who should manage the county’s election-related IT staff Heap said he hoped to audit and improve the county’s voter registration system and needed more people and money to do that Galvin responded that having election IT staff for both the recorder and supervisors would be redundant and more costly But shortly after the meeting, state lawmakers who are part of the Freedom Caucus in the Legislature began to publicly criticize Galvin, saying he was “railroading” Heap, a former caucus member, and stripping him of his budget and power Heap then sent out his news release on Monday and posted on social media that he was in a “BATTLE OVER MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTIONS” with supervisors “I don’t see this as a ‘battle,’” Galvin responded in his release Heap and the supervisors disagree not only on who should control what election functions but also on what the October agreement says about that All sides agree that the October agreement shifted control of the elections IT staff and a key election database from the recorder to the supervisors But Heap also claims that the October agreement took from the recorder’s office crucial early voting processes such as sending out and receiving mail ballots Heap said that after consulting with the County Attorney’s Office he notified supervisors in January that he was rejecting the agreement citing “a standing principle” of Arizona law that “no elected body or office may bind the powers of a future body or office.” Heap and the supervisors both hired outside lawyers to advise them on the agreement It’s unclear whether supervisors accept that Heap can cancel the agreement or what happens if they don’t approve a new one A spokesperson did not directly answer that question But Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said in an interview that she believes Heap’s decision doesn’t change anything yet since the October agreement says any termination would take effect only after the next general election That would mean it stays in place through the end of 2026 “With an election less than 90 days away,” Heap said in his release “the Supervisors’ unwillingness to address these concerns will force me to take legal action against the Board to restore this office’s full authority and deliver the results voters elected me to achieve.” Jen Fifield is a reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Contact Jen at jfifield@votebeat.org Some communities vote Tuesday on local issues and school funding Warring partisan priorities and disagreements over voter ID specifics continue to make election deals tricky in Pennsylvania Wisconsin lawmakers want to streamline the process for towns to select new clerks as some municipalities go months — or longer — without a clerk in office The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections which have the lowest turnout of any election Between a new vote and a nearly identical petition drive starting soon voters still have a chance to weigh in on proof of citizenship in the state Arizona’s election manual sought to make it clear that county supervisors had no choice But a judge’s ruling says it’s not up to state officials to decide nonpartisan reporting on Arizona elections and voting news By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors VOTEBEAT IS A CIVIC NEWS COMPANY NEWSROOM ©2025 By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors. Maricopa County’s new leadership will move immediately to commission an independent audit of the county’s election system incoming supervisors announced at their first meeting Monday but they promised that it will not be a repeat of the partisan chaotic review of the county’s 2020 election results The announcement came as the county swore in three new Republicans on the five-member board of supervisors returning Supervisor Thomas Galvin affirmed that supervisors would soon hire what he described as a reputable firm to do a “comprehensive review” of election procedures and recommend improvements The decision signals a shift in the board’s perspective on election administration from staunchly defending the county’s practices to examining and questioning them The newly elected supervisors campaigned on a platform of election integrity ran on the idea that the county’s system needed fixing They are replacing Republican officials who became known nationally for defending the county’s elections The county’s new recorder, Justin Heap, defeated Recorder Stephen Richer after claiming that the county’s elections were a “laughingstock.” It’s unclear whether Heap Galvin said he has had no discussions with Heap about the audit and Heap didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment said after the meeting that the county will not reexamine the results of any past elections The scope of the audit will be limited to examining processes But the county has already done such reviews of its election system — at length and at great cost — including two separate independent audits The supervisors commissioned one in early 2021 of the county’s use of voting machines during the 2020 election more notorious review occurred that same year after the state Senate’s Republican leadership handed all 2.1 million ballots cast in the election a firm that had been working with allies of Donald Trump to try to overturn his 2020 loss The reviews both confirmed the 2020 presidential election results showing that Joe Biden won the county Officials then spent millions of taxpayer dollars to replace the county’s voting machines that Cyber Ninjas took apart Asked if the new audit is worth the added expense Galvin said he thought it would be a “waste of taxpayer dollars not to do anything to be complacent and to think everything is absolutely perfect.” the only Democrat on the five-member board said after the meeting that he didn’t “know what we are looking for” with the new audit “Our elections since 2020 have been audited more than any other election in the history of the state of Arizona and they continue to find out that our elections are safe if the audit makes people feel more comfortable and it’s aimed at improving processes rather than making life difficult for election officials or voters Galvin tried to distance the new election review from the Cyber Ninjas’ work the final report included many misrepresentations of county data that showed the auditors did not understand county procedures Galvin even took issue with calling this new review an “audit,” saying the word is associated with the Cyber Ninjas review and maintaining that “it’s irresponsible to make a comparison of the two.” “There will be no Cyber Ninjas here,” he said the county will look for a company that has expertise in elections to do the review who left her role as a congresswoman to take the county spot Election Assistance Commission for recommendations Votebeat could not immediately obtain the full list provided to Lesko but it appears the EAC recommended at least two These are the only two firms in the country accredited to certify U.S and the county paid them more than $100,000 to conduct the 2021 voting machine audit Lesko said she wants a more comprehensive look at the county’s entire system Lesko was one of the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying Arizona’s 11 Electoral College votes for Biden she said she did not want the county’s coming review to rehash past election results “I want to make sure that everything is run right.” Galvin has stood by his position that the county’s past elections were fair and he reiterated on Monday that claiming widespread fraud or stolen elections was “destructive and irresponsible.” By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors AZ — The Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to file charges related to the officer involved shooting from January in Glendale MCAO notified the City of Glendale on Tuesday Glendale police shot and killed a man at a park while attempting to locate a domestic violence suspect Police say officers were called to the area of 47th and Glendale avenues just after 7 p.m after a woman reported that her ex-boyfriend threatened her with a gun Police say the man shot by officers was not the man they were searching for The family of the victim of a police shooting in Glendale spoke to ABC15, saying he had recently gotten out of jail and had been trying to get his life back together. Glendalepolice shot and killed 46-year-old Dillion Siebeck Officials say Siebeck was not connected to the suspect they were looking for The Glendale police officer continues to be on administrative assignment pending the completion of the Glendale Police Department's internal investigation responded to MCAO’s decision Tuesday to not pursue charges “Justice was absolutely not served in this case,” Ortiz said “When our communities are not safe from the potential of a police officer shooting and killing us while we sit on a park bench The Glendale Police Department shared the statement below: "The City of Glendale and the Glendale Police Department hold themselves to a high standard including strictly following policies and procedures implementing their professional training and upholding the public's trust The results of the Internal Investigation can lead to discipline from the City We thank the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the Peoria Police Department for conducting a thorough criminal investigation and review of this incident As members of the West Valley Incident Response Team Glendale remains committed to ensuring fair impartial investigations and complete transparency with our community." Maricopa County saw a record number of eviction cases ABC15 followed along as Maricopa County Constable Mahogany Kennedy was tasked with the difficult job of evicting tenants The day started as Kennedy drove to the first home in south Phoenix "I have about eight evictions scheduled today she approached the door but quickly found the house was empty and the locks are going to be changed," Kennedy said Kennedy says finding an empty home is a common occurrence nowadays tenants have more time to leave before she even shows up Maricopa County broke a record for the number of eviction cases filed last year That's up about 4,000 from the previous record set nearly 20 years ago "I can tell you I'm doing by far more evictions during the day than I have historically Kennedy was greeted by worried neighbors who feared dogs may have been left unattended inside there were no dogs or people inside the home While her first two stops may have seemed uneventful Kennedy said she knows the next one might not be as easy "It can be contentious at times," she said That's why Kennedy said she works her hardest to bring empathy to every family she visits "Sometimes you just have to be a human being as you're out here evicting," Kennedy said but it's something that's needed in this time." here are some tips provided by the Justice Courts of Maricopa County: The Maricopa County Community College District adopted policy changes removing programs and accommodations for minority students and staff the LGBTQ community and other diversity groups to comply with orders handed down by the Trump administration Steven Gonzales specifically cited a letter sent by the Department of Education directing educational institutions to end any policy or action that “used race as a factor in admissions the district cancelled convocation ceremonies for students from “diverse communities and special interest groups,” Gonzales wrote in an email to students last week its community colleges held those ceremonies for multiple groups last year Asian-Pacific Islander and Hispanic students Gonzales said the changes were in response to executive orders issued by President Donald Trump and guidance from the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights “Based on the current state of affairs and as a public institution we must comply with the law and enforcement guidance issued by regulatory agencies,” Gonzales said But the changes implemented by the district go well beyond the “race or national origin” guidance included in the letter The district cancelled all special convocations disabled students and foster youths last year “So it's just a wide swath of people that are really being affected under this order,” said state Rep Arizona’s first openly non-binary legislator and a former Mesa Community College student body president Austin said these types of changes were likely inevitable at places like the Maricopa County Community College District the largest community college district in the country after Trump issued a handful of executive orders attacking so-called “diversity equity and inclusion programs” in government agencies and institutions that receive federal funding I think it was still really shocking to a lot of people when we saw this executive order truly impact what we had predicted,” Austin said Gonzales listed numerous changes to longstanding policies including the removal of “gender identity-related language,” like pronouns The district will also remove gender-neutral or all-gender bathrooms The district also ended support for its Diversity Advisory Council and employee groups “that are centered on race or national origin.” That includes Equality Maricopa an employee group within the district made up of employees who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their allies Equality Maricopa has awarded scholarships to support LGBTQIA+ students “So these organizations and entities are there to provide opportunities for students that might not get them otherwise,” said Austin who spoke at the Equality Maricopa convocation when they graduated in 2018 all we're seeing is attacks on that group.” although the district’s recent changes do not affect student groups students will be impacted by the new policies “And so this group was at least a safe space for students to turn to to have those opportunities afforded to them but also just find a sense of community,” Austin said because it's not only impacting the faculty and staff association going to these people who work in our institutions.” A Maricopa County Community College District spokesperson said the district must comply with all local including directives from the Department of Education the District was obligated to conduct an internal audit … We recognize that these required changes may be disappointing to some of our students and employees,” the spokesperson said we remain committed to fostering a welcoming learning environment for all students as they pursue their educational goals.” the decisions to cut the affected policies and programs were based on an array of executive orders issued by the Trump administration in addition to the Department of Education letter Trump has issued two executive orders aimed at ending federal funding for DEI programs and another stating the federal government will recognize two genders “The cultural and special interest convocations were run under the same guidelines it was determined that they would need not to occur this year,” the spokesperson said it does not impact our colleges’ primary commencement ceremonies.” Gonzales wrote that a failure to comply with federal guidance could put the district’s federal funding and ability to accept federal financial aid at risk echoing threats made in the Department of Education’s Feb it received around $21 million in federal grants and over $112 million in student financial aid last year out of a $1.7 billion budget EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify Rep Lorena Austin's former position with Mesa Community College Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMARICOPA AZ (AZFamily) — A suspect was wounded following an officer-involved shooting in Maricopa on Wednesday morning Just before 8 a.m., Maricopa police officers responded to an unknown call on Portis Drive in a neighborhood near Bowlin and White and Parker roads officers were involved in a shooting shortly after arrival A city spokesperson says a man was rushed to a hospital The Pinal Regional Special Investigations Unit will investigate the shooting This is the third officer-involved shooting outside of Maricopa County and the fifth so far this year ARIZONA NEWS 10:19 AM | Updated: Apr 3 LeAnn Rimes and more will take the stage of the Wild West Music Fest in a celebration of the city of Maricopa (Photo courtesy of Steve LeVine Entertainment) BY DAVID VEENSTRA PHOENIX — Sean Kingston, Twista, LeAnn Rimes and more will take the stage of the Wild West Music Fest in a celebration of the city of Maricopa (UPDATE: Baby Bash has replaced Sean Kingston.) The family friendly festival returns to Copper Sky Regional Park for the third year in a row after debuting in 2023 But unlike the previous two iterations that took place in the fall this year the festival moves to the spring Tickets are available for purchase here Copper Sky Regional Park is located near State Route 347 (Maricopa Road) and the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway Free parking at the park is available on a first-come Maricopa was incorporated as a city in 2003 and is now the fifth fastest-growing city in the United States The city in the Gila River Valley in Pinal County has a population greater than 70,000 Follow @veenstra_david Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here 10 students received scholarships through Equality Maricopa.  “My understanding is that the scholarships are frozen,” said the source inside Equality Maricopa.  Already, the effects have started to take place: Equality Maricopa's former landing page, hosted on the MCCCD website, can no longer be accessed.  the Tucson Sentinel publishes our stories without a paywall We believe a healthy community depends on everyone having access to quality independent journalism we're committed to providing real reporting to all Southern Arizona residents A single story can cost us thousands of dollars to report – some take months & months of dogged digging others require paying for tall stacks of records that officials don't want to provide Some mean driving to remote corners of Pima County & some see our reporters sitting through endless government meetings to make sure they get the whole story & not just a quick headline Our award-winning newsroom has some of the best reporters and we're dedicated to getting the story right Our pioneering effort (we were one of the very first local nonprofit news outlets in the entire country) to rebuild local journalism will only work if enough people join our Watchdog Club community of paying members Please join today for as little as $15/month For those who can't afford to contribute right now, please sign up for our free Watchdog Update newsletters & help the spread word about the Sentinel to your friends Your contributions help the Sentinel sustain & grow our nonprofit newsroom & bolster our commitment to delivering the important independent news our community needs to thrive The Tucson Sentinel is published by Tucson Investigative Reporting Center Inc. we're committed to providing real reporting to everyone in Southern Arizona But a single story can cost us thousands of dollars to report – some take months and months of dogged digging and some see our reporters sitting through endless government meetings to make sure they get the whole story and not just a quick headline Our pioneering effort to rebuild local news will only work if enough people join our Watchdog Club community of paying members For those who can't afford to contribute right now, please sign up for one of our free Watchdog Update newsletters and help the spread word about the Sentinel to your friends A smarter Tucson is a better Tucson — and the Sentinel shines a light on this town because we love it Tucson Sentinel's independent nonprofit newsroom is an award-winning journalism pioneer that learns from & informs Southern Arizonans about the community challenges & unique culture of our Borderlands. © 2009-2025 TucsonSentinel.com Tucson Sentinel's independent nonprofit newsroom learns from & informs Southern Arizonans about the community challenges & unique culture of our Borderlands. AZ (AZFamily) — One police officer is in a Valley hospital and a suspect is dead after a police shooting in the city of Maricopa at a convenience store on Thursday It happened at a Circle K at State Route 347 and Bowlin Road which is about a mile south of Honeycutt Road Detectives didn’t say what led up to the shooting The injured officer was taken to a Phoenix-area hospital in stable condition The suspect who was shot to death was between 35 and 40 years old and was recently released from prison according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office PCSO said the suspect had an extensive violent criminal history All officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave This is the 13th officer-involved shooting in Arizona so far this year, according to Arizona’s Family records. It’s also the second police shooting in Maricopa in 2025 PHOENIX — Inside a squat building ringed with a metal fence in downtown Phoenix 5 will begin a grindingly slow tally of every ballot cast in the vast expanse of stucco and saguaro that is Maricopa County In what has become the nation’s ultimate swing county the count here could determine whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the next U.S It also is likely to determine the winner of a closely watched race that could decide which party controls the U.S It is one of the most consequential battlegrounds in the country campaigns and people around the world sometimes must wait more than a week to learn who won the county statewide races in the swing state of Arizona election officials warn it could take as long as 13 days to tabulate all of the ballots in Maricopa The drawn-out count has made Maricopa County the epicenter of election conspiracy theories spawned by Trump It's also made it a key part of the former president's campaign to install those who supported overturning the last election into positions overseeing future ones Maricopa has more residents than nearly half of the states in the country and is home to 60% of Arizona’s voters Election workers must follow voting laws - which were approved by Republican-controlled Legislatures - that slow the count And it is one of the few counties in the U.S that is so evenly divided politically that races are often close That's made the county “the center of everything," says Joe Garcia a leader of the Latino activist group Chicanos Por La Causa Maricopa's position isn't just at the center of Arizona politics The county has been a regular stop for presidential candidates as they look to clinch Arizona's 11 electoral votes — including Trump and Harris and their campaigns this year — and it is the fulcrum on which nail-biter races that can determine control of the House of Representatives and U.S The fast-growing county also has become home to a stew of key demographic groups in the battle for the White House: a growing Latino population newly arrived voters and a broad and deep conservative population wrestling with a pivotal splinter group — college-educated more affluent Republicans who've soured on the party's more pugnacious Judy Schwiebert grew up in western Phoenix in the 1960s when the now-booming city was what she describes as “a pretty small town" and the biggest event of the year was the three-day rodeo marching bands and dancers made their way through town who is now a Democratic state representative the county was still home to fewer than 1 million people less than one-quarter the size it is today “Over the years here I’ve seen it grow and grow,” she said The area became a magnet for conservatives like John Kavanagh a retired New York Port Authority Police officer Kavanagh was like a lot of other people who moved to Arizona in the 1990s — middle-class folks fleeing colder places and what they saw as economic and political dysfunction around them — for a sunny “A lot of people came from those other cities and they don’t want a repeat of what they left,” Kavanagh said the county's population was 2.3 million Republicans dominated the state legislature and Maricopa County politics it was easier than in other places for new arrivals to enter Arizona politics Kavanagh was elected to the state's House of Representatives in 2006 Now he is serving his first term in the state Senate; the county's population has nearly doubled since his arrival senators — Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema — were elected as Democrats though Sinema has since become an independent Kavanagh attributes the county's leftward shift to a wide array of factors — from societal changes he sees as driven by the media and academia to people moving to Arizona for higher-paying jobs that require more education “Hopefully there’s a point where people look and see what the result will be if that trend continues,” Kavanagh said predicting a strong November for his Republican Party That’s where the continuing shift left will still occur So let’s do a hard stop and maybe go a few steps back to the right.” many who made the move to Maricopa over the past few decades were not like Kavanagh low-tax approach attracted businesses as well as individuals and those companies then attracted workers who sometimes were different from the older transplants to Arizona Kevin Henderson moved to Maricopa in 2010 at age 23 he was pleasantly surprised by life in a then-red state and its residents' live-and-let-live attitude “The people were very friendly,” said Henderson understanding and accepting of other people’s views." At the same time that people like Henderson came from other places inside the United States increased migration to Arizona from Mexico also prompted political change President Bill Clinton's administration strengthened California's border which already had a robust Hispanic population  Immigration quickly became a political flashpoint leading many in the growing Latino population in Maricopa legally to feel that Republicans were demonizing them when Arizona's Republican-controlled legislature passed a law allowing local police to stop people they suspected of being in the country illegally but it energized the state's Latinos to organize against Republicans which opponents dubbed “Show Me Your Papers,” was the harshest anti-immigrant law in the nation people knew about Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio — who pushed for the law — and his crime sweeps aimed at immigrants Republicans swept the state in 2010 and their hammerlock on Maricopa County seemed likely to continue even amid growing Latino dissatisfaction The first rumblings that Maricopa County could swing against the long-dominant Republican Party came in 2016 Even as Trump was winning the county and Arizona Republican Sheriff Arpaio lost his bid for a seventh term Arpaio was something of a precursor of Trump known for his hunger for media attention and jousting with journalists a hardline stance on immigration and a willingness to go after his critics — he even arrested a Republican county supervisor who criticized him Trump ultimately pardoned Arpaio after the sheriff was convicted of contempt of court for refusing to obey an injunction against racial profiling of Latinos Keig was increasingly uneasy with his party's growing hostility to immigration and SB 1070 Though he's a developer and fan of low taxes Keig was frustrated at how the GOP state legislature kept cutting Arizona's already-low taxes Keig couldn't bring himself to vote for Trump or his 2016 rival And once Trump came into office and began what Keig saw as his erratic feud-driven approach to governing — including fighting with Arizona's popular senior Republican Sen whose grandchildren Keig's own daughters knew — Keig couldn't take it anymore He switched his registration to the Democratic Party The change by voters like him is visible by comparing Maricopa's votes in the 2012 presidential election with 2020 A crescent of more affluent neighborhoods ringing central Phoenix from the north to the southeastern edge where a new Intel chip plant has attracted high-tech workers Local operatives dubbed the area “the flip zone.” The flip zone largely tracks where Maricopa's more educated residents have clustered Once less educated than the national average the county now boasts a slightly higher share of adults with 4-year-college degrees than the national average — a key indicator of voting Democratic in the age of Trump As Maricopa County's political leaning changed the Republican had won both the county and the state though Trump's 2016 margin over Hillary Clinton was smaller than previous GOP victories Trump falsely claimed he won Arizona after his 2020 loss and he and his allies attacked anyone who argued otherwise Watching the reaction of some local Republicans after Biden won Arizona made Keig even more comfortable with his change When the Republican speaker of the Arizona House refused to award the state's electors to Trump the former president's backers primaried him and forced him out of office When Maricopa County's Republican supervisors refused Trump's demands to question the vote tally Threats against Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates got so bad he fled his house Trump's lie that he won Arizona made Maricopa County one of the nation's hotbeds of election denial and conspiracy theories supporters turned up outside the county elections office some armed and many waving Trump and American flags Rudy Giuliani held hearings at a Phoenix hotel The Republican-controlled state Senate launched an error-riddled review of Maricopa’s handling of the 2020 election that included inspecting ballots for signs of fibers showing they were secretly made in China The county became something of a tourist attraction for election deniers who came from other states to watch the show a Republican who defended the accuracy of the county’s election results was singled out for criticism by Trump himself Republicans who sided with Trump against Richer and the county supervisors ran for top statewide offices made so many claims about the election being stolen and allegations against Richer that he sued his fellow Republican for libel Lake is running for Senate this year against Democratic Rep Richer says the reason some Republicans remain skeptical of the way elections work in the county isn’t because there’s anything especially complicated or unusual in how it counts votes It’s because Maricopa — located in a onetime reliably red state where Biden in 2020 defeated Trump by a margin of about 11,000 votes — may be the best place to undermine confidence in national elections in a campaign appearance in the county in 2023 called the county’s Board of Supervisors which shares election duties with the Recorder The four Republicans on the board also rebuffed Trump’s pleas to overturn the election in 2020 and a Trump ally won the GOP primary to replace one of them A third was ousted in a primary by another Trump supporter has questioned the ballot-counting process Part of what fuels the conspiracy theories is sheer disbelief that Maricopa a national magnet for conservatives for decades Michelle Ugenti-Rita is an Arizona native who sought a seat on the county Board of Supervisors but lost in a GOP primary earlier this year  Speaking to a group of Republicans gathered in Scottsdale to watch the debate between Trump and Biden earlier this year she denied the shift is due to actual votes many in Maricopa are keenly aware they're living on a partisan razor's edge an 80-year-old retired teacher from California who came to the county three years ago to be closer to one of her grown sons She’s a Republican and devout Lutheran who’s uneasy about Trump when she meets people just in line at the supermarket the conversation quickly turns to politics The conspiracists have seized on how Maricopa reports its ballot counts in one large burst after Election Day and then in dribs and drabs for more than another week There are three main reasons for this — Maricopa’s size the closeness of races in the county and Arizona’s voting laws which were written and approved by Republicans Maricopa is the second-largest election jurisdiction in the nation Only reliably Democratic Los Angeles County is larger Maricopa reports its results far faster than Los Angeles but it takes longer to find out who won Maricopa which creates a false impression of disorder in the vote count there The reason Maricopa takes longer is because Maricopa — and Arizona overall — is so evenly divided nowadays that a few thousand votes make the difference in close races news organizations may have to wait until most ballots are counted before declaring a winner a Democrat won the state attorney general’s race by 280 votes the victor is usually clear within minutes of polls closing because the tens of thousands of outstanding ballots wouldn’t be enough to close the gap voters are casting an extra-long two-page ballot that takes longer to tabulate so it could take up to 13 days before they finish counting Deputy Elections Director Jennifer Liewer said The timeline is similar to the number of days it has taken in recent elections to complete the count Associated Press research found it took 13 days for Maricopa County to finish counting in the 2018 general election 11 days in 2020 and 13 days in the 2022 midterms Arizona’s mail voting law also drags out the count It allows voters to return mail ballots by the close of polls on Election Day 293,000 voters — representing one-fifth the total vote in Maricopa — dropped off their mail ballots on Election Day the ballots sorted and the voters’ signatures inspected to ensure they’re legitimate Some states like Florida require all mail ballots to be in before Election Day so this process is over when the polls close when Maricopa’s polls close it’s just beginning Extending the count even longer is a provision in Arizona law that allows voters to “cure” their ballots up to five days after Election Day That means if the election office thinks the signature on the ballot or some other technical detail is wrong the voter has five more days to come in and fix it so the ballot counts Usually the number of cured ballots is relatively small but in elections where every vote is essential to determining the winner the curing process drags the suspense out even more while these processes may sound overly complex to some in the U.S. they’re things that western states like Arizona have been doing for a century or more Mail voting dates back to the 19th century in the region “We vote differently than most of the eastern United States does,” Richer said Associated Press reporter Maya Sweedler contributed The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here The AP is solely responsible for all content North Scottsdale residents on average live 14 years longer than south Phoenix residents A view of south Phoenix as seen from a drone on Nov Photo by Alex Cabrera/Arizona State University Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions is partnering with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to address a 14-year life expectancy gap between residents of north Scottsdale and south Phoenix Deborah Williams a director and clinical assistant professor in the college is the principal investigator for ASU’s involvement in the five-year project which is being funded by a $1 million award in Community Solutions Funding from the board of supervisors "When I heard just how big the life expectancy gap is between folks in my district (District 5 which incorporates part of south Phoenix) and folks in other parts of town ASU News talked with Williams about the university’s involvement the research that already has taken place and what she hopes will be accomplished over the next five years The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity Question: How did ASU get involved in this project Answer: Equality Health Foundation came to us in 2022 with the goal of creating a five-year well-being initiative They wanted us to help develop some sort of baseline information and provide baseline assessments to help them determine the projects they’re going to put on the ground and then we partnered with Equity Health on the proposal to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for them to invest money into some kind of well-being initiative in the area Q: ASU and Equity Health talked to more than 800 stakeholders and held six Community Voices meeting to gather feedback Can you go into more detail about that research and what you heard from south Phoenix residents A: We facilitated those six community listening sessions to get feedback from residents on the feasibility and the desirability of some kind of initiative in the area And there was a lot of positive sentiment on that They also identified some particular areas of concern like the lack of healthy food environments which includes everything from parks to lighting to streets housing — things they felt were significantly lacking in the area They also really wanted to see improvements in schools and school lunches and a big thing they wanted was health education for the young people There was a real emphasis on the future of the area and the youth not only primary care but preventative specialists.  The other thing we heard was a strong sense of community feeling like they should be involved and take action on their own behalf They didn’t want someone coming in and telling them what was needed Q: Did you get any feedback that surprised you I thought they were very aware of the issues They were concerned about childhood obesity They were concerned about worksite health and social support What I thought I might not hear is that there was a lot of hope and emphasis on community action even though there are a lot of barriers to change and the award has been granted by Maricopa County A: Our role is really to partner with Equity Health in providing the baseline assessments to help design the programs that will be put in place We know that sort of the main domains are health I’m not sure everything can get done in five years But we can look specifically at things like Can we get partners to develop more community gardens How can we work with the schools?” That’s just really to help guide the community-based organizations and coalitions.  We’ll help them while they design these projects to make sure that there are measurable metrics that we can assess so we can actually see if there’s change Q: What do you hope is the end result five years from now A: What we’d really like to see is not only a growing impetus into investing in the area but a real change in the built environment It’s really hard to exercise if there’s not a sidewalk or lights really focus on building up structures that provide a basis for good help I also feel really strongly that we as a college want to be socially embedded in our communities And because (the college) is in downtown Phoenix I don’t think this initiative is going to solve all of the problems But I think it will be a good start to showing what can be done and maybe diminish that life expectancy gap A technology created at Arizona State University is helping doctors and their patients overcome challenges in weight loss.By 2035 over 1.5 billion people globally will have obesity Emlyn Pratt’s undergraduate journey at Arizona State University included a psychology degree the completion of two certificates and various extracurricular activities — and they are just… Quick: Describe “coefficient of friction.” You have 250 milliseconds.That fraction of a second is the average reaction time it takes to sort out what our brain is telling us and react to it.…