LATEST
Groundwater regulation weaknesses exploited by industrial-scale agriculture
Over the past 15 years, even with groundwater restrictions in effect that limit new irrigated land, at least several thousand acres of dormant farmland have again started siphoning groundwater to sustain new crops in Arizona’s Douglas basin, often under industrial-scale owners that consolidated the land—and the grandfathered water rights tied to it—into massive operations.
Support independent journalism in Arizona
GOVERNMENT
Arizona bill aims to reclaim social equity licenses from investors, corporate marijuana dispensaries
Arizona lawmakers have proposed a bill to return social equity licenses to their original owners, alleging private investors and cannabis corporations used predatory tactics to seize control of nearly all the lucrative marijuana dispensary licenses.
AHCCCS alerted to ‘predictable’ homelessness surge before fraud crackdown
The embattled state agency at the center of Arizona’s ongoing behavioral health crisis knew its proposed billing reforms could trigger a surge in homelessness nearly a year before implementing the changes, yet failed to prepare accordingly. Though AHCCCS claims it worked to connect victims with ‘reputable’ housing, it arranged for just three facilities—all in the…
Whispers of groundwater regulations spur surges of deeper, higher-capacity wells
Arizona farmers and water experts worry that further delay in groundwater legislation will allow larger, often corporate-backed farms to continue expanding their share of groundwater before future regulation takes effect. By applying for new wells that go deeper, often with higher capacity pumps, those with the financial resources to drill them can extract so much…
GOP-led push to fund police over counselors leaves some schools ‘in the lurch’
Strings attached to Arizona School Safety Program dollars are leaving school counselor and social worker positions unfunded throughout the state, as Republican leaders prioritize boosting campus police instead. The apparent mismatch between what schools need and what certain state leaders want to give them reflects an ongoing clash over which types of positions actually make…
Patients, advocates describe ‘pure chaos’ in state response to AHCCCS fraud
The state’s failure to adequately anticipate the impact of widespread suspensions among behavioral health providers has put members of an already susceptible population at further risk of relapse, abuse, homelessness and even death as operators shut down.
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Sign up. Get engaged.
Get AZCIR’s latest investigations and updates delivered straight into your inbox.