Latest Arizona state government News

Judge affirms Arizona can no longer exclude gender-affirming care from state health plans

Oct. 02, 2023 17:05 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge has approved a final settlement eliminating a ban on providing gender-affirming care under Arizona state employee health insurance. In court documents filed Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Marquez signed off on a consent decree in a class...

Gates will be locked and thousands of rangers furloughed at national parks if government shuts down

Sep. 29, 2023 18:04 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Entrances to national parks will be blocked and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed if Congress doesn’t reach a budget agreement this weekend, the Department of Interior said Friday. The stance is a reversal from five years ago, when the Trump...

Northern Arizona University plans to launch a medical school amid a statewide doctor shortage

Sep. 29, 2023 17:02 PM EDT

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Northern Arizona University plans to build a new medical school as part of a greater effort to address an ongoing shortage of health care workers in the state, the Arizona Board of Regents announced Friday. The medical school would be the first in the...

Arizona’s governor didn’t ‘mysteriously’ step down. She was in DC less than a day and is back now

Sep. 29, 2023 16:46 PM EDT

Arizona’s governor was out of the state for a day this week, prompting false claims that she’d abruptly resigned or vanished entirely. Here are the facts: CLAIM: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has suddenly resigned, leaving the state’s treasurer in charge. AP’S...

Utah and Arizona will pay to keep national parks open if federal government shutdown occurs

Sep. 28, 2023 22:21 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona and Utah will keep iconic national parks in those states open if a shutdown of the federal government threatens access to Arizona’s orange-striped Grand Canyon and the sheer red cliffs of Utah’s Zion Valley. Most importantly for state budgets, visitors...

Biden offers dire warnings about Trump, accuses mainstream GOP of 'deafening' silence

Sep. 28, 2023 19:47 PM EDT

TEMPE, Arizona (AP) — President Joe Biden issued one of his most dire warnings yet that Donald Trump and his allies are a menace to American democracy, declaring Thursday that the former president is more interested in personal power than upholding the nation's core values and suggesting even...

Kari Lake, prominent Trump supporter and election denier, will launch US Senate campaign in Arizona

Sep. 28, 2023 10:57 AM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Kari Lake, a Donald Trump ally who has refused to acknowledge her loss in last year's race for Arizona governor, will soon launch her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by independent Kyrsten Sinema, a senior adviser said Thursday. Lake's entrance in...

Arizona’s governor hasn’t been 'indicted' by the state senate, contrary to viral claim

Sep. 25, 2023 19:00 PM EDT

Social media users are falsely claiming that Arizona’s governor has been “indicted” by local lawmakers. Here are the facts: CLAIM: Gov. Katie Hobbs has been indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges by the state senate. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Republican...

Over 200 people are homeless after Tucson recovery community closes during Medicaid probe

Sep. 21, 2023 19:13 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — A huge addiction recovery community in Tucson, Arizona, shuttered suddenly this week, leaving more than 200 people homeless as Arizona investigates widespread Medicaid fraud largely affecting Native Americans, authorities said Thursday. Ocotillo Apartments &...

On 50th anniversary of Billie Jean King's 'Battle of the Sexes' win, a push to honor her in Congress

Sep. 20, 2023 15:08 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Billie Jean King's victory in the “Battle of the Sexes” was a milestone moment as women pushed for equality on the playing field and beyond. On the 50th anniversary of that match against Bobby Riggs — still the most-watched in tennis history — King moved...