Arizona Capitol Times

Arizona Capital Times Receives Anonymous Confidential Medical Board Information

Confidential Medical Board information, including a complaint against an Arizona physician, was sent anonymously to Arizona Capitol Times, resulting in a request the state look into whether criminal charges should be filed against the mailer. The information, received in mid-September, also included allegations regarding personnel and management at the board, was mailed on a compact disk, printouts of which were made available to Medical Board Executive Director Tim Miller.

Interview with Todd Lang, Executive Director of Az's Citizens Clean Elections Commission

'I believe in campaign finance reform. I believe the system can work' By Christian Palmer

Flagstaff's Weatherford Hotel - Where History and Ghosts Live

Built at the turn of the 20th century for approximately $10,000, the Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff was described at the time as "first class in every aspect" by the Coconino Sun. Regardless of the original scale and grandeur, it would be understandable if over time, the hotel had fallen into disrepair, been abandoned and eventually razed for a parking lot, a fate that so many other old hotels have met. Despite bumps in the road, the Weatherford managed to escape such a fate. That isn't to sa...

Southern Arizona Fun Events

Vintage Bisbee Wine Festival Cochise County, occupying the southeast corner of Arizona, is traditionally known for mining, bird watching and agriculture. Staples like cotton, wheat, corn and grain have long grown in the region. More recently, however, the area has diversified agriculturally to include apples, peaches, pistachios, chili, grapes and other vegetables as crops.

About Arizona S1385 Bill: Inactive State Funds; Elimination

S1385 keeps 'books cleaned up' What the new law does: Deletes 116 state funds that have been deemed inactive by the General Accounting Office of the Department of Administration because they have not been used in a year or more. Cooperation between the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the Department of Administration's General Accounting Office laid the foundation for a bill that eliminated 116 inactive and empty state funds on Sept. 21.

Arizona Lawmakers Seek 50% Salary Hike - Again

Voters in November will evaluate their 90 state legislators by saying yes or no on a proposed 50 percent raise for the lawmakers. In the past, with two exceptions, they have soundly said no. Prop. 302, calling for legislative salaries to be raised to $36,000 from $24, 000, comes as a recommendation of the Commission on Salaries for Elective State Officers - the only way raises for elective officials and judges may be proposed. Legislative salaries must be approved by voters.

Glendale City Council Candidate's Political Fate Hinges On Court Ruling Over 3 Votes

A Glendale City Council candidate's shot at elected office hinges on a court ruling regarding three votes in the Sept. 12 primary election that were disqualified because they were cast for an uncertified write-in candidate. A lawsuit was filed Sept. 27 in Maricopa County Superior Court by five Glendale voters who allege the Glendale city attorney erred when he ruled the votes - which were disqualified in compliance with state law - should not be counted in the tally of all votes cast for the ...

Changing Political Landscape in Arizona's Legislative District 23 Gives Republicans Hope

Legislative District 23 has long been a Democrat stronghold, but the times, as Bob Dylan said, they are a-changin'. With massive growth in recent years in Maricopa, Johnson Ranch, Casa Grande and Apache Junction, the demographics of the district have been changing and Republicans are gaining ground. Two years ago, Democrats held a nearly two-to-one advantage, with slightly more than half of the district's registered voters; Republicans accounted for only 27 percent of voters.

Arizona Libertarians File Primary Election Challenge

Primary election results are being challenged in court by the Libertarian Party, which alleges three of its write-in candidates were unfairly disqualified for the general election. Mike Kielsky, chairman, Arizona Libertarian Party, says the failure of county elections officials to accurately count the votes for write-in candidate Joe Cobb in the Congressional District 7 primary illustrates that votes for other Libertarian write-in candidates could have been missed.

Out-of-State Winery Challenges Arizona's New Shipping Law

A new Arizona law allowing small wineries to ship directly to consumers who order wines over the Internet, by phone or by mail is being challenged in a federal court. J. Alex Tanford, an attorney for an out-of-state winery, says the new statute, while intended to address constitutional inequities in the state's previous wine law, is not any more constitutional than the one it replaces.

Az Legislative Governmental Mall Commission to Review Controversial Inscriptions On 9/11 Memorial

While a pair of East Valley lawmakers say they want the Legislature to take action against a Sept. 11 memorial they call an "insult" to the victims of that day's terrorist attacks, the commission charged with approving the placement of the memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza will review the monument's controversial laser- cut inscriptions "and see if some of them could be removed," the panel's chairman said. Former state Sen. Tom Smith, chairman of the Legislative Governmental Mall Commission, als...

Az Citizens Clean Elections Commission Rejects Complaint Against Governor Napolitano's Campaign

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission has refused to find reason to believe that Governor Napolitano's re-election campaign illegally coordinated with private political advocacy groups to attack Republican challenger Len Munsil. The vote on Sept. 28 was 4-1.