Road work: Grant-funded improvements begin on state Route 87 between Coolidge and Eloy
Courtesy of Pinal County Communications and Marketing. (Coolidge, Ariz.) — In a Tuesday morning ceremony, Pinal County Supervisors celebrated the start of infrastructure improvements that will be made along a stretch of Arizona State Route 87 passing through Coolidge and Eloy — two cities that roughly 28,000 Arizonans call home.
Read full storyCasa Grande teen pleads guilty in March drive-by shooting
The Pinal County Superior Courthouse in Florence.Hugh Presnal/Flickr. (Florence, Ariz.) — A 17-year-old from Casa Grande pleaded guilty on Monday to a drive-by shooting that endangered three people.
Read full storyArizona Legislature avoids potential shutdown, passes new budget with education and infrastructure investments
(Phoenix) — As the sun rose over the Valley on Thursday morning, lawmakers at the Arizona State Capitol were putting the finishing touches on a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Read full storyNew, two-story Caesars Sportsbook opens across from Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field
(Phoenix) — A little over a year after Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation that legalized sports betting in Arizona, the Diamondbacks and Caesars Entertainment Inc. opened up a brand-new, 22,300 square-foot sportsbook on Tuesday morning.
Read full storyMesa teenager faces homicide charges as new details surface about April shooting in Casa Grande
Terrance Santistevan's booking photograph.Courtesy of Pinal County Sheriff's Office. (Casa Grande, Ariz.) — A slate of further details has emerged as 18-year-old Terrance Santistevan prepares to stand trial for a late-April double homicide.
Read full story"It's frankly a stupid policy": Truckers' association aggravated as ADOT implements restrictions on I-10 in Pinal County
(Casa Grande, Ariz.) — There is one particular stretch of Interstate 10 that Arizona Trucking Association president and CEO Tony Bradley says is "by far" the busiest stretch his organization's members use.
Read full story"Hot labor summer" rolls into Phoenix as workers demonstrate solidarity with Amazon Labor Union
(Phoenix) — Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls made himself heard, loud and clear, at the 2600 Tower's locked back entrance. "We've got to walk out of these buildings. We shouldn't be working in 100-plus degrees — that's ridiculous. We've got to get (Amazon) workers to that point where they're militant enough to say 'we're not going to work until they get some proper AC in this building,'" Smalls said. "We're going to get involved. That's why we came here today. We want to make sure that we are connected with the community ... we're not stopping. This is just the beginning."
Read full storyLocal Starbucks workers disappointed but optimistic following injunctive relief denial
(Phoenix) — A United States District Judge on Wednesday dealt a blow to Starbucks Workers United, finding in favor of the coffee chain after three partners sought reinstatement and proper accommodations at the Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard store.
Read full storyCentral Arizona College baseball team claims 2nd NJCAA championship in 3 years
(Coolidge, Ariz.) — The Central Arizona Vaqueros avenged their loss in the 2021 NJCAA World Series championship game through clutch hitting, timely pitching, and — in the words of head coach Anthony Gilich — clean baseball.
Read full storySRP denied again as Corporation Commissioners reject Pinal County gas plant expansion for second time
(Phoenix) — Arizona Corporation Commissioners on Monday voted, for a second time, to reject the Salt River Project's request to expand its fossil fuel-burning Coolidge Generating Station.
Read full storyNational environmental organization sues SRP over alleged public records violations
Randolph residents and activists protest SRP's Coolidge plant expansion proposal outside ACC headquarters on April 12.Jeremy Beren/NewsBreak. (Coolidge, Ariz.) — The oldest grassroots environmental organization in the United States has filed a lawsuit against the Salt River Project, alleging the Tempe-based utilities company has repeatedly violated Arizona's Public Records Act.
Read full storyPhoenix Police budget increase tentatively approved as department swirls in scandal
(Phoenix) — Buoyed by the city's budget surplus, funding for the Phoenix Police Department will soon hit the $850 million mark. City leaders on May 23 voted 6-1 to approve an eight percent increase to the Phoenix Police budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. Though debate over the new city budget will continue through the month of June, this is welcome news for the Phoenix PD amid some recent unwelcome headlines.
Read full storyPinal County Sheriff appears at State Capitol for falsehood-filled presentation on election integrity
(Phoenix) — Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature on Tuesday hosted a legislative hearing that contrived to present "evidence" of massive voter fraud during the 2020 general election — and Pinal County's chief law enforcement officer was present.
Read full story"I never knew what they were going to do": Intimidation, retaliation rife as Scottsdale Starbucks continues union push
CEO Howard Schultz, seen speaking at an event on ASU's campus, is the public face of Starbucks's vicious anti-labor campaign.Gage Skidmore/Flickr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) — Starbucks partners continue making history during their unprecedented push to unionize stores around the United States.
Read full storyAdvocates & lawmakers sound alarms as Census data shows Arizona lagging behind in K-12 education
(Phoenix) — The United States Census Bureau has crunched the numbers, and public school advocates in Arizona continue to foster deep concerns about the quality of education the state's children are receiving.
Read full storyLocal Starbucks partners describe discrimination, "psychological warfare" in interviews with NewsBreak
L to R: Bill Whitmire, Alyssa Sanchez, and Laila Dalton at a rally in Seattle. Sanchez is another former Scottsdale & Mayo partner.Elliot Stoller/Flickr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) — Last October, Laila Dalton began experiencing constant, crushing pain around her abdomen.
Read full storyTwo women arrested in sizable Casa Grande fentanyl bust
Cases containing collagen supplement pill bottles taken from the scene. Police say the bottles were filled with fentanyl tablets.Courtesy of Casa Grande Police Department. (Casa Grande, Ariz.) — Casa Grande Police on Monday took into custody two women who stand accused of possessing and transporting 500,000 fentanyl pills through Pinal County.
Read full storyState Senator representing Pinal County files ethics complaint over Democratic lawmaker's absences
(Phoenix) — State Senator T.J. Shope, who represents Arizona's 8th Legislative District, drew criticism on Thursday for demanding the legislative body open an ethics investigation into fellow senator Juan Mendez for "excessive absences."
Read full story"There's so many of us": Arizona Starbucks workers speak exclusively with NewsBreak about ongoing labor battle
April 23: Dalton (center, blue jacket) marching with friend and co-worker Bill Whitmire (right) at a Workers United rally in Seattle.Elliot Stoller/Flickr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) — Laila Dalton has a lot on her mind these days.
Read full storySRP submits fresh request for controversial Coolidge gas plant expansion following Corporation Commission rejection
(Coolidge, Ariz.) — The Salt River Project wants a do-over. SRP on Monday filed a request for rehearing and reconsideration with the Arizona Corporation Commission, after the panel last month voted down a proposal to expand the utilities giant's Coolidge Generating Station. The five-member panel refused to grant SRP the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility required to go ahead with the project.
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