Category: State News

PHOENIX (Oct. 3, 2023) – After a decade-long hiatus, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is proud to announce the return of its popular Recycling Grant Program. With over $1 million in available funding, ADEQ is committed to supporting and strengthening recycling initiatives across Arizona.  “The Recycling Grant Program is more than just funding; it’s an opportunity for every corner of our great state. Many Arizona communities, especially those in rural areas, have faced barriers in accessing recycling resources. This grant demonstrates ADEQ’s dedication to closing those gaps and ensuring everyone has access to the tools, education and technology needed…

The Department of the Interior has announced that the Grand Canyon Tribal Monitoring Program is the recipient of the Department of the Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award for Environmental Justice. This is a prestigious, national award that recognizes Department employees, teams and DOI partners who have attained exceptional environmental achievements. Recipients are selected by a panel convened by the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance using established evaluation criteria. This nomination and award recognize the long-term stewardship of the Grand Canyon as a sacred place and the complex partnership of Department of the Interior Agencies and Tribes that have monitored the…

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) –The elections director of a rural Arizona county who pushed false claims that voter fraud was behind President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss is resigning five months after being hired. Bob Bartelsmeyer submitted his resignation last Friday and announced he would return to his previous job as elections director in La Paz County, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west near the California state line, KVOA-TV in Tucson reported Tuesday. A public information officer for Cochise County did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. According to his resignation letter, Bartelsmeyer’s last day will be Sept….

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) –The elections director of a rural Arizona county who pushed false claims that voter fraud was behind President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss is resigning five months after being hired. Bob Bartelsmeyer submitted his resignation last Friday and announced he would return to his previous job as elections director in La Paz County, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west near the California state line, KVOA-TV in Tucson reported Tuesday. A public information officer for Cochise County did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. According to his resignation letter, Bartelsmeyer’s last day will be Sept….

PHOENIX (AP) – Two federal lawsuits filed over former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s decision last year to place thousands of shipping containers along the U.S.- Mexico border have been dismissed after the state said it would pay the U.S. Forest Service $2.1 million to repair environmental damage. The Sept. 15 dismissal of the cases in U.S. District Court in Phoenix ends the fight over the double-stacked containers that were placed as a makeshift border wall in the summer of 2022. Ducey, a Republican, sued in U.S. District Court seeking to stop the federal government from preventing placement of the containers….

Effort organized by ADOT Adopt a Highway removed 214 bags of litter PHOENIX – Arizonans did their part on the recent National Cleanup Day by picking up 214 bags of litter along state highways through the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway volunteer program.  Fifteen groups with 123 volunteers answered the call to participate in this special event on Saturday, Sept.16. Some of those groups have adopted highway miles through Adopt a Highway, while others joined in for the day.  One of those groups was the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, which had seven volunteers fill 13 bags with litter…