Tucson Sentinel @TucsonSentinel@mastodon.tucsonsentinel.com

Record numbers sign up for Obamacare health coverage in Arizona, U.S. https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012623_aca_enrollment/record-numbers-sign-up-obamacare-health-coverage-arizona-us/
A record number of Arizonans signed up for health insurance this year under the Affordable Care Act, as enrollment in the program continues to rebound from the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress coverage.
#Tucson #Arizona

Homelessness among veterans has been cut in half since 2010, VA says https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/012623_veteran_homeless_decline/homelessness-among-veterans-has-been-cut-half-since-2010-va-says/
Homelessness disproportionately affects veterans, but the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that a variety of efforts to help veterans find housing has resulted in the rate dropping 11% in the past three years nationwide and more than 50% since 2010.
#Tucson #Arizona

Cochise County elections director resigns after protecting midterm ballots from Republican officials https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012623_marra_resignation/cochise-county-elections-director-resigns-after-protecting-midterm-ballots-from-republican-officials/
Lisa Marra, the Cochise County elections director who refused to cooperate with an illegal hand count plan, describes a threatening work environment, both physically and emotionally, and says she was publicly disparaged in her resignation letter to county.
#Tucson #Arizona

‘Negligent in every way’: Az GOP spent $530K on bus tour & party https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012623_az_gop_spending/negligent-every-way-az-gop-spent-530k-bus-tour-party/
Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward and her team spent more than $530,000 on what one GOP consultant said were “vanity projects” designed to boost her ego instead of winning races on an election that ultimately ended in disaster for Republicans in Arizona.
#Tucson #Arizona

Hobbs sets up Arizona independent prison oversight commission https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012623_hobbs_prisons/hobbs-sets-up-arizona-independent-prison-oversight-commission/
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed her sixth executive order Wednesday, establishing an independent prison oversight commission to improve the transparency and accountability of Arizona’s corrections system.
#Tucson #Arizona

GOP bill would allow Arizona governing boards to throw out superintendents with failing schools https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_supt_removal_bill/gop-bill-would-allow-arizona-governing-boards-throw-out-superintendents-with-failing-schools/
Arizona school boards would have broader power to fire superintendents they believe are failing to meet the job’s responsibilities under a proposal that critics say could put board members at odds with the person they hired to run the districts — to the detriment of schools they oversee.
#Tucson #Arizona

GOP bill would allow Arizona governing boards to throw out supts with failing schools https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_supt_removal_bill/gop-bill-would-allow-arizona-governing-boards-throw-out-supts-with-failing-schools/
Arizona school boards would have broader power to fire superintendents they believe are failing to meet the job’s responsibilities under a proposal that critics say could put board members at odds with the person they hired to run the districts — to the detriment of schools they oversee.
#Tucson #Arizona

Tucson to hold May special election to decide on TEP agreement, new utility surcharges https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_tucson_tep/tucson-hold-may-special-election-decide-tep-agreement-new-utility-surcharges/
Tucsonans will be able to vote on a new 25-year franchise agreement with Tucson Electric Power that could raise monthly utility rates by .75%. The Tucson City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to hold a special election in May for residents to decide on the agreement.
#Tucson #Arizona

GOP bill would allow Arizona school boards to throw out superintendents whose districts have failing schools https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_superintendent_removal_bill/gop-bill-would-allow-arizona-school-boards-throw-out-superintendents-whose-districts-have-failing-schools/
Arizona school boards would have broader power to fire superintendents they believe are failing to meet the job’s responsibilities under a proposal that critics say could put board members at odds with the person they hired to run the districts — to the detriment of schools they oversee.
#Tucson #Arizona

Celebration of life for Tucson's 'Umbrella Lady' to be held at Tohono Chul Park https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_umbrella_lady/celebration-life-tucsons-umbrella-lady-held-tohono-chul-park/
An event next week will honor Lydia Reis, the "Umbrella Lady" known for strolling along streets in Northwest Tucson who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in early January.
#Tucson #Arizona

Joe Arpaio lost four elections & his coveted county sheriff job — but not his lasting influence https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/012523_arpaio_legacy_op/joe-arpaio-lost-four-elections-his-coveted-county-sheriff-job-but-not-his-lasting-influence/
During the 26 years he served as Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio made a name for himself nationally with stunts that critics called cruel and inhumane - and while Arpaio has all but lost his political relevance since, his outsized influence on law enforcement continues.
#Tucson #Arizona

GOP bill would allow school boards to throw out superintendents whose districts have failing schools https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_superintendent_removal_bill/gop-bill-would-allow-school-boards-throw-out-superintendents-whose-districts-have-failing-schools/
School boards would have broader power to fire superintendents they believe are failing to meet the job’s responsibilities under a proposal that critics say could put board members at odds with the person they hired to run the districts — to the detriment of schools they oversee.
#Tucson #Arizona

Election denial is lucrative: Kari Lake raised $2.5 million after Election Day https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_lake_denial_fundraising/election-denial-lucrative-kari-lake-raised-25-million-after-election-day/
Former television news anchor turned MAGA star Kari Lake raised $2,515,169 after the Arizona governor's election to continue her legal fight against her election loss - but less than 10% of her post-election haul was spent to contest the election.
#Tucson #Arizona

Justices invite Biden’s input for social media censorship laws https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/012523_scotus_biden_social_media/justices-invite-bidens-input-social-media-censorship-laws/
The Supreme Court asked the Biden administration to weigh in on a legal battle between conservative states and social media companies over content moderation laws that sprang up after former President Donald Trump's ban from Twitter and suspension from Facebook.
#Tucson #Arizona

Parents of Az teen killed in accidental shooting hope 'Christian’s Law' will save lives https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_accidental_shooting_bill/parents-az-teen-killed-accidental-shooting-hope-christians-law-will-save-lives/
Christian’s Law, introduced this year, would require Arizona gun owners to keep either their ammunition, their gun or both in a locked storage container, or to fit their firearm with a device that would render it inoperable without a combination or key.
#Tucson #Arizona

PCC picked to host Division II national soccer tourneys https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/sports/report/012523_pcc_soccer_tournament/pcc-picked-host-division-ii-national-soccer-tourneys/
The National Junior College Athletic Association has selected Tucson and Pima Community College to be the hosts of two upcoming national tournaments.
#Tucson #Arizona

Bill to protect Az domestic violence shelters from discrimination claims could exclude trans people https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_transgender_domestic_violence_shelters/bill-protect-az-domestic-violence-shelters-from-discrimination-claims-could-exclude-trans-people/
A Republican bill aimed at shielding Arizona domestic violence shelters from gender discrimination claims could run afoul of federal employment law and could also be a way to exclude transgender individuals.
#Tucson #Arizona

Biden, Democrats to U.S. House Republicans: Show us your debt limit plan https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/012523_debt_limit_struggles/biden-democrats-us-house-republicans-show-us-your-debt-limit-plan/
President Joe Biden and other Democratic leaders called on the House GOP to “show us their plan,” with lawmakers sharply divided on the debt limit and short on time after the country reached the limit earlier this month.
#Tucson #Arizona

‘We were always sovereign’: Arizona's Hia-Ced O’odham seek federal recognition as tribe https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_hia_ced_oodham/we-were-always-sovereign-arizonas-hia-ced-oodham-seek-federal-recognition-as-tribe/
Descendants of the four surviving Hia-Ced O’odham families who fled their ancestral lands in the mid-1800s to escape yellow fever are researching the history of the Hia-Ced to prove their existence, and working to advocate for recognition with the federal government.
#Tucson #Arizona

Arizona is wetter than usual, but the long drought isn’t over yet https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012523_az_drought/arizona-wetter-than-usual-but-long-drought-isnt-over-yet/
Amid an unusually wet winter and after last summer's strong monsoon, Arizona may be better off than other Southwest states as it continues to battle a 23-year drought - but while the snowpack is high, the Southwest’s reservoirs remain lower than average.
#Tucson #Arizona