KJZZ's Stories You Don't Want to Miss

Attorneys for the Hobbs administration say more than $200 million in American Rescue Plan grants issued before former Gov. Doug Ducey left office were done so illegally.  Arizona's superintendent of public instruction says schools applying for safety grants have to prioritize armed police officers over school counselors. About 2,000 shipping containers used by former Gov. Ducey to keep people out of Arizona could soon be used to house people. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, science and metro Phoenix news.

Wednesday afternoon, the Arizona Senate passed a resolution to waive Arizona’s K-12 spending limit for this academic year. Fifteen Native American tribes, including the Gila River Indian Community, will get a total of $580 million in federal money this year for water rights settlements. The World Health Organization had announced that it would phase out the term "monkeypox," citing the need to move on from what it called racist and stigmatizing language. Plus the latest science, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.

A wall of shipping containers put up by former Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration along the border in Cochise County last year has been removed. Between the price of groceries, higher mortgage rates and news reports of layoffs, some people are bracing for tougher economic times — or wondering if they should be. California released its own plan this week on Colorado River water cuts. Plus the latest science, Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

A new app from Customs and Border Protection gives asylum seekers waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border the chance to ask for an exception to Title 42 restrictions on asylum. How do Phoenix leaders allow for growth, while making sure there's enough water to meet increased demand? The Arizona House Education Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow school boards to terminate a superintendent's contract for violating board policy. Plus the latest metro Phoenix and science news.

A proposed plan from Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office would expand a state-funded scholarship program to include undocumented high school graduates. One county official has ideas on how to get the public the election results they demand sooner. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, science and business news.

How has disinformation and misdirection shaped the Grand Canyon? The old structures known as "the domes" near Casa Grande are being demolished, after years of back and forth between Pinal County and the owner of the condemned property. U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly were in Yuma this week as part of a bipartisan group of eight congressional members visiting the border. Plus the latest metro Phoenix, science and education news.

Katie Hobbs was formally sworn in as Arizona’s new governor Thursday. This week, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers for standing up for democracy during the insurrection. Contractors hired by the state of Arizona have started dismantling a makeshift border wall made of shipping containers in Yuma and Cochise counties. Plus the latest business, science and tribal resources news.

The federal government is suing Arizona over a state-funded project to build a border wall of shipping containers on Forest Service land in Cochise County. Phoenix Children’s Hospital reports it has seen a number of invasive group A strep infections since early November. A deal to sell the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury is now pending approval from the NBA. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

The United States government sued Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and the state on Wednesday over the placement of shipping containers as a makeshift wall on the border with Mexico. Through KJZZ's Q&AZ project, one listener asked: Why isn’t there a checkpoint when you drive back to Arizona? This week marks two years since the U.S. began distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, metro Phoenix, education and tribal resources news.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has registered as an independent. Phoenix is on track to have the most advanced semiconductor plant in the United States. A growing number of Sonorans are ditching animal products and opening restaurants centered on plant-based foods, in all their forms. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix, tribal resources and business news.