State Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-AZ-10) stole Bibles from the Arizona State Capitol, per security footage of the lawmaker.
Stahl Hamilton would hide the Bibles underneath furniture cushions and fridges. This came to light after members noticed the Bibles missing from the members-only lounge, beginning at the start of this year. House personnel placed hidden cameras in the members lounge to discover what happened.
Stahl Hamilton placed the Bibles in bizarre places, buried deep in furniture and in the community refrigerator. pic.twitter.com/gbd9NAmdjc
Security footage showed Stahl Hamilton swiping a Bible off a table from the members-only lounge. Stahl Hamilton claims to be an “ordained minister” with the Presbyterian denomination.
This is the weirdest story at the Capitol. Rep Hamilton-Stahl(D) is an ordained "minister" who hates Bibles. She regularly steals the Bibles out of the Lounge & hides them under chairs, in the frig, beneath cushions etc. If only the Bible had something to say about stealing… https://t.co/86IdF8LySb
— Az State Rep. Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) April 26, 2023
AZ Family first caught wind of Stahl Hamilton’s Bible swiping. They confronted her, on camera, after Stahl-Hamilton hung up on the phone with them. Stahl Hamilton initially insisted that she wasn’t aware of the accusations against her.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” said Stahl Hamilton. “Who said anything about hiding Bibles?”
When AZ Family reporter David Caltabiano informed Stahl Hamilton that there was security footage of her swiping the Bible, Stahl Hamilton turned away from where she was headed and retreated to the private entrance from which she’d come.
Before Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton called it 'playful', we called her — she hung up on me, then we met her with a camera, this is the explanation we got: pic.twitter.com/DuEZEaoGV1
— Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona (@ppazaction) November 22, 2022
Stahl Hamilton has also backed laws advocating for LGBTQ+ lifestyles and ideologies for children and adults.
I will always oppose policies that create barriers and stumbling blocks for our children https://t.co/0wTTjH9Uov
— Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (@stahlhamilton) February 9, 2022
Most of Stahl Hamilton’s career prior to the legislature purportedly concerned Christian ministry. Stahl Hamilton received an undergraduate degree in Christian education prior to receiving a seminary degree. Stahl Hamilton then worked as the director of Christian Education and Youth Ministry for the Flagstaff Federated Community Church, before working as another youth ministry director at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church.
The 2005 case Van Orden v. Perrydispelled misconceptions about the presence of Christian text on government property as a violation of the separation between church and state. In the case, a citizen claimed that the Texas State Capitol grounds couldn’t contain a monument bearing the Bible’s Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court disagreed in a 5-4 decision.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist cited from Zorach v. Clauson in his opinion for the court:
“‘[W]e find no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence,’” quoted Rehnquist.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote similarly in a concurring opinion:
“The Establishment Clause does not compel the government to purge from the public sphere all that in any way partakes of the religious,” wrote Breyer. “Such absolutism is not only inconsistent with our national traditions… but would also tend to promote the kind of social conflict the Establishment Clause seeks to avoid.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh claims that over 8,000 votes weren’t counted in the 2022 election. The 8,000 votes in question were cast as provisional ballots.
“Arizona, I’m still fighting for you and the integrity of our elections,” said Hamadeh.
🚨!NEW AD!🚨
Did you know there are more than 8,000 votes from the 2022 election that haven’t been counted?
The race for Attorney General is separated by only 280 votes.
Arizona, I’m still fighting for you and the integrity of our elections.
Hamadeh also directed Arizona voters to his advocacy website to review the “lost” votes from the 2022 election. One of the disenfranchised voters featured on the site was a veteran, Howard, whose vote was denied to him after government workers erroneously reported him as having moved counties. Despite Howard offering election officials proof of residence on Election Day, he was denied the right to vote.
In part due to mass day-of voting machine failures, provisional ballots increased in this past election. Hamadeh has also claimed that a significant number of lawfully registered voters were denied their right to vote.
With that increase of provisional ballots, rejection rates also increased in several counties.
Santa Cruz County’s rejections increased from one out of the 117 provisional ballots cast to 83 out of the 139 provisional ballots cast.
Pima County’s rejection rate doubled.
Pinal County’s rejection rate increased from 59 to 63 percent. That was despite having a comparable number of provisional ballots cast in 2020 and 2022.
Yavapai County more than doubled its rejection of provisional ballots based on non-registration this past election in comparison to 2020. That was despite voter turnout declining significantly.
The vote gap between Hamadeh and the current attorney general, Kris Mayes, sits at 280 votes. Hamadeh received a hearing in the Mohave County Superior Court next month, on May 16.
Hamadeh announced his appeal of the election results in January, following discovery of hundreds of votes in the recount.
As AZ Free News reported last week, a review of uncounted provisional ballots make a compelling case for Hamadeh. According to Hamadeh, over 250 voters have issued affidavits from allegedly disenfranchised voters. Hamadeh estimated that over 1,000 voters’ registration were wrongly canceled due to government missteps, a calculation separate from the 8,000 provisional ballots.
Hamadeh claimed his team found 750 high-propensity voters whose registrations were canceled. Of those 750, only 176 showed up to vote last November.
Big deal In Arizona. GOP AG candidate @AbrahamHamadeh is not alleging election fraud. He simply wants all the votes counted. That proposition should unite all Americans. We need AZ’s terrific Fmr Gov & my friend @DougDucey to weigh in. https://t.co/Cq5rSd7xZ5
There were also 269 voters who checked in on Election Day with mail-in ballots, but never had their vote counted. Hamadeh reported that many of those voters reported to his team that their votes weren’t counted. In those cases, check-ins reflect votes cast in the county’s system. The 269 voters were disproportionately Republican and independent: 149 were Republicans, 53 were Democrats, and 67 were “other.”
Hamadeh has consistently claimed that his legal team’s findings would reveal that the government withheld evidence concerning the 2022 election.
“My legal team will expose the government’s withholding of evidence that undermined the rule of law,” said Hamadeh.
🚨BREAKING🚨
The Mohave County court has ordered Oral Arguments for our Motion for a New Trial on May 16.
My legal team will expose the government’s withholding of evidence that undermined the rule of law.
The state budget sits at $2.5 billion, an unanticipated increase, despite a leap in school choice enrollments.
Nearly 40,000 students have joined Arizona’s universal school choice program; 7,000 have joined this year alone. Prior to the Education Savings Account (ESA) Program extension to all students, there were just over 12,100 students enrolled. At present, there are over 51,800.
Yet, this addition of tens of thousands of students didn’t hurt the state budget; the surplus has only increased as ESA Program enrollment increased. The surplus hit $2.5 billion this month, where last June it was $1.1 billion.
The ESA Program has also reflected a cost-saving measure for the state. Each student in the ESA Program receives scholarship funds of about $7,000 — about half of what the average public school spends on each student. Based on current program participants, that means that these students originally cost the state $725 million on average while in public schools, whereas they cost just over $362 million within the ESA Program.
Following these latest figures, ADE opened up enrollment for the ESA Program for the 2023-24 school year.
Arizona’s first in the nation ESA program is officially open for the 2023-2024 school year! Every child deserves a quality education no matter their zip code, and ESAs allow parents from any income level to choose what is best for them! #InParentsWeTrusthttps://t.co/mEm56eKYd7
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) April 17, 2023
Gov. Katie Hobbs has rejected the cost-saving argument of the ESA Program. Shortly after taking office, Hobbs proposed rolling back the ESA Program, making the argument that universal school choice would bleed the state of $1.5 billion over the next decade. Yet, the Arizona public school system takes about $15 billion annually, or $150 billion over the next decade.
The Goldwater Institute, a public policy think tank who pointed out this disparity in an analysis defending universal school choice, argued that Hobbs’ arguments of frugality weren’t intellectually honest.
“To argue that taxpayers can afford the latter, but somehow not the former, defies basic common sense,” stated the organization.
We have a constitutional responsibility to fund our public schools. If we continue down the current path, we will not be able to fulfill that responsibility. That's why my budget called for a rollback of the ESA program to ensure Arizona has a sustainable https://t.co/JnVBGtxuvl…
The state legislature also increased public school funding by $600 million for this year. Anti-school choice activists continue to claim that the schools don’t receive adequate funding.
🔥 States across the nation are rejecting ESA voucher scams 👏 AZ's catastrophic rollout of universal ESA vouchers has become a cautionary tale — and in many states, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are waking up ⏰ #AZVouchersHurt#AZVoucherWatchpic.twitter.com/awhwjIdC21
The Common Sense Institute found that the state saved $500 million annually after about 31,000 students exited the public school system from 2019 and following the COVID-19 pandemic. They also projected an $8 million end-of-year surplus based on enrollment trends.
According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) report issued last week, base revenue growth is projected at nearly nine percent – a nearly two percent increase from January’s forecast, or $750 million.
JLBC noted that this year’s fiscal growth rate reflected a 64 percent increase in corporate income tax collections, much higher than the 10 percent increase in the federal collections. Additionally, individual income tax refunds increased by 54 percent.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The city of Flagstaff is looking to designate Juneteenth and Native American Heritage Day as two official city holidays this year.
Flagstaff’s Commission on Diversity Awareness reported during last week’s meeting that they would be working with the Indigenous Commission to establish the two holidays.
City officials noted that the city would be aligning with the Biden administration’s initiative, with bipartisan support from Congress, declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. Juneteenth occurs on June 19, in recognition of the declaration freeing Texan slaves on June 19, 1865.
In his first proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, President Joe Biden said that slavery has left a legacy of “systemic racism, inequality, and inhumanity,” and that the nation owed it to Black Americans to commit to equitable work.
“In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans,” stated Biden. “And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday.”
A similar call to action was issued earlier this month by foremost diversity, equity, and inclusion pundit, Ibram Kendi, at a keynote speech arranged by Arizona State University (ASU). Kendi advocated for an authoritarian rule by anti-racist elite, a proposal that ASU later commended in a write-up of the speaking event.
“In order to create a society whereby we have policies and practices that are equitable and just and fair — and provide equal opportunity for all, and institutions that are built on those policies — we don’t necessarily need to create a critical mass of Americans who are anti-racist,” said Kendi. “We just need enough people who can get into positions of power, who will then institute [anti-racist] policies and practices.”
Flagstaff’s proposed Native American Heritage Day — slated to occur on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving — would replace their former recognition of the day, eponymously named “Day After Thanksgiving.”
The federal government already designated Black Friday as Native American Heritage Day. The concept arose from a resolution by former Democratic California Rep. Joe Baca and was signed by Former President George Bush in 2008.
“[Congress] encourages the people of the United States, as well as Federal, State, and local governments, and interested groups and organizations to observe Native American Heritage Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, including activities relating to—the historical status of Native American tribal governments as well as the present day status of Native Americans; the cultures, traditions, and languages of Native Americans; and the rich Native American cultural legacy that all Americans enjoy today,” read the resolution.
The city has regularly celebrated November as “Native American Heritage Month” annually.
Last night, Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy proclaimed November 2022 as Native American Heritage Month!
Members of the community are encouraged to learn about and appreciate the history, heritage, and contributions of Native American and Indigenous peoples of this great land. pic.twitter.com/VKgeyAkuAc
Flagstaff hasn’t been the only city to modify its holidays as of late. Last week, Phoenix City Council approved a resolution to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day over Columbus Day this year. The city’s move aligned with the Biden administration’s annual declaration of the holiday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Leftist activists beat an effigy of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego during her annual address last week. The effigy was a piñata filled with candy; on the front was the mayor’s name, and on the back was written “Kate (Sinema) Gallego,” referencing controversial Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
The activists situated themselves outside of the venue for her State of the City address, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. They protested the evictions of the residents of several mobile home parks — Periwinkle, Las Casitas, and Weldon Court — as well as their general discontent with Gallego’s administration.
Fueling the activists’ discontent with Gallego was the city’s rejection of a proposal to rezone the contested properties last month. Instead, the city approved $2.5 million to help the displaced residents find new homes.
Two of the principal organizers behind the protest and the effigy beating were residents impacted by the evictions, Alondra Patricia Ruiz Vazquez and Salvador Reza. The protestors livestreamed the beating of Gallego’s likeness to Facebook. The protesters spoke and chanted mainly in Spanish.
“¡Pégale, pégale por la lucha, pégale!” chanted the protestors, which translates roughly to, “Hit it, hit it, for the fight, hit it!”
Members of Maricopa County Young Democrats were also present at the protest.
In a post following the protest, Reza responded to an alleged offense that Gallego took to the destruction of the effigy in her likeness. Reza said that the effigy was symbolic, and that she shouldn’t take offense to it.
“Breaking a piñata with the image of Kate Gallego is not only against her character flaws, but against the greed of large corporations and large universities that [are] not satisfied with what they have, lash out against vulnerable families who only ask for a home to live,” stated Reza. “Breaking a piñata is symbolic. However, losing a home is catastrophic and traumatic for the families who are living it firsthand. Neither the state’s $5,000 nor a handful of piñata candy will be able to compensate them. So, looking at things clearly, who has the most to lose? A politician offended by a piñata, or 150 families thrown with their belongings into the street.”
Symbolic violence against effigies of contested public figures has been a popular move for leftist activists over the past several weeks.
On Tuesday, rioters protesting an event featuring Daily Wire pundit Michael Knowles burned an effigy of him at the University of Pittsburgh.
A body dummy with a picture of Michael Knowles’ face on it has been lit on fire, about a half hour before Knowles is set to participate in an event on Pitt’s campus. Knowles said earlier this year that he believes “transgenderism” should be “eradicated.” @WTAEpic.twitter.com/l1k3TrEkDN
