by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 4, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s top county prosecutor is setting her sights on teen violence within her jurisdiction.
Earlier this month, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the start of ‘Report, Don’t Repost,’ which “tackles the growing issue of teen violence fueled by the sharing of violent content on social media platforms rather than reporting those incidents to law enforcement.”
In a press conference to promote this new campaign by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies, Mitchell shared that “in 2023, the number of submittals for first-degree murder involving juveniles surged by 350%, rising from 6 cases in 2022 to 27 cases in 2023. Similarly, submittals for aggravated assault saw a 108% increase, with cases rising from 12 to 25 between 2022 and 2023. Overall, total referrals of juveniles charged as adults increased by 32% during the same period.”
The veteran prosecutor said, “When a video shows up online or on social, all we know is what we can see. We may not have the names of the people in the video or know where the fight occurred. We also may not know what happened just before or after the video begins and ends. It makes it infinitely harder for police to investigate and for my lawyers to prosecute.”
Mitchell added, “My job as a prosecutor is to build a strong case. Encouraging the community to report these incidents instead of sharing them online is an excellent way to do that.”
The law enforcement agencies on board with this campaign are Phoenix Police, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Apache Junction Police, Arizona State University Police, Buckeye Police, Chandler Police, Gilbert Police, Glendale Police, Goodyear Police, Mesa Police, Queen Creek Police, Surprise Police, and Tempe Police.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office posted a graphic of the campaign to highlight the importance of the issue.
Additionally, two Phoenix Police Department officers discussed the new campaign in the aftermath of the announcement.
According to the release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, “The campaign includes a range of educational resources for parents, educators, and teens that highlight the consequences of sharing violent content.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 3, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s largest county is taking action to support vulnerable youth.
Earlier this month, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved $150,000 for students who are coming out of foster care. The government funding will go to HopeTech, which according to the release from the County, “is the first program of its kind in Arizona, combining housing and support services for foster youth with career training at a Career Technical Education District (CTED) campus.”
HopeTech has been constructed at East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT). It is a residence hall with 64 beds.
“Investing in our young people as they transition out of foster care is an investment in the future of our communities,” said Vice Chairman Thomas Galvin, who represents District 2 on the Board of Supervisors. “Workforce training provides them with important, economically viable skills, and the opportunity to build a stable, successful life.”
“The generous support from Maricopa County is more than a financial gift,” said EVIT Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson. “It provides students with additional resources and support needed to step confidently into adulthood and onto a pathway towards independence and prosperity. We are deeply grateful for this investment into these students’ futures.”
Maricopa County’s release reveals that the county “will provide funding to EVIT for furniture and appliances, transportation items to allow greater ease of accessing the 65+ acre property and transporting youth to appointments and trainings, and recreational courts and equipment to provide youth with opportunities for physical activities.”
The communication from the County shares that “officials are hopeful that this program can serve as a model to be replicated in other CTEDs across the state and technical schools nationwide.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 3, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona-based national organization is highlighting stories of famous Americans.
American Encore has started a series to showcase the “stories of exceptional Americans who have experienced their own path in the pursuit for perfection.”
The first three stories from American Encore are those of Abraham Lincoln, Alice Marie Johnson, and Damien Patton.
Sean Noble, the President of American Encore, said, “There has been a lot of criticism of our nation, its founders, and our history. People tend to forget that our founding documents talk about an aspiration of ‘a more perfect union.’ We are a country that strives to do better and better over time, and I think we need to recognize that we have in fact gotten better.”
Noble added, “But the nation doesn’t get better without the people getting better, so we wanted to tell individual stories about getting better to encapsulate that theme. We hope that it will inspire people to face their challenges and improve themselves, while demanding better leaders as well.”
In its showcase of Lincoln, American Encore writes, “If Lincoln had completely surrendered after any of his many political defeats, the United States may have disintegrated during or after the Civil War, altering the course of our entire planet. Yet because of his legendary perseverance and strength, Lincoln’s story still inspires millions of people around the globe.”
In its showcase of Johnson, American Encore writes, “From start to present, Alice has proven she embodies the power of second chances, bringing a steady stream of light to those around her as a force for good.”
And in its showcase of Patton, American Encore writes, “As an entrepreneur, engineer, and founder of Banjo, his groundbreaking work in real-time detection has left a lasting impact across multiple industries. Patton’s journey, characterized by both professional triumphs and personal transformation, is the quintessential picture of American grit.”
The organization promotes itself as “dedicated to helping our nation and its leaders rise to the test and to confront these challenges,” which it identifies as “the expansion of government bureaucracy, an assault on free enterprise, and challenges to America’s defense of freedom and democracy around the globe.” American Encore promises to “defend freedom, promote free markets, work to expand economic opportunity, and make the case for the American ideals of liberty and democracy, both at home and abroad.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 27, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona Republican is thinking about improvements to the state’s infrastructure in the intermission between legislative sessions.
This week, State Senator David Farnsworth issued a press release, announcing his intent to look for “responsible ways to financially support necessary improvement projects with future legislation for a smoother commute down the road.”
Farnsworth shared that “according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), current funding from all state and federal sources only allows for the repaving of about 1% to 2% of all lane miles per year. As a result, these surfaces are only receiving necessary rehabilitation every 50 to 100 years! In 2012, pavement conditions on nearly 60% of ADOT’s statewide road system were classified as ‘good.’”
The release added, “However, ADOT reported that number has consistently dropped over the years, and in 2022, just 29% of pavement conditions were classified as ‘good,’ while 65% were classified as ‘fair,’ and 6% as ‘poor.’ According to ADOT’s estimate, in order to just maintain a ‘good’ classification for only 29% of the state’s lane miles, repaving would need to increase to 5% of all lane miles annually, costing an additional $1 billion.”
“Maintaining our transportation system should be a top government function, but this principle has fallen by the wayside for many years, creating a bumpy and hazardous drive for hardworking Arizonans and the truckers bringing goods into our state,” said Senator Farnsworth. “While we’ve seen vast technological advances in the automotive and trucking industries over the past decade, we’ve also witnessed a mass migration of new residents to Arizona, and with the evolution of the electric vehicle, there has been increased wear and tear on our roads requiring immediate attention. It’s critical we take a deep dive into potential policy reforms in the coming months to enhance the funding stream for our transportation system to function as necessary and appropriate.”
Senator Farnsworth serves as his chamber’s Transportation Committee chairman.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 25, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Supreme Court may have rendered a significant blow to the future of a key ballot measure for the upcoming General Election.
On Friday, the Arizona Supreme Court issued an order in Smith v. Fontes, which was a challenge over the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act (Proposition 140). The court ruled that Prop 140 “will appear on the ballot, assuming ballots are indeed printed in the early morning hours of August 23.” However, the state’s high court projected that if a majority of its justices were to later “disqualif[y] the Initiative, the court should issue an injunction precluding any votes for the measure from being counted.”
The issue at hand involves a challenge to the signatures submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State by the committee supportive of the ballot measure. The parties contesting the submission have argued that there are 40,000 duplicative signatures in the batch, which, if discarded, would bring the initiative under the minimum number required for placement on the ballot.
Proposition 140 is an attempt from the Make Elections Fair PAC to remake the Arizona elections systems through this constitutional amendment on the ballot.
“I am grateful for this thoughtful decision from the Arizona Supreme Court,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “At no time did the trial court judge or the committee in favor of the initiative provide evidence as to why these signatures were not duplicates, but instead relied on a strategy of obstruction to run out the clock. The lateness of this challenge did not have to be the case if the lower court had only adhered to the Supreme Court’s earlier directive for all duplicates to be removed from the qualifying count. For any ballot measure – but especially one that would fundamentally transform our elections systems – Arizonans deserve complete confidence that our courts are applying all laws fairly and justly.”
Mussi added, “This isn’t a debate about dubious matches or concerns of same family members with the same name being confused as a duplicate. All the duplicates submitted to be removed were exact name and address matches that aligned with what was on the voter file. Under state law, you are only allowed to sign a petition once, so they should have been removed. Instead, thousands of people were allowed to sign the initiative petition sheets multiple times, and those signatures were counted.”
In its order, the Court wrote, “There is no statutory directive that a court resolve an election challenge like this one before the ballot printing deadline. Regardless, this Court, and indeed the trial court, has consistently endeavored to resolve initiative challenges before the ballot printing deadline… But the courts’ role is to dispense justice. Courts cannot be forced to rule rashly to meet a ballot printing deadline or provide the parties with certainty.”
According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, this measure “is seeking to enact a California-style election scheme built around ranked choice voting and jungle primaries.” On the other hand, an advocate for the Make Elections Fair Act recently maintained that Prop 140 “represents an opportunity to improve both our elections and our state government.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
