by Ethan Faverino | Nov 23, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers stood on the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol and watched the final hoisting of a remarkable American flag. This same flag, over the past seven years, has been proudly flown above every state capitol in the United States, along with the nation’s capital, and U.S. territory Puerto Rico.
With the Arizona raising, Mayor Weiers officially completed “The Great American Flag Tour”, a personal mission to fly one locally made flag at all 50 state capitols as the nation approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
“What a journey,” said Mayor Weiers. “The patriotism across our great nation is still alive in every state. This flag is a symbol of unity – recognizing we are 50 States, 1 Nation!”
The flag was hand-sewn in Arizona by Joe Cicero and his team at a Phoenix-based flag manufacturer that produces approximately 10,000 flags annually. Cicero called this particular flag “pretty special because it has touched every capitol in the entire country.”
“Although we live in different places, come from different backgrounds, sometimes speak different languages, and worship in different ways, we are all Americans,” said Mayor Weiers. As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, let us not just mark a date, but instead let us renew our commitment to liberty, to justice, to equality, and to being one nation under God.”
The seven-year journey saw Mayor Weiers personally carry the flag to 49 states before returning home to Arizona for the ceremonial finale. Along the way, the flag was raised in honor of America’s history, its promising future, and especially its veterans.
With the tour now complete, Mayor Weiers plans to create an exhibit featuring the flag and its story. Arizona cities and organizations will be able to request the display for patriotic events.
He also hopes the flag will be considered for temporary exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., during the national 250-year celebration in 2026, with a potential permanent home afterward at the Arizona Capitol Museum.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 21, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp (R-LD29) hailed a significant court victory after a challenge to one of the state’s strictest child-protection laws was rejected, ensuring that convicted sex offenders remain subject to rigorous registration and oversight requirements.
The court ruled that the plaintiff—a registered sex offender previously convicted of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of sexual abuse, and public indecency—must continue to comply with all current sex-offender registration laws and conditions.
The decision upholds years of Republican-led legislative efforts to close loopholes that once allowed thousands of dangerous offenders to evade public scrutiny.
In just the past two years, four bills authored by Senator Shamp to strengthen protection for children and increase accountability for predators have been signed into law. These measures have resulted in more than 6,800 Level 1 sex offenders—previously spared by “legal loopholes”—now appearing on Arizona’s public registry for crimes against children.
“This ruling sends a loud and clear message: Arizona stands with children, not with offenders. I will not slow down, I will not back off, and I will continue to close every door that pedophiles try to slip through,” said Senator Shamp. “All sex offenders in Arizona, your secrets are revealed, and the consequences will follow you. I want to thank victims like Kayleigh Kozak for fighting this battle alongside me to get the job done. My mission is to protect the vulnerable, and I will fight every day to continue finding legislative solutions to achieve that. This victory is only the beginning—our work to secure Arizona’s future continues.”
Kayleigh Kozak, the driving force behind “Kayleigh’s Law”, has become one of Arizona’s most prominent victim-advocates. The landmark legislation, passed with bipartisan support and signed into law in 2022, gives victims of dangerous crimes, including sexual abuse, the right to obtain a lifetime restraining order against their perpetrators.
The law was born out of Kozak’s own experience. As a middle-school student in Buckeye, she was sexually assaulted by her soccer coach. Years later, she learned that her abuser was attempting to have his probation lifted, sparking her to team up with Sen. Kerr to draft such legislation.
Within its first year, Kayleigh’s Law enabled 1,009 Arizona victims to serve their perpetrators with lifetime protective orders.
“Over the past four years, I have worked alongside Senator Shamp on critical legislation to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and to bring truth and transparency to the judicial system—making our communities and children safer,” said Kozak. “The actions of these registered sex offenders are both disgusting and dangerous. Now, through multiple lawsuits, they are challenging the enhanced sex offender registration laws, further demonstrating their disregard for rules, boundaries, and laws.”
She continued, “If these offenders feel uncomfortable with society knowing who they are, where they live, and what they have done, they should have considered the consequences of their actions before choosing to harm a child. Together, we can continue to advocate for safety, accountability, and transparency in our communities!”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 20, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
While entrepreneurship is surging across the United States, a new nationwide study by iPostal1, using U.S. Census Bureau data, reveals that not every state is riding the same wave.
Arizona lands solidly in the middle at 24th place, recording 1,275 business applications per 100,000 residents and a total of 121,091 new filings in 2024—a healthy 58.2% increase since 2019.
That positions Arizona just behind regional neighbor Nevada (23rd, 1,695 per 100,000) and ahead of New Mexico (28th, 952 per 100,000), making it a moderate but steady player in the national entrepreneurial boom.
Nationally, New York tops the list with a staggering 39,422 business applications per 100,000 residents and 291,773 total filings in 2024 alone—nearly doubling Florida in second place (20,461 per 100,000). Florida recorded the highest raw total at 631,896 applications in 2024 (up 61.3% since 2019), followed by Georgia with 242,706 (up 41.1% since 2019).
At the opposite end, North Dakota ranked last with only 95 applications per 100,000 residents—less than 0.25% of New York’s rate. Rounding out the bottom five are Delaware (145 per 100,000), Idaho (156 per 100,000), Vermont (170 per 100,000), and South Dakota (191 per 100,000).
While many states remain sluggish, some showed explosive growth. Wyoming led the nation with a 215.8% surge in applications since 2019, followed by Delaware with a 121.6% increase. Alaska, however, saw the smallest growth in the nation at just 12.2%.
“The U.S. has no shortage of ambition, but opportunity isn’t spread evenly,” said Jeff Milgram, CEO and founder of iPostal1. “In states like New York, Florida, and Texas, entrepreneurship is booming – people are starting businesses, taking risks, and finding opportunity. But other states are still catching up. Sometimes it’s access to funding, sometimes local policy, or just the confidence that new ventures will be supported. Those details matter more than most people think.”
“When small businesses can find funding, mentorship, and a clear path through regulation, as well as the tools and resources to set up their businesses which include virtual mailing addresses and digital mailboxes, we see numbers rise fast,” Milgram concluded, “as we’ve seen not just in Wyoming and Delaware, but across much of the South and Northeast.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 18, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
As retailers gear up for Black Friday and the holiday rush, a new analysis of FBI crime data highlights significant variations in shoplifting risks across the U.S., with Oregon emerging as the state most vulnerable to theft this November.
The study examined shoplifting reports per 100,000 residents in November over the past four years (2021-2024).
“As retailers prepare for Black Friday and the peak winter shopping months, these variations underscore the need for tailored, state-specific strategies,” said CEO of Turvallinen Markus Kanerva, whose company conducted the study. “Stores in high-incident areas may need to increase security personnel, deploy advanced surveillance technology, or implement stricter inventory controls. “
Oregon leads the nation with an average of 59.90 incidents per 100,000 people—a staggering 89.68% above the national average of 31.58.
New Mexico ranks second with 57.85 incidents per 100,000 (+83.19% above the national average), followed by Delaware in third with 48.48 (+53.51%). New York and Arizona round out the top five with scores of 47.47 (+50.32%) and 46.91 (48.54%), respectively, showing elevated risks in the Southwest and Northeast regions.
Vermont (46.72, +47.94%), Pennsylvania (46.27, +46.52%), Virginia (45.60, +44.40%), Maryland (42.76, +35.40%), and Tennessee (39.76, +25.90%) complete the top ten.
On the other side of the list is Idaho, which reports the lowest rate in the nation with 15.45 incidents per 100,000 residents—51.08% below the national average. Following is Rhode Island with 18.72 (-40.72%), Alaska with 19.08 (-39.58%), Hawaii with 19.09 (-39.55%), and Maine with 19.21 (-39.17%).
“Relying on broad, national-level policies is no longer sufficient; the data suggests that nuanced approaches and being responsive to local risk patterns are far more effective in preventing theft,” Kanerva added. “As holiday shopping ramps up, businesses that proactively address local shoplifting trends are likely to be better positioned to navigate one of the busiest retail periods of the year.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 17, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Goldwater Institute has filed a lawsuit against Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, demanding the release of consumer records tied to the AG’s 2024 antitrust lawsuit against nine major residential landlords and RealPage, Inc.
Filed on November 12, 2025, in Maricopa County Superior Court, the suit accuses the Democratic attorney general’s office of violating Arizona’s public records law by refusing to disclose basic information about complaints, or lack thereof, that prompted the state’s allegations of an illegal rent price-fixing conspiracy affecting hundreds of thousands of renters in Phoenix and Tucson metros.
Stacy Skankey, litigation director for the Goldwater Institute’s American Freedom Network, noted that there was no mention of any actual consumer complaints.
Skankey emphasized that Goldwater takes no position on the underlying antitrust claims. Instead, it seeks only aggregate data: the total number of consumer complaints received by the AG’s office regarding RealPage and the defendant landlords, including any unsolicited submissions.
The Goldwater Institute first requested the records in April 2024. After months of silence, the AG’s office issued a denial in January 2025. Follow-up attempts went unanswered, prompting Wednesday’s legal action.
“It should be very easy to comply with, and yet, you know, after this long, drawn-out process, here we are now having to demand that these be produced,” stated Skankey.
The Center Square reported that when it contacted the Attorney General’s Office, the agency responded that it had produced all documents required under state law.
Kris Mayes’ communications director, Richie Taylor, also told The Center Square, “Attorney General Mayes is proud to have taken on major corporate landlords and RealPage for allegedly orchestrating a price-fixing scheme that drove up rents for families across Arizona.”
Skankey responded, saying she and her team disagree with the statements made by the AG’s office, and there is no proof they complied with the state public records law.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
