by Staff Reporter | Mar 15, 2026 | Home Page Top Story, News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors sustained a loss in their ongoing court struggle against the recorder on Wednesday.
The Maricopa County Superior Court denied the board’s request to open up discovery based on the testimony they forced County Recorder Justin Heap to give last month. Judge Scott Blaney said the supervisors acted well outside of the proper proceedings and had attempted to influence the court.
“The Court further finds that the Court’s initial fear — that the Board of Supervisors was using its extra-judicial subpoenas in part to influence these proceedings — was well founded. The Court will not allow this gamesmanship to interfere with or jeopardize the integrity of these proceedings,” said Blaney. “Even if Defendants’ request actually constituted a proper use of the rule (it does not), the Court would still not reward such shenanigans by allowing this extrajudicial ‘evidence’ to taint the record in this case. The matter has already been taken under advisement for final determination.”
The supervisors forced Heap to testify last month on account of his allegedly “lying to the public,” among other very public accusations.
“He has been unreliable. He has been unprofessional. He has been untruthful. He has been unaccountable,” stated a press release from the board. “The Board cannot responsibly set a budget, make policy decisions, or oversee county operations, including an active election in Tempe right now, without complete and truthful information from Mr. Heap.”
That compelled testimony also required Heap to provide a massive report to the board on his office’s work within a week. Heap said during his testimony that it contained “thousands of pages of documents.”
Blaney also criticized the board’s decision to subpoena the recorder’s staff based on their court testimony.
“[The board] instead required witnesses to appear in front of the Board, under oath, in front of a hostile party and not a neutral arbiter, and without the protection of the rules of evidence,” said Blaney. “Upon learning of the Board’s compelled, extra-judicial discovery, the Court became concerned that the Board had issued the subpoenas in retaliation for the witnesses’ testimony at this Court’s evidentiary hearing and further, that the Board issued the extra-judicial subpoenas to improperly influence these proceedings.”
The court issued a temporary restraining order at Heap’s request that quashed the subpoenas. Heap accused the board of intimidating his staff in order to “unduly influence” the court ruling.
Based on this latest ruling, the board’s approach to any influence over the court seems unlikely.
The final ruling in the case between the recorder and board of supervisors could determine the balance of duties between the two. Heap is pushing for a complete restoration of the election duties his office lost under the Shared Services Agreement (SSA) put in place in the waning months of his predecessor and former supervisors.
The supervisors and recorder are presently at odds over plans to establish early voting locations. Supervisor Mark Stewart, who has expressed slightly more support for Heap than his fellow supervisors, said that the parties were nearing a resolution over this latest rift.
“Regardless of the back-and-forth or expressed frustrations from the Recorder’s office and the Board Chair, we are making progress and working together. It may not be perfect, but it is happening,” said Stewart.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 15, 2026 | Must Read, News
By Staff Reporter |
Former State Rep. Travis Grantham suspended his congressional race after being called into active-duty service, the former speaker pro tempore announced on Wednesday.
Grantham, a lieutenant colonel in the Arizona Air National Guard, said he had “no idea” the length of his active-duty service.
“What I do know is that victory is the only acceptable outcome, so I will gladly do whatever is asked of me for however long it is needed,” said Grantham. “It is an honor to serve.”
Grantham planned to submit signatures to qualify for the ballot for the Republican primary in the fifth congressional district, the seat occupied currently by outgoing Rep. Andy Biggs, a gubernatorial candidate.
The U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran late last month, Operation Epic Fury. The first wave of attacks resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
So far, at least seven servicemembers have been killed in this new war launched by President Donald Trump. None of the slain were from Arizona.
Others have died at home over this new war, far from the Middle East.
Since this military campaign there have been what appear to be retaliatory terrorist attacks by Islamic individuals in the U.S.
The latest terrorist attack occurred on Thursday at Old Dominion University in Virginia. The gunman, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone named Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, was arrested in 2016 for attempting to help a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), coordinate a terrorist attack in the U.S. Jalloh also attempted to buy a gun as part of his plot to murder U.S. military personnel.
Jalloh faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; he was ultimately sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years’ supervised release in 2017.
However, Jalloh was released early from federal custody in the final month of the Trump administration in December 2024.
During Wednesday’s attack, Jalloh shouted “Allahu Akbar,” a call used by Islamic terrorists before committing their attacks.
One individual was killed in the attack: Army officer Brandon Shah, a military science professor and combat veteran. Jalloh was beaten to death by ROTC students shortly after he opened fire.
Another naturalized citizen-turned-terrorist also struck on Thursday in another state. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a native of Lebanon, drove a truck into a synagogue. None were killed in the attack.
Last week, two terrorists targeted anti-Islam protesters and police officers with homemade explosive devices. One was thrown into a crowd protesting Islam outside the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the other was dropped amid a group of police officers. The two men, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, allegedly acted in support of ISIS. Both men were born to immigrant parents.
Balat wrote the following on a piece of paper after his detainment:
“All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage you kuffar!”
“Kuffar” means “non-believers” or “infidels” in Arabic, and ISIS uses the phrase “die in your rage” as a slogan.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 14, 2026 | Must Read, News
By Staff Reporter |
Kyrsten Sinema admitted to the allegations of an affair with her security personnel, per a new court filing.
However, the former senator says she shouldn’t be held accountable in court on the technicality that the affair didn’t occur in the state where the wife lived.
The filing was first reported on by Brian Anderson of FOIAzona.
The former senator faces a “homewrecker” lawsuit in North Carolina for her affair with Army veteran Matthew Joseph Ammel (Ammel) filed by his estranged wife Heather Ammel — Ammel v. Sinema.
North Carolina allows the victim of a marital affair to sue the individual who engaged in the affair with their spouse. The Ammels were married for 14 years and had three children prior to their separation.
Sinema believes the lawsuit no longer has grounds since she and Ammel conducted their affair outside of North Carolina. Sinema documented that she and Ammel were physically intimate in Washington, D.C. and other states — California, New York, Colorado, and Arizona — but never North Carolina.
On Thursday, Sinema filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of personal jurisdiction. Sinema denied that the communications and physical contact constituting her affair with Ammel occurred while Ammel was domiciled and present in his home state of North Carolina. Sinema also denied having any knowledge that Ammel was present in North Carolina with his wife and children when she was contacting him concerning their affair.
Sinema said the affair began at the end of May 2024. Sinema claimed that she believed Ammel had ended his marriage to his wife and had plans to move into a new apartment.
In his declaration, Ammel said his marriage didn’t end until October 2024. According to the deposition of his wife, she attempted to salvage their marriage during those initial months that Sinema and Ammel carried out their affair.
Amid those beginning weeks of separation and prior to an official divorce, Sinema treated Ammel, his wife, and children to a Taylor Swift concert in Florida. Just prior to the first sexual encounter that Sinema admitted, Sinema treated the Ammel family to a U2 concert in late 2023.
The senator denied that certain message exchanges between her and Ammel discussing sexual intimacy leading up to their first tryst were indicative of romantic or intimate involvement, especially since the two hadn’t yet had physical intimacy at the time. In one exchange, Sinema responded to Ammel’s text about starting a “f**k the troops” chant that she would “f**k the hot ones.” In another, Ammel discussed missionary style sex which Sinema called “boring.”
Sinema also denied sending a picture of herself “wrapped in a towel.”
Sinema and Ammel often corresponded using Signal, the encrypted messaging app that has the option to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time.
As reported previously, Ammel’s time as Sinema’s security marked serious security expenditures that far surpassed her colleagues and even presidential candidates. Sinema spent over $1.7 million on her security.
After Sinema left office, Ammel didn’t stray far from her side. The pair have toured together to lobby for the legalization and funding for psychedelic treatment, namely ibogaine: the compounded derivative of an African shrub called the iboga tree.
Ammel was arrested and placed on a psychiatric hold in North Carolina last November for assaulting an officer at a hospital.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 13, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Senate passed legislation mandating expedited reporting for human trafficking on Monday.
SB 1416 sponsored by Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-LD2) passed with total bipartisan support.
“When a child goes missing, time matters. Delays cost lives,” said Bolick in a press release. “SB1416 ensures that law enforcement has clear, enforceable requirements to act immediately, share information quickly, and engage the public right away. This is about urgency, accountability, and giving families the best possible chance to bring their child home safely.”
SB 1416 would require law enforcement agencies to submit reports of missing, kidnapped, or runaway children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), media outlets, and social media platforms within 24 hours.
Reports to the NCMEC would have to include a recent photo; name, birth date, sex, race, height, weight, eye color, and hair color; and category under which the child was reported missing. Reports to the media outlets and social media would have to include law enforcement agency phone number and the child’s physical description, last known location, clothing last known to be worn, and current photographs.
Within 30 days after receiving the report, law enforcement would also be required to enter a report into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
The bill also would require law enforcement agencies to develop and conduct training once every two years on the mandatory reporting requirements for a missing, kidnapped, or runaway child, and on the Seek and Find Alert Notification System.
Last week the Arizona Senate passed another key piece of legislation addressing human trafficking, SB 1077. The bill would make it a felony to knowingly profit from online operations trafficking minors.
Sen. Mark Finchem (R-LD1), the bill sponsor, stated in Monday’s press release that the legislation reflects the shift in how traffickers operate.
“This bill closes loopholes that predators rely on and sends a strong message that Arizona will not tolerate profiting off the exploitation of children,” said Finchem.
Unlike SB 1416, Finchem’s bill didn’t receive any support from Senate Democrats. Only one Senate Democrat rose to explain their vote on the floor.
Sen. Analise Ortiz (D-LD24) said the bill was “overly broad and vague,” and claimed it would punish individuals who weren’t aware they were communicating with a minor online and had ceased communications immediately after they became aware.
Both bills were the result of findings by the Human and Sex Trafficking Task Force convened during the 2025 interim session by Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14).
Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes, former president of the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association, said in Monday’s press release that both bills would greatly assist law enforcement operations.
“President Petersen’s human trafficking task force led to the development of these laws which will give better tools to law enforcement in the fight to protect our children from these monsters who are profiteering off of their vulnerability,” said Rhodes. “I am grateful and fully support these needed changes in the law.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 12, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A top professor at the University of Arizona (U of A) accused the lawmaker behind legislation effectively banning vaccine mandates of being a “Nazi.”
Elizabeth “Beth” Jacobs, professor emeritus in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at U of A, posted the accusation against Rep. Nick Kupper (R-LD25) on Bluesky.
“‘Just because I am at risk doesn’t mean I can invade your body because of my risk factor. That’s not okay,’” quoted Jacobs. “These are the words of AZ state rep Nick Kupper (R, Nazi Germany) in sharing his belief that immunocompromised people don’t deserve to be protected by vaccine requirements for school entry.”
In response, Kupper mocked the idea that his opposition to state-imposed medical mandates was akin to the tactics of a dictatorship notorious for its state mandates.
The bill, HCR 2056, goes beyond vaccines. The resolution would allow voters to decide whether Arizonans should have a new constitutional right to refuse medical mandates imposed by government entities.
The resolution did provide carveouts for court-ordered mental health or substance use disorder treatments, evidence collection by law enforcement and probation officers, medical decisions by parents, and reporting and tracking medical products or treatments by health care providers.
The Arizona House passed the bill last week along party lines, with all Democrats against the resolution and all Republicans in favor of it.
On the House floor, Kupper described the resolution as the fullest realization of bodily autonomy. The representative said the resolution wouldn’t stop the refusal of admission to those who are actively sick or infected.
“No state in this nation has ever asked its voters whether they want the ability to make their own medical decisions or whether they want the state to make medical decisions for them, and that’s a travesty,” said Kupper. “It just doesn’t allow the state to prescribe the method in which you want to better yourself.”
On Monday, Jacobs and visiting U of A professor James Alwine issued an opinion article accusing Kupper and other Republican lawmakers of regressing healthcare in the state.
The two professors argued that an increase in the unvaccinated population would cause vaccines to be less effective due to increased viral and bacterial mutations. Jacobs and Alwine claimed the number of dead and permanently disabled children would increase.
Ultimately, Jacobs and Alwine declared that medical freedom had no place in civilized society.
“This is the disastrous consequence of ‘medical freedom,’ where the right to life and liberty is ignored in order to boost a selfish agenda,” said Jacobs and Alwine. “‘Medical freedom’ is the antithesis of community, but Arizona Republicans do not seem to care about that.”
Jacobs indicates from her other online postings that she generally believes those who lean right politically have criminal behaviors.
In a more recent repost, Jacobs advocated for ICE agents accused of placing bets on detainees most likely to die by suicide to be sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which imposes punishments on individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
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