by Staff Reporter | May 26, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals that assault constitutes the crime most commonly committed in Arizona.
An analysis of the latest data available on the Law Enforcement Agency Reported Crime Analysis Tool (LEARCAT), a Bureau of Justice Statistics database, found nearly 38,700 incidents of simple assault in 2024. This data is limited to the state’s participating law enforcement agencies.
Simple assault refers to both assaults and attempted assaults where the perpetrator didn’t use a weapon or where the victim didn’t sustain a serious or aggravated injury. This classification includes stalking, intimidation, coercion, and hazing, per the FBI.
The research, conducted by the Injury Lawyer Team, estimated that simple assaults occurred about once every 14 minutes in the state.
The second-most common crime reported in Arizona was shoplifting (30,800 incidents), followed by destruction, damage, or vandalism of property (27,500 incidents); drug equipment violations (27,400 incidents); all other larceny (21,100 incidents); drug or narcotic violations (21,000 incidents); motor vehicle theft (10,500 incidents); aggravated assault (10,100 incidents); theft from a motor vehicle (10,100 incidents); and burglary and breaking and entering (9,700 incidents).
Arizona experiencing simple assault as its most common crime was consistent with the national trend. In 2024, there were over two million recorded incidents of simple assault nationwide. 28 states reported simple assault as their most common crime.
Preliminary data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program reflected a decline in violent crime in 2025 so steep that it could prove historical, per FBI Director Kash Patel. Overall, violent crime was predicted to have decreased by an estimated 9%.
“The 2025 crime data in this report shows the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937 – as well as huge decreases across the board in terms of aggravated assault, rape, and robbery,” said Patel. “Over the last 14 months, we made major transformations at the FBI, and these results show those changes are working. This FBI will continue to stack these wins for the American people under President Trump and always Back the Blue every step of the way.”
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased by an estimated 18%; rape decreased by an estimated 7%; robbery decreased by an estimated 18%; and aggravated assault decreased by an estimated 7%.
The program received data from more than 17,000 agencies representing 96% of the population (in 2024, the program relied on data from nearly 16,700 agencies).
Part of this preliminary steep decline came from data submitted by the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix police reflected a decline in violent crime, including homicide, over the last few years.
2025 had 1,000-plus fewer incidents of violent crime reported than 2024.
Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) data agrees with this pattern of decline in violent crimes reflected by Phoenix police. AZDPS reported that violent crime — more than 27,100 cases with 44% clearance rate — declined by more than 13% compared to 2024.
AZDPS data also reflected an overall decline in violent crime over the past five years.
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by Staff Reporter | May 25, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes advised the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to ignore Recorder Justin Heap’s claim of exclusive authority on drop box establishment.
Mayes sent a letter to the board and Heap on Friday claiming Heap’s counsel had made “unfounded threats of criminal liability” for telling the board that they would face felony charges for managing ballot drop boxes.
Mayes cited the state’s current and past two Elections Procedures Manuals (EPMs) to back her assessment. The EPMs recognized that boards of supervisors or their designees approve all ballot drop-off locations and drop-boxes.
“Justin Heap is wrong about drop boxes,” said Mayes. “He should immediately work with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in good faith to ensure a well run [sic] election.”
Notice from Heap’s counsel closely preceded a vote taken by the board earlier this week to designate 12 drop box locations throughout the county for the upcoming primary election in July. These drop boxes are scheduled to become active at the end of June.
Heap claimed the board never consulted him about the proposed drop box locations.
Heap has maintained that the board unlawfully awarded themselves control over ballot drop boxes, according to a recent ruling from the Arizona Superior Court.
The board was ruled to have unlawfully usurped the recorder’s elections authority and resources. The court determined the board didn’t have the “plenary authority” it claimed over elections administration, and ordered the board to restore key elections functions and resources to the recorder, especially the IT staff, servers, databases, software, and elections systems.
“The Court has already ruled that the Board does not have unlimited authority over elections, yet it continues attempting to exercise powers Arizona law assigns to the Recorder,” said Heap.
Heap also claimed the board tried to bring him into their meeting for “a surprise public interrogation” on short notice.
The board plans to appeal the ruling; Heap expressed concern that ongoing litigation this late in the election season will cause legal and operational issues.
Vice chair of the board, Debbie Lesko, told “The Conservative Circus” on Friday that she and the rest of the board have worked earnestly “in good faith” to avoid this ongoing court battle with Heap. Lesko argued that it wasn’t possible for the board to abide by the superior court ruling.
“This is really complicated and it’s not black and white,” said Lesko. “There’s competing state laws that say both the recorder and the elections department have jurisdiction over the same exact election procedures in some cases.”
On Thursday, Lesko and Chair Kate Brophy McGee petitioned Heap in a public statement and letter to agree to public, recorded meetings to negotiate elections administration.
The letter claimed that certain progress between the board’s elections department and recorder’s office concerning this month’s jurisdictional elections and the July primary elections were later refused by Heap.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 24, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona State University (ASU) will be offering more affordable bachelor’s degrees to the 2.1 million community college students in California.
ASU announced on Tuesday that it was expanding the California Community College Achievement Plan (CCCAP) to create transfer pathways at all 116 community colleges in California.
The university decided to capitalize on the small transfer rate (10%) of California students going from community college to a four-year university.
ASU’s chief operations officer for EdPlus, Casey Evans, said this expansion was a critical investment in California’s future.
“We believe access to higher education should not be limited by geography or cost,” said Evans. “The California Community College Achievement Plan expands opportunity statewide, creating more accessible pathways through ASU Online for students to earn their degrees and contribute to California’s future.”
EdPlus oversees ASU Online in addition to:
- NeoSTEM, a platform combining personalized instruction tools Orchard and Digit for STEM students;
- Study Hall, a platform awarding reduced-cost college credits through YouTube videos;
- Dreamscape Learn, integrating virtual reality into courses;
- The ASU+GSV Summit;
- Zai Xian, a Chinese version of ASU Online offering non-English degrees in Mandarin to Chinese-speaking students;
- Cintana Education, a partnership opening up ASU resources, courses, and support with other universities that are part of the Cintana Alliance;
- Baobab, a platform providing networking, growth, and career development to Mastercard Foundation Scholars;
- e-SHE, an educational program for Ethiopians;
- Air Force Global College, a program providing professional development to Air Force servicemembers;
- Partnership with University of Tennessee, Knoxville to expand degree pathways and course catalogs;
- The Hall of Teachers project at the Bishop Museum in Hawai’i;
- The Earned Admission program; and,
- Tuition-coverage partnerships for Starbucks, Uber, and InStride employees.
California community college students receive a special tuition rate of $450 per credit hour. The regular tuition per credit hour for ASU Online undergraduate is about $600.
Meaning, online undergraduates who transfer from California community colleges save more than 20% on tuition compared to what Arizona residents pay.
ASU also prioritizes the maximization of transfer credits and personalized support for the program. Personalized support available to CCCAP students includes advisors, career services, and success coaches.
Only students who earned an associate degree or at least 30 credits from a California community college qualify for CCCAP.
ASU launched the pilot program of the CCCAP last fall. At the time, 26 community colleges in California were part of the pilot program.
Daniel Walden, the CEO of Victor Valley College, one of California’s community colleges, said CCCAP greatly benefits California residents and communities. The ASU News feature of the CCCAP expansion made no mention of impact to Arizonans or their communities.
“This partnership with ASU Online creates a clear and affordable path for our graduates to reach their goals, enrich their lives and strengthen our communities,” said Walden.
The latest financial aid report from the Arizona Board of Regents (issued 2021) found that 55 percent of ASU undergraduates graduated in debt.
Over 15,000 students in California already attend ASU’s online schooling.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 23, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
An Arizona mother says the state’s universal school choice program ensured the successes of her nine children.
Andrea attested that the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program allowed her family to have choice in the education of their nine children after she and her husband lost their jobs.
“It was a hard time to be able to pay for homeschool; we would have had to put our kids in a public school, and it was really stressing us out,” said Andrea.
Andrea told America’s Women that the job her husband acquired following his job loss didn’t provide enough income to cover the costs of homeschooling. The prospect of forcing her children to enter “a one-size-fits-all system” worried her; Andrea said the ESA program allowed her to provide her children with unique opportunities and freedoms not available within public education.
“Homeschooling with ESA has opened doors beyond traditional education. Our children have the opportunity to learn through real-life experiences — hiking in nature, visiting museums, and engaging in hands-on learning that brings lessons to life,” said Andrea. “They can move at their own pace, receive one-on-one attention, and explore interests that will shape their future paths and careers.”
As of Monday, the ESA program reported surpassing 101,500 students. The program also reported the enrollment of 3,300 new students for the next school year.
The ESA program may undergo reforms from two propositions gathering signatures to make it onto the November ballot: the Protect Education Act and the Reform and Accountability Act. Each would need 256,000 signatures to make it onto the ballot.
The Protect Education Act would impose an income cap on enrollment in the ESA program, in addition to eliminating the rollover of funding. This proposition is backed by two big critics of school choice: the state’s main teachers union, Arizona Education Association, and the nonprofit Save Our Schools Arizona.
Under the reforms on this proposal, qualified schools and tutors would have to pay fees and register annually with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Qualified schools must be accredited or administer state assessments, and the state would have greater oversight of nonpublic schools receiving ESA funds.
The Reform and Accountability Act would mandate the ADE to establish an online marketplace payments system starting July 2027. The proposed system would limit ESA purchases to approved vendors. This would eliminate the current system, in which parents rely on reimbursements and debit cards.
The program would need to issue quarterly reports to the attorney general detailing vendor payments, family disqualifications, and recovered funds. As part of that crackdown on misspending, this ballot measure would permanently disqualify parents from the program who intentionally misuse school choice funding.
Students not enrolled full-time at a qualified school would need to participate in an approved examination to gain entry to the ESA program. Then, the ADE would need to maintain lists of approved examinations and curricula.
The American Federation for Children has backed this proposition.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 22, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) described masturbating inside portable toilets and other sexually deviant behaviors involving restrooms as typical military behaviors.
Gallego made the claim in defense of Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Reddit posts made by Platner, a Marine veteran, described his habit of masturbating into portable toilets and appreciating the explicit graffiti to be found in restrooms.
Fox News first reported these online confessions issued by Platner on his now-deleted Reddit account, “P-Hustle.” These and other posts were retrieved from an archive of Platner’s Reddit account spanning over a decade maintained by the Maine Monitor.
“I still have to jerk off every time I sit in a portash*tter,” wrote Platner in a 2017 post. “That blue water smell conditioned me.”
In another post from 2021, Platner wrote praise for graffiti depicting penises.
Platner posted on Reddit from the ages of 24 to 37.
Gallego described as “relatable” Platner’s confessed practice of public masturbation and public discussions indicating appreciation for explicit sexual graffiti.
“Did Fox News talk to any grunt or deployed Marine before posting?” said Gallego. “If the goal is to make him more relatable to veterans than mission accomplished.”
Other military veterans in the Senate begged to differ with Gallego’s take on Platner.
Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Navy SEAL and Republican, advised others to avoid using restrooms after Gallego.
“Mental note — don’t use the Senate men’s room after Ruben,” said Sheehy.
It was also on Reddit that Platner revealed he’d rubbed elbows with the late congressman Raúl Grijalva while working in Washington, D.C. sometime between 2011 and 2017.
“Raul used to drink in a bar I frequented/worked at right on the hill. Hell of a nice guy, we used to hang on the patio bullsh*tting about politics and whatnot while smoking a few cigarettes,” said Platner in a 2020 post. “I knew the guy six months, and one day someone walks past and greets him as ‘congressman.’ He’d never mentioned it. All around good people and a no sh*t public servant[.]”
Gallego has come to Platner’s defense before. Gallego endorsed Platner despite the latter wearing a Nazi military tattoo, pledging allegiance to socialism, identifying as Antifa, and disparaging white rural Americans. For close to 20 years, Platner had on his chest a tattoo of the Totenkopf, or “death’s head,” image used by Nazi troops.
It was that tattoo, critics say, that resulted in the Marine Corps refusing his reentry to active duty in 2009.
Just last month, Gallego was distancing himself from the sexual misconduct, assault, and rape allegations against former congressman and former California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell.
Gallego and Swalwell were best friends for a decade leading up to the allegations against the latter. When Swalwell ran for president in 2019, Gallego was his campaign chair.
Initially, Gallego had come to Swalwell’s defense.
“When you are in first place, is when they target you,” said Gallego. “Eric is a fighter and he will win the Governors race.”
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