by Staff Reporter | May 28, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A heartwarming scene unfolded in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport over the weekend.
The Cisneros family of Phoenix welcomed home their loved one after six months at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina: Marine Corporal Josue Cisneros. The young Marine was able to return home in time for a Memorial Day gathering with family, as well as his sister’s graduation and his own birthday.
The nonprofit organization Miles for Military made the reunion possible. This Massachusetts-based nonprofit covers the cost of flights home to the most junior service members in exchange for volunteer hours with 501c3 charities. These flights home enable service members to be home for the moments that matter most: holidays, family celebrations, and emergencies.
Cisneros expressed how great of an honor it is to wear the uniform and serve his country, and his gratitude for Miles for Military. Along with his family and friends, Cisneros told Fox 10 he planned to save some quality time for man’s best friend: his loyal dog.
“My family, they mean the world to me. It’s really great to be honest,” said Cisneros. “If it wasn’t for Miles for Military I would not be able to be here for the next two weeks, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity they gave me.”
Marine mother Maureen Byrne founded Miles for Military in 2021 after discovering many of her son’s fellow Marines couldn’t afford to fly home.
Cisneros is part of a storied legacy of Arizonans who take up the noble cause of serving their country, knowing they will potentially make the ultimate sacrifice.
While Cisneros was able to return home to his family this Memorial Day, we acknowledge and remember those who never came home.
Approximately 25,000 American soldiers died during the Revolutionary War — the first to give their lives in defense of America.
Over the next century, more war would challenge the resolve of the fledgling nation: approximately 2,400 American soldiers died in the War of 1812; over 13,000 soldiers died in the Mexican-American War; and over 2,400 soldiers died in the Spanish-American War. Then, America endured what remains the bloodiest conflict in her young history.
An estimated 360,000 Union soldiers and 250,000 Confederate soldiers died during the Civil War. Some of those residing in the Arizona territory ultimately joined the Confederacy.
The Civil War would inspire the first recognition of a Memorial Day in 1868, initially known as Decoration Day.
Of course, Arizona wouldn’t come to be a state until 1912 — just two years before the breakout of the first World War, and five years before the U.S. joined the conflict.
According to the best available data, the following are the total numbers of Arizonans who gave the ultimate sacrifice across the wars of the last and present century: over 300 during World War I, over 1,600 during World War II, over 200 during the Korean War, over 600 during the Vietnam War, five during the Persian Gulf War, and over 150 across the recent conflicts throughout the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan.
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by Staff Reporter | May 28, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Mesa Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury may face a special election within the first year of her second term.
Organizers with Turning Point Action (TPA), the activist arm of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, provided the manpower for the signature gathering effort to initiate Spilsbury’s recall. A resident, JoAnne Robbins, launched the recall effort.
Robbins submitted over 5,200 signatures to remove Spilsbury, according to TPA COO Tyler Bowyer. The recall effort needed about 3,100 signatures by Friday in order to launch a special election.
Bowyer said Spilsbury was to blame for the declining quality of living and rising cost of living in the area.
“Julie Spilsbury let Mesa down,” said Bowyer. “She has politicized her office and has voted for terrible things that make Mesa a worse place and more expensive.”
A now-defunct TPA webpage notified Arizonans of “Super Chase Events” to gather signatures for the recall effort.
Residents blame Spilsbury — a self-identified Republican who endorsed two Democratic candidates last year, Kamala Harris for president and Ruben Gallego for U.S. Senate — for the homelessness crisis plaguing the city.
Robbins launched the recall based on three specific “yes” votes taken by Spilsbury between 2023 and 2024: approval of a permit to convert a hotel into a homeless housing program, increasing city council salaries, and increasing Mesa utility rates.
Spilsbury’s main defense of these votes is that two of the three were unanimous.
Violent crimes have increased over the past five years, with an increase of nearly eight percent in violent crimes in 2024 compared to 2023, per Arizona Department of Public Safety data. Overall crime increased by over two percent from 2023 to 2024. Still, Mesa Police say the city remains one of the safest among large municipalities; Assistant Chief Lee Rankin told the city council during a study session last month that Mesa remains a family-friendly community.
“While the city has seen a slight 2.5% uptick in crime compared to similarly sized cities, those who live, work, and play in Mesa enjoy a safe and vibrant community,” said Rankin. “With a strong focus on safety measures and community engagement the city continues to be a place where people can thrive and enjoy all the city has to offer.”
Estimates place Mesa’s cost of living at about seven percent higher than the national average, and housing expenses around nine percent higher than the national average.
In response to the recall, Spilsbury issued a rebuttal of the charges against her on her campaign website.
The councilwoman accused her opponents of being “angry” she defeated their “handpicked candidate” last year and belonging to “an outside special interest group” funded with out-of-state dark money.
Spilsbury laid claim to several changes that occurred since first being elected to the council in 2020: lowered police and fire response times, high quality development, and job creation by the thousands.
“[The recall effort petitioners] don’t care about Mesa, its people, or our issues. And, they are resorting to distortions, misrepresentations, and outright lies to win this time,” stated Spilsbury.
Spilsbury was reelected by default last November, having defeated her primary opponent Melody Whetstone by a margin of over 30 percent. Spilsbury’s second term runs until 2029.
Spilsbury chairs the Community and Cultural Development Committee, sits on the Public Safety Committee, and vice chairs the Education and Workforce Development Roundtable.
Spilsbury also sits on the other following boards and committees: Human Resources and Elections Policy Committee for the Arizona League of City and Towns General Administration, Children’s Alliance Board, idea Museum Board of Directors, MesaCAN Board, Mesa United Way Board of Directors, Arizona Talks Advisory Board, and the Education and Families Council as well as the Finance, Administration, and Intergovernmental Relations Federal Advocacy Committee for the National League of Cities.
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, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County leaders are considering a $400,000 consulting contract to review and advise on elections.
The county is looking to contract with the accounting and consulting firm BerryDunn. The proposed contract would last for one year, with options to renew for up to four additional years. The contract also allows for the county to extend the contract on a monthly basis for up to six months after May 2026.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to decide on this contract during Wednesday’s meeting. They opted to delay a decision on the contract until their June 25 meeting.
BerryDunn has previously engaged in elections-related projects for the county. The firm conducted a procurement audit for the county’s voting system and related equipment in 2021, and an assessment of the county recorder’s election planning and Election Day activities following the 2018 primary and general elections.
Talks to secure a consulting firm for another audit of the county’s elections system emerged at the start of this year immediately after a slate of fresh faces took over the board of supervisors.
If approved, BerryDunn would review six areas of the county’s elections system with the goal of improving its efficiency: chain of custody, physical security, candidate filing compliance, temporary worker hiring and training, ballot drop boxes, and vote center selection and setup. In terms of efficiency, BerryDunn promised competency in assessing risk and analyzing trends while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.
The proposed timeline spans three phases promising 12 deliverables: planning and oversight for the first four weeks, discovery and fieldwork for the following 14 weeks, and reporting for the final seven weeks.
In its pitch to the county for the contract, BerryDunn pointed to the size of past clientele: 650 state, local, and quasi-governmental clients nationwide. Among those, BerryDunn completed election-related engagements for the New Hampshire secretary of state from 2020 to 2021 concerning its CARES Act elections assistance and grant management.
Within Maricopa County, BerryDunn has undertaken other non-elections projects over the last decade: the Adobe Dam Recreation Center Feasibility Study, Adult Probation Case Management Consultant, Adult Probation Department – Victim Services Review, Cyber Security Risk Assessment for the Judicial Branch, Housing Choice Voucher Forensic Audit Services for the Housing Authority, Information Security Program Maturity Assessment, Parks Fee Analysis, Regional County Parks Master Planning Services, and Sheriff’s Office Bonds, Fines, and Court Order Processing Audit.
Aside from Maricopa County, BerryDunn has contracted with many local and state entities within Arizona in the past: the Departments of Agriculture, Economic Security (and its Division Of Developmental Disabilities), and Health Services; the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System; the State Land Department; Coconico, Maricopa, and Pima counties; the cities of Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, and Tucson; and the towns of Gilbert, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, and Sahuarita.
Several months ago, BerryDunn entered a $7.25 million class action lawsuit settlement over a 2023 data breach affecting over 1.1 million individuals. The data breach compromised the names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and health insurance policy numbers for the affected individuals.
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, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Editor’s Note: A Higley Unified School District spokesperson has denied that the Quran was taught to Pre-K students. The spokesperson has claimed that that social media post (see below) was due to an autocorrect error that changed Qatar to Quran. AZ Free News attempted to recreate the autocorrect error with no success. A search of Google AI indicates that “Qatar” is not likely to autocorrect to “Quran.”
An East Valley school is coming under fire from parents for teaching the Quran to pre-kindergarten students.
Children involved in the PreK THINK! Highly Gifted Academy at the Sossaman Early Childhood Development Center within the Higley Unified School District (HUSD) got an impromptu lesson on the Islamic religion this week.
A teacher for gifted students, Janet Williams, allowed the father of one student to teach the class about the Quran. In a picture posted by Williams to a forum frequented by parents, a father wearing Islamic garb offers the children to inspect his clothing.
“We celebrated [a student’s] birthday and his dad told us all about Quran,” said Williams.
Peggy McClain, who runs the Not in Our Schools website, questioned the legality and fairness of the school allowing a lesson on the Islamic religion.
“Where is the separation of church and state we are always lectured about?” asked McClain. “Look what happened in a Pre-K in a Higley District school, they discussed the Quran.”
A parent asked whether HUSD would allow their daughter to teach the Mormon religion to students next.
“Since you’re allowing members of the community to come in and share their religion, my daughter is a missionary for the LDS church and would love to stop by with treats and a quick message about Jesus Christ,” said the parent. “My Catholic and Jewish friends want their turn, too.”
Schools may not compel religious action, such as prayer. Coercion violates the separation of church and state, according to the advocacy group Secular Arizona. Schools may also not distribute religious materials, or present religious content as true or false, or present religious doctrines or beliefs as factual.
“It is easy for a teacher to give students the impression that submitting to an unwanted religious exercise is required, expected, or preferred, even if you don’t mean to do that,” stated Secular Arizona. “Students have an absolute right to be free from that pressure.”
Arizona’s chief executive and legal officer are vocally opposed to religious influence in public education. Both women have consistently maintained that religion in the classroom violates the “separation of church and state” — not an exact phrase enumerated in the U.S. Constitution but a concept derived from the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.
The Establishment Clause prohibits Congress from making laws establishing religion, while the Free Exercise Clause stops Congress from making laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
Last year, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill approved by the legislature to allow schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Hobbs asserted in her veto letter that the display of the Christian religious text was not only not essential for education but likely unconstitutional.
“Not only do I have serious concerns about the constitutionality of this legislation, it is also unnecessary,” said Hobbs.
Last month, Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 17 attorneys general in a legal fight before the U.S. Supreme Court against the creation of the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.
“Charter schools are not private schools – they are public schools,” said Attorney General Mayes. “Allowing religious charter schools would force states to choose between violating the Constitution or dismantling their public charter systems.”
In 2023, HUSD again irked parents when it relaxed its dress code policy to allow for clothing which expose the chest, abdomen, and midriff.
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 21, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The city of Phoenix will base its next climate, energy, and food policies on a community survey.
The city’s Office of Environmental Programs (OEP) has an ongoing survey this month in which they offer a $100 VISA gift card drawing as a reward.
The bulk of the questions provide insight as to the potential policy directions the city is looking to take to address climate, energy, and food.
The survey suggested the greatest barriers to addressing climate change may be lack of public information and education, motivation to address climate change, government mandated regulations/support, business or industry support, and public-private coordination; cost of implementation; and difficulty in changing individual behaviors.
The following were proposed incentives for public and alternative modes of transportation: increasing the options, routes, and frequencies of public busing and light rail; increasing infrastructure and safety measures for pedestrian and bicycle transportation; increasing electric vehicle infrastructure; and establishing subsidies for installing electric vehicle chargers in homes and businesses.
Potential policies for aiding in heat relief were also presented: improving access to affordable electricity to reduce electricity costs related to cooling systems; increasing shade by planting more trees and installing shade structures; incorporating heat reducing materials into construction of new or remodeled buildings; using cooling materials and techniques in street surfaces, parking lots, and roofing; and subsidizing the replacement of old cooling systems for energy efficiency.
The survey offered policy proposals for drinking water supply: offering residential and commercial tiered water rate structure plans and rebates for those who adopt water conservation and climate adaptation practices; increasing access to rainwater harvesting, water storage, and wastewater conversion infrastructure; incentivizing and subsidizing residential replacement of lawns to xeriscape or artificial grass or turf; and implementing an education initiative for residential and business/commercial/industrial water conservation.
The survey also requested some insight into residents’ current conservation practices.
Residents were asked to divulge information about their cooling and heating systems and their satisfaction with their function and cost. The survey also sought to learn residents’ financial stability, the impact of their utility bills on their finances, and energy assistance program participation.
Residents were also asked about their food acquisition and consumption practices. In relation to these questions, the survey asked residents to reflect on potential food-related policies: transportation support such as free shuttle services, transit passes, fruit and veggie home delivery; a map of community food access points such as gardens, farmers markets, food box sites; vouchers or assistance for food; neighborhood-based food outlets at corner stores, transit stops, schools, and community spaces; physical spaces to grow food in neighborhoods such as community gardens; and education programs with supplies and hands-on training for gardening.
Residents were also asked to prioritize policies to reduce the environmental impact of food reduction; encourage sustainable farming practices; reduce food insecurity and hunger; increase access to local food; prevent and reduce food waste; educate the community about healthy eating; develop opportunities for new local food businesses; and protect or add new space for farmland or greenspace.
The survey also asks respondents to share where they obtain their information on climate change, the word that comes to mind when they hear the term “climate change,” how often they think about climate change, and their feelings about climate change (whether they are worried, anxious, fearful, overwhelmed, or motivated to take action).
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