by Staff Reporter | Apr 3, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A federal appeals court rejected Republican lawmakers’ effort to undo a million-acre monument near the Grand Canyon.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld former President Joe Biden’s designation of the monument. Biden issued a proclamation establishing the monument on land surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park. The former president justified its creation as a means of conservation and deference to Native American tribe history.
The acreage is now referred to as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
The monument name comes from two of the Native American tribes who lived in the region: the Havasupai (Baaj Nwaavjo, meaning “where Indigenous peoples roam,” and I’tah Kukveni meaning “our ancestral foot prints”).
The designation further shielded the acreage from mining operations, first prohibited in 2012 under a Department of Interior (DOI) ban lasting until at least 2032.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service jointly manage the monument.
The initial announcement prompted lawmakers to call Biden’s proclamation a “dictator-style land grab” and “government overreach” that had the potential to impact national security.
Arizona legislative leaders, State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, Mohave County, and the towns of Colorado City and Fredonia sued to reverse the designation in 2024.
The three local governments argued the monument would hurt the potential of future tax revenues, pending the DOI ban lapsing after 2032. Colorado City also argued the water supply coming from an aquifer under the monument could be infringed if federal actors decided to restrict it.
Arizona lawmakers and the state treasurer argued the monument designation limited their ability to sell, lease, set royalty rates, and set values for the land. They also argued the designation forced them to divert resources to address the effects of the monument.
As to the ban on uranium mining, all against the designation claimed economic harm would occur due to the potential for higher energy prices in the future.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected all of those arguments in a ruling issued on Wednesday. The judges found their claims to be speculative.
Apart from the physical land management provided by BLM, the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument is overseen by a Monument Advisory Committee (MAC).
The MAC, established in the fall of 2024, has 15 members:
- Luke Thompson, Arizona Game and Fishing Department representative;
- Jason Chavez, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ tribal affairs director;
- Patrice Horstman, Coconino County Board of Supervisors member;
- Angelita Bulletts, BLM district manager and Paiute tribal member;
- Bennett Wakayuta, Hualapai tribal member;
- Lena Fowler, Coconino County Board of Supervisors member and Navajo tribal member;
- Forrest Radarian, a high school science teacher representing outdoor recreations;
- Amanda Podmore, a conservationist with Grand Canyon Trust;
- James “Jim” Unmacht, executive director of Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation;
- Kathryn Leonard, state historic preservation officer with Arizona State Parks and Trails;
- Clare Aslan, associate professor and director of Northern Arizona University’s school of earth and sustainability;
- Sherre Finicum, a rancher;
- Clarinda Vail, mayor of the town of Tusayan; and
- Members of the public Dale Barlow and Lydia Breunig.
Their terms are set to expire in 2027 or 2028. It doesn’t appear that the MAC has conducted any meetings.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 2, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ former division chief was sentenced to probation for theft on Wednesday.
Vanessa Paice Dailey (formerly Hickman) stole a misdelivered package containing $40,000 in jewelry last May. Out of all the jewelry in the package, Dailey failed to return a diamond bracelet worth $2,400. The package belonged to one of Dailey’s neighbors.
Records reflected that Dailey had sold an identical diamond bracelet on Poshmark for $750. As part of her sentencing, Dailey was ordered to pay that money back.
The attorney general’s office placed Dailey on administrative leave in November; shortly after, Dailey resigned.
The name change from Hickman to Dailey reflected the finalization of her divorce, which occurred when she was placed on leave. It was during those proceedings that Hickman admitted to attending an alcohol abuse outpatient treatment program while working full-time for Mayes.
Dailey pleaded guilty last month to the charges of theft and facilitation to commit trafficking in stolen property.
Not only did Mayes let Dailey go under controversial circumstances, she hired her under dubious circumstances as well.
The city of Peoria warned Mayes about hiring Dailey back in 2023. City leaders alleged Dailey, who became their city attorney in 2018, was guilty of serious misconduct to include fraud.
Mayes dismissed the warning as a “political stunt.”
The city later sued Dailey, accusing her of paying herself a six-figure severance to which she wasn’t entitled. That lawsuit is ongoing. Dailey filed a countersuit, which the Maricopa County Superior Court dismissed.
Dailey’s work as city attorney can be tied to one high-profile murder case that occurred this year.
As AZ Free News reported, it was under Dailey that a man released from a weapons charge later committed the widely-reported deadly shooting of a man at a Phoenix gas station in January.
City of Peoria prosecutors dismissed a deadly weapons charge against Deondre Stephen Franklin, 25, in 2020. Franklin was under 21 years old at the time. The court allowed Franklin to undergo substance abuse evaluation and education instead of jail time.
The murder case against Franklin is ongoing.
Dailey’s arrest and other key events have prompted Arizona’s legislative leaders to scrutinize Mayes publicly.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14), attorney general candidate, accused Mayes of maintaining a culture of misconduct, corruption, and political weaponization.
“Mayes’ office had been warned by the city of Peoria nearly two years earlier about serious allegations against Hickman — including fraud, conversion, and breach of fiduciary duty — yet Mayes kept her in a position of authority,” said Petersen.
Mayes also faced criticism over her ongoing prosecution of the 2020 electors for Trump. Republican leaders say the timeline connecting donations from the Democratic Attorneys General Association and key actions undertaken by Mayes in the case amounted to corruption.
Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ08) asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate those appearances of bribery and prosecutorial misconduct.
“Many of the individuals involved in this scheme have engaged in highly questionable activity, and as I wrote in my letter to Attorney General Bondi, their rogue and unethical conduct is not isolated to Arizona,” said Hamadeh. “As a former prosecutor, it is unimaginable to me that these officers of the court allegedly conspired to deny citizens their fundamental constitutional rights. Yet, it appears that is exactly what happened.”
That request was made in November. The DOJ has not announced any investigation into Mayes.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 1, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A Northern Arizona University (NAU) fraternity leader faces a felony for the hazing death of a pledge.
The Coconino County Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of Carter Thomas Eslick, 20, last Friday. Eslick was the “new member educator” (or, “pledge master”) for Theta Omega chapter of their fraternity, Delta Tau Delta (DTD), at NAU. Eslick faces a class four felony for hazing, which carries a prison term between one and nearly four years for a first offense.
In January, 18-year-old freshman Colin Daniel Martinez died from alcohol poisoning under the watch of NAU DTD leaders. Martinez was a pledge candidate attending an exclusive “Spring Rush ‘26” party at an off-campus DTD house. “Rush” refers to the recruitment process for sororities and fraternities. Martinez was one of four pledges to attend the party.
Eslick was arrested on suspicion of hazing following Martinez’s death along with two other executive DTD members: vice president Ryan Wiley Creech, 20, and treasurer Riley Michael Cass, 20. Neither Creech or Cass currently face charges.
“The loss of a young person is always a tragedy,” said Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker. “Our hearts are with Colin Martinez’s family, and we will diligently pursue this case toward a just resolution.”
Per court documents, the pledges were ordered to bring warm clothing, pillow cases, and phone chargers to the party. The pledges were transported to the party blindfolded using pillowcases over their heads. In order to complete their initiation, DTD ordered the pledges to drink the entirety of two handles of vodka together: that’s about a gallon of vodka, or around 80 shots.
Records reflect DTD members observed Martinez as unresponsive on an air mattress, but waited hours to contact police.
When police responded the morning after the party, they discovered Martinez had a blood alcohol content of .425 percent: over five times the legal limit. Paramedics arrived after, but Martinez died at the scene. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed Martinez’s death to alcohol poisoning.
DTD International issued a statement condemning the hazing incident. The organization placed the local chapter on indefinite suspension, then voted to close the chapter.
“Our position on hazing is clear: it is the antithesis of brotherhood and a violation of the values of Delta Tau Delta,” said DTD International.
Arizona lawmakers made it a felony crime to haze under Jack’s Law passed in 2022. In their statement, DTD International voiced support for the law.
State Sen. John Kavanaugh (R-LD3) sponsored Jack’s Law, named after Jack Culolias, a 19-year-old Arizona State University (ASU) freshman who died by drowning following an off-campus party with the ASU chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) in 2012.
ASU expelled SAE following Culolias’ death and another incident several months later involving the abandonment of an intoxicated underaged member, Aidan Mohr, at a hospital. Mohr had nearly five times the legal limit in his system.
In 2019, ASU allowed SAE to recharter following the petitions of SAE-Phoenix Alumni. SAE-Phoenix Alumni’s reintroduction to campus around August 2018 coincided with the opening of the Greek Leadership Village, an on-campus enclave dedicated to housing several dozen of the fraternities and sororities.
It didn’t take long for ASU SAE to be removed again. The chapter was suspended last October over another hazing incident concerning the nonconsensual recording and distribution of video featuring a nude female student in 2023.
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 31, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona will be fighting the Trump administration over its deregulation of motor vehicle and engine emissions.
Attorney General Kris Mayes announced her decision to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alongside a coalition of states, counties, and cities over the agency’s decision last month to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding.
The 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding followed the Supreme Court ruling Massachusetts v. EPA in 2007 granting the EPA authorization to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding resulted in emissions regulations for new motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines.
Mayes and the EPA disagree as to whether the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling and the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding were connected. Mayes maintains the decision directly gave the EPA regulatory authority, but the EPA maintains the decision merely recognized greenhouse gas emissions as air pollutants.
The EPA justified its decision based on its reading of the Clean Air Act (CAA), first established in 1965, and Supreme Court decisions overruling EPA regulations following the 2007 decision.
The EPA determined it lacked statutory authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for motor vehicles, specifically citing Section 202(a) of the CAA. Additionally, the EPA determined that its regulations “have not and cannot have any material impact on global climate change concerns, rendering them futile.”
According to the EPA, the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding served as the legal prerequisite for the Biden administration’s push toward an electric vehicle mandate and the vehicle manufacturer industry shift toward start-stop features in cars.
As a result of the EPA’s new rule, engine and vehicle manufactures won’t be obligated to measure, control, or report greenhouse gas emissions for any highway engine and vehicle. Their action grandfathered in model years manufactured prior to the rule.
The EPA estimated the rescission amounted to “the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” and would save Americans over $1.3 trillion in vehicle costs. That amounts to an estimated $2,400 in savings for new cars and trucks.
The EPA issued a notice clarifying which regulations will be impacted by their new final rule. (A full regulatory impact analysis was made available here).
Mayes accused the Trump administration of rushing the rulemaking process and “blatantly disregarding the law and science.” Mayes blamed emissions for climate change, citing Arizona’s recent years of record summer heat and wildfires.
“On the day we file this lawsuit, much of Arizona is under an extreme heat warning due to an unprecedented early heatwave that has spiked temperatures over twenty degrees above normal,” said Mayes. “It is abundantly clear that greenhouse gas pollution has fueled climate change in our state and across the entire planet. The decision by the Trump administration to rescind the Endangerment Finding will only accelerate climate change. Putting the profits of the fossil fuel industry over the future of our planet is a failure of historic proportions and we will fight it with every tool we have.”
Mayes joined the lawsuit filed by the attorneys general for 22 states and D.C.: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Their lawsuit was also joined by the governor of Pennsylvania, eight cities across seven states, and four counties across three states.
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 30, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Republic was named among the nation’s worst-performing newspapers.
The outlet belongs to Gannett Co., Inc., the largest newspaper owner in the nation. It was also one of Gannett’s worst performing papers, out of the over 300 publications the media giant owns.
The Arizona Republic had the biggest decline in circulation (19 percent) according to new data on audited major papers by the Alliance for Audited Media. Out of all the largest audited papers, the Arizona Republic came in fourth for greatest circulation losses.
The paper’s circulation dropped to 32,800 in 2025 from 40,500 in 2024.
Turning Point USA executive Tyler Bowyer attributed the paper’s decline to its political bent, allegedly against conservatives.
“I did try to warn them a lot! They still haven’t done anything to be fair and save the paper,” said Bowyer.
Last August, Gannett offered buyouts to top staff at the Arizona Republic following their closure of the Deer Valley Printing Facility, the paper’s historic printing facility in North Phoenix. Gannett moved its print operations for the paper from Deer Valley Printing to its facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Over 100 workers were laid off as a result of the closure.
That facility also printed the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Daily Sun, The New York Times, and USA Today.
Gannett wasn’t the only company to take a hit with its papers. 25 of the largest audited newspapers had an average daily print circulation decline of 12 percent last year.
The Washington Post experienced the worst year-on-year decline out of all the top papers (21 percent to 87,600), followed by the Los Angeles Times (19.8 percent to 63,500), Chicago Tribune (19.7 percent to 48,600), and finally the Arizona Republic.
Among the top 25 audited papers with the least circulation decline were the New York Post (4.2 percent to 117,000), Connecticut Post (5.3 percent to 30,700), the Mercury News (7.3 percent to 24,200), and The New York Times (8.6 percent to 228,200).
Only one out of the top 25 experienced an increase in circulation: The Villages Daily Sun (4.2 percent to 48,700).
The Arizona Republic was not among the top 50 news websites for visits in the U.S. either, according to Press Gazette data.
In 2022, Gannett executed a significant cost reduction program that yielded sizable layoffs and salary reductions at a 10 percent minimum to pay down $150 to $200 million of debt.
Those mass layoffs became pointedly evident by 2023. The Arizona Republic went from 140 employees in 2018 to less than 100 by 2023 per an analysis by NewsGuild.
In an effort to claw back some lost ground, unionized workers under the Arizona Republic spent years fighting for an agreement with Gannett to improve wages. They announced success in December 2023: Gannett promised to raise wages while preserving medical and retirement benefits for the surviving staff of the layoffs. Arizona Republic reporters unionized in 2019.
Circulation declines, layoffs, and budgeting woes have plagued the Arizona Republic in recent years despite forays into initiatives designed to boost readership and offset cost, like hiring from Report for America.
Only one out of the three Report for America corps members still works for the Arizona Republic.
Other Arizona-based outlets to receive Report for America-funded reporters were the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, KOLD-TV, Arizona PBS, Nogales International, Arizona Luminaria, Pinal Central, and Tucson Sentinel.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
