by Staff Reporter | Apr 26, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A Pima County supervisor wants the sheriff out of office after details of his past misconduct came to light.
Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz is accusing Nanos of “perpetrat[ing] a fraud” on the Pima County community for decades. Heinz has been calling for Nanos’ ouster for over a month now.
Nanos, no stranger to controversy, came under fire again for his alleged mishandling of the investigation into the apparent kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, 84. Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home nearly three months ago. As of this report, no leads about her kidnapper(s) have been made public.
Doubts over his administration of the high-profile disappearance prompted further scrutiny into Nanos’ past. The Arizona Republic reported on records indicating that Nanos falsified his resume in order to be hired by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) over 40 years ago.
Nanos is accused of failing to disclose the alleged misconduct that led to his resignation while working for the El Paso Police Department in New Mexico back in the 1980s.
Nanos received 37 days of suspension or leave for eight misconduct incidents, ranging from poor behaviors to violence. One incident yielded a 15-day suspension for allegedly beating a handcuffed robbery suspect seated in the back of a cop car with a flashlight.
According to reports, it was that latter incident that caused the El Paso Police Department to be sued and forced Nanos to resign in 1982 in lieu of termination. However, Nanos claimed on his resume that he left the El Paso Police Department in 1984.
“He’s a bad cop. He made really bad decisions, and then lied about his past to convince then-Pima County officials to hire him back in 1984. He also lied about that gap in time. He used to say 1982,” said Heinz in an interview with NewsNation. “We shouldn’t even know his name. We should not know the name Nanos.”
PCSD said in a press release issued last month that the date discrepancies were “administrative in nature” and weren’t part of an intentional effort to mislead or misrepresent Nanos’ work history.
Heinz also accused Nanos of holding a grudge against the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) over a 2015-2016 investigation into his department over the possible misuse of around $500,000 in Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) funds. That investigation ended up costing Nanos his chief deputy, who was indicted, and ultimately the sheriff’s race.
“He has held a grudge against the FBI and refused to fully work with them going forward,” said Heinz.
Heinz said it was possible this potential personal grievance by Nanos had jeopardized Guthrie’s case.
Nanos’s attorney, James Cool, said in a statement that the sheriff’s past has no bearing on his present conduct.
“Whatever the Sheriff did or did not do before being elected is necessarily unrelated to his performance of the duties of his office,” stated Cool.
During their next meeting (May 12), the Pima County Board of Supervisors plan to review a report submitted by Nanos answering questions about his employment history and current administration. The board has entertained considerations of removal proceedings, but hasn’t made any final decisions.
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 26, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The housing moratorium crippling new construction in the Valley imposed by Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration may not go on for much longer.
The Maricopa County Superior Court struck down the moratorium on Tuesday in Home Builders Association of Central Arizona v. Arizona Department of Water Resources, et al.
Under Hobbs, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued new groundwater regulations rolled out in November 2024 dubbed the “Unmet Demand Rule” and the “Depth-to Water Rule.”
Per the court, these rules went impermissibly beyond the longstanding obligation for builders outlined in Arizona law, which required assurance of sufficient groundwater supply in order for each development to take place (100 years’ worth).
ADWR imposed the rules based on a groundwater model claiming that unmet demand and exceedance of the 1,000-foot depth-to-water limit existed throughout Phoenix. In other words, their regulations meant a developer seeking a certificate for one subdivision had to answer not just for their development area, but for the water status of the entire Valley. This resulted in ADWR’s indefinite suspension on granting certificates to any developers.
The consequence of these regulations brought new home construction to a halt throughout Maricopa County. The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona (HBACA), a trade association for the residential construction and development industry, challenged ADWR’s authority to impose new rules.
ADWR attempted to style the Unmet Demand Rule as a new implementation of an old rule, but the Maricopa Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney rejected that view as an undoing of the necessary limitations of administrative agency powers.
“‘To permit this would neuter all statutory limits on agency rule-making[,]’” stated Blaney in his ruling, quoting HBACA’s argument.
Blaney also found that ADWR didn’t follow state law on agency rulemaking under the Administrative Procedures Act. Blaney invalidated both rules.
“ADWR acted unlawfully by implementing two agency rules without first complying with the mandatory provisions of the APA[,]” wrote Blaney.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) called the court ruling a win and criticized ADWR’s model justifying the overturned regulations as flawed.
“The Maricopa County Superior Court has struck down the Hobbs Administration’s attempt to impose a sweeping housing moratorium based on its flawed water model — a stinging loss for Katie Hobbs and a ruling that the state failed to follow proper legal procedures,” stated AFEC. “This is a major victory for transparency, accountability, and Arizona homeowners.”
Jonathan Riches, vice president for litigation and general counsel for the Goldwater Institute, represented the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Goldwater Institute’s vice president for legal affairs, Timothy Sandefur, hailed the ruling as a necessary check on an administrative state attempting to impose greater burdens than that which the law requires.
“The case is also a reminder of the dangerous power that the pervasive ‘administrative state’ wields over our daily lives — as unelected and unaccountable bureaucracies exert authority over every detail of construction, business, and property ownership, to cite just a few examples,” said Sandefur. “The only solution to the arbitrariness and lawlessness of these agencies is to rein in their power — and for courts to ensure that they obey the law.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 26, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 1041 with a bipartisan 41–11 vote on Wednesday, advancing legislation that would allow electronic monitoring in long-term care facilities.
According to a press release from AARP Arizona, the bill is intended to provide an additional option for families seeking to monitor the care of residents who may be unable to report abuse or neglect. The amended measure now returns to the Arizona Senate for approval.
SB 1041, if enacted, would permit residents or their representatives to install electronic monitoring devices, such as cameras, in long-term care settings under specified conditions.
The House vote follows recent media reports of an alleged abuse incident involving a long-term care worker and a resident with dementia
“This legislation gives families an additional option to help protect residents who may not be able to speak for themselves,” said Dana Marie Kennedy, state director of AARP Arizona, in the release.
Kennedy cited a recent incident involving the alleged abuse of a dementia patient, which, according to the release, “came to light only after the resident’s daughter placed a camera in her mother’s room and captured what occurred, leading to the worker’s arrest.”
According to AZ Family, Gamacy Gilles, 46, was arrested and accused of abusing a dementia patient at Grand Court Senior Living in Mesa on Sunday.
“That case highlights why SB 1041 matters,” Kennedy said, “Families should not have to depend on chance or learn after the fact that a loved one was harmed.”
Kennedy said the bill builds on several years of advocacy focused on improving safety and oversight in long-term care facilities. AARP Arizona has worked on related issues since 2017, according to the organization.
AARP Arizona also acknowledged the bill’s sponsor, Wendy Rogers (R-LD6), and its House sponsor, Quang Nguyen (R-LD1), and urged the Arizona Senate to approve the measure.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 25, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The coalition behind a ballot initiative to roll back the universality of Arizona’s school choice program is facing a campaign finance complaint.
On Thursday, the Protect Education Accountability Act Now Committee (PEANC) was made subject to a complaint, reviewed by AZ Free News. PEANC was accused of falsely claiming that out-of-state contributors amounted to a mere nine percent of funding.
PEANC filed the ballot initiative, “Protect Education Act” last month. If approved, the initiative would impose an income cap on enrollment in the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, among other restrictions to include an elimination of funding rollover. The Protect Education Act superseded an earlier version, the “Protect Education, Accountability Now Act.”
In order to make the ballot, the initiative will need nearly 256,000 signatures. PEANC reported gathering over 150,000 signatures during a virtual press conference on Friday.
The complainant, Jack Johnson Pannell, cited a disclaimer posted to the bottom of PEANC’s website. That disclaimer reflects PEANC’s total out-of-state contributors account for only nine percent of its total funding.
Arizona law requires political action committee advertisements to disclose the aggregate percentage of out-of-state contributors as calculated at the time the advertisement was produced for publication, display, delivery, or broadcast.
Pannell’s complaint called for a declaration that PEANC violated Arizona campaign finance disclosure law and an action against the committee.
Pannell said on X that Arizona families deserve the truth behind PEANC. Pannell is the founder of Trinity Arch Prep School for Boys, a microschool.
“More than 100,000 families are choosing great options for educating their children,” said Pannell. “It’s a cheap shot to accuse hardworking people of cheating the system. It just ain’t true.”
Contrary to this disclaimer, campaign finance records reveal that 98 percent — $4.5 million, or nearly all of PEANC’s $4.6 million in funding — have come from special interest groups in Washington, D.C.
That $4.5 million came from the National Education Association in four allotments delivered throughout February and March. The first payments from the NEA (over $2.3 million) came on February 13 — exactly a week after PEANC registered their website domain.
The earliest available archived version of the site captured on February 12 reflected an out-of-state contributions disclosure totaled at 50 percent.
Other major donors included the Arizonans For Quality Education ($50,000), Nita and Phil Francis ($25,000), and Arizona Education Association ($10,000).
99 percent of AFQE’s funding has come from “shadow sponsors”: unnamed corporations and LLCs. The remainder of the funding, less than half of a percent, came from Christopher Kotterman on behalf of the Friends of ASBA.
Kotterman became a senior policy advisor for Gov. Katie Hobbs in late 2024.
Phil Francis is the retired chairman and CEO of PetSmart; Nita Francis formerly chaired the Valleywise Health Foundation board.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Justan Rice as the current chairman of Arizonans For Quality Education (AFQE). Rice left AFQE in June 2025 before the donation to PEANC was made.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Apr 25, 2026 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) announced his letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to adopt common-sense reforms to the VA Home Loan Guarantee Program.
The goal is to eliminate outdated bureaucratic hurdles, reduce unnecessary costs, and better align the program with today’s competitive housing market so more young veterans can achieve the American Dream of homeownership.
In a formal letter to Secretary Collins, Congressman Hamadeh highlighted the Trump administration’s strong progress in refocusing the Department of Veterans Affairs on its core mission: delivering timely benefits, expanding access to quality care, slashing the claims backlog, and eliminating waste. Building on that momentum, Hamadeh expressed confidence that practical improvements to the home loan program will receive serious consideration.
“As my fellow veteran and Committee member, Congressman Van Orden said in our hearing on the subject, we must find ways to eliminate the unnecessary administrative costs of the VA Home Loan program and better align it with other Federal housing programs,” said Congressman Hamadeh. “My family is in real estate. I am very familiar with housing, and I know the unintended consequences of bureaucratic policies that have little to no protective value and ignore the realities of the marketplace.”
Congressman Hamadeh’s recommendations focus on four key areas where the VA Home Loan program lags behind other federal housing programs, such as FHA and USDA loans:
Ending Origination Fee Stacking: VA rules cap lender origination and administrative fees at 1% of the loan amount, intended to cover all lender labor and overhead. However, veterans report lenders charging the full 1% while adding separate itemized fees for processing, underwriting, and other services. This practice amounts to an unfair cash grab that increases costs for veterans and should be strictly enforced.
Modernizing Underwriting Process: The VA continues to rely heavily on manual underwriting, resulting in average closing times of about 10 business days. In contrast, the FHA has implemented semi-automated systems that can approve straightforward loans in as little as 2 to 7 days. The Mortgage Bankers Association has testified that automated underwriting would accelerate the process and help reduce the perception that VA loans are slower and more cumbersome.
Raising the Seller Concessions Cap: The VA currently limits seller concessions to 4% of the home’s reasonable value. Both FHA and USDA programs allow up to 6%. In competitive markets, this 2-percentage point difference can mean the difference between a veteran’s offer being accepted or denied.
Addressing Appraiser Shortages Through Reasonable Certification Requirements: The VA has identified 436 counties in 31 states facing appraiser shortages that delay loans and drive up costs. A major contributor is the VA’s stringent experience requirement of 3 to 5 years for certification, compared to just 12 to 18 months for FHA and USDA programs. Aligning standards would increase the pool of qualified appraisers, shortening waiting times and lowering fees.
These targeted reforms would remove barriers without compromising program integrity, helping young veterans secure homes more efficiently and affordably. By modernizing the program, VA can better fulfill its promise to those men and women who have sacrificed for our country.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 25, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Chamber of Southern Arizona announced Tuesday that Alison Flynn Gaffney, chief executive officer of Banner – University Medicine Tucson, will serve as chair of its Board of Directors beginning July 1, 2026.
Gaffney oversees more than 8,000 employees across Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, Banner – University Medical Center South, Diamond Children’s Medical Center, and 28 clinics in Tucson and surrounding communities, according to the organization. Banner – University Medical Center Tucson was ranked the No. 4 hospital in Arizona and the top hospital in Tucson for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.
According to a press release from the Chamber, Gaffney will succeed current board chair and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) CEO Susan Gray, who has served in the role during the organization’s recent merger of Sun Corridor Inc. and the Tucson Metro Chamber.
“Susan Gray did a tremendous job, and I am excited to continue the momentum she helped build,” Gaffney said. “The Chamber is a strong organization, and I look forward to contributing to its mission to help our communities and businesses flourish.”
Gray said the combined organization has focused on economic development and business advocacy.
“I am immensely proud of the work over the last two years,” Gray said. “With The Chamber of Southern Arizona, we have created a new powerhouse organization driving sustainable economic growth and job creation.”
Chamber President and CEO Joe Snell said the organization is focused on regional competitiveness and economic development.
“We’re excited to welcome Alison as Chair,” Snell said. “We’re at a critical juncture where regionalism, competitiveness, and leveraging our region’s strengths for economic development success are top focus areas.”
The Chamber also announced three new members to its Board of Directors: Jose Arias, Vice President of Business Banking at First Citizens Bank; Marco Melancon, General Manager of Bombardier Aviation’s Tucson Service Center; and retired Gen. Robin Rand, President and CEO of the Kyl Institute for National Security.
According to the organization, the Chamber of Southern Arizona represents businesses employing approximately 85,000 people and works with leaders from the private sector, government, nonprofit organizations, and academia on economic development, advocacy, and public policy initiatives.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
