Arizona Reps. Quang Nguyen (R-LD1) and Justin Wilmeth (R-LD2) are encouraging public support for the future USS Arizona and its crew following a meeting with representatives of the foundation supporting the submarine’s commissioning and preserving the legacy of its battleship predecessor.
The lawmakers recently met with USS Arizona Legacy Foundation President Nicole LaSlavic and ship sponsor Nikki Stratton where they discussed the foundation’s work, the commissioning process, and opportunities for Arizonans to support the vessel and its sailors.
State Representative Quang Nguyen Highlights Return of USS Arizona Name to U.S. Fleet Arizonans should know about and stand behind the submarine and sailors who will carry our state’s name
“The name USS Arizona carries special meaning for the people of our state, and Arizonans… pic.twitter.com/mbIw13Yd5a
“The name USS Arizona carries special meaning for the people of our state, and Arizonans should know that name is returning to the fleet. A new generation of sailors will carry Arizona’s name around the world for decades to come,” Nguyen said. “We should be proud of them, stand behind them, and make sure the legacy of the USS Arizona and those who served aboard her is never forgotten.”
The submarine will be the first U.S. Navy warship to carry the Arizona name since USS Arizona (BB-39), which sank during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The State of Arizona is honored to have its name attached to the latest Virginia-class fast attack submarine (SSN-803). On Friday, Representative @JustinWilmethAZ and I will meet with the President of the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation and the Ship Sponsor to support the… pic.twitter.com/C0qHSPFD3P
The attack killed 1,177 sailors and Marines aboard the battleship. Its sunken hull remains at Pearl Harbor, where the USS Arizona Memorial honors the fallen service members. Retired Lt. Cmdr. Louis “Lou” Conter, the last surviving crew member from USS Arizona’s sinking at Pearl Harbor, died in 2024 at age 102.
Stratton’s connection to the project includes her own family’s history. She is the granddaughter of Donald Stratton, who survived the attack aboard the battleship. Despite severe burns that led to his discharge in 1942, he reenlisted in 1944 and returned to service in the Pacific.
At the submarine’s December 7, 2022, keel-laying ceremony in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, Nikki Stratton welded her initials onto a steel plate intended for permanent placement aboard the vessel. The ceremony marked a milestone in its construction.
The future Arizona is a Virginia-class submarine designed to include the Virginia Payload Module, an additional hull section containing four large-diameter payload tubes. The module expands the submarine’s capacity to carry weapons and other undersea payloads.
In August, the Navy announced that it would reclassify 19 planned Virginia-class submarines equipped with the module as guided-missile submarines, using the designation SSGN. The announcement identifies SSGN-803 as the first platform in that group and estimates delivery in fiscal year 2029.
Wilmeth said that the submarine’s connection to Arizona and the sailors lost at Pearl Harbor warranted public recognition and support for its future crew.
“These sailors will serve aboard a submarine named for our state and carrying the name of a vessel whose sailors made the ultimate sacrifice at Pearl Harbor. It’s important that we honor that past while focusing on the future. We want Arizonans to know who they are, take pride in their service, and stand behind them.”
The USS Arizona Legacy Foundation, established in 2021, identifies its mission as supporting commissioning activities, educating future generations about Pearl Harbor and the battleship, and maintaining a connection between the submarine’s crew and Arizona throughout the vessel’s service.
Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) Governing Board member Kurt Rohrs is calling for Board President Patti Serrano to step down, accusing her of attempting to impose a land acknowledgment at board meetings and graduation ceremonies without the board’s concurrence. His proposed resolution comes as the board is scheduled to consider approving the acknowledgment at its September 9 meeting.
The district’s current agenda lists Serrano’s proposal as Item 9.01, “Possible Action to Approve CUSD Land Acknowledgement.” The proposal requests approval to include the acknowledgment at every governing board meeting and in all district graduation ceremony programs.
The proposal initially appeared as an information item on the August 19 agenda, announcing that the practice would begin September 9. According to the district’s draft minutes, board member Ryan Heap requested that it return at the next meeting as an action item.
The district’s proposal describes the acknowledgment as a “meaningful expression of respect and recognition” honoring Indigenous peoples’ sovereignty, history, and contributions. Serrano defended the practice during the August discussion.
Rohrs’ resolution alleges that Serrano attempted to introduce the acknowledgment without the board’s agreement and created division through politically motivated activity unrelated to academic performance.
In the resolution, Rohrs wrote that Serrano “has abused her authority as Board President” and “should immediately step down as Board President and be replaced by another Board Member who can faithfully carry out those duties.” The document contains no recorded vote or adoption date.
Rohrs also criticized Serrano for declining to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the resolution. Video obtained from meeting attendees in April 2025 showed Serrano standing with her hand over her heart without reciting the pledge. The report said Serrano declined to discuss her reasons during public comment because the matter was not on the agenda and offered to follow up personally with the community member who raised it.
In his written request to remove the item, Rohrs argued that the acknowledgment would inject political and social activism into district business.
“This is an arbitrary decision that was never discussed or approved by the board,” Rohrs said during the August meeting. “There is no district policy that either requires or allows this. Land acknowledgment can be considered as a progressive socialist partisan political performance piece that has nothing to do with improving academic performance of our students.”
In his written removal request, Rohrs alleged that the acknowledgment appeared to violate provisions of A.R.S. § 15-112 and A.R.S. § 41-1494. “This statement is also divisive and promotes negative stereotypes and guilt-shaming regarding certain other ethnic groups,” he wrote.
Serrano disputed Rohrs’ contention that the acknowledgment would violate state law, arguing that the acknowledgment concerns sovereign Native nations and pointing to similar practices at Arizona’s public universities and community colleges.
The dispute also involved Rohrs’ decision to speak during public comment as a private citizen and taxpayer. The draft minutes record Serrano warning that the attorney general’s office had discouraged board members from switching roles during meetings because of potential Open Meeting Law concerns and confusion over whom they represent.
Rohrs responded that he had a right to speak and would not be intimidated into silence. Serrano said she was relaying the attorney general’s guidance and that her remarks were not intended to intimidate him, as noted in the minutes, which remain a draft pending board approval.
CUSD already maintains a “Land Acknowledgement 2025” section on its Indigenous Education Program website. The page identifies the district’s location as ancestral land of the Piipaash, Akimel O’odham, Gila River, Salt River, Pima, Maricopa, and Yaqui tribes and includes a land acknowledgment video.
Board members Barb Mozdzen and Claudia Mendoza expressed support for the acknowledgment during the August discussion, citing respect for Indigenous history, Native students, and the district’s community.
The September 9 public meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at 1525 W. Frye Road in Chandler. The action portion is tentatively scheduled for 8:20 p.m. The agenda notes that listed times are approximate.
State Representative Walt Blackman (R-LD7) is asking the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) to provide records detailing cooling system failures reported at correctional facilities in Arizona throughout August.
Blackman, who chairs the Arizona House Government Committee, said he plans to review the outages to determine which prison facilities experienced cooling failures, how long the systems were offline, and how the conditions affected correctional officers, employees, and inmates.
The review will also examine the cost of emergency repairs and whether continuing to maintain aging cooling systems is the most cost-effective option for taxpayers.
“Arizona’s prisons must remain safe, secure and operational through the summer,” stated Blackman. “Correctional officers should not be working in dangerous temperatures because critical equipment is failing, and taxpayers should not be repeatedly paying for emergency repairs without knowing whether there is a better long-term solution. Before we consider additional spending or legislative action, I want the facts.”
Rep. Walt Blackman Seeks Review of Prison Cooling Failures, Officer Safety and Taxpayer Costs Government Committee Chairman seeks records on August cooling outages and aging correctional infrastructure
Blackman intends to request information covering August 1 through August 31, including records of cooling system outages, affected facilities, the duration of outages, temperature readings, and emergency cooling measures implemented by ADCRR.
The request will also seek maintenance requests, work orders, and repair costs, as well as information about any heat-related impacts on correctional officers, employees, and inmates.
Blackman is specifically seeking information about any medical incidents or inmate relocations resulting from excessive heat. The review will also include conditions at the Lewis Prison Complex, including the Bachman, Barchey, and Stiner units.
Another focus will be the age and expected service life of existing cooling equipment. Blackman said he wants to compare the projected cost of continuing to repair aging systems with the potential cost of replacing or modernizing them.
ADCRR has an extreme heat strategy in place for the 2026 summer season that calls for regular temperature monitoring, additional checks of HVAC performance, and the use of temporary cooling equipment when air-conditioning systems become inoperable.
The department’s strategy also provides for portable fans, ice, air-conditioned cooling centers, and increased health monitoring in heat-affected areas.
Blackman said the information he receives from ADCRR will help determine whether the department’s current maintenance practices are adequately protecting employees and inmates and whether continued repairs to aging equipment remain the most cost-effective approach.
“Our correctional officers perform one of the toughest public-safety jobs in state government, and they deserve facilities where they can safely do their jobs,” said Blackman. “Conservative government means taking care of the infrastructure taxpayers already own and making sound decisions before small problems become expensive emergencies. If we are spending substantial sums every summer repairing the same aging equipment, we need to know that. If replacement would save money over the long term, we need those numbers too.”
The records will help shape Blackman’s next steps, depending on what the review finds. He said the legislature could consider additional oversight, hearings, budget discussions, or changes to how the state approaches maintenance and replacement of aging prison infrastructure.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has issued standing orders for access to the latest COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
These standing orders grant authority to authorized healthcare professionals to administer the vaccines to all individuals aged six months and older, including pregnant women.
These authorized healthcare professionals include physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses or nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. Additionally, pharmacists may delegate the administration of both vaccines to an active, licensed, trained intern and pharmacy technicians under pharmacist supervision.
ADHS explained in a press release that it issued the standing orders amid uncertainty with the schedule and timing of the next meeting by the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the entity responsible for developing vaccine schedule recommendations.
ACIP canceled the first two of three meetings scheduled for this year, one in March and one in June, due to ongoing litigation. The third meeting is scheduled to take place from October 21-23. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sued the Department of Health and Human Services over ACIP appointments made by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the new childhood immunization schedule.
ADHS identified COVID-19 and influenza as “major” and “significant” causes of morbidity in its respective standing orders.
Dr. Richard Carmona, ADHS public health medical advisor and the nation’s former surgeon general, said the standing orders ensured “safe and timely access” to the vaccines necessary for preventing severe illness and death.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and AAP recommend the influenza vaccine once or twice per year for children aged six months to approximately nine years old, and once per year for minors from approximately nine to 18 years old. For adults, the AAFP recommends the influenza vaccine between the ages of 19 and 64 years old; the recommended schedule did not provide a specific dosage amount.
The AAFP and the AAP recommend the COVID-19 vaccine once or more per year for children aged six months to 18 years old. For adults, the AAFP recommends one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals between the ages of 19 to 64 years, and two or more doses for those aged 65 years or older.
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists recommends that all pregnant and lactating women receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots.
So far for the ADHS 2025-2026 respiratory illness reporting season — which runs from November 2025 through October 2026 — there have been more than 19,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and approximately 49,700 confirmed influenza cases.
The latest ADHS data on the leading causes of mortality in Arizona from 2023 reported that COVID-19 was the 11th leading cause of death and influenza and pneumonia were the 13th leading cause of death; just over 950 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 and slightly more than 900 deaths were attributed to influenza and pneumonia.
COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia accounted for approximately 3% collectively of the 16 leading causes of death identified in 2023.
The top three identified leading causes of death — heart disease, malignant neoplasms, and accidents — accounted for approximately 62% of deaths that year.
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Two men were arrested this week for allegedly drugging, kidnapping, and sexually assaulting a woman earlier this summer.
Zabdiel “Zab” Kofi Echie, 24, and Joaquin Corona Borboa, 21, face sexual assault and kidnapping charges. The two are alleged to have conspired to commit the crimes.
Echie is a Border Patrol agent in training who had served until recently in the Marine Corps. Public records indicate that Echie lived in the Virginia/Washington, D.C. area throughout his high school years, and in the Tucson area for at least the last several months.
Borboa is a college student on hiatus at the University of Arizona (U of A) who works as a handyman with his uncle and is an aspiring fitness influencer according to his social media activity. Unlike Echie, Borboa’s attorney described him as a lifelong Tucson resident dating back to four months old. Borboa’s attorney mentioned that his parents were present for the initial hearing and willing to house him should the judge permit him to be released on his own recognizance. The judge did not.
Court documents revealed that the alleged victim, an 18-year-old woman, told investigators that Echie and Borboa gave her alcohol and then, to her surprise, put an “unknown white powdery substance” in her mouth while driving her from Tucson to Echie’s home in Sahuarita on June 19.
The victim alleged that she became disoriented during the 30-minute drive, and further alleged that Borboa digitally penetrated her.
Once at Echie’s home, the victim claimed that she passed out and later awoke to Echie having sex with her in his bed. She alleged that she attempted to stop Echie but that he held her down with Borboa’s help.
The victim also alleged that Borboa forced her to perform oral sex on him before taking her to his apartment and having sex with her there for several more hours.
The interim complaint reported that Echie’s cell phone contained a short video of the sexual encounter. Investigators noted that the victim was crying on the video, and that Borboa was visibly holding her down as Echie had sex with her.
Investigators also discovered text messages between Echie and Borboa that allegedly reflect they planned the sexual assault.
The judge who oversaw Borboa’s initial court appearance called the data discovered on Borboa’s phone “concerning.”
Echie posted his $150,000 bond; Borboa is being held at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on a $350,000 bond.
Neither Echie nor Borboa have any criminal history. Attorneys for both men negotiated for lowered bonds, arguing that neither presented a threat to the community based on their lack of criminal history.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told 13 News that Echie was an off-duty employee and confirmed that its Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating Echie over the allegations.
“CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission, and the overwhelming majority of CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe,” stated CBP.
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Three Arizona House Republicans have requested weekly, in-person briefings from Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Director Thomas Buschatzke on Colorado River negotiations, seeking the same information provided to Gov. Katie Hobbs.
In a September 4 letter, Reps. Gail Griffin (R-LD19), Neal Carter (R-LD15), and Chris Lopez (R-LD16) asked Buschatzke to meet with them and relevant agency staff and legal counsel at least once a week. The lawmakers proposed Tuesdays at 2 p.m., while offering to arrange another mutually agreeable time.
The request follows the federal government’s decision on Colorado River operations for 2027 and 2028, which drew mixed reactions from Arizona officials. Arizona would absorb approximately 61% of the total reductions across the three Lower Basin states, with a 760,000-acre-foot reduction compared with California’s 440,000 and Nevada’s 50,000.
Griffin chairs the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, where Lopez serves as its vice chair, and Carter is speaker pro tempore of the Arizona House of Representatives.
In the letter, the lawmakers cited the Legislature’s authority under A.R.S. § 45-106, which requires legislative approval by concurrent resolution before an agreement between the water resources director and the United States, another state, or a government involving Arizona’s sovereign rights or claims can take effect.
💧 Did you know?
Arizona’s water future depends on more than one source.
Colorado River water remains critical, but Arizona also relies on groundwater, reclaimed water, conservation, water storage, and new supply projects to support communities and future growth.
“Given our unique legislative role under A.R.S. § 45-106, we believe we are entitled to receive the same briefing you would deliver to the Governor’s office or the Governor herself, free from any filters or withholding of information,” the lawmakers wrote.
The requested meetings would allow members to receive updates, ask questions, and examine the factual, policy, and legal rationale for prospective offers, terms, or decisions. The lawmakers also asked to be informed of developments as they occur.
The letter also references two pieces of correspondence from August. They said Buschatzke confirmed on August 25 that implementing a Lower Basin Agreement would require legislative approval and committed to keeping House and Senate members informed of information relevant to their decision.
— Arizona Department of Water Resources (@azwater) September 4, 2026
The lawmakers also said Hobbs affirmed her commitment to providing relevant updates in an August 26 letter and directed Buschatzke to “continually update” them as requested.
Hobbs plans to call a special legislative session for lawmakers to vote on a water-sharing agreement between Arizona, Nevada, and California.
Hobbs highlighted her administration’s Colorado River negotiations in a June interview with 12 News. After the federal government released its proposed operating guidelines, she urged federal officials to adopt the Lower Basin states’ proposal and distribute water reductions equitably.
In August, the federal government came to an agreement with Arizona and the other Lower Basin states on Colorado River water usage. Under the deal, Arizona will lose about 61%: the most out of the Lower Basin states. The news was met with mixed reactions. Hobbs said the decision protected Arizona from deeper cuts. U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) said his initial review indicated the plan avoided the most drastic options previously announced, while U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) described the two-year reprieve as another short-term fix and called for durable agreements.
Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, called the deal “a total failure of leadership” in a statement posted to X. He stated that the deal “will place most of the cuts on new single family homes while data centers and apartments get unlimited water.” He added, “Conveniently, those big water users happen to be some of your biggest campaign contributors.”
This deal is a total failure of leadership. On top of that, this deal will place most of the cuts on new single family homes while data centers and apartments get unlimited water. Conveniently, those big water users happen to be some of your biggest campaign contributors. https://t.co/pLaenPuDCc
