by Matthew Holloway | Oct 23, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
New research ranks the Prescott Regional Airport (PRC) third among U.S. airports for arrival delays, with flights idling an average of 32 minutes and 31 seconds. Between May 2024 and May 2025, the time lost to the ether across 791 arrivals totaled 25,716 minutes. The study from student travel company Rustic Pathways, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics data on scheduled versus actual arrival times, paints a grim picture for regional flyers.
PRC trails only Lea County Regional Airport (HOB) in New Mexico, where delays average a whopping 37 minutes and 24 seconds per flight, and Victoria Regional Airport (VCT) in Texas at 33 minutes and 45 seconds. Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) in Michigan rounds out the top five at nearly 32 minutes.
Arizona’s high-country travelers aren’t likely to see mere statistics in this report, but rather a summer of stalled plans. PRC, which sits at an elevation of 5,045 feet, is home to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, numerous flight training facilities, and is subject to mercurial wind and weather patterns. It has three runways handling under 1,000 flights in the period, amplifying every hiccup. Monsoons and mountain turbulence contribute to 6.91 percent of nationwide delays, according to the study. But carriers shoulder 37 percent of the blame across U.S. airports, a potent reminder that human error often outstrips Mother Nature in accounting for delays.
Rustic Pathways CEO Shayne Fitz-Coy explained the challenges faced by PRC, “Looking at the data overall also shows us that carrier delays account for 37% of delay minutes at each US airport, with 6.91% delays coming from weather, highlighting the fact that many flights are delayed at the fault of a flight operator, and not just natural occurrences.” As reported by The Daily Courier, the Prescott City Council heard a presentation at its Tuesday, Sept. 23 study session on a proposal for a runway shift and extension at Prescott Regional Airport, which would, if approved, save the city millions of dollars in land acquisition costs, according to Airport Director Rick Crider and Project Manager Charlie McDermott with Dibble Engineering. In May, the city purchased parcels at the southern end of the runway for a slated expansion at a cost of about $3.2 million.
Seven of the top 10 airports ranked for delays clocked fewer than 1,000 flights, turning minor snags into major problems. Conversely, Minnesota’s St. Cloud Regional Airport (STC) is the punctuality leader, with arrivals delayed a mere 1 minute and 46 seconds on average. In his Labor Day message published in The Prescott Times, Mayor Phil Goode announced in September that “additional flight and schedule enhancements are coming to Prescott Regional Airport,” slated for October.
“An additional United Express flight, operated by SkyWest Airlines, will soon be available between Prescott Regional Airport and Denver International Airport. Starting October 26th, air travelers in northern Arizona will have two daily options to connect to Denver and the world, through United’s Denver hub, in addition to the daily flight to United’s hub at Los Angeles International Airport.
The enhanced schedule will include both a morning and an early evening option to Denver. Plus, the flight to Los Angeles will soon connect to more flight options by departing earlier in the day around noontime. Each of the flights to and from Prescott Regional Airport will be onboard Bombardier CRJ200 50-seat regional jet aircraft.
These service improvements are indicative of the strong demand in Prescott and the surrounding region. Airlines have many requests and an abundance of opportunities to serve smaller communities, the fact that they are allocating more of their aircraft and their crew resources to Prescott Regional Airport is a testament to the partnership and collaboration with SkyWest and United Airlines.”
Prescott officials haven’t commented on the Rustic Pathways report. However, United Express, PRC’s main carrier, has cited “operational challenges” at the airport in filings, according to Dibble Engineering. 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.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Prescott Regional Airport has a single runway and is served by American Eagle and Contour Airlines. The airport has three runways and is served by United Express. The story has been updated to reflect this.
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 | Oct 22, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
It pays to know the guys making the laws from the highest offices in the land.
Senator Ruben Gallego used his voting power to protect the business interests of a longtime friend — fellow Harvard University graduate and prominent Democratic donor and activist Joe Sanberg — interests which would turn out to be fraudulent.
In August, Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud perpetrated through his online financial services company, Aspiration Partners. Sanberg admitted to defrauding over $248 million.
Senator Ruben Gallego fought for the success of Sanberg’s company while in Congress.
When he was still a congressman in 2023, Gallego voted to protect against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) limitations that would have impacted Aspiration Partners. The financial services company was uniquely focused on progressive environmental and social causes, including investing in fossil fuel alternatives and selling carbon credits.
Months before that vote, Sanberg gave Gallego a positive endorsement in The Hill. FEC records show Sanberg donated just over $13,000 to Gallego’s campaign from 2014 to 2017.
“The thing about Ruben is he knows exactly who he is,” said Sanberg. “This campaign isn’t about any individual personality.”
In 2015, the two men also launched a political action committee to help elect progressive Latino candidates — LLEGO-PAC, short for Latino Leaders for Equality, Growth, Opportunity, Progressive Action and Change.
Gallego praised Sanberg as “a thought leader” and “progressive leader from day one,” and credited the financial services CEO for being the one who “recruited” him into the Democratic Party. The senator was even a part of Sanberg’s wedding in 2021, per social media posts reported on by Fox News.
“He convinced me to get more involved in politics, and has been a good guiding post for me since then,” said Gallego.
Just a few years ago, Sanberg was shopping himself around to the media as a potential Democratic candidate for president. The Atlantic published one such feature of Sanberg in 2019.
In 2021, Aspiration disclosed in its annual Securities and Exchange Commission filing that 70 percent of its revenue came from ESG services.
Senator Gallego began banking with Aspiration in 2017 and then acquired a non-public stock in the company in 2019.
However, Gallego failed to report that purchase for three years, per Fox News reporting.
Aspiration came on the progressive venture capital scene in 2013 as an “environmental” bank with a “conscience,” the brainchild of co-founders Sanberg and Andrei Cherny, the latter Arizona’s former Democratic Party chairman, congressional candidate, and a Clinton administration speechwriter.
Cherny left Aspiration in mid-October 2022, two years after Sanberg later admitted to prosecutors the company turned fraudulent.
In 2021, Sanberg went into talks with the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team about a four-year, $48 million endorsement deal to sponsor one of their players, Kawhi Leonard.
Many have come to view the endorsement deal as a workaround to the NBA salary cap — a view bolstered by comments from those within Aspiration — though the Clippers have denied this speculation.
Following Sanberg’s arrest and pleading, Aspiration rebranded as GreenFi.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 22, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona House Republicans have taken legal action to defend a decades-old state law governing birth-certificate amendments after Attorney General Kris Mayes failed to confirm whether her office would appeal a recent federal ruling striking the statute down.
Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro announced Monday that the Arizona House Republican Caucus, alongside Senate President Warren Petersen, filed a motion in U.S. District Court seeking to intervene as defendants for the purpose of appealing the decision and requesting a stay pending appeal.
The move follows U.S. District Judge James Soto’s September 30 ruling, which permanently enjoined enforcement of A.R.S. § 36-337, the provision requiring proof of a “sex change operation” before the state can amend the sex marker on a birth certificate. The injunction orders the Arizona Department of Health Services to revise its regulations within 120 days and to allow amendments based on a doctor’s attestation of a “sex change.”
“Arizona’s laws are not optional,” Montenegro said in a statement. “When a federal court rewrites a statute, the Legislature has a duty to defend it. If the Attorney General won’t defend Arizona’s laws, we will. The ruling now opens the door for anyone to change the sex marker on a birth certificate with just a doctor’s note, erasing decades of statute and undermining the integrity of vital records.”
According to the motion, Republican leaders made repeated inquiries to the Attorney General’s Office beginning October 1 about whether the state would appeal. After more than two weeks without a definitive answer, House and Senate leaders moved to intervene to ensure that the state’s position would be represented before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The legislative leaders argue that Arizona law gives them authority to defend state statutes when their constitutionality is challenged and that the Attorney General’s inaction effectively leaves the law undefended. Their filing asserts that the federal court’s ruling misapplies equal protection principles and conflicts with recent Supreme Court guidance in United States v. Skrmetti—a 2025 case addressing gender-related classifications under the Constitution.
The lawmakers also requested an immediate stay of the injunction, warning that allowing it to take effect could cause “irreparable harm” to the state by forcing the issuance of amended birth certificates that could later be invalidated if the appeal succeeds.
This legal dispute comes months after Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2438, a bill sponsored by Rep. Rachel Keshel (R-LD17) that would have barred any changes to the sex marker on birth certificates, reinforcing the same policy now at issue in court.
If granted, the intervention would allow the Arizona Legislature’s top Republicans to pursue an appeal directly to the Ninth Circuit in defense of the statute—marking a rare instance of state lawmakers stepping into a role traditionally held by the Attorney General.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 22, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
The U.S. Treasury and the Joint Economic Committee released the Monthly Fiscal Update last week, highlighting a 2.8% reduction in the federal deficit for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025), totaling $1.776 trillion compared to $1.828 trillion in FY2024.
The decrease was driven by record-setting tariff collections, increased tax receipts, and modifications to the student loan program approved in the 2025 reconciliation act.
September 2025 concluded with a notable surplus of $197.950 billion, reflecting strong fiscal performance with net outlays of $345.713 billion and net receipts of $543.663 billion for the month.
In FY2025, total federal net outlays reached $7.010 trillion, a 3.91% increase from $6.746 trillion in FY2024. Net receipts rose to $5.235 trillion, up 6.42% from $4.919 trillion in the prior fiscal year.
Despite the robust revenue growth, 25.33% of FY2025 outlays were not covered by revenues, resulting in the federal government spending $1.34 for every dollar received. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects continued growth in outlays and receipts, forecasting net outlays of $7.294 trillion in FY2026, $7.622 trillion in FY2027, and $8.019 trillion in FY2028, with deficits projected at $1.713 trillion, $1.687 trillion, $1.911 trillion, respectively, over the same period.
Outlays by Category
Social Security remained the largest federal expenditure in FY2025, totaling $1.581 trillion (22.5%), followed by Income Security and Veterans Benefits at $1.079 trillion (15.4%), Medicare at $996.72 billion (14.2%), and Net Interest at $970.66 billion (13.8%).
Defense spending accounted for $868.41 billion (12.4%), while Medicaid outlays were $668.14 billion (9.5%). Foreign Aid and other outlays represented smaller shares, at $32.21 billion (0.5%) and $814.75 billion (11.6%), respectively.
Receipts by Category
Individual Income Taxes were the largest revenue source in FY2025, contributing $2.656 trillion (50.7%), followed by Social Insurance and Retirement Taxes at $1.748 trillion (33.4%).
Corporation Income Taxes added $452.09 billion (8.6%), while Customs Duties, boosted by record setting tariff collections, reached $194.87 billion (3.7%). Other receipts totaled $183.31 billion (3.5%).
Despite the deficit reduction, net interest payments on the national debt hit a record high of nearly $971 billion in FY2025, a $100 billion increase from FY2024. The Committee for a Responsible Budget projects that by 2051, interest payments will become the largest federal expense, surpassing Social Security.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Oct 21, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Gina Swoboda is looking to fill the vacuum that will be left by Rep. David Schweikert in the state’s First Congressional District after the congressman entered the 2026 gubernatorial race. Swoboda’s announcement included an endorsement from President Trump, though that endorsement has not been confirmed by the President’s Truth Social as of filing.
Swoboda dropped the news on X with a statement touting her credentials as a mother of two, magna cum laude ASU grad, and national election integrity advisor. She stressed in her statement that her campaign will be centered around “commonsense conservative principles of economic growth and prosperity, strong and secure borders, and protecting taxpayers.”
Axios Phoenix called her entry the “first major GOP candidate” in a race that could test the power of President Trump’s endorsement in loosely held suburbs. Speaking to Axios, Swoboda said she is the “most viable candidate for the district” and emphasized a commitment to “low regulation, low taxes and equality of opportunity.”
Schweikert’s decision to engage in a gubernatorial run has left the northeast Valley district a ‘Toss-Up’ according to the Cook Political Report. Arizona’s First Congressional District, spanning Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills and parts of Phoenix, is a GOP-leaning but swing-prone suburban district classed as an R+1 toss-up despite the Schweikert’s 3.8 point victory in 2024 over Democrat Amish Shah.
Merissa Hamilton, founder and chairwoman of Strong Communities Action/EZAZ.org, has launched an effort to request Swoboda’s resignation as AZGOP chair following her announcement, according to a post to X on Monday. Hamilton stated, “She (Swoboda) pledged to God on @GarretLewis’ radio show she wouldn’t run for office while serving as Chair. She needs to resign, and the body needs to hold a new election.”
Axios Phoenix reported that Swoboda said she will not vacate the AZGOP Chair until January to allow the state committee to elect a successor and added that she’s establishing a “firewall” for fundraising activities, to separate her campaign from the party treasury. Swoboda has, however, resigned from her role as policy adviser for the Arizona House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections.
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 Ethan Faverino | Oct 21, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) announced last week that his re-election campaign has entered the final quarter of 2025 with a daunting $2.3 million cash on hand, signaling strong momentum as he seeks a third term.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from Arizonans who believe in our mission to deliver results, not rhetoric,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “With more than $2.3 million cash on hand, it sends a clear message: Southern Arizona is fired up to keep this seat red and focused on commonsense solutions. While others are busy playing politics, we’re building momentum, delivering wins, and earning the trust of the people we serve.”
The campaign’s financial strength follows a strong third quarter, with Ciscomani raising over $600,000 in Q3 alone.
To date, the campaign has raised nearly $3 million for the 2026 cycle, significantly surpassing its 2024 cycle performance when Ciscomani had $1.8 million cash on hand and $2.25 million raised at a similar point.
The growing campaign funds show deep and expanding support for Ciscomani across Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which spans portions of five different counties.
Ciscomani has won back-to-back victories in the highly competitive district. In 2022, he flipped the seat by a narrow 1.4% margin (5,232 votes), and in 2024, he expanded his lead, securing re-election by 2.5% (over 10,800 votes).
Ciscomani serves on the House Appropriations and Veterans’ Affairs Committees and was named the most effective member of Arizona’s congressional delegation in the 118th Congress earlier this year by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.
His commitment to addressing key issues—such as economic opportunity, veterans’ services, and border security— has solidified his reputation as a pragmatic leader delivering for Southern Arizona.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
