by Matthew Holloway | Mar 17, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ02) to speed recovery efforts at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon passed the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous, bipartisan support.
According to a statement released by Crane’s office, the House approved the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025, which aims to accelerate rebuilding efforts following the Dragon Bravo Fire that damaged infrastructure and surrounding areas in 2025.
The bill, cosponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05), Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ09), seeks to streamline the federal contracting process by granting the National Park Service (NPS) emergency contracting authority to expedite recovery projects.
“Five months ago, I introduced the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025 after listening to folks on the ground who were directly impacted by this devastating fire,” Crane said in a statement. “Whether speaking with small business owners, local officials, or park staff, it became clear that removing red tape and bureaucratic hurdles would benefit all stakeholders. Today’s unanimous vote sends a clear message that America refuses to abandon our iconic landmarks and storied communities. This timely response would not be possible without the leadership of Chairman Westerman, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, and everyone else who helped build this blueprint. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to embrace our strong momentum and send this critical bill to the president’s desk.”
In a post to X, Crane wrote, “It’s time for the Senate to harness this strong bipartisan momentum.”
The Dragon Bravo Fire, sparked by a lightning strike in July 2025, destroyed more than 100 structures on the North Rim, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The damage disrupted tourism and impacted park employees, local businesses, and nearby communities that rely on visitation to the park.
Crane introduced the legislation on October 9, 2025, after meeting with park officials, local leaders, and business owners about recovery efforts in northern Arizona.
According to the text of the legislation, the measure authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use federal emergency acquisition flexibilities when contracting for recovery work within the affected areas of Grand Canyon National Park. The authority would apply to forest restoration, infrastructure rebuilding, and other recovery improvements.
The bill also requires the National Park Service to provide Congress with a comprehensive report every 180 days detailing recovery progress and federal expenditures.
The legislation advanced through the House Committee on Natural Resources with unanimous support before receiving approval from the full House. Local officials have expressed support for the measure, including the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, which endorsed the legislation during the legislative process.
The North Rim Restoration Act now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
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 Matthew Holloway | Mar 17, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A Maricopa County judge sentenced a 21-year-old man to prison for his role in a fraud scheme that targeted elderly residents in the Phoenix area, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Jixiong Zhang was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple felony charges related to the scheme.
According to prosecutors, Zhang served as a courier in a coordinated scam targeting elderly victims between October and December 2024. Victims were contacted by individuals who claimed their bank accounts or online purchases had been compromised and were instructed to withdraw large amounts of cash to protect their funds. Couriers were then sent to collect the money.
Authorities said the victims in the cases were 83, 93, 94, and 99 years old. Investigators determined Zhang collected or attempted to collect more than $112,500 from the victims as part of the scheme.
Zhang pleaded guilty to several felony charges across three separate cases, including theft, money laundering, and assisting a criminal organization, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The court ordered Zhang to pay $79,500 in restitution to the victims. He received 258 days of credit for time served, according to prosecutors.
“Targeting seniors in fraud schemes is particularly cruel,” Mitchell said in a statement announcing the sentencing. “These crimes steal more than money. They take away a sense of security and trust.”
Mitchell’s office stated that upon completion of his sentence, Zhang is “expected to face immigration proceedings.”
Investigators said fraud schemes like the one in Zhang’s case often involve impersonation tactics, in which victims receive calls or messages claiming to be from financial institutions or technology companies and are directed to withdraw funds or transfer money to protect their accounts.
Fraud targeting older adults has been the focus of increased enforcement and legislative attention in Arizona in recent years. Lawmakers have advanced legislation to address financial crimes and property-related fraud schemes targeting vulnerable residents.
Officials with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said they continue to investigate cases involving organized fraud operations and individuals who serve as couriers in financial scams.
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 | Mar 16, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) accused a major media outlet of misrepresenting the amount of fraud that occurs within the state’s school choice program.
Per ADE, 12News claimed the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program had fraud totaling 20 percent. ADE said this figure was false, and that the true fraud rate sits at 0.3 percent.
The 20 percent claim originated from a risk-based audit — an audit of limited scope — which targeted specific higher-risk participants and accounts. It does not account for the entire ESA Program population, says ADE.
ADE presented the 0.3 percent figure from a study by Stanford PhD on a random sample to obtain a more accurate assessment of the entire ESA population. That study, which reviewed 3,000 random ESA orders between July 2025 and February 2026, also concluded that unallowable spending amounted to less than two percent of the total.
ADE Superintendent Tom Horne demanded 12News issue a retraction.
“A ridiculous figure of 20 percent fraud has been circulating concerning ESA purchases which resulted from a total misinterpretation of data provided to Channel 12. The 20 percent figure represented program participants that ADE had selected for risk-based auditing,” said Horne in a press release. “Continued use of the 20% fraud allegation is an outrageous misrepresentation to the public that must stop.”
By comparison, Horne noted, other government programs have higher rates of improper spending: Medicaid totals over seven percent, food stamps total over nine percent, and unemployment insurance totals over 14 percent.
Horne clarified that the unallowable purchases rate doesn’t constitute fraud necessarily. The superintendent said “most” of those purchases were confirmed as “innocent mistakes” such as improper form completions or viewing certain unpermitted educational items as permitted, like backpacks or lunch boxes.
Horne said ADE promptly recovers misspent funds, and has recovered over $1.2 million.
The disputed 20 percent figure was mentioned in multiple articles by 12News, including one of the latest pieces of coverage published on Wednesday.
“According to state records obtained by 12News Investigates, nearly 20% of ESA parents or at least 18,000 ESA account holders, have misused voucher funds,” read Wednesday’s article.
The original 20 percent figure by 12News stemmed from a report on public records reviewed by the outlet which estimated that misspending “could” amount to 20 percent of all purchases in the ESA Program. The report stated that over 18,600 out of the 102,000 ESA account holders had at least one unallowable purchase over the course of a year.
Horne said at the time that the percentage provided wasn’t totally representative of fraud; rather, the superintendent said “most of it” was attributable to mistakes by the parents.
While critics of the program highlight the millions ADE is forced to recover, mainly from misspending and marginally from fraud, supporters of the program highlight the millions saved by children entering the ESA Program rather than their designated public district school system.
Goldwater Institute director of education policy, Matt Beienburg, said in a press release that wrongful spending occurs just as much, if not more, in the public school district system.
“It’s also worth observing that just 52 cents of every dollar sent to Arizona district schools now makes it to classroom instruction according to the state auditor general,” said Beienburg. “Among the many uses of those funds outside the classroom: a $500,000 trip to Las Vegas by a school district that promptly cut bus services for students; a district spending $4,000 per person to send staff to Napa, California for a conference featuring wine tastings, a district spending $18,500 on ‘membership dues and for staff to attend golf tournaments,’ and more.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 16, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona House of Representatives passed legislation last week with bipartisan support, allowing residents to place medical directive information on their state-issued identification cards.
House Bill 2772, sponsored by State Rep. Khyl Powell (R-LD14), was approved by the House on Wednesday and now advances to the Arizona Senate for consideration.
According to a press release from the Arizona House Republican Caucus, the proposal would allow Arizonans to indicate on their driver licenses or nonoperating identification cards that they have a medical directive on file, helping first responders quickly identify a patient’s medical wishes during an emergency.
Medical directives, also known as advance directives, allow individuals to document instructions for medical treatment in the event they are unable to communicate their decisions.
According to the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR), the number of Arizonans with advance directives has seen significant growth, with over 100,000 advance directives registered with the program from 2019 to 2023, an increase of approximately 34%.
“HB 2772 protects a person’s right to have lawful medical choices recognized when every second matters,” Powell said. “If someone has taken the time to make these decisions with family and medical professionals, the state should not make those wishes harder to find. For someone with a valid directive, this could be the difference between their wishes being honored or missed.
“An orange form sitting on a refrigerator at home does no good if the emergency happens somewhere else. This bill puts that information where it can actually be seen.”
The bill passed the House with bipartisan support, 49–2, and now moves to the Arizona Senate for further consideration.
If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the legislation would add a mechanism for residents to voluntarily indicate the existence of a medical directive on their state-issued identification, allowing emergency responders to locate critical information more quickly.
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 Matthew Holloway | Mar 16, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month aimed at strengthening the federal government’s response to cybercrime, fraud, and other online schemes targeting Americans.
The order, titled “Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens,” directs multiple federal agencies to coordinate efforts to disrupt criminal organizations involved in cyber-enabled fraud schemes and online scams.
According to the White House, the policy establishes that the United States will protect Americans and strengthen financial and digital systems against cybercrime while responding to attacks through “law enforcement, diplomacy, and potential offensive actions.”
The order states its purpose as follows:
“Cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes are draining American families of their life savings, stealing the benefits of years of work, and destroying the lives of our youth. These activities — which include deploying ransomware and malware, phishing, financial fraud, ‘sextortion’ and other extortion schemes, impersonation, and more — are often coordinated campaigns carried out by Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) aimed at the most vulnerable among us.”
The order also states that foreign governments are connected to many of these schemes, writing, “In many cases, foreign regimes provide willing or tacit state support to cybercrime and predatory schemes, creating a shadow economy fueled by stolen identities, coercion, forced labor, and human trafficking.”
The executive order directs federal officials to conduct a comprehensive review of the operational, technical, diplomatic, and regulatory tools used to combat transnational criminal organizations engaged in cyber-enabled crimes and fraud schemes. The review is intended to identify ways to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and dismantle scam operations.
Under the order, the Attorney General is directed to prioritize prosecutions of cyber-enabled fraud and scam schemes and pursue serious, provable offenses. The Attorney General is also tasked with submitting recommendations on establishing a Victims Restoration Program to help return seized or forfeited funds to victims of fraud.
The Department of Homeland Security is instructed to work with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to provide training, technical assistance, and resilience-building support to state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
The order also directs the Department of State to engage with foreign governments to encourage enforcement action against transnational criminal organizations operating within their borders. Countries that fail to cooperate could face consequences including sanctions, visa restrictions, limits on foreign assistance, or the expulsion of officials found to be complicit.
The executive order was issued alongside the administration’s broader Cyber Strategy for America, which outlined priorities for deterring cyber adversaries, strengthening critical infrastructure security, modernizing federal networks, and expanding the government’s cybersecurity workforce and capabilities to Congress.
Federal agencies are expected to develop implementation plans and recommendations in the coming months as part of the administration’s effort to disrupt cybercrime networks and strengthen protections for American citizens and businesses.
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 | Mar 15, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors sustained a loss in their ongoing court struggle against the recorder on Wednesday.
The Maricopa County Superior Court denied the board’s request to open up discovery based on the testimony they forced County Recorder Justin Heap to give last month. Judge Scott Blaney said the supervisors acted well outside of the proper proceedings and had attempted to influence the court.
“The Court further finds that the Court’s initial fear — that the Board of Supervisors was using its extra-judicial subpoenas in part to influence these proceedings — was well founded. The Court will not allow this gamesmanship to interfere with or jeopardize the integrity of these proceedings,” said Blaney. “Even if Defendants’ request actually constituted a proper use of the rule (it does not), the Court would still not reward such shenanigans by allowing this extrajudicial ‘evidence’ to taint the record in this case. The matter has already been taken under advisement for final determination.”
The supervisors forced Heap to testify last month on account of his allegedly “lying to the public,” among other very public accusations.
“He has been unreliable. He has been unprofessional. He has been untruthful. He has been unaccountable,” stated a press release from the board. “The Board cannot responsibly set a budget, make policy decisions, or oversee county operations, including an active election in Tempe right now, without complete and truthful information from Mr. Heap.”
That compelled testimony also required Heap to provide a massive report to the board on his office’s work within a week. Heap said during his testimony that it contained “thousands of pages of documents.”
Blaney also criticized the board’s decision to subpoena the recorder’s staff based on their court testimony.
“[The board] instead required witnesses to appear in front of the Board, under oath, in front of a hostile party and not a neutral arbiter, and without the protection of the rules of evidence,” said Blaney. “Upon learning of the Board’s compelled, extra-judicial discovery, the Court became concerned that the Board had issued the subpoenas in retaliation for the witnesses’ testimony at this Court’s evidentiary hearing and further, that the Board issued the extra-judicial subpoenas to improperly influence these proceedings.”
The court issued a temporary restraining order at Heap’s request that quashed the subpoenas. Heap accused the board of intimidating his staff in order to “unduly influence” the court ruling.
Based on this latest ruling, the board’s approach to any influence over the court seems unlikely.
The final ruling in the case between the recorder and board of supervisors could determine the balance of duties between the two. Heap is pushing for a complete restoration of the election duties his office lost under the Shared Services Agreement (SSA) put in place in the waning months of his predecessor and former supervisors.
The supervisors and recorder are presently at odds over plans to establish early voting locations. Supervisor Mark Stewart, who has expressed slightly more support for Heap than his fellow supervisors, said that the parties were nearing a resolution over this latest rift.
“Regardless of the back-and-forth or expressed frustrations from the Recorder’s office and the Board Chair, we are making progress and working together. It may not be perfect, but it is happening,” said Stewart.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
