New legislation proposes that veterans receive the same benefit of reduced retirement age as certain reservists.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) introduced the Reserve Component Fairness Act to end what he says is an improper disadvantage to veterans who served on regular active duty before transitioning to the National Guard or Reserve.
Veterans won’t qualify for reserve retired pay until they reach 60 years old. Reservists who are recalled to active duty or certain active service in response to a national emergency, however, have that retirement threshold reduced by three months for each cumulative period of 90 days’ active duty or service.
Hamadeh’s legislation proposes extending that benefit to veterans who have completed certain active-duty service and go on to join the Reserve.
Veterans would still have to complete existing requirements under Reserve retirement rules, which includes completing 20 years of service, and accept the current statutory minimum retirement age of 50 years old.
The congressman said in a press release that the current Reserve retirement age reduction rules rely on a bureaucratic and arbitrary distinction. Hamadeh argued further that qualifying military service shouldn’t count only if completed after affiliating with the Ready Reserve.
Hamadeh disclosed that veterans brought the disparate treatment to his attention.
“This legislation corrects a situation created by bureaucrats who arbitrarily made a distinction between two service members who may have performed identical active-duty service under the same conditions,” stated Hamadeh. “This common-sense legislation changes that without creating a new retirement benefit or altering eligibility for non-regular retired pay. Members must still satisfy all existing statutory requirements for a Reserve retirement, including completing 20 qualifying years of service, and the current statutory minimum retirement age of 50 remains unchanged.”
Hamadeh is a member of the House committees for Veterans’ Affairs as well as Armed Services.
Of the 33 bills Hamadeh has introduced that are available on the Congress website, about 40% are on the subject of the military: 10 bills concern the welfare of veterans and service members, and three bills concern military equipment and resources.
If passed, this latest proposed bill could further complement the Trump administration’s goal of boosting military recruitment through incentives.
For two years now, that approach has reportedly worked. A cooling labor market has enhanced the appeal of new incentivizes and driven more individuals to enlist.
Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced that all branches had met or exceeded their fiscal year 2026 goals for recruitment months ahead of schedule. All branches also met or exceeded their recruitment goals in 2025.
Recruitment had hit a low in 2022.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attributed the recruiting highs as a product of the Trump administration instituting “back to the basics” military norms.
“This is what happens when strong leadership under President Trump, high standards, a return to perfecting the basics, and a mission that matters come together,” said Hegseth. “Americans are stepping up to serve because they believe in our country, our Navy, and our warfighters.”
The U.S. Navy just hit its recruiting goal of 45,000 Sailors – 3 months ahead of schedule. Even more impressive: they raised their goal by 10% and still exceeded expectations.
This is what happens when strong leadership under President Trump, high standards, a return to… pic.twitter.com/nlpr5TsHPo
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) July 1, 2026
The Pentagon told the Military Times that recruitment was at 103% of their target for this year.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The Higley Unified School District (HUSD) community must choose between two candidates to fill a governing board vacancy, per a new court ruling.
The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled last week that voters must choose between two write-in candidates, Kathleen Richards and Travis White, who appear to have gotten special notice of a board vacancy after board member Scott Glover waited to file his resignation until July 20, 2026, the same day as the candidate filing deadline.
District policy requires board members to give resignation letter copies to the superintendent and the board prior to the effective resignation date. However, Glover not only waited until the morning of the candidate filing deadline to notify the superintendent, he waited until one minute before the candidate filing deadline to notify his fellow board members of his resignation.
Approximately two hours after Glover filed his resignation letter, Richards and White arrived at the superintendent’s office to file as write-in candidates for the vacancy.
Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs decided to fill the vacancy through appointment, rather than election, given the timing of the write-in filings.
“Because the seat was not otherwise scheduled to appear on the 2026 ballot, the timing of the vacancy created an extraordinary situation: few who knew about the vacancy had a narrow window to file for the seat, while the broader Higley community had no opportunity to learn that the seat was even available,” stated the county superintendent’s office.
A week later, White sued Boggs to force an election in which only he and Richards would be the eligible candidates.
Since Richards and White were the only individuals to file prior to the deadline, only those votes with their names will count.
Richards is a private music and substitute teacher who has previously run for the board, and has served on the HUSD Citizen’s Committee.
White is the director and deputy chief information security officer for Shutterfly. Federal Elections Commission records only reflect a few small donations to Democrats in recent years: Sen. Bernie Sander’s 2020 presidential campaign and former congressman Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 Senate campaign.
Although school boards are nonpartisan, the two write-in candidates have hinted at their political affiliations.
Last January, Richards stated in a Facebook post that supporters of President Donald Trump and those not actively protesting his administration don’t deserve to live.
“We have a president who wants to rewrite the history that is taught to our students so that it makes cis white men more palatable,” said Richards. “If you have been able to sit for the last two weeks and be quiet, I question your morality, your humanity, and your place in this world sharing oxygen with those of us who will go to that for the marginalized in our communities.”
In a May board meeting, White defended the independence of teachers and said that student proficiency wasn’t as low as portrayals of data would indicate.
“To suggest that our teachers just teach what they were hired to teach without evolving is a recipe for stagnation. When a teacher finds an amazing tool at a conference, they don’t go rogue, they bring it to their leadership because they’re professionals who care about student achievement,” said White.
White said the district’s “A” rating nullified the low proficiency rates in math and English Language Arts: 61% and 55%, respectively.
“It’s one thing to have a different vision for our schools. It’s quite another to manufacture a crisis using alternative facts. When it’s claimed that 50% of our students are not proficient, it isn’t just misrepresenting a spreadsheet, it’s actively disparaging the hard work of our teachers and the achievements of our children,” said White.
Richards and White volunteered together on Yes for Higley Schools, a nonprofit political action committee urging a favorable vote on an override for HUSD. Voters rejected the override.
Boggs justified her decision to seek appointment over election to fill Glover’s vacancy in a post-court ruling press release issued on Friday.
Boggs implied that the two candidates had enjoyed special access to information that inherently deprived the Higley community the proper opportunity to access the ballot.
“I was not willing to simply look the other way when the circumstances gave a small number of people an opportunity that thousands of other Higley residents did not even know existed,” said Boggs. “I acted because I believe every qualified member of that community deserved a fair and meaningful opportunity to be considered for the seat.”
The timing of the resignation has led some community members to suspect that Glover’s departure was intentionally timed to wrest control of the board.
Board member Anna Van Hoek echoed those speculations.
“Nothing says defending democracy quite like secretly coordinating with a sitting Board member while denying everyone else in the community an equal opportunity to compete for the seat,” said Van Hoek.
However, board president Amanda Wade disputed the claims.
Wade did express frustration with Glover’s failure to follow board policy on resignations and his decision to wait until the day of the candidate filing deadline, but denied that his tardiness and lack of communication were part of an intentional political maneuver.
“Mr. Glover’s actions and decisions he made in this resignation process are his alone,” said Wade. “I do have a hard time with a sitting board member recklessly implying actions made by the district, Higley Educators Association [sic], and other board members because they are unhappy with choices Mr. Glover made.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A new poll of Arizona’s Second Congressional District shows Republican Rep. Eli Crane leading Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez by 11 points in their rematch for the northeastern Arizona seat.
The Peak Insights survey, conducted August 17-20, found Crane supported by 53% of respondents and Nez by 42%, with 5% selecting neither candidate or saying they did not know.
The poll places Crane above 50% in the initial ballot test with just over two months remaining before the general election.
Per source, Freedom Caucus member Eli Crane up double digits in a competitive northern Arizona district pic.twitter.com/6Yp5Tp9djC
Peak Insights conducted 400 live telephone interviews with a representative sample of 2026 general election voters in the district using landlines and cell phones. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
The memo does not identify who commissioned or paid for the survey.
The poll’s ballot test listed Crane, Nez, and “Neither/don’t know.” It did not include Libertarian Curtis Goodwin, who advanced from the July 21 Libertarian primary and is also a candidate in the general election.
The Peak Insights memo also reported a positive job-approval rating for Crane. 41% of respondents approved of his performance in Congress, while 25% disapproved.
President Donald Trump was viewed favorably by 51% of respondents and unfavorably by 45%, according to the survey. Among voters who viewed Trump favorably, Crane led Nez 95% to 2%.
Peak Insights also examined the remaining undecided voters and reported that a majority are registered Republicans who supported Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
The pollster characterized that group as favoring Crane based on its partisan composition and previous voting behavior.
Nez drew 42% in the ballot test, which Peak Insights noted matched Harris’ 2024 share of the presidential vote in the district. The memo reported that Nez received support from 2% of respondents who said they voted for Trump in 2024.
The candidates are meeting for a second consecutive general election after Crane defeated Nez in 2024. Alongside the release of his latest ad in early August, Crane said, “The same D.C. Democrats who look down on rural Arizonans because we don’t share their woke values want to pretend like they all of the sudden care about AZ-02. What they really care about is power.”
Crane won the 2024 contest with 54.5% of the vote to Nez’s 45.5%, a nine-point margin. The Cook Political Report notes that Nez ran ahead of Harris in the district, which Trump carried by approximately 15 points.
Cook currently rates the 2026 race “Likely Republican” and gives Arizona’s Second Congressional District a Republican-leaning R+7 Partisan Voting Index.
Crane, a former Navy SEAL first elected to Congress in 2022, is seeking a third term. Nez served as president of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023.
Both advanced through the July 21 primary. The official state canvass recorded 89,205 votes for Crane in the Republican primary and 65,118 for Nez in the Democratic primary, with neither facing a listed opponent in his respective party contest.
The race has also drawn substantial campaign spending. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records through July 1 show Crane’s campaign with approximately $2.84 million in cash on hand, while Nez reported approximately $1.91 million.
Crane’s campaign had raised approximately $9.48 million during the 2025-26 election cycle through July 1, compared with approximately $3.52 million raised by Nez’s campaign, according to the FEC.
The Second Congressional District covers a large portion of northern and eastern Arizona, including Flagstaff, Prescott, and much of the Navajo Nation.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) launched his first general election advertisement on Monday in his bid to unseat Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes. The ad highlights tax cuts enacted during Petersen’s tenure as Senate president and endorsements from law enforcement organizations across the state.
The 30-second advertisement, focused around Petersen’s “common sense leadership” message, comes 71 days before Arizona voters head to the polls for the Nov. 3 general election.
“Arizona needs an Attorney General who solves problems,” the ad begins before highlighting Petersen’s legislative record and support from police organizations.
The spot says Petersen “worked with both parties to deliver historic tax relief for Arizona families,” specifically citing the elimination of taxes on residential rent and overtime income.
🚨 FIRST TV AD
As Senate President, I delivered real results for Arizona families, working across the aisle and delivering historic tax cuts. As Attorney General, I’ll bring that same problem-solving approach and actually stand with the officers who protect our communities. The…
Municipal transaction privilege taxes on residential rentals were eliminated through legislation enacted in 2023 during Petersen’s tenure as Senate president. Senate Bill 1184 banned municipal excise taxes on residential leases with the change taking effect on January 1, 2025, and the Arizona Department of Revenue says cities and towns can no longer impose transaction privilege taxes on long-term residential rentals.
The overtime provision came this year through the Fiscal Year 2027 budget agreement negotiated between Governor Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders. The agreement included full conformity with federal tax provisions eliminating state taxes on qualified tips and overtime while increasing the standard deduction and adding other tax deductions and credits.
Petersen, who has served as Senate president since 2023, said his legislative work would inform how he approaches the Attorney General’s Office.
“As Senate President, I’ve proven that I can work with both parties to deliver results for everyday Arizonans,” Petersen said. “I will continue that approach as Arizona’s next Attorney General.”
The ad also highlights Petersen’s backing from law enforcement groups, saying he is supported by “every major law enforcement organization in Arizona.”
Petersen has accumulated endorsements from organizations including the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, Arizona Police Association, Arizona State Troopers Association, Arizona Conference of Police & Sheriffs, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Arizona, Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association, and Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association.
The campaign also lists endorsements from Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple, Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes, and several county attorneys. Republican attorneys general Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Todd Rokita of Indiana, Mike Hilgers of Nebraska, Derek Brown of Utah, and J.B. McCuskey of West Virginia have also endorsed Petersen.
The Republican nominee also used Monday’s announcement to renew his criticism of Mayes following her decision last week against bringing criminal charges against Hobbs in the Sunshine Residential Homes investigation.
“For four years, we’ve had a chief law enforcement officer who has been more interested in politicizing her office than supporting the brave men and women who protect our communities,” Petersen said. He accused Mayes of failing to hold Hobbs accountable over a “pay-to-play scheme.”
Mayes announced last Friday that her office would not pursue charges after a two-year criminal investigation into allegations involving political contributions connected to Sunshine Residential Homes and substantial increases in the rates the Department of Child Safety paid the foster care provider.
Petersen rejected the conclusion and has argued that Mayes’ handling of the case demonstrates the need for a change in leadership at the Attorney General’s Office.
“Mayes’ destructive brand of leadership will end January 2027,” Petersen said.
The campaign ad itself makes a broader criticism of Mayes without referring specifically to the Sunshine investigation, saying Petersen “delivers for Arizona, while his opponent wastes tax dollars on her political agenda.”
Mayes has also begun advertising in the general election. Her campaign launched a television spot titled “Not Finished” on August 13.
Petersen secured the Republican nomination in the primary against Rodney Glassman, while Mayes advanced unopposed on the Democratic side.
The much-anticipated Mattel Adventure Park in Glendale appears to be delayed indefinitely.
Epic Resort Destinations was discovered recently to no longer be the developer behind the theme park and resort. However, the developer will continue to build in its other Mattel Adventure Park location in Kansas City, Kansas, which has also been delayed.
Epic Resort Destinations broke ground on the theme park as part of a larger 60-acre development in 2021, initially called Crystal Lagoons. In 2022, funding troubles prompted the developer to hand over the resort side of the project to Fisher Industries, who rebranded the project as the VAI Resort.
The resort is now the owner and operator of the theme park.
It appears this ownership change took place sometime on or before June 22, 2026, the date when VAI Resort published its job listing for a rides and operations director for Mattel Adventure Park. The director would be responsible for the maintenance, engineering, and technical operations for the theme park, and compensation would start at $150,000.
VAI Resort also posted job listings earlier this month for a construction procurement specialist and construction project coordinator. Both would pay $30 per hour.
Joseph said in a statement to Axios that the resort would be “redefining” the park’s “guest experience and creative vision.”
As of this report, the Mattel Adventure Park website reflects the theme park as “coming soon.” Links to park features are broken, however.
Some of the attractions have been partially constructed.
The theme park was promised to have a Barbie-themed shopping and dining experience which included a custom Barbie set builder, a flying theater, and rooftop bar and restaurant; Hot Wheels-themed go-kart and rollercoaster rides; seven Thomas & Friends attractions and an indoor play space and cafe; a Masters of the Universe-themed, 4,500 square-foot laser tag arena designed to look like Castle Grayskull fortress.
Other promotional materials shared on the park’s website or social media also included mentions of a beachfront pool, UNO! Wild Climb, mini golf, a Kerplunk drop tower, pizza kitchen, and general games area. Both official social media accounts for the theme park ceased posting in March 2024.
The theme park was originally set to open in 2023 but was hit with a series of delays, the latest of which occurred earlier this summer.
One of the causes for those delays concerned propositions limiting development on the 60 acres joining VAI Resort and Mattel Adventure Park. Last year, voters rejected Proposition 401, which would have allowed for the development of office buildings and a parking garage for the project.
Voters approved Proposition 402, which enables commercial development on the project land.
Faced with similar delays, VAI Resort no longer advertises its opening date. Instead, the owners will announce the opening date nine months prior to its occurrence.
The Mattel Adventure Park, if completed, would be the state’s first fully themed indoor/outdoor amusement park.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly suggested that the park’s delayed opening was due to the ownership change. That statement has been corrected.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Three criminal illegal aliens accused of sex offenses against children were arrested in Virginia in late July, including one who entered the United States through Arizona before being released into the country by the Biden administration, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The arrests come less than two months after another criminal illegal alien who entered the United States through Arizona was also arrested in Virginia on charges involving alleged attempted abduction and indecent exposure.
All three suspects arrested in July are currently being held at the Middle River Regional Jail in Staunton, Virginia, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged immigration detainers.
The three men are:
Efren Ramirez Escobedo, a Mexican national who was arrested on July 24 and charged with sexual assault involving a victim age 13-14 and sexual assault involving forcible intercourse. DHS says he illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location.
Santos Bautista-Molina, a Honduran national who was arrested on July 27 and charged with nine counts of child solicitation and attempted sex offenses with a child under 15. DHS says he illegally entered the United States through Texas in September 2005.
Bayron Jose De Paz-Lopez, a Guatemalan national who was arrested on July 28 and charged with nine counts of child solicitation and attempted sex offense with a child under 15. DHS says De Paz-Lopez illegally entered the United States through Arizona in 2021 and was released into the country by the Biden administration.
Under Sanctuary Spanberger, Virginia has become the Commonwealth of Criminals.
ICE has lodged detainers for THREE illegal aliens who have all been arrested for sex crimes against CHILDREN in Staunton. @GovernorVA must cooperate with us and commit to NOT RELEASING these… https://t.co/OvmjLzLdJkpic.twitter.com/bkxrYmZiRh
On June 21, police in Annandale, Virginia, responded to reports that a man had exposed himself to a woman walking on a trail in a park. Police also received a report that a man had attempted to abduct a woman in the same park by stepping in front of her bicycle, forcing her to dismount, and attempting to drag her into the woods. The woman was able to escape.
Two days later, Fairfax County Police announced the arrest of Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan national. He was charged with abduction of a person with intent to defile and indecent exposure.
According to DHS, Rico Rosales had previously been arrested in 2024 on felony drug trafficking charges. ICE lodged an immigration detainer at the time, but Fairfax County officials did not honor the detainer and released him back into the community.
DHS says Rico Rosales had illegally entered the United States through Arizona in 2022, where he was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. The Biden administration subsequently released him back into the country.
This illegal alien who EXPOSED HIS GENITALS to one woman and then tried to ABDUCT another was previously RELEASED by Fairfax County sanctuary politicians.
In the latest cases, ICE has lodged detainers for all three men arrested in July and is asking Virginia authorities to maintain custody of the suspects rather than release them.
“ICE has lodged detainers for three illegal aliens accused of sex crimes against children, all being held at the same jail in Staunton, Virginia,” stated DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing these criminals from jail and to instead hand them over to ICE. Under Spanberger, the Commonwealth of Virginia has become a magnet for illegal alien crime. These reckless sanctuary policies are putting American lives at risk.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
