by Staff Reporter | Nov 5, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The city of Avondale will soon be getting rid of its speeding cameras.
Avondale City Council voted 5-2 to end its Speed Safety Camera Program during its regular session on Monday. Councilmembers Max White and Gloria Solorio voted against the program’s termination.
The goal of the cameras per Avondale police was to reduce the number of speeding vehicles and encourage “healthy” driving behavior.
The majority of the council voted to end the program due to a variety of challenges presented: a significant number of staff time required for citation review and citizen inquiry responses, vandalism to cameras, and a high number of violations rejected due to technical difficulties like poor image quality and glare.
The city evaluated three locations from August 2024 through this July to review the effectiveness of the program. A total of 12,100 citations were issued based on evidence from these cameras across the three locations: nearly 2,200 to residents, and nearly 10,000 non-residents.
Per the evaluation, the speed cameras didn’t deter speeding. The average speed of those speeding in the locations remained the same before, during, and after camera deployment.
The program’s total anticipated cost for the 2026 fiscal year was over $560,000: about $210,000 for the camera devices and associated expenses, and about $352,000 for the four full-time employees to run the program. That cost doesn’t factor the costs incurred with a high number of captures, which necessitated the workload to be offset to other community service officers.
Court collections were greater than program costs, totaling over $763,600, a net of about $200,000.
Avondale police said their speed safety strategy priorities consist of filling traffic officer vacancies, establishing more speed trailers and covert boxes, improving targeted enforcement, and increasing lidar and radar units for patrol officers.
Going forward, Avondale police said they were launching a speed safety campaign through social media and message boards, continuing its West Valley Speed Enforcement Task Force, partnering with engineering on roadway design to decrease speeds, and relying on current traffic and flock camera systems.
The Speed Safety Camera Program began in May 2022. It concludes officially in June of next year, and will cost the city about $100,000.
Councilmember Max White had a different interpretation of the data.
White argued during Monday’s meeting that the program did have an impact on driving behaviors, though minimal. Mainly, White expressed concern the termination of the contract would impact the city’s credit rating.
White, a National League of Cities (NLC) Transportation & Infrastructure Services board member, indicated the termination would jeopardize recent grant funding from the federal government, the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant.
“We’ve gone out for a bond specifically indicating we’re bonding for public safety and now we’re going to say, ‘We’re going to renege on this one contract.’ That doesn’t feel good for me,” said White. “To save $107,000 — I know you guys put safety first, I know we’re going to do more things, but to whom much is given much is required. I think we need to walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Councilmember Gloria Solorio agreed and expressed concerns that the elimination of the cameras would jeopardize the grant since it requires “countermeasures.”
City Manager Ron Corbin said the program’s termination wouldn’t jeopardize the grant funding.
Councilmember White responded that the grant received was a research grant, and that the speed camera program data was a component of that research used in application for the grant.
“This is research data that we should be collecting through the contract period. There’s a contract period we’re cutting short, and this is part of the research that was just used, for clarification,” said White.
Councilmember Jeannette Garcia said that the data confirmed her suspicions for her longstanding dislike of the cameras.
Mayor Mike Pineda said that he supported speed cameras initially, but is supportive of other tools desired by police to make roadways safe.
“It really stems from safety: how do we make a dent in the overall safety of our roads?” said Pineda. “I see no problem with removing the speed cameras and allowing the police department […] to provide and add these additional resources including the campaigns as a means to reducing and hopefully eliminating speed as a factor in this community.”
Councilmember Tina Conde said it would be “more beneficial” to allow the police department to take over speeding enforcement through their preferred tools.
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by Matthew Holloway | Nov 4, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
A year-long Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) battle has revealed over 1,000 pages of emails from the University of Arizona (U of A), exposing coordinated efforts between faculty and pro-Palestine groups to undermine condemnations of the Oct. 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. The documents, obtained through legal threats after an initial denial, detail attempts to soften U of A statements on terrorism and revise an anti-Semitism resolution to prioritize criticism of police responses to pro-Palestine protests.
Brian Anderson, founder of the Saguaro Group and Arizona Capitol Oversight, filed the FOIA request in May 2024 targeting communications post-Oct 7th when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and many children. U of A initially refused, forcing Anderson to retain attorneys and threaten litigation, costing thousands of dollars before the June 2025 release. He detailed the ordeal in an X post on November 1, 2025, linking to a 12-page report.
Former U of A President Robert C. Robbins condemned the “antisemitic hatred, murder, and atrocity” officially on Oct. 11, 2023, specifically criticizing Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) for endorsing the attacks. Faculty backlash was swift. On Oct. 12th, an associate emailed Faculty Senate Chair Leila Hudson, accusing Robbins of “smears” against SJP and coordinating with Jewish Voice for Peace on protests, threatening a Palestine Legal report. Hudson, an associate professor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies, replied supportively and issued a statement on Oct. 13th condemning “illegal violent collective punishment” on Gaza civilians, equating it to Hamas terrorism.
Faculty emails poured in praising Hudson. One cited distress among Saudi, UAE, and Yemeni students. Another called her “courageous,” noting that “Kochs Off Campus” planned to attend a faculty meeting. Hudson privately noted shortening her draft to avoid “comparisons to ISIS tactics,” instead favoring words that would “bring people into dialogue.”
Pro-Palestine activity intensified on campus. On Oct. 26, 2023, the Coalition of Black Students and Allies emailed faculty, calling Oct. 7th a “powerful emblem of Palestinian resistance” against Israeli “apartheid.” Hudson spoke at a Nov. 6 Faculty Senate meeting on the “genocide” in Palestine, sympathizing with protesters against “occupation” and U.S. policy. An interim provost announced a Nov. 9 “Walkout for Palestine,” and United Campus Workers of Arizona issued a Nov. 20 open letter accusing pro-Palestine critics of “retaliation.”
Vandalism incidents included an Oct. 19, 2023, incident in which a swastika and “dirty Jew” graffiti were found on a student’s door, classified as bias-based. Professor Jean-Marc Fellous emailed on Jan. 14, 2024, about a prior swastika in his lab dismissed as “vandalism.” In April 2024, SJP’s “Israeli Apartheid Week” coincided with Passover, flagged as provocative. U of A’s Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi was vandalized that month.
Faculty suspensions followed: Professors Rebecca Lopez and Rebecca Zapien were briefly removed in December 2023 for calling Hamas a “resistance group.” They were reinstated later. Hudson defended them, stressing teaching “causes and motivations of October 7th.”
An anti-Semitism resolution draft by Fellous on April 13, 2024, condemned fraternity vandalism as “virulent antisemitism.” Hudson emailed on May 3 to “adjust” it for “admin/police violence” against protesters. Colleagues protested, with Barry Goldman questioning the omission of violence against Jewish students. Fellous agreed to separate issues, noting “antisemitism and hate crime have nothing to do with police violence.” On May 5, another colleague accused Hudson of withholding the draft and warned of antisemitic implications.
At the May 2024 Faculty Senate meeting, Hudson declined the resolution, referring it to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for “further study.” She reaffirmed rejection of all biases, including those on “gender identity, reproductive status, and sexual orientation.” On Nov. 4, 2024, she reported ongoing feedback collection.
On Dec. 2, 2023, Hudson’s “State of the Faculty” message announced a Campus Climate response team for “incidents not meeting credible threats,” warning against labeling ceasefire calls or anti-Israel views as “pro-Hamas” or “antisemitic.” Law professors Toni Massaro, Tessa Dysart, and Mona Hymel then expressed concern, and distanced themselves with a fourth colleague whose name was redacted, adding, “I don’t think that a person with an understanding of antisemitism drafted or reviewed the part concerning hate speech.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) threatened legal action on Dec. 12, 2023, calling it a “deeply chilling and unlawful” act of “formalized government monitoring of protected speech.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial board highlighted the emails on Oct. 30, 2025, noting “anti-Israel and pro-Hamas bias among the faculty and student groups.” Anderson’s X thread amplified the report.
Anderson stated: “It took the University of Arizona an entire year to release these records to me, from my initial FOIA request in May 2024 until the final production in June 2025.” He added, “Multiple attorneys and thousands of dollars in legal fees were required to successfully reverse the university’s unnecessary delay (and, later, its formal denial) of my request, which it did only after a final warning that I would be filing a lawsuit within the next 48 hours. More importantly, its refusal to hand over these records denied students and faculty any semblance of transparency into the mechanics behind what was happening on their own campus—or what has happened in the year since.”
He concluded, “The best-case scenario is that UA succumbed to a culture dominated by over-thinking, whataboutism, and misplaced priorities that allowed hatred to flourish. But its extended fight against transparency suggests a broader institutional failure—one bordering on purposeful evasion of public records laws—with the intention of riding out the storm until Israel and Palestine were out of the news. We deserve better from this public university.”
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 | Nov 4, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
A new analysis has found Arizona among the top 10 U.S. states for the share of births financed by Medicaid, ranking ninth nationwide with 471 Medicaid-supported deliveries per 1,000 live births annually. This comes in at 19% above the national average of 394.46.
The study, which examined five years of data from 2019 to 2023, compiled total Medicaid-financed births for each state, averaged them over the period, and standardized the figures based on total live births to determine the rates per 1,000.
Arizona averaged 36,856 Medicaid-financed births per year, peaking in 2019 at 38,848 (49% of all births) and dipping to its lowest in 2022 at 36,153 (46% of all births).
The top 10 states for Medicaid-funded births (per 1,000) are: Louisiana – 615, Mississippi – 589, New Mexico – 545, Oklahoma – 512, Texas – 487, Alabama – 474.9, West Virginia – 474.6, South Carolina – 473, Arizona – 471, and Tennessee – 465.
It is unknown how many of those children are born to illegal aliens, but a separate finding by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates 225,000 to 250,000 births to illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2023 alone—representing approximately 7% of all births nationwide.
“Up to a quarter-million births to illegal immigrants is hardly trivial,” the report said. “It appears to be more than the number of births to legal noncitizens, and it is greater than the total number of births in all but two states taken individually. Although not yet available, the 2024 numbers are likely to be even higher.”
The financial implications are substantial, according to a 2023 cost analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The net cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers at federal, state, and local levels reached at least $150.7 billion in 2023, which is an increase of $35 billion from the 2017 estimate of $116 billion.
After subtracting $32 billion in taxes paid by illegal immigrants from a gross economic impact of $182 billion, the burden equates to $1,156 per illegal immigrant household annually.
Each illegal alien or U.S.-born child of illegal aliens costs taxpayers an estimated $8,776 per year. While some contribute through taxes, these payments only cover one-sixth of the costs they generate. Many illegal aliens working in the “underground economy” avoid income taxes entirely, widening the financial gap.
Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from accessing most federally funded state and local benefits, though states may use their own funds to extend coverage to certain noncitizen populations, including expanded Medicaid for unauthorized immigrants in some areas.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 3, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
A group of students at Arizona State University hosted a public awareness event on Thursday, October 23, at the Memorial Union to highlight Antifa’s activities on campus and encourage students to confidentially report any known associates for submission to the Federal Terror Watchlist.
The event, hosted by College Republicans United (CRU), featured verified public records and official documents detailing students previously convicted of Antifa-related crimes, including multiple individuals who were active members or leaders of the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) at ASU at the time of their arrests.
“Like the Trump administration, we believe that if you see something, say something,” Kevin Decuyper told The State Press. According to the outlet, Decuyper co-founded CRU at ASU in 2018 as a student and is now the chairman of the College Republicans United national organization.
Former law enforcement officer and current Congressional candidate for Arizona’s 1st District, Paul Reevs also told The State Press, “What these students are doing, standing up and simply asking people to help them identify violent people, is courageous. We need that kind of leadership, and I want to support them when they do that.” He attended the event and spoke to students to raise awareness about Antifa-related criminal activity on and around campus.
In a release promoting the event, CRU cited Gabriel Nadales, a former Antifa member and National Director of Our America who spoke at the group’s ASU chapter in 2019 about the connection between ANTIFA and the YDSA.
According to The State Press, YDSA co-chair Isaac Burdge denied any organizational ties to Antifa, stating the group opposes fascism but does not engage in violence.
Despite Burdge’s claims that YDSA is not violent, there have been many documented cases of violence, including Benjamin Cooper, YDSA’s agitprop director at ASU, who has had multiple arrests for assaulting police.
Correction: A previous version of this story said that Gabriel Nadales was a featured speaker at the October 23rd event. Nadales did not speak at the event, but spoke to the group in 2019. The story has been udpated to reflect this.
Correction: A previous version of this story failed to cite reporting from The State Press. The story has been updated.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 3, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Republican lawmakers, backed by President Donald Trump and prominent allies including Elon Musk, are escalating efforts to impeach Chief Judge James Boasberg, citing a pattern of rulings they allege usurp executive authority, exhibit political bias, and endanger national security.
The campaign gained fresh momentum on October 30, 2025, when Representative Eli Crane (AZ-02) weighed in on Senator Mike Lee’s tweet, “Should Judge Boasberg be removed from office?”
Crane fired back, “Here’s the real question, @basedmikelee: Why hasn’t it happened already?”
Boasberg, elevated to Chief Judge in March 2023 after his 2011 appointment to the bench by President Barack Obama, has become a focal point in GOP frustration during Trump’s second term, as he keeps getting assigned Trump cases.
Republican lawmakers label him an “activist judge” whose decisions repeatedly obstruct administration priorities on immigration, national security, and government efficiency.
In March 2025, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), along with 22 cosponsors, including Arizona Representatives Eli Crane (AZ-02), Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09), introduced H.Res.229, impeaching Boasberg for “high crimes and misdemeanors” under a single article titled “Abuse of Power.”
The resolution accuses the judge of violating his oath by substituting his judgment for the President’s under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and interfering with executive orders.
Specific charges include:
- Issuing a March 2025 temporary restraining order halting the deportation of hundreds of alleged Tren de Aragua gang members—designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization—without due process.
- Ordering mid-flight aircraft carrying deportees to El Salvador to turn around, despite a subsequent Supreme Court ruling permitting the Act’s use with mandated judicial review.
- Initiating contempt proceedings against administration officials for “willful disregard” of his order, actions Republicans called a “constitutional crisis” that jeopardizes public safety.
Newly disclosed FBI documents, released in October 2025, revealed that Boasberg approved covert subpoenas for phone records of nine Republican senators during the Justice Department’s January 6 investigation. The orders barred carriers like AT&T from notifying targets, citing “reasonable grounds” they might tamper with evidence. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), among those targeted, denounced the move as a “weaponized legal system.”
Affected senators also include Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
On October 30, Cruz urged the House to impeach Boasberg and seek federal sanctions, stating, “If a judge signs an order reaching a factual conclusion for which there is zero evidence whatsoever, that judge is abusing his power.”
Lawmakers allege the broader probe—conducted under former special counsel Jack Smith—targeted up to 156 Republican lawmakers, conservatives, and organizations at significant taxpayer expense.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Nov 2, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County continues to house a diversity and inclusion initiative page.
According to the dedicated page for the diversity and inclusion initiative, Maricopa County continues to align the county’s workforce to complement constituent demographics. The county page declares that diversity yields net benefits culturally, socially, and economically.
“Maricopa County’s diversity and inclusion strategies are focused on creating an engaged workforce representative of the citizens we serve and reflective of the changing demography of our communities,” states the initiative page. “The significant cultural, social and economic dividends arising from our diverse employee base will ensure in the future our ability to provide sound government to the residents of Maricopa County.”
The page also credits differences among employees in terms of cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities as points of strength.
“Diversity and inclusion are global visions in today’s marketplace and Maricopa County realizes that by understanding, respecting and using creatively the differences of our employees, we will continue to meet the needs of the citizens we serve,” stated the initiative page.
Per the county, supporting diversity and inclusion among its workforce also consists of recognizing, rewarding, and compensating employees — specifically, based on the merits.
“The foundation of our diversity and inclusion strategies are to clearly articulate to both our employees and the general public our intention to create a culture that enhances our ability to hire, retain, develop, manage and promote a diverse, engaged workforce,” added the initiative page.
According to the page, the diversity and inclusion initiative is housed within the county’s Human Resources Department, and falls under the county’s “Government Operations” strategic priority: one of five within the 2023-2026 fiscal year strategic goals and performance measures.
This strategic priority focuses on improving infrastructure to improve government services and the county workforce.
However, on the performance dashboard page for the “Government Operations” strategic goal, the policy initiative of diversity and inclusion is not mentioned. The page mentions only three goals within the overarching strategic goal: optimizing technology by creating and launching a governance committee with the Office of Enterprise Technology; building trust by developing an online county data and services portal for residents; and developing a performance dashboard.
Nowhere else in the county’s current strategic plan is there mention of diversity and inclusion, or diversity or inclusion.
With the page remaining active as a seemingly standalone initiative, it is unclear the role diversity and inclusion plays within county governance — especially since the strategic plan it purportedly exists within doesn’t mention it at all.
Available archived versions of the diversity and inclusion page date back to 2017. The 2019-2022 fiscal year strategic goals and performance measures did not mention diversity and inclusion, and neither did the 2015-2018 version.
Earlier this year following President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the public sector, Maricopa County Community College District dropped its DEI policies and moved to repurpose or offload entirely individuals or groups previously dedicated to DEI.
In addition to the expected removal of its diversity page online, the district disbanded Equality Maricopa, its largest identity-based group (LGBTQ+ individuals), and advised the removal of specific identity-based groups across its campuses, like the Black Student Union.
Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs also put the K-12 schools on notice to drop their DEI policies.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
