by Matthew Holloway | Dec 15, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate Appropriations and Transportation Committee Chairman David Farnsworth (R-LD10) is calling attention to a rise in runaway and missing youth cases involving group homes and residential treatment campuses. He announced efforts to develop a pilot program aimed at improving prevention and response.
In a statement released last week, Farnsworth said he is working with local officials and law enforcement in the Town of Queen Creek to explore funding for two full-time, specialized police officers dedicated to addressing missing-from-care incidents. The proposed positions would focus on prevention efforts, rapid response when a youth is reported missing, and thorough investigations.
Farnsworth said he is engaging with group-home operators, municipal leaders, and law enforcement to develop a three-pillar framework centered on prevention, response, and investigation. While the plan is still in development, Farnsworth said the long-term objective is to craft legislation that could establish a statewide model for addressing runaway and missing youth cases.
“We must recognize the growing issue of missing and runaway youth in these settings; it is a pressing concern that requires our attention,” Farnsworth said.
“By collaborating with local leaders and public safety experts, we can develop thoughtful and effective solutions. This proactive approach is the first step toward enhancing child safety and ensuring a brighter future for our community. My goal is to create legislation that not only addresses these challenges in Queen Creek but also serves as a positive example for communities throughout Arizona, making the protection of our vulnerable population a top priority.”
Queen Creek has been identified as a focal point for the initiative due to a significant increase in missing youth incidents tied to residential treatment campuses and group-home settings located in the area. Those facilities serve some of Arizona’s most vulnerable children, prompting renewed concern among lawmakers and local leaders.
According to the Queen Creek Police Department’s Missing Persons page on Facebook, three missing persons posts have been created since September 1st, with two of them listed as found, and one, 14-year-old Abrianna Madrid, still listed as missing since November 13th.
Queen Creek Vice Mayor Leah Martineau expressed support for the effort, citing the risks faced by youth who leave group-care and residential treatment settings without authorization.
“Youth who leave residential treatment and group-care settings without authorization face very real dangers, and Queen Creek is committed to addressing that reality head-on,” Martineau said. “Our role as a community is to strengthen safeguards, respond quickly when a child is missing, and ensure each situation receives the focused attention it deserves.”
Martineau said the proposed pilot program positions Queen Creek to serve as a test case for solutions that could be adopted by other Arizona communities, if successful.
Details of the pilot program, including funding mechanisms and legislative language, have not yet been finalized. Farnsworth said additional discussions with stakeholders will continue as the proposal takes shape.
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 | Dec 15, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
U.S. Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ02) joined forces with Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), and Joe Neguse (D-CO) to introduce the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act of 2025, a bipartisan measure aimed at enhancing the safety and effectiveness of aerial wildfire suppression operations.
The legislation mandates the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in close consultation with the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, to conduct a comprehensive study on the disruptive effects of unauthorized drone activity over federal lands during active firefighting efforts.
The resulting report will equip Congress with critical insights to inform targeted policies that reduce risks and protect vital suppression resources.
Key elements of the study include gathering detailed data on the frequency of drone incursions, their direct impacts on firefighting operations, resulting delays in response times, and the additional financial burdens imposed on federal agencies.
It will further assess potential mitigation strategies, such as advanced counter-drone technologies and infrastructure, alongside robust public education initiatives to underscore the severe hazards posed by drone interference.
The FAA is required to deliver its findings and actionable policy recommendations to the appropriate congressional committees within 18 months of the bill’s enactment.
With Arizona facing recurrent and intense wildfires, coupled with a surge in unauthorized drone operations, Rep. Crane emphasized the urgent need to eliminate barriers that hinder effective fire management.
“I’m proud to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation to address the growing issue of drones interfering with aerial fire suppression efforts. Arizona is prone to devastating wildfires, and it’s imperative that we minimize obstruction and delays,” said Rep. Crane. “With our bill, Congress would have the necessary information to craft policies that help our firefighters combat wildfires before they get out of control. I urge my colleagues to support our approach.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Dec 14, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A Republican state lawmaker is urging the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to follow the new federal guidance on hepatitis B shots for newborns.
State Representative Lisa Fink (R-LD27) published a press release directing ADHS to align its guidance on hepatitis B newborn vaccinations with the newly updated federal recommendation.
The new recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) suggests only newborns born to women who test positive for hepatitis B should receive the vaccination. Mothers who test negative are advised to consult their doctor otherwise.
“Arizona’s health department should not stand alone defending an outdated one-size-fits-all policy when the federal advisory panel and the President are urging a more cautious, evidence-based approach,” said Fink. “For healthy babies born to hepatitis B-negative mothers, the updated guidance returns the decision to parents and their doctors, who can determine what is best for that child without pressure to accept an automatic birth shot.”
The updated recommendation reflects a return to a risk-based approach for the vaccine.
ACIP favoring an updated recommendation emerged from the cited lack of trial data and serious tracking on adverse events to prove safety and efficacy beyond simple real-world observation. ACIP did discuss the smattering of adverse reactions that resulted from the few, limited trials that did occur back in the late 20th century.
ACIP first recommended hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns in 1991.
Per ACIP research, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid out $18 million for hepatitis B vaccine injuries in combination with other vaccines for children.
Joel Terriquez — ADHS medical director of the Bureau of Infectious Diseases Services as well as the Bureau of Immunization Services — told KTAR on Monday that the agency rejects the new federal guidance.
“We would like to make sure that parents understand the importance of this birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine based on the safety, efficacy as well as historic benefits associated with prevention of infection,” said Terriquez. “That will create a window period where we could potentially have transmission of infection without having the ability to protect these babies based on that knowledge of a positive test.”
Terriquez argued that some women may become infected during their pregnancy, and the nine weeks it would take for the disease to show up in a test result would result in a false negative for the mother.
Most Hepatitis B carriers are individuals who engage in sex with multiple partners — mainly males who have sexual intercourse with males — and intravenous drug users. Transmission from mother to child mainly occurs within countries with high rates of hepatitis B. America was not one of these countries prior to 1991 and didn’t become one after 1991. The disease is most common throughout Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Ahead of ACIP’s changes to the recommendation, ADHS issued a press release advocating for the continued practice of universal hepatitis B vaccinations.
Likewise, other health organizations and state health authorities are rejecting ACIP’s new recommendation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics described ACIP’s recommendation as “irresponsible,” and claimed delayed hepatitis B vaccine administration “has no clear benefits” but only makes children vulnerable to the disease.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 14, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) is renewing his push to dismantle the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, doubling down on efforts he began earlier in the year by urging Congress to terminate the program outright rather than merely condemning employers who use it.
In a Dec. 11 op-ed published by the Daily Signal, Gosar argued that OPT has evolved into an unauthorized guest-worker system that disadvantages American graduates while rewarding corporations that favor foreign labor over U.S. workers.
In his op-ed, Gosar wrote that OPT was created “by bureaucratic fiat in 1992,” later “radically expanded” by the Obama administration, which he argued did so without congressional authorization. He argued that the program has since grown into what he described as a de facto guest-worker system. The congressman described OPT as “a massive, unauthorized foreign guest-worker pipeline to operate outside the law, undercut American students, and expose our nation to significant economic and national-security risks.”
The renewed call follows Gosar’s September criticism of major corporations and institutions for exploiting OPT to hire foreign workers at lower cost. In that earlier statement, Gosar accused businesses of favoring foreign workers over Americans by using the program to avoid payroll taxes and to undercut wages, a charge he now says requires legislative correction rather than corporate shame alone.
At the time he wrote in a post to X, “OPT incentivizes greedy businesses to fire Americans & replace them with inexpensive foreign labor by avoiding having to pay FICA and Medicare payroll taxes and other employee benefits. My bill, HR 2315, would terminate the OPT Program.”
OPT allows foreign students on F-1 visas to work in the United States for up to 12 months after graduation, with an additional 24-month extension available for STEM graduates. Unlike H-1B visas, OPT is not capped by Congress, and many F-1 OPT participants are generally exempt from FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes for a period under federal tax residency rules, creating a cost advantage for employers in many cases.
Gosar argues the structure incentivizes companies to bypass American workers while skirting congressional limits on employment-based visas. In his op-ed, he described OPT as a “shadow substitute for the H-1B visa program” that has expanded through executive action over multiple administrations.
He wrote, in part, “Why would we invite foreign students from strategic competitors to work inside America’s most sensitive research, technology, and defense sectors—often without meaningful oversight? Why would we maintain an unregulated guest-worker pipeline that Congress never approved? And why would we subsidize it with taxpayer dollars? The answer is simple: We shouldn’t.”
Gosar explained that the program incentivizes corporations to favor foreign workers by exempting OPT participants from payroll taxes, a structure he argues disadvantages American graduates entering the workforce.
To address the issue, he is calling on Congress to pass his March 2025 legislation, the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act (HR2315), which would permanently end the OPT program and prohibit future executive-branch work-authorization programs without explicit congressional approval.
The congressman framed the issue as both an economic and constitutional concern, arguing that immigration and labor policy should be set by lawmakers rather than federal agencies. He also cited national-security risks tied to insufficient oversight of foreign nationals working in sensitive industries under OPT.
In a post to X on Dec. 12, Texas Congressman Chip Roy’s office announced his support for Gosar’s efforts, writing, “Rep. Roy is proud to join @RepGosar in ending the fraud-ridden Optional Practical Training (OPT) program that displaces American tech workers and undermines our national security. Let’s get it done.”
Supporters of OPT, including universities and business groups, argue that the program helps fill workforce shortages and makes U.S. schools more competitive in attracting international students. Critics counter that the program’s scale, which has grown to hundreds of thousands of participants annually, distorts labor markets and suppresses wages for entry-level American workers. Department of Homeland Security Data shows that 194,554 OPT students had employment authorization documentation and employer information filed in 2024.
Gosar’s latest push signals a renewed legislative challenge, placing OPT squarely in the ongoing national debate over immigration, workforce policy, and executive authority.
Whether Congress will act on the proposal remains uncertain. Still, Gosar’s redoubled effort suggests the issue is unlikely to fade as lawmakers consider broader immigration and labor reforms in the coming year.
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 Jonathan Eberle | Dec 14, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Hours after State Representative Matt Gress urged the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board to postpone its decision on whether to close two schools, the Board voted to permanently shutter Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon K-8—fueling frustration among families and intensifying scrutiny of the district’s financial review process.
Gress, who chairs the House Education Committee and co-chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, had asked the Board to wait until February 1 before taking action. In a letter sent Monday, he warned that the district had not provided the public with a complete fiscal analysis or a thorough exploration of alternatives.
“Closing schools has lasting consequences. Before the board takes any action, the public should see a full explanation of the fiscal impact, the alternatives that were considered, and how the district plans to support the students who would be uprooted,” Gress wrote. “Based on what I have seen so far, that work is incomplete.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Governing Board voted 3–2 to permanently close both Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon K-8 beginning next school year. The decision comes as SUSD faces declining enrollment, rising operating costs, and a projected budget deficit that could reach $9 million by 2026.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel told families that the district can no longer sustain all of its campuses under current conditions. “These realities make it increasingly difficult to sustain all of our schools in their current form while continuing to provide the world-class, future-focused education our community expects and deserves,” he said.
District data presented Tuesday showed that 12% of Pima families and 17% of Echo Canyon families have already enrolled in alternate district schools for next year—figures officials say reflect the difficult choices families are already making.
While the Board cited urgency, Gress countered that SUSD still has financial alternatives that would allow more time for a complete public review before making irreversible decisions. He emphasized that families deserve clarity before the district proceeds with closures that will significantly disrupt school communities.
“This decision can wait,” he said. “Taking the time to do this right will help the board make a more informed and beneficial choice.”
With the vote now final, the repurposing process for both campuses is scheduled to begin in the 2026–2027 school year—while families, lawmakers, and district officials continue to debate whether the closures were necessary, inevitable, or simply premature.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Dec 13, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema claims she’s not a lobbyist, but her emails tell a different story.
Emails uncovered by FOIAzona revealed Sinema’s lobbying for a major new AI data center in Chandler.
When Sinema joined Hogan Lovells, global law and lobbying firm, as senior counsel back in March, she told reporters she wasn’t registering as a lobbyist. Sinema is also an advisory council member for Coinbase Global, a cryptocurrency company; and president and CEO of Arizona Business Roundtable.
Federal law requiring a “cooling off” period for former representatives and senators doesn’t apply to lobbying at local levels — only lobbying in Congress.
The federal lobbyist system doesn’t have Sinema registered. However it does have the registration of Hogan Lovell’s policy advisor: her former congressional aide, Daniel Winkler.
Emails revealed that Sinema met with Chandler council members in mid-June to discuss the data center. Following that meeting, Sinema used her Hogan Lovells email to push plan proposals for the data center to six city officials: a development agreement and a white paper advocating for AI data centers as an economic boon. Her emails to city officials were consistent thereafter.
“Single User – We demo the property and leave the front part open to attract the single use that [City Manager] Micah [Miranda] envisions. We build only the data center and the north building at the same time. R&D buildings along Dobson – We commence construction of these two eastern buildings within 18 months of C of O of data center. This gives Micah the time to attract a single user, but we still will process plans for these two buildings in the meantime to hit the 18 month mark. This leave the middle portion open to still attract a single user and build to suit. Full buildout – We commence spec construction of the middle building within 36 months of C of O of data center. This gives Micah the time to attract a single user, or a middle user but we still will process plans for all the buildings to hit the 36 month mark.”
Councilmember Matt Orlando then met with Sinema and Winkler in early August.
About a week later, Sinema was attempting to get the ear of another member of the council, Jennifer Hawkins.
In the days that followed, Orlando advised the city manager and economic development director that councilmembers were receiving constant communications about AI, and directed the pair to reach out to Sinema for possible development sites.
“We should not only look at the old Northrop Grumman site, but at the airport and other areas of our community for many AI clusters,” said Orlando. “We need to look at the economic model of such complexes. Please get with Kirsten [sic] Sinema, our existing companies and others in the industry and get us some ideas for a truly strategic plan to position our city for the future.”
The city’s economic development director advised in September that there wasn’t “any definitive cause relationship” between AI data centers and the desired location site for companies.
Then came the widely reported day in mid-October when Sinema argued for the data center at the Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
It was there that Sinema threatened to use the power of the Trump administration against the city should they not approve the data center.
“[My coalition] works hand-in-glove with the Trump administration as we prepare for AI American dominance,” said Sinema. “We all know that the innovation campus has been vacant for over seven years. What I’d like you to know today is this: if we choose not to move forward with this development, the land will continue to sit vacant until federal preemption occurs.”
Sinema argued on behalf of the data center developer Active Infrastructure. She presented herself as the founder and co-chair of the AI Infrastructure Coalition (AIC), which formally launched with a swanky D.C. party last month.
AIC members include Andreeseen Horowitz, Cisco, ExxonMobil, Google, Lumen, Meta, Microsoft, and Pinnacle West. AIC’s executive director, Brian Walsh, formerly led the Congressional Leadership Fund and America First Action.
The Chandler City Council voted 7-0 against the data center in their meeting on December 11.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
