The state budget has swelled by about $1 billion this year with increased tax collections and other revenue.

The lawyer for Attorney General Tom Horne said Monday his client was legally entitled to surrender $50 million of the money the state got from a nationwide mortgage settlement.

Sam Coppersmith thinks he got us. (See his column on the following page.) Good try, Sam, but you should have done your homework, like reading the fine print of the Clean Elections Act.

Transportation officials on Tuesday warned Gov. Janet Napolitano and four other Western governors of a pending transportation crisis that could the threaten the country’s trade and commerce if something isn’t done soon.

The legislation prepared for Senate action on Thursday included about $55 million in raids on various funds. But the measure was altered before it reached the floor.

Attorney General Terry Goddard improperly used legal tactics in an effort to hinder a criminal investigation in his office, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas contends in a lawsuit filed Monday.

Arizona voters want more Democrats in Congress in general, but not necessarily Democrat Jim Pederson in particular, according to a survey conducted by Arizona State University and KAET-TV.

Two separate lawsuits were filed Wednesday arguing Arizona’s system to fund public education is “unequitable” and “unconstitutional.”

Arizona State Mine Inspector Joe Hart wants $1.2 million for each of the next 10 years to start making at least some of the estimated 100,000 abandoned mines around the state safe.

February 9, 2005

Gov. Jan Brewer and legislators broke the law by trying to balance last year's budget with cash from the State Compensation Fund, a judge has ruled.

The Arizona Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to consider the claim by cities that the state - and Gov. Janet Napolitano in particular - illegally took some of their funds.

October 22, 2004

October 22, 2004

Republican candidates in the heated District 17 House race received thousands of dollars for their campaigns Thursday after a state commission ruled they were targeted by a series of political attack ads.

Arizona State Mine Inspector Joe Hart wants $1.2 million for each of the next 10 years to start making at least some of the estimated 100,000 abandoned mines around the state safe.

Leading Republican lawmakers will propose today to withhold about $70 million in basic state aid to classroom education in the next fiscal year, setting up a possible showdown with Gov. Janet Napolitano over the intent of voters when they raised the state sales tax in 2000.

A House panel voted Monday to allow donated funds to be used to help students get into college. But not everyone thinks that's a good idea.

When there’s a spike in car thefts or a rise in drug deals, local police agencies depend on state investigators to gather information quickly to determine if street gangs are committing the crimes.

The race for Arizona attorney general has turned into two separate campaigns.

The race for Arizona attorney general has turned into two separate campaigns. One is waged in the traditional way of pressing palms, erecting campaign signs and trading barbs.

The race to become Arizona's next attorney general has turned into a slugfest where the two Republican candidates have set up websites devoted exclusively to savaging each other.

Legislation to privatize the state fund that provides workers' compensation to 60 percent of Arizona's employers is drawing staunch opposition from business groups, as well as the fund's president and CEO.

For the second time in as many days, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a Republican-backed plan Wednesday to fund programs that teach English to Arizona students because it included corporate tax credits.