Abstinence funding question cleared up

by David SafierI was trying to figure out the other day if Napolitano actually refused abstinence education funding, since articles about Brewer restarting the program talked about a continuation. Howard Fischer cleared the whole thing up. Programs for teens had continued with leftover funds, but another program "to promote abstinence in youngsters in grades six … Read more

Al Melvin’s biggest disappointment

by David SafierFreshman legislators always come in with high hopes about what they can accomplish, so they're bound to suffer multiple disappointments in their first years. And this year when legislators see Arizonans losing jobs, watching the value of their investments in homes and retirement accounts plummet and going without adequate health care and other … Read more

Horne: No stand on new taxes

by David SafierEd Supe Tom Horne was interviewed on Arizona Illustrated a few days ago. Jim Nintzel of Tucson Weekly, one of the panel, posted the video on his blog.Three points jumped out at me: Horne refused to say whether he supports a tax increase for schools, claiming that's up to the legislature. True, of … Read more

Supreme Court to hear ELL case Monday

by David SafierSarah Garrecht Gassen has written an excellent piece in the Star on the Arizona ELL case that will be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court Monday. If you want an overview and analysis of the 1992 Flores v. State of Arizona case, it's all here. Gassen makes one important point about the … Read more

Shoulda seen this one coming

by David SafierIf a dozen of us sat around a room when Brewer became governor and thought about things she was sure to do, one would have been to reverse Napolitano's decision to refuse abstinence education funding. Sure enough . . . The Arizona Department of Health Services announced it has applied for a $1 … Read more