Arizona
Following scandal, this Oregon sewer board will move its subsidiary from Hawaii to Arizona
It’s official: Washington County’s embattled sewer agency will trade Hawaiian beaches for Arizona desert by the end of 2026.
In a move that had been telegraphed for months, the Clean Water Services board of commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday to relocate its controversy-producing insurance subsidiary from Hawaii to Arizona, citing financial savings. The vote comes eight months after the company’s location came under scrutiny in the wake of an Oregonian/OregonLive investigation that found that agency executives on the insurance company board stayed at a rotating cast of five-star resorts for annual board meetings and insurance conferences in Hawaii.
Seven trips cost at least $165,000, including $42,000 to send six officials to the Big Island in 2023 and at least $41,000 to send seven officials to Kauai last year, records show. The sewer agency did not send any employees to Hawaii last month for the annual insurance conference.
Following the newsroom’s investigation, the sewer board, made up of the members of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, implemented a slew of oversight measures and the agency’s executive director eventually resigned, privately citing a hostile work environment. The board’s review included requiring the agency to conduct a new domicile review for its wholly-owned captive insurance company, a form of self insurance that is rare among public agencies.
That review, conducted this summer by consultant Aon, identified Arizona, not Hawaii, as the best state for Clean Water Services to locate its insurance subsidiary. The agency endorsed that recommendation and asked the board to approve it, primarily based on Aon’s review, spokesperson Julie Cortez said.
The sewer board did not make public statements before voting Tuesday but asserted in previous meetings and in its official board resolution that the decision to relocate the insurance company from Hawaii to Arizona made financial sense and was not simply a response to public outcry. However, Clean Water Services declined to provide a complete picture of why the move made financial sense.
An August estimate by Aon found it would cost the agency about $203,000 annually to remain in Hawaii while it would cost nearly $192,000 to be in Arizona.
That analysis factored in board member travel. Aon estimated it would cost only $10,000 to continue traveling to Hawaii for annual board meetings and up to $16,500 for optional training and education. In comparison, it estimated it would cost $7,500 to go to Arizona annually for board meetings and up to $9,500 for optional training and education.
Those figures are well below the more $40,000 annually that the agency had been spending in recent years to send its entire board to Hawaii. Rick Shanley, the interim CEO/general manager for Clean Water Services, told the board in an Oct. 10 meeting that was because the agency would only send three board members to future conferences.
Aon’s analysis estimated there would also be an additional $45,000 in one-time costs to move the company to Arizona, including legal costs and the costs of a tax adviser and captive manager. But staying in Hawaii would cost about the same, Shanley told the board in the Oct. 10 meeting. That’s because the agency needed to update its operating agreement and make other legal and administrative changes to the insurance company.
Board member Jason Snider pledged his support for Arizona at the time, saying he was swayed by the fact that there would be similar one-time costs no matter what.
“For me, the decision becomes much easier when I realize we were likely going to have to redo a bunch of work in Hawaii anyway,” Snider said. “I think the right decision, given that, is to make the move to Arizona.”
However, Clean Water Services declined to provide a breakdown of the one-time costs of keeping the insurance company in Hawaii to back up its assertion. Clean Water Services sought a legal review of costs for staying in Hawaii, Cortez said, and she argued that makes the “legal advice related to potential additional costs” subject to attorney-client privilege.
Leaders from Clean Water Services began traveling to the Hawaii Captive Insurance Council forum in 2016, after the agency decided to form and incorporate its captive insurance company in Hawaii. States that offer the niche insurance programs often tout their locations and amenities, with Hawaii boasting about its “world class business meeting, hospitality, and recreational facilities fostering productive business meetings and corporate retreats.”
The sewer agency has defended its decision as financially beneficial to its ratepayers. Since 2016, the insurance company’s capital has grown to almost $5.55 million that could be applied to future catastrophic insurance events, exceeding expectations consultants set in 2015 when the agency was considering forming the company, records show.
But the case for basing the insurance company in Hawaii was always more opaque, consultants’ evaluations obtained by the newsroom through Oregon’s public records law show.
In fact, the records show that consultants in 2014 initially recommended that officials consider locating the business in Arizona or Utah before eventually recommending Hawaii, which they touted in part based on the faulty premise that travel costs wouldn’t be expensive. And a 2022 evaluation conducted by Aon shows that Hawaii continued to rank highest partly because of the insurance company’s history there, an advantage no other state could offer.
When Aon conducted its updated review this summer that found Arizona was the best location, it did so by using a slimmed-down matrix that no longer benefited Hawaii by including “substance and existing relationships” as a factor, among other key changes.
Following the board’s vote Tuesday, Clean Water Services will now begin to work through the legal, operational and administrative hurdles necessary to relocate the insurance subsidiary to Arizona. Director Jerry Willey was absent from the vote. The board has given the agency until the end of 2026 to complete that process, but Cortez said the timeline could be shorter.
“As to the timeframe,” Cortez said in an email, “we believe this to be a conservative estimate and will continue to adjust the details of the timeline now that the board has made the decision to re-domesticate in Arizona.”
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Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Tuesday, July 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers
02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 Evening numbers
Evening: 4-7-2
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers
03-05-10-14-37
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Triple Twist numbers
03-06-18-23-27-32
Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?
In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.
How to play the Powerball
To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
- 5 white balls = $1 million.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:
Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.
PAGE, ARIZ., – A suspect has been arrested after two people were found shot to death inside a home near the Arizona-Utah border.
What we know:
On July 5 at 11:30 p.m., the Page Police and Fire Communications Center responded to a report that two people had been shot near Elm and El Camino.
Once at the home, officers found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
“The suspect was unknown and not on scene when officers arrived,” police said.
Dig deeper:
Police secured the home and obtained a search warrant. Investigators then began processing the crime scene.
“Evidence collected provided investigators with a person of interest who may have been present when the shootings occurred,” police said. “Investigators located the person of interest and interviewed him but did not initially charge him with any crimes related to the double homicide investigation.”
The next day, the person of interest was arrested and booked into jail. He’s accused of two counts of first-degree murder.
What we don’t know:
No identities were released. Police didn’t release any details on what led up to the shooting.
Local perspective:
Police “do not believe there is any remaining threat to the community, as the alleged suspect and the weapon allegedly used have been seized by law enforcement.”
What you can do:
If anyone has information related to the investigation, they advise contacting Detective Terry TerEick at ttereick@pageaz.gov.
Map of the cross streets where the shooting occurred:
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Page Police Department’s Facebook page.
Arizona Diamondbacks (45-45, second in the NL West) vs. San Diego Padres (44-46, third in the NL West)
San Diego; Tuesday, 9:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen (0-0); Padres: TBD
LINE: Padres -131, Diamondbacks +108; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres are looking to end their three-game home slide with a victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
San Diego has a 44-46 record overall and a 23-22 record at home. The Padres have a 26-13 record in games when they record at least eight hits.
Arizona is 45-45 overall and 18-25 on the road. The Diamondbacks have gone 16-4 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The teams match up Tuesday for the fourth time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Manny Machado has 16 doubles and 18 home runs for the Padres. Fernando Tatis Jr. is 11 for 43 with three doubles, two home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games.
Ketel Marte has 18 doubles, three triples and 17 home runs for the Diamondbacks. Geraldo Perdomo is 13 for 39 with three doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Padres: 1-9, .255 batting average, 8.02 ERA, outscored by 51 runs
Diamondbacks: 4-6, .222 batting average, 3.84 ERA, outscored by one run
INJURIES: Padres: Jason Adam: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Randy Vasquez: 15-Day IL (ankle), Freddy Fermin: 10-Day IL (head), Matt Waldron: 15-Day IL (arm), David Morgan: 15-Day IL (knee), Jeremiah Estrada: 15-Day IL (knee), Lucas Giolito: 15-Day IL (elbow), Nick Pivetta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Joe Musgrove: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ramon Laureano: 60-Day IL (hip), Bryan Hoeing: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Diamondbacks: James McCann: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Blake Walston: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Lawlar: 10-Day IL (hamstring), A.J. Puk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ryne Nelson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (lower body), Corbin Burnes: 60-Day IL (elbow), Cristian Mena: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Andrew Saalfrank: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Martinez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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