Arizona

Blacklisting companies for their gun policies will backfire on Arizona

Published

2 years ago

March 4, 2024

Press Room

Blacklisting companies for their gun policies will backfire on Arizona

Opinion: Arizona will pay more – in cash and reputation – if it begins cutting off businesses to make a political point about firearms.

Danny Seiden
| opinion contributor

The Arizona Legislature is considering a bill that could make our regulatory environment more cumbersome, complicated and expensive, tying up private businesses in red tape and sticking taxpayers with the bill.

If it passes, Arizona’s reputation as a business-friendly state will be at risk.

The proponents of Senate Concurrent Resolution 1007 argue that private companies are discriminating against potential customers based on gun politics and thus shouldn’t be allowed to do business with the state and local governments.

They also believe that the best way to prevent such discrimination is to prohibit private entities from entering into certain contractual agreements, unless the entity’s contract includes written assurances that there will be no discrimination against any firearm entity or firearm trade association.

Blacklist policies have hurt other states

Private businesses of all sizes make tough decisions every day to manage risk, meet client needs and deliver returns for shareholders. All that’s hard enough to do without inserting a political agenda into the mix.

However, the proposed remedy is far worse than the perceived problem.

This bill is a bad deal for Arizona, replacing a market defined by supply and demand with one where politicians decide who can do business with whom.

Other states have adopted similar blacklist policies and paid a stiff price.

In Texas, taxpayers have been forced to shoulder hundreds of millions of dollars in additional municipal borrowing costs after lawmakers there pushed out a handful of bond underwriters.

Local officials in Stillwater, Okla., had to put a series of infrastructure projects on hold after borrowing costs spiked because the lender found itself on that state’s blacklist.

Fewer choices mean higher costs

It’s a predictable consequence.

After all, fewer businesses eligible to contract with state and local governments leads to fewer choices from which the government can select for projects, which leads to higher costs for taxpayers.

State and local governments can’t print money. When costs go up in one area, it means there are fewer resources to invest in things like public safety, sanitation and other core government responsibilities.

GOP bill lets you sue: Over imagined Marxist policies

It’s no wonder the Arizona Association of Counties has expressed concern that bringing a blacklist law to our state would cause small, rural communities to suffer due to reduced banking services and higher costs, which will ultimately affect local taxpayers.

Arizona’s pro-business reputation has been cultivated in part by assuring job creators that our policymaking environment is predictable and stable, and that our laws and regulations are intended to encourage job growth, not stifle it.

Don’t put Arizona’s reputation at risk

But SCR 1007 signals that Arizona’s business environment can shift at any moment.

What was once an acceptable business practice could suddenly fall out of favor with whoever’s in power, jeopardizing a company’s ability to operate here.

Arizona has worked hard to cultivate a business environment where businesses can succeed or fail in a free market.

The policies proposed in SCR 1007 would make government the arbiter of who wins and who loses. Lawmakers should reject it.

Danny Seiden is president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry. On X, formerly Twitter: @dbseiden.

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Arizona

5 big Powerball lotto prizes won across Arizona days before Christmas

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

5 big Powerball lotto prizes won across Arizona days before Christmas

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Five more lucky lotto players are heading into the holidays with a little extra cash in their pockets.

According to state lottery officials, the big winning tickets were sold around Arizona, each worth $50,000.

The tickets were sold at:

Goldfield Chevron
- 3265 S. Goldfield Rd, Apache Junction, AZ
Circle K
- 2088 W. Orange Grove Rd, Tucson, AZ
QuikTrip
- 918 E. Baseline Rd, Tempe, AZ
Desert Springs Travel Center
- 4031 Fleet St., Littlefield, AZ
Terrible’s
- 19985 N. Hwy 93, White Hills, AZ

The winning numbers from Monday’s drawing were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and Powerball 7. Nine $1 million tickets were sold nationwide.

The jackpot remains unclaimed and is estimated at $1.7 billion — the fourth largest ever — with the next drawing set for Christmas Eve.

Powerball tickets cost $2 per play, with odds of winning the jackpot sitting at 1 in 292.2 million, according to the lottery.

More information on games and prizes can be found on the Arizona Lottery website.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

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Arizona

No. 1 Arizona wraps up Bethune Cookman 107-71

Published

15 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

No. 1 Arizona wraps up Bethune Cookman 107-71

Arizona wrapped up their pre-Christmas schedule with a nice bow in the form of a 36 point victory over Bethune Cookman. Seven players scored double figures as Brayden Burries lead the game with 20 points. Partway through the first half Mabil Mawut was ejected from the game while on the bench, a rare occurrence under the Tommy Lloyd led team. Arizona will take Christmas off with practice resuming on the 26th and their next game at home on the 29th.

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Arizona

Will Arizona see a white Christmas? What the holiday forecast says

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Will Arizona see a white Christmas? What the holiday forecast says

After a week of persistent warm weather, a storm system is expected to bring rain, not snow, to Arizona for Christmas.
Flagstaff and other high-country areas are also too warm for Christmas snow, with precipitation expected to be mostly rain.
The same weather pattern is bringing heavy rain and potential flooding to Southern California and parts of the Northwest.

Arizonans dreaming of a white Christmas will likely have to settle for rain this year as warm temperatures persist.

A storm system off the West Coast is expected to funnel moisture into the state later this week, giving much of Arizona chances for rain around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The unsettled pattern could bring measurable rainfall, but temperatures are expected to stay too warm for snow, even in the high country. Arizona won’t get the soaking Southern California is expecting from incoming atmospheric rivers slamming the coast, but that same system will push moisture into the Southwest.

“Unfortunately, no white Christmas. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

In Phoenix, rain chances as temperatures cool from record highs

In Phoenix and the lower deserts, Christmas week will start off unusually warm before gradually cooling as rain chances increase.

Phoenix could break a daily temperature record for the second day in a row on Monday, Dec. 22. The current record is 79 degrees, with a forecast high of 82. A high of 81 degrees on Sunday, Dec. 21, broke the daily record for the third time this month.

But the weather should shift as a low-pressure system moves in from the Pacific.

“We’ll see a strong low-pressure system move in just off the West Coast and bring plenty of moisture into the region starting tomorrow,” Whittock said. “As a result, we’re going to see periodic rain chances this week.”

Forecasters say there will be two main windows for rain: late Tuesday into early Wednesday and again from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.

Temperatures will start to trend downward midweek, with highs potentially dropping into the 60s and low 70s by the weekend.

Rainfall totals in the Valley could add up to around a half-inch or more in spots.

In Flagstaff, mostly rain early with uncertain snow chances later

Up north, Flagstaff will also see an unsettled and warmer-than-normal Christmas week. But snow lovers may be disappointed.

“It’s very warm for this time of year compared to what it usually is in December, so we’re expecting this week’s events to mainly be rain instead of snow,” said Jacob Lewandowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

The first chance of rain in the forecast is Tuesday, Dec. 23 in the evening. Snow levels are expected to stay high through midweek, generally between 9,000 and 10,000 feet. That puts Flagstaff below the snow line during the initial rounds of precipitation.

Chances for snow could increase later in the week as cooler air moves in, but confidence drops significantly after Wednesday.

“The chances for snow start increasing by Thursday and Friday, but it’s still a lot of uncertainty with it,” said Lewandowski. “It’s just how warm it is through the week and whether it’s going to be all rain or a little bit of snow mixed in. Most likely not a white Christmas, though. It’s too warm.”

Atmospheric rivers hit the West Coast as much of the U.S. stays warm

The storm system affecting Arizona is part of a broader pattern impacting much of the western United States. Atmospheric rivers, or long plumes of moisture from the Pacific, are expected to bring heavy rain to parts of coastal California this week.

“The atmospheric rivers are going to impact Southern Calfironia, particularly on Wednesday,” Whittock said. “This is an especially impactful system for people that are traveling to and from Southern California, especially coastal areas.”

Forecasts from the National Weather Service in Los Angeles show an extended period of heavy rain expected from Tuesday through Saturday, with 4 to 8 inches of rain likely across coastal and valley areas. Prolonged rainfall could lead to flooding and debris flow concerns, especially in burn scar areas.

Unusual weather isn’t limited to just the West. Much of the United States will have a warmer than normal holiday, with some areas experiencing their warmest Christmases on record.

A northward shift in the jet stream over the middle of the country is allowing warmer air to spread east, causing above-normal temperatures. From the Rockies to parts of the Appalachians, temperatures could reach 15 to 30 degrees above average for Christmas Day.

So whether it’s rainy or warm, much of the country will miss out on a snow globe Christmas this year. In Arizona, that likely means a damp holiday instead of a snowy one.

Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.

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