Arizona

Deregulation and budget cuts threaten clean air; lawmaker wants to amend Arizona Constitution

Published

3 weeks ago

February 12, 2026

Deregulation and budget cuts threaten clean air; lawmaker wants to amend Arizona Constitution

The perpetual brown cloud engulfed downtown Phoenix for nearly four months out of the year. It blurred the skyline, polluting the view out of Dennis Hoffman’s office window just a few miles away in Tempe. The economics expert said that while Phoenix a couple of decades ago was never as bad as Los Angeles, recent steps to address pollution have improved the city’s air quality.

One of the agencies that made that change possible, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, is facing cuts as the state scrambles to comply with federal legislation commonly called the Big Beautiful Bill. The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency will on Thursday begin to rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which allows for the regulation of greenhouse gases.

Amid the rollback of federal environmental regulations and state funding cuts, Sen. Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) introduced a green amendment to the Arizona Constitution. Announced at Environmental Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, the amendment would enshrine access to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment as a constitutional right for all Arizonans.

“In this moment in this country, Arizona’s environmental protections are not just weak, they’re moving backwards,” Kuby said. “By passing this amendment, Arizona voters will lead on environmental protection to show that a healthy environment is a fundamental right, just like free speech or religious expression.”

Metro Phoenix struggles with air quality because it is situated in a valley, according to Sandy Bahr, a member of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club. Air pollution gets trapped by the mountains and settles over Phoenix and its suburbs. Bahr said people want to live where air is healthy to breathe.

“Here in the greater Phoenix area, we have very poor air quality,” Bahr said. “If they make those kinds of cuts, then we are going to be out of compliance with the Clean Air Act, and there may actually be implications from an economic perspective as well.”

Poor air quality can cause a number of diseases, including asthma and heart problems, according to health experts. Arizona is subject to cross-pollution from other states that compound the issue.

Sen. Lauren Kuby

Handout

Sen. Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) introduced a green amendment to the Arizona Constitution in a press conference at the Environmental Day at the Capitol in Phoenix on Feb. 11, 2026.

D. J. Portugal is the director of operations at Chispa Arizona, an organization that focuses on empowering members of the Latino community to advocate for cleaner air and water in the communities worst impacted by climate change.

“Corporations, for the longest time, were able to just do whatever they want and pollute the air and create products that polluted the air, and it wasn’t an issue because the policymakers lived on a side of town that wasn’t zoned for that type of production and air pollution, so they were cool in their communities,” Portugal said. “We want our communities to also be safe to breathe in, because it’s literally our lives on the line.”

The repeal of the endangerment finding would deregulate greenhouse gases, allowing corporations to decide the amount of greenhouse gases are acceptable to release into the atmosphere.

“It’s really the corporate polluters that are responsible for the bulk of, in this case, air pollution,” Portugal said. “If there’s no regulatory standard that they have to adhere to. They have no incentive, right? Their incentive as a corporation is just to make money.”

The specific area most likely to see cuts in ADEQ in the is the local agency on air quality monitoring, according to Hoffman, who is the director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research at the L. William Seidman Research Institute at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Jennifer Allen, chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, said that introducing new protections for clean air and water has been an “uphill battle” at the state Legislature.

“We need the facts, we need data, which is what air quality monitoring provides, and it ensures then that regulators know when to step in and put some limits on polluting industries,” Allen said. “It helps set better policies to protect our air.”

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

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Arizona

3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three Valley men have been sentenced for their roles in what prosecutors described as a “sophisticated fraud scheme” against an online shopping giant.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mughith Faisal, 29, of Glendale, was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 18 months in prison. His brother, Basheer Faisal, 28, of Glendale, was also recently ordered to spend 18 months in prison.

The feds said a third defendant in the case, Abdullah Alwan, 28, of Surprise, was sentenced to six months in prison after the trio pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors said the three were also each ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution to Amazon.

According to federal officials, Alwan worked in Amazon’s logistics division and left the company in 2021 when he reportedly used his knowledge to manipulate rates for transportation deliveries assigned to Amazon’s third-party carriers.

The feds said Basheer and Mughith Faisal used “Blue Line Transport” to knowingly get to increased transport rates that Alwan would then input into Amazon’s system, ripping them off out of $4.5 million.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division helped in the investigation, which was then prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

23 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, March 3, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

2-0-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

02-05-18-27-41

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

11-14-17-19-23-24

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.

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Arizona

Autopsies show Arizona teens were both shot in the head while camping

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Autopsies show Arizona teens were both shot in the head while camping

Two teenagers were fatally shot while camping northeast of Phoenix in May 2025.
Both Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, were shot in the head, autopsy reports said.
A 31-year-old man was arrested and indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths.

A 17-year-old boy who was fatally shot while camping with a female classmate northeast of Phoenix died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to the first page of his autopsy report.

Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, were camping just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord when the two were shot and killed. Investigators discovered their bodies, which had been moved into nearby brush to conceal them, on May 26, 2025.

The first page of Clark’s autopsy report, which The Arizona Republic obtained March 3, found that his death was a homicide with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The first page of Kjolsrud’s autopsy report also ruled her death a homicide with her cause of death being gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detectives ultimately arrested Thomas Brown, 31, of Chandler on Oct. 2, 2025, in connection with their deaths. Brown was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and remained in jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.

Detectives found Brown’s DNA on gloves inside Clark’s SUV that had Kjolsrud’s blood on them as well, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Partial autopsy reports made available following legal fight

While The Republic has obtained the first pages of both Clark’s and Kjolsrud’s autopsy reports, the remaining pages appeared to remain sealed as of March 3 since Simone Kjolsrud, Pandora’s mother, petitioned to have the autopsy reports sealed or redacted. Simone Kjolsrud argued that various details about her daughter and aspects of her personal life, potentially included in such documents, should remain private and outweigh the public’s right to know.

A Sept. 25, 2025, motion that sought to block the report’s release argued the report could contain information law enforcement hasn’t yet shared and could impair the ongoing criminal investigation.

“Simone Kjolsrud fears that, if released, her daughter’s Medical Examiner’s Report may end up on the internet or be broadcast on the news, which would undoubtedly cause additional trauma and even jeopardize her constitutional right to justice in this case,” the motion stated.

Kjolsrud asked that Clark’s autopsy be sealed as well, arguing that it would likely contain details similar to her daughter’s.

Matthew Kelley, an attorney representing The Republic and other Arizona media outlets, previously objected to the autopsies being sealed and asked that the temporary protective order be vacated.

“To be sure, these killings are particularly traumatic for a surviving family member,” Kelley wrote in his objection. “But the pain felt by a family member cannot override the public’s right to inspect public records reflecting the performance of law enforcement and other public agencies entrusted with investigating such crimes. A veil of secrecy only raises unnecessary speculation about such public performance.”

It was not immediately clear whether Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Fish, who initially ordered the autopsies remain sealed as he reviewed their contents, would unseal additional pages in their entirety or with redactions.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.

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