Arizona

Future of Arizona’s Oak Flat faces pivotal day in Phoenix courtroom

Published

2 months ago

January 7, 2026

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Future of Arizona’s Oak Flat faces pivotal day in Phoenix courtroom

Three lawsuits are before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to prevent the U.S. Forest Service from transferring Oak Flat to a mining company.
The site, sacred to Apache and other Native peoples, would be destroyed by a proposed copper mine by Resolution Copper.
The land exchange was authorized in 2014 through a last-minute addition to a defense bill, sparking a decade-long battle.

Three lawsuits aiming to keep the U.S. Forest Service from turning over Oak Flat to a mining company for a massive copper mine go in front of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for arguments Jan. 7.

The British-Australian firm Resolution Copper has long sought the exchange to build a mine that bodes to obliterate a site Apaches and other Native peoples hold sacred. It also is one of Arizona’s few functional wetlands.

Two lawsuits filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a coalition of environmentalists and the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona challenged the land exchange, authorized by a last-minute amendment to a “must-pass” defense bill in December 2014. The arguments in the lawsuits are based on the tribe’s religious beliefs and on environmental concerns, including disputes over water usage and possible damage of one of central Arizona’s key aquifers.

In the third suit, the latest to be filed, a group of Apache women who have spiritual and cultural connections to the site argue that the exchange would violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment’s religious rights protections and two environmental laws.

Their lawsuit also brought two new factors into play: a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirms parental rights to direct their children’s religious education and references to Justice Neil Gorsuch’s blistering dissent to the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear another case related to the land exchange.

A three-judge panel will hear the cases at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix.

Religious rights advocates and First Amendment experts have said the ability of Native peoples to exercise their religious rights is at stake.

Oak Flat story: As an Apache girl enters womanhood, lawsuits and tariffs cast shadows

The struggle over Oak Flat nears 30-year mark

For more than two decades, Oak Flat Campground, known to Apaches as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, “the place where the Emory oak grows,” has been ground zero in a battle over Native religious rights on public lands as well as environmental preservation for a scarce Arizona ecosystem.

The 2,200-acre primitive campground and riparian zone, within the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix, also lies over one of the nation’s largest remaining bodies of copper ore.

To obtain the copper, Resolution, which is owned by multinational firms Rio Tinto and BHP, plans to use a method known as block cave mining in which tunnels are drilled beneath the ore body, and then collapsed, leaving the ore to be moved to a crushing facility.

Eventually, the ground would subside, leaving behind a crater about 1,000 feet deep and nearly 2 miles across, obliterating Oak Flat.

Resolution Copper, a British-Australian mining firm, sought Congressional approval to exchange other parcels of land it had purchased with the U.S. Forest Service for nearly 10 years when the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other officials engineered a late-night rider to a must-pass defense bill in December 2014. Then-President Barack Obama signed the bill and ever since, tribes, environmentalists and their allies have fought to stop the exchange.

Resolution has said that the mine would bring much-needed jobs and revenues to the economically challenged Copper Triangle to the tune of about $1 billion a year. The company has provided funding to support recovery from the floods that devastated downtown Globe in October and has supported other community organizations.

In November, Resolution announced it had completed rehabilitation of the historic No. 9 shaft at the Magma minehead, including deepening it to nearly 6,900 feet and connecting it to the No. 10 shaft, which plunges about 6,940 feet below the surface.

Vicky Peacey, president and general manager of Resolution, said the shaft project was a huge milestone, employing homegrown talent from surrounding communities to get the job done.

Despite the ongoing litigation, she said, “We are ready to advance this important copper project, enabling thousands of high-paying jobs, billions in economic development for rural Arizona, and access to a domestic supply of copper essential to American security and modern infrastructure.”

Grassroots group Apache Stronghold, led by former San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Wendsler Nosie, filed the first lawsuit to stop the exchange. That litigation was declined twice by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025, but Apache Stronghold continues to fight the land exchange as the group supports the other three lawsuits.

Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at debra.krol@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @debkrol and on Bluesky at @debkrol.bsky.social.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Pick 3, Fantasy 5 results for March 1, 2026

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Pick 3, Fantasy 5 results for March 1, 2026

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

Here’s a look at Sunday, March 1, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers

6-4-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

01-07-11-18-28

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

12-17-23-31-37-42

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

Here’s how to give public comment on future Colorado River plans

Published

20 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how to give public comment on future Colorado River plans

PHOENIX — After years of negotiations, Arizona still doesn’t know what its long-term water future will look like, and now the federal government is preparing to step in.

States across the Colorado River Basin have failed to reach a deal on how to share the shrinking river after current operating rules expire in 2026. With no state-led agreement in place, federal officials are moving forward with their own plan, one that could bring steep cuts to Arizona’s water supply.

And for Arizonans, the clock is ticking to weigh in. Public comment remains open until March 2. To submit your comment on what the government should do, send your comments in email to crbpost2026@usbr.gov.

Additional information is available online. The project website can be accessed here, along with links to YouTube videos published by the government, recorded in January and February which walk through of the options available.

Many Arizona leaders have already offered their public comments, which are overwhelmingly negative.

“We were very disappointed with that document,” said Brenda Burman, the Central Arizona Project General Manager “If any of those alternatives were implemented, it would be very difficult, and perhaps devastating for Arizona.”

Arizona’s top Colorado River negotiator, Tom Buschatzke, echoed those concerns.

“None of those alternatives are very good for the state of Arizona,” Buschatzke said. “I’m not seeing how we’re going to break that stalemate.”

Congressman Juan Ciscomani also criticized the proposals, saying the impacts of Colorado River cuts extends into Pinal, and Pima counties.

“That’s not an acceptable solution for us,” Ciscomani said. “We want to play ball, but we want to make sure everyone across the board uses less and becomes more efficient.”

Some of the federal alternatives would reduce Arizona’s Colorado River supply by 40%, 50%, or in the most extreme case up to 70%.

Experts at ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy say part of the problem lies upstream.

“The reason for this current impasse is because the upper basin states have refused to take cuts in their Colorado River use,” said Sarah Porter, the center’s director.

Upper Basin states like Colorado and Utah rely on different water rules than Arizona and other Lower Basin states, complicating negotiations that have dragged on for years.

Arizona has already been living with cuts for several years. Since 2021, the state has faced an 18% reduction in Colorado River water deliveries due to a Tier 1 shortage declaration. Most of those cuts have fallen on Central Arizona Project users, including agriculture and some tribal communities.

Buschatzke argues that pushing Arizona into deeper reductions would violate long-standing Western water law.

“We will be protecting the state of Arizona,” he said. “And if that has to be litigation, it will be litigation.”

That means a lawsuit against the federal government, or upper basin states is now a real possibility if the final plan moves forward unchanged. The state legislature has put $3 million in a state fund for potential litigation on the Colorado River.

After the comment period closes, the federal government is required to review public feedback and issue a formal ‘Record of Decision’, likely sometime this summer. Advocacy groups say public feedback matters.

“I just encourage Arizonans to look at this document, understand what that means for your family, your businesses, and what it means for the future,” said Kyle Roerink of the Great Basin Water Network. “Then figure out if you want to advocate for one scenario over another.”

A new operating plan must be in place by October 1, setting the rules for how the Colorado River will be managed for years to come, and shaping Arizona’s water future in the process.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for Feb. 28, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers

06-20-35-54-65, Powerball: 10, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning The Pick numbers

09-12-15-25-31-35

Check The Pick payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

6-1-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

07-10-22-30-36

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

08-09-14-17-30-41

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.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

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:

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.

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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