Arizona

Senate bill promises to save Arizona’s water future. It does the opposite

Published

2 years ago

February 15, 2024

Press Room

Senate bill promises to save Arizona’s water future. It does the opposite

Opinion: Arizona’s Senate Bill 1221 is the wrong way to fix rural groundwater problems. Lawmakers should dispense with it and work with us instead.

Donna Michaels, Travis Lingenfelter, Holly Irwin and Patrice Horstman
| opinion contributors

Like our constituents of every political persuasion, we four supervisors from four medium-sized Arizona counties are concerned about the future of water in our communities — which is nonpartisan.

For a long time, we have been advocating for a more adaptable, locally driven set of tools to manage and conserve our groundwater.

We were therefore concerned to see Senate Bill 1221 be given a hearing in the Senate Natural Resources & Water committee last week.

Rather than empowering rural communities to manage our groundwater and preserve our water future, SB 1221 would do the opposite:

It creates layers and layers of new government bureaucracy, shuts rural constituents out of the process and deprives us of the tools we need to manage and conserve our groundwater in a way that makes sense.

AMA is not ideal, but it’s better than nothing

It’s the wrong bill for Arizona and does not address or adequately minimize the precise reason we are in these situations in rural Arizona — industrial overpumping combined with inadequate conservation.

Nonetheless, as the recent uproar over the potential creation of a Gila Bend Active Management Area (AMA) shows, it is past time for the state Legislature to take action.

No one believes that a Phoenix or Tucson-style AMA is the best solution to our rural water concerns, and yet, without leadership and policymaking from our state lawmakers, AMAs are the only tool available to manage the crisis in the Gila Bend basin and the crises facing other basins throughout rural Arizona.

Even though imperfect, AMAs provide far more balanced protection of “at risk” water supplies for all residents. And, although not preferred, they are better than doing nothing.

For that reason, we invite those who were surprised or distressed to hear about a possible Gila Bend AMA to join in our advocating for rural solutions and new, balanced ways to create locally directed water management tools for rural Arizona:

You are in this position because pleas from rural communities like ours have been ignored for so long by the Legislature. Years of government inaction have brought us to this moment.

Stop pursuing SB 1221 and engage with us

Proposals brought by us and other rural local leaders that would have given us the tools and local control to address our unique needs have been blocked or ignored altogether, year after year.

Rural Arizona deserves better from its elected leaders at the Capitol.

We need real solutions that provide certainty in long-term rural groundwater planning, and empower effective management of our rural groundwater basins determined to be at-risk by the best objective data and hydrological studies from U.S. Geological Survey and the Arizona Department of Water Services.

We need new ways to protect our water supplies from drought, speculation, irresponsible development and out-of-state industrial megausers out to drain our aquifers before packing up and moving elsewhere.

Waer regulation: Has become a game of chicken

We urge our legislators at the Capitol to dispense with SB 1221 as quickly as possible. And to engage in good-faith dialogue with rural leaders and stakeholders to give us tools to effectively manage our water supply.

We who have been waging this advocacy and education battle for years recognize that this is a moment that requires bravery from our legislators. It will involve overcoming the usual political partisanship and perhaps even upsetting some big donors.

But it is also an opportunity for Arizona to lead as a state that cares about citizen consumer protection, water conservation and economic freedom.

We love our farms, our towns and our rural way of life, and we want to secure the future of water in Arizona. Water security is too important an issue to be handled with something as ineffective and bureaucratic as SB 1221.

Donna Michaels, Travis Lingenfelter, Holly Irwin and Patrice Horstman are county supervisors in Yavapai, Mohave, La Paz and Coconino counties, respectively. Reach them at web.bos.district3@yavapaiaz.gov,

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Arizona

Tracking snap counts and Pro Football Focus grades from Arizona’s win at ASU

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Tracking snap counts and Pro Football Focus grades from Arizona’s win at ASU

Arizona has brought the Territorial Cup back to Tucson, winning the rivalry game with ASU for the third time in four seasons. And it did so despite some of the worst grades of the season for the team as a whole and the offense specifically.

The UA’s team grade of 69.1 ranked third-lowest in 2025, ironically ahead of two of the other wins in the current 5-game streak. The offensive grade of 62.6 was also better than only the recent wins over Kansas (57.2) and Colorado (55.5).

Defensively it was a different story. Arizona graded at 76.1, which was 6th-best, and its 90.3 run defense grade was the best of 2025.

For the season, Arizona’s overall grade of 87.5 ranks 39^th in FBS. The defense is tied for 21^st at 91.5. Compare those to a season ago when the Wildcats ranked 98^th nationally and their defense was 118^th out of 134 FBS schools.

Below are the snap counts and individual grades of all players who appeared on offense or defense at ASU:

Top overall grades (min. 20 snaps): S Dalton Johnson (83.3), S Genesis Smith (71.7), QB Noah Fifita (71.2), RT Matthew Lado (71.2), LB Riley Wilson (69.0)

Top pass blocking: RG Alexander Doost (85.5), LG Chubba Maae (81.6), RB Ismail Mahdi (76.2)

Top run blocking: RT Matthew Lado (66.2), WR Kris Hutson (62.7), WR Tre Spivey (61.9)

Top pass rushing: LB Chase Kennedy (62.7), CB Treydan Stukes (60.0), CB Michael Dansby (59.7)

Top run defense: Johnson (92.7), CB Ayden Garnes (77.0), Wilson (75.2)

Top tackling: Smith (82.9), Garnes (81.1), LB Taye Brown (79.1)

Top coverage: Dansby (71.4), Johnson (71.3), Smith (68.7)

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Arizona

Wrong-way driver caught on cam, ASU battles Arizona for Territorial Cup | Nightly Roundup

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Wrong-way driver caught on cam, ASU battles Arizona for Territorial Cup | Nightly Roundup

article

PHOENIX – From the terrifying moment caught on camera of a wrong-way driver on I-10, to the duel in the desert as ASU takes on Arizona for the rivalry game, here’s a look at your top stories on FOX10Phoenix.com for Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.

1. Wrong-way driver caught on camera

What we know:

During the late night hours of Thanksgiving, a white pickup truck was seen heading the wrong way on Interstate 10’s HOV lane near Baseline Road.

2. Man found lying near roadway prompts hit-and-run investigation

3. Suspect in custody after shooting at South Phoenix apartment

4. Officers use less-lethal means to detain road rage suspect

5. ASU vs. U of A: Fans gear up for rivalry game

A peak at your weather this weekend

Get the Full Forecast

Nightly RoundupPhoenixNews

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Arizona

Arizona pair celebrates decade of friendship that started with wrong text

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Arizona pair celebrates decade of friendship that started with wrong text

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — What began as a mistaken text message has blossomed into a 10-year Thanksgiving tradition that continues to capture hearts worldwide.

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench are celebrating their tenth consecutive Thanksgiving together, a friendship that started in 2016 when Dench accidentally texted the then-17-year-old Hinton, thinking she was inviting her grandson to dinner.

“There are no accidents. It was meant to be,” Dench said.

The mix-up occurred when Dench sent a Thanksgiving dinner invitation to the wrong phone number. When Hinton responded asking who was texting, Dench replied it was grandma.

“I get this text back saying who is this and I said its grandma and the next message was well send me a picture,” Dench said.

Friendship grows through life’s challenges

What could have been a forgettable mistake transformed into an annual reunion. The pair have supported each other through significant life events, including the death of Dench’s husband in 2020 and her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment last year.

“We just all clicked. It was amazing. We spent hours talking. There was no generation gap. It was just fun and joyful and exciting,” Dench said.

“I love it to spend thanksgiving with so many different types of people,” Hinton said.

The friendship has provided mutual support during difficult times.

“I was able to talk with Jamal and he’s always given me encouragement and I’ve been very blessed,” Dench said.

“It feels like a best friend. She feels like someone you can talk to about anything. So when you go through anything I call her all the time. She answers her phone,” Hinton said.

Both consider each other family now.

“Jamal will always be in my inner circle of family,” Dench said.

“Family she’s family no matter what,” Hinton said.

This year’s celebration was sponsored by Green Giant.

Last year, the pair met virtually while Dench was battling cancer, making this year’s in-person reunion particularly meaningful.

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