Arizona

Trump nominates former Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich for US ambassador to Serbia

Published

10 months ago

March 29, 2025

Press Room

Trump nominates former Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich for US ambassador to Serbia

Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has been nominated by Donald Trump to be the next U.S. ambassador to Serbia.
Brnovich, who is of Serbian descent, previously served two terms as Arizona’s top prosecutor.
Trump endorsed Brnovich’s opponent in the 2022 Arizona GOP Senate primary after Brnovich refused to support Trump’s claims of election fraud.

Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich was nominated by President Donald Trump as the next U.S. ambassador to Serbia.

Brnovich served two terms as the state’s top prosecutor and is of an ethnic background from the southeastern European region that is now Serbia.

Trump announced the nomination March 28 on his social media platform.

“I am pleased to announce that Mark Brnovich will be our next United States Ambassador to Serbia…. As the son of refugees who fled communism, Mark will be a strong advocate for Freedom, and always put AMERICA FIRST. Congratulations Mark!” Trump said in the Truth Social post.

Brnovich ran for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats in 2022, which he lost in the Republican primary to Blake Masters.

The U.S. Senate needs to confirm his nomination.

Here’s what we know about Brnovich and his connections to Serbia.

Brnovich comes from a Serbs background

In a 2022 interview with the Serbian Times, while Brnovich was still campaigning for Senate, he discussed his cultural background and the family he still had in Serbia and Montenegro.

“I’m very proud of my cultural background and was fortunate to grow up speaking another language,” Brnovich said.

While his parents immigrated to the U.S., Brnovich said his family came from the Podgorica region near the capital of Montenegro, a country that shares a border with Serbia, both formerly part of Yugoslavia, which was broken up in 1992.

He mentioned he has relatives that still live in the region and that his family tried to make yearly visits, with a trip a recent as 2021 to Montenegro.

Brnovich credits his wife, Susan, a U.S. District of Arizona judge, for embracing his cultural roots.

Brnovich and his wife had two daughters together, Milena and Sofija, and lived in Phoenix.

Brnovich’s time as attorney general, failed U.S. Senate race

Brnovich was elected twice to serve as Arizona attorney general, a position he held from 2015 until 2023.

Brnovich won the statewide office twice but got little traction during his 2022 U.S. Senate campaign after Trump publicly pressured him to legitimize Trump’s false claims that Arizona’s 2020 election was “rigged.”

At a July 2021 rally in Phoenix, Trump pressured Brnovich to use the Arizona Senate’s review of Maricopa County ballots to lend credence to his false claims of a stolen election. With Trump’s endorsement in the race hanging in the balance, his words took on even greater weight.

“We have to hold these people accountable,” Trump said at the time. “Hopefully — and I say this, and I have confidence in it — hopefully, your attorney general, Mark Brnovich … will take this incredible information given by these incredible warriors and patriots, and he’s going to take it and he’s going to do what everybody knows needs to be done.”

Brnovich’s office opened an investigation after the ballot review ended in September 2021, but didn’t bring any major cases stemming from the probe.

His staff spent 10,000 hours working on a report that found virtually all claims of error and malfeasance were unfounded, the Washington Post later reported.

Brnovich ignored those findings and instead released an initial investigative report in April 2022 that cited “serious vulnerabilities” and “questions” about the election but didn’t claim widespread fraud.

Trump and Brnovich had a previously testy relationship

Two months later, Trump endorsed Brnovich’s GOP rival Masters in the Republican Senate primary and blasted Brnovich.

Brnovich appeared repeatedly on Fox News but otherwise ran a low-profile campaign.

The day before the 2022 primary, Brnovich publicly wrote that his office had only found one instance of a ballot turned in for someone who had already died out of 282 allegedly identified by the state Senate’s ballot review.

Trump accused Brnovich of not supporting “clean and fair elections, or law and order.”

“Mark Brnovich is such a disappointment to me,” Trump said.

The Arizona Republic’s Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this article.

Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@gannett.com. Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ.

Source link

Click to comment

Arizona

Multiple freeways closed as snow moves into northern Arizona

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Multiple freeways closed as snow moves into northern Arizona

A winter storm sweeping across the state was dumping snow and whipping up gusty winds in northern Arizona, forcing multiple highway closures and travel advisories throughout the region.

Snow moved into the high country early Jan. 8 and was expected to continue through the afternoon and evening. Flagstaff had picked up 2 to 4 inches, with snow reaching lower elevations, including Prescott and Sedona, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

“In our area we expect it to come to an end here later this afternoon and early this evening, with only an inch or two more here in the Flagstaff area,” said Brian Klimowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. “It’s going to continue this evening and overnight to our east.”

Snow levels dropped as a cold front moved into the region, falling from about 6,000 feet at sunrise to as low as 4,000 feet by late evening. Forecasters say heavier snow was likely this afternoon and evening as the system moves through.

“Roads are bad right now,” Klimowski said. “The highways will be very slick, and we expect conditions will remain in a deteriorated state here this afternoon to this evening, especially along and east of the I-17 corridor.”

Which highways are closed in northern Arizona?

Several major highways across the high country were closed on Jan. 8 due to winter weather and related crashes, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

As of the afternoon, the following closures were in place:

Interstate 40 eastbound at US 93 (milepost 72)
Interstate 40 eastbound at State Route 89 in Ash Fork (milepost 146)
Northbound Interstate 17 at State Route 169 (milepost 278)
State Route 64 (both directions) between mileposts 244-264

ADOT said there is no estimated reopening time for any of these highways.

Drivers can check the latest road closures and travel conditions through ADOT’s AZ511 system, with an online interactive map and mobile app. Information is available at AZ511.gov or by calling 511 from within Arizona.

Snow, wind and cold persist

Flagstaff could see snow totals around 2 to 5 inches, with more at the higher elevations. Snow will continue across eastern Arizona into the evening Jan. 8 and early on Jan. 9, including parts of Black Mesa, the Chinle Valley and the Chuska Mountains.

Gusty winds could reduce visibility, especially in areas with blowing snow. Winds will shift northerly overnight, summoning colder air as the system departs.

“It’s going to dry out,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be cold and blustery tomorrow and then a slow warming trend through much of next week.”

Lows on Jan. 9 will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal, with wind chills near zero in the High Country. While snow will cease by Jan. 9, slick roads and hazardous conditions could remain,

“Be careful if you’re traveling tonight,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be slick out there.”

Why does it snow so much in Flagstaff? Here’s what to know

Flagstaff may be in a state known for its scorching summers and years-long droughts, but it is one of the snowiest cities in the United States.

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.

(This story has been updated to add a new video).

Source link

Arizona

Arizona, career nights from Burries, Krivas beat K-State

Published

20 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Arizona, career nights from Burries, Krivas beat K-State

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Brayden Burries scored 28 points, Motiejus Krivas added a career-high 25 and No. 1 Arizona remained unbeaten with a 101-76 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night.

Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since winning the first 21 games of the 2013-14 season. Arizona won by at least 18 points for the 10th consecutive game, matching a mark Michigan had earlier this season that tied for the longest such run since 2003-04.

Burries had his fifth 20-point game and matched his career high by going 12 for 16 from the field while adding nine rebounds. It was his 10th straight game in double figures, including at least 20 points in five of those, after just one over his first five.

Krivas was 7 of 10, making 11 of 13 free throws, and had 12 rebounds.

Koa Peat had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Tobe Awaka added nine and 11 as Arizona outrebounded Kansas State 55-32. Arizona shot 49.3% from the field but was just 3 of 16 from 3-point range.

Kansas State (9-6, 0-2) went 8 for 36 from deep and shot 33.8% overall. PJ Haggerty led the way with 19 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Nate Johnson added 15 and Dorin Buca 12.

Down 15 at the half, Kansas State pulled within 58-49 with 16:09 left on a 3-pointer by Johnson. Arizona responded with a 6-0 run and kept the margin at least 12 the rest of the way. Back-to-back dunks by Burries and Peat and a corner 3-pointer by Jaden Bradley keyed a 13-0 run to put Arizona ahead 92-65 with 3:31 remaining.

It built a 10-point lead less than six minutes into the game and upped it to 20 with 2:52 left in the first half. Burries had 16 before halftime.

Follow @AZSports

Source link

Arizona

Arizona HS football’s No. 1 2027 prospect has ASU, Miami high on list

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Arizona HS football’s No. 1 2027 prospect has ASU, Miami high on list

Hildebrand is ranked as the No. 13 overall offensive tackle in the nation for the 2027 class by 247Sports.
Arizona State, Miami, Alabama, Texas A&M and USC are among his current favorites.
The 6-foot-6 left tackle has started every varsity game since his freshman year at Chandler Basha.

Chandler Basha left tackle Jake Hildebrand, the state’s No. 1 2027 college football prospect, said Arizona State and Miami are among the top potential schools on his recently revealed 10-best list.

Miami is playing in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff semifinal against Ole Miss at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Jan. 8.

Hildebrand, 6-foot-6, 293 pounds, has started every varsity game since his freshman year and helped lead the Bears to the Open Division state title this past season. He won’t be able to attend the Fiesta Bowl because he’s in San Antonio, getting ready to play in the Jan. 10 Navy All-American Bowl. The game airs at 11 a.m. MST on NBC.

Hildebrand also has CFP semifinalists Indiana and Oregon, along with Texas A&M, Alabama, USC, Ohio State and Texas among his top 10 colleges.

“A few schools that are my favorite from the top 10 are ASU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami and USC,” Hildebrand said in a direct message to The Arizona Republic. “They have definitely been the schools that have been contacting me the most and built the best relationship with.”

There is no timetable for when Hildebrand will commit. He could wait until he makes trips this spring, summer and fall. But he is among the most coveted left tackles in the country, who has 38 offers, according to 247Sports.

The 247Sports Composite has Hildebrand ranked as the No. 13 overall offensive tackle in the country in the 2027 class. He is ranked No. 1 in the class of 2027 by The Republic.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

Source link