Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

06/26/2024

Arizona lawmakers gave the state’s child care system a temporary lifeline this month when they patched up a large part of the multimillion-dollar budget hole left by expiring federal pandemic funds. But the money isn’t enough to guarantee the state will avoid the return of a waitlist for families seeking child care assistance—meaning Arizona could give up ground it took nearly a decade to gain. Our latest:

Arizona’s child care system got some funding from state lawmakers, but it likely isn’t enough to avoid a return to a waitlist for families seeking assistance.

06/18/2024

The rate of Arizonans who died during and after pregnancy nearly tripled from 1999 to 2019, with the most dramatic increases among the state's minority populations: Native American mothers died at more than triple the rate of their white counterparts in 2019 while Black maternal deaths occurred at a rate almost five times that of white mothers.

Despite repeated inquiries from Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting reporter Natasha Yee, state health officials could not articulate who was responsible for carrying out several specific (maternal mortality) recommendations with substantial funding tied to them, and they did not seem to be keeping track of overall progress. Our latest:

In Arizona, pregnancy death rates nearly tripled from 1999 to 2019, with the most dramatic increases among women of color.

05/23/2024

All along the border, organized vigilante groups are filming themselves conducting patrols, taking photos of themselves alongside law enforcement, and sharing footage online to solicit donations, promote their work, and recruit new members. They’ve also forged relationships with local and federal law enforcement, particularly in several border counties in Arizona and Texas, raising questions about the extent to which vigilantes are illegally attempting to do the work of law enforcement or violating other laws. Our latest, a collaboration between Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting & the Texas Observer

Armed vigilantes in Arizona and Texas are collaborating with or courting lawmen and their agencies, with alarming results.

04/23/2024

NEW: Over the past 15 years, even with groundwater restrictions in effect that limit new irrigated land, at least several thousand acres of dormant farmland have again started siphoning groundwater to sustain new crops in Arizona’s Douglas basin, often under industrial-scale owners that consolidated the land—and the grandfathered water rights tied to it—into massive operations.

Industrial-scale farms in Arizona's Douglas basin are exploiting existing groundwater policies at the expense of their smaller neighbors.

03/14/2024

State leaders misled the public about the scope of a sweeping Medicaid fraud crisis, raising questions about the agency's transparency and its effectiveness in addressing the root causes of the scandal. Read our latest:

State leaders have admitted that fraudulent billing extended beyond a small portion of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, contradicting previous assertions that fraud only impacted a small share of the agency.

02/26/2024

SB1262 could return AZ's social equity licenses for ma*****na dispensaries to the original recipients, wresting control from those who overtook the program. The bill comes nearly a year after extensive reporting by AZCIR:

Arizona bill would reclaim ma*****na social equity licenses to their original owners, taking them back from investors and corporations.

12/28/2023

The embattled state agency at the center of Arizona’s ongoing behavioral health crisis knew its proposed billing reforms could trigger a surge in homelessness nearly a year before implementing the changes, yet failed to prepare accordingly. Though AHCCCS claims it worked to connect victims with ‘reputable’ housing, it arranged for just three facilities—all in the Phoenix area—to meet overwhelming statewide need.

The embattled state agency at the center of Arizona’s ongoing behavioral health crisis knew its proposed billing reforms could trigger a surge in homelessness nearly a year before enacting the changes.

12/21/2023

As groundwater regulation discussions emerged in the Wilcox area of Arizona's Cochise County in 2022, applications for new irrigation wells in the area nearly tripled from the year prior, with some proposing wells nearly twice as deep and with more pumping capacity—a common scenario that plays out across the state.

The tactic, allowed under current law, risks cutting off the supply to nearby homes and smaller farms: According to a December groundwater study in the Wilcox Groundwater Basin, the average well depth no longer reaches the aquifer.

AZCIR's latest:

When talks about Arizona groundwater regulation happen, the surge of well applications to follow risks cutting off the supply to nearby farms and homes.

12/19/2023

Our newsroom still needs to raise more than $5,000 by year's end to trigger another $50,000 in matching funds, and we need your help to get there: Thanks to local and national philanthropists, all donations are double-matched!

We rely on you to do what we do, so please donate today to keep our newsroom strong for the year ahead!

https://t.co/mhbGrQF87Q

12/14/2023

Strings attached to Arizona School Safety Program dollars are leaving school counselor and social worker positions unfunded throughout the state, as Republican leaders prioritize boosting campus police instead. The apparent mismatch between what schools need and what certain state leaders want to give them reflects an ongoing clash over which types of positions actually make a campus safer.

A GOP-led push to increase police in Arizona schools does little to address overwhelming demand for mental health providers as part of the state's School Safety Program.

11/28/2023

At Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, we believe in accountability journalism that betters Arizona communities. On this , or what we call , please consider supporting AZCIR—news for people, not for profit:
https://azcir.fundjournalism.org/newsmatch-2023/

11/02/2023

The state’s failure to adequately anticipate the impact of widespread suspensions among behavioral health providers has put members of an already susceptible population at further risk of relapse, abuse, homelessness and even death as operators shut down, AZCIR's latest reporting has found.

Arizona's failure to anticipate the impact of suspensions among behavioral health providers suspected of medicare fraud put patients at risk of further harm.

11/01/2023

Starting today, we’re participating in , a powerful collaborative fundraising movement to support independent journalism.

And, the good news is that YOU can help: Through 12/31, NewsMatch and local donors will match your new monthly donation 12x (or double your one-time donation), up to $1,000!

Our reporters work tirelessly to produce journalism you can count on. Can we count on you, too?

https://t.co/6Afh3ptf7l

09/12/2023

Mixed between Sedona's drum circles and full moon ceremonies are events that weave together anti-gov ideologies and conspiracy theories, creating what experts call a pathway to radicalization. Read Part II of Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting's latest series:

Blending alternative wellness offerings with events traditionally aligned with the far right, experts warn of a pathway to radicalization.

09/11/2023

A deluge of so-called 'sovereign citizen' filings have flooded the Pima County Recorder's Office in Arizona, paralleling a national resurgence of the movement. The ideology, which includes people operating independently or identifying with one of the movement's loose-knit groups, are known for harassing and threatening people by inundating them with baseless lawsuits and liens.

Read Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting's latest:

A deluge of ‘sovereign citizen’ paperwork has flooded Arizona’s Pima County, a spike that parallels a national resurgence of the movement.

08/21/2023

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism have collaborated for the past seven months to investigate the nationwide spread of "constitutional sheriffs," a group quietly expanding its influence and impact across the U.S. by training law enforcement officers that sheriffs are the ultimate authority in their county and may refuse to enforce any state or federal law they deem unjust or unconstitutional.

Since 2018, the group held rallies & events in at least 30 states, and did training for officers in at least 13, reporters found. Read our latest project:

The Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association has for years railed against gun control laws, COVID public health mandates and alleged election fraud. The group has also spread its ideology across the nation, seeking to become more mainstream by securing state approval for law enforcement...

07/27/2023

Arizona's social equity program was supposed to create a path to dispensary ownership for those most affected by previous ma*****na laws. But nearly two years into the program, the state's existing corporate dispensaries have flexed their financial power to overtake a many of the licenses.

Read the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting's latest investigation, made possible by support from Fund for Investigative Journalism:

Nearly two years since 26 social equity applicants were drawn from a lottery to benefit Arizona communities affected by previous ma*****na laws, existing corporate dispensaries have a stake in more than half of them.

07/14/2023

Help us welcome AZCIR's new investigative reporters! We're grateful to Report for America, Scripps Howard Fund and Vitalyst Health Foundation AZ for making their positions possible.

I’m thrilled to announce and introduce you to AZCIR’s newest investigative reporters, Hannah Bassett and Brendon Derr. Both started this week.

06/21/2023

The Scripps Howard Fund has chosen the 2023-2024 class of Roy W. Howard Fellows as well as the nonprofit newsrooms hosting the Fellows. The program supports investigative journalists, giving them hands-on experience working in major media outlets.

06/21/2023

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office after securing records the agency repeatedly failed to disclose, as well as an $8,000 settlement to defray costs associated with the public records fight:

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office after securing records the agency repeatedly failed to disclose, as well as an $8,000 settlement to defray costs associated with the public records fight.

06/20/2023

Rep. Laura Terech, a Democrat, crafted a bill in response to an investigation by AZCIR and The Hechinger Report, which revealed for the first time the scope of the controversial disciplinary practice of suspending Arizona students for tardiness and truancy.

06/14/2023

Arizona lawmakers and advocates are working to change how schools respond to student absenteeism, citing an Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting investigation with The Hechinger Report that exposed the controversial yet pervasive practice of suspending students for missing class:

Rep. Laura Terech, a Democrat, crafted a bill in response to an investigation by AZCIR and The Hechinger Report, which revealed for the first time the scope of the controversial disciplinary practice of suspending Arizona students for tardiness and truancy.

05/01/2023

A rule change that lowers the bar for extremist organizations to radicalize law enforcement through training was enacted on April 5, despite a series of letters from civil rights groups urging Arizona’s governor and attorney general to take preemptive action. The groups are particularly worried about so-called “constitutional sheriff” training, which they say contains false and dangerous misinformation about the role of law enforcement.

A rule change that lowers the bar for extremist groups to radicalize law enforcement through training was enacted on April 5, despite a series of letters from civil rights groups urging Arizona’s governor and attorney general to take preemptive action.

04/27/2023

We are excited to announce our inaugural News Safety Cohort!🎉

These 16 international newsrooms are committed to better supporting their journalists of color, women journalists & LGBTQI+ journalists who are disproportionately impacted by .

We’ll offer them customized safety training and consultations and provide a space for peer support and collaboration. Learn more about our work to change newsroom safety culture at bit.ly/NewsSafety.

03/15/2023

It's been nearly 7 months since AZCIR's Isaac Stone Simonelli submitted a basic records request to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office. They have yet to provide those records, or respond at all. We've now taken them to court:

https://azcir.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Special-Action-Complaint-Cochise-County-filed.pdf

02/16/2023

Arizona-based sheriff group the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, is elevating some of its most controversial members—including those with direct ties to other anti-government and white nationalism movements—into formal leadership positions.

The group will maintain its focus on recruiting and training law enforcement, but also plans to increase online resources to better reach the general public, including local elected officials, as it builds on momentum it gained during the pandemic.

Our latest in our continuing coverage of so-called "constitutional shreriffs," via Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting:

Arizona-based "constitutional sheriff" group is embracing the more radical arm of its membership by promoting some into leadership positions.

12/19/2022

We have less than two weeks left to raise at least $5,000 for our NewsMatch campaign. Meeting that target unlocks an additional $40,000 in matching funds from local and national philanthropists.

If you value our journalism, help us keep doing it. Donate today!

AZCIR depends upon individuals like you. Donate now to help us produce independent and in-depth investigative reporting for Arizona.

12/13/2022

Though suspending students for attendance violations is widespread in Arizona, the practice is not universal—or necessary, according to school and district leaders who have found ways around it. Read the third & final installment of 'Education Suspended':

Educators in districts that avoid attendance-related suspensions say it requires a two-pronged approach: focusing on making school a place where students want to be while approaching absenteeism as a problem to solve.

12/08/2022

In the second part of AZCIR's latest investigation, we dive deeper into the data, revealing how Black, Latino and Indigenous students are frequently overrepresented among those blocked from class for missing class in Arizona—what some argue is evidence of a potential civil rights violation.

Arizona's Black and Latino students are overrepresented among those suspended for missing class, a potential civil rights violation.

12/06/2022

NEW: A first-of-its-kind analysis by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and The Hechinger Report has found that attendance-related suspensions are pervasive across Arizona, in some districts accounting for more than half of all in-school suspensions.

AZCIR and Hechinger obtained, through public records requests, data from 150-plus districts and charter networks that educate about 61 percent of Arizona’s 1.1 million public school students. The majority had suspended students for attendance-related violations, collectively assigning nearly 47,000 suspensions over the past five school years. Of those, 1 in 5 were out-of-school suspensions.

When suspensions are levied as a punishment for students whose only offense is missing class, problems can snowball.