skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Airline travel and more disrupted by global tech outage; Nevada gets OK to sell federal public lands for affordable housing;Science Moms work to foster meaningful talks on climate change; Scientists reconsider net-zero pledges to reach climate goals.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As Trump accepts nomination for President, delegates emphasize themes of unity and optimism envisioning 'new golden age.' But RNC convention was marked by strong opposition to LGBTQ rights, which both opened and closed the event.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

On 'Environmental Day,' AZ leaders show support for water bills

play audio
Play

Friday, January 26, 2024   

Arizona leaders, advocates and high school students gathered to commemorate Environmental Day at the Arizona State Capitol on Thursday.
Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, D-Tucson, took a dig at her Republican colleagues, saying she knows the difference between weather and climate. She said despite the recent precipitation around the state and last winter's above-average rainfall, Arizona continues to get hotter and drier each year, adding to the severity of the state's drought.

"Combined with the fact that groundwater pumping remains completely unregulated in rural areas of the state," she said, "puts rural Arizonans in danger of, one day, not being able to sustain the way of life they've been accustomed to for generations."

This session, Stahl-Hamilton introduced House Bill 2359, which applies water-supply requirements to developments statewide, putting a stop to what she called "unfettered" building projects.

Gov. Katie Hobbs declared water a top issue during her State of the State address, but some GOP members and influential lobby organizations have pushed back, saying regulations would mean giving state government too much power.

Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon chapter, said her organization is supporting House Bill 2356. It would allow the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources to consider future impacts in declaring an "irrigation non-expansion area," to limit new irrigated lands.

Bahr also spoke in favor of HB 2357, which she said would prioritize keeping more water in Arizona rivers "and provide a mechanism for leaving more water in rivers to sustain ecological flows, and it actually allows people who have water rights to transfer those water rights to the river."

A recent survey found 68% of likely Arizona voters believe rural groundwater should be protected in a similar fashion to the active management areas where most people live, and where groundwater is already protected and managed.

Disclosure: Sierra Club contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment, Environmental Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Environment

play sound

Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…


The Illinois State Board of Education report card said O'Fallon Township High School HSD #203 is currently only funded at 64%. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

"Arizonans understand that it is insane to risk Phoenix or Tempe for Odesa or some corn field in Ukraine. It is not in our national interest to get involved," said U.S. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Ariz. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

Environment

play sound

So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional …

Social Issues

play sound

Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021