News

The state House voted this week to ease the requirements on cities and counties to buy space in newspapers for public notices. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.

Roller derby began as a form of cheap entertainment during the Great Depression. By the 1950's, it had become an iconic sport - part athleticism, part spectacle. Back then it was a co-ed sport, but fast forward to today, and roller derby is played predominantly by women. Arizona Public Radio Intern Sarah Kolb reports on derby's modern revival - a combination of sport, kitsch, rock n' roll and feminism.

Flagstaff was one of hundreds of cities across the world that sent disaster relief teams to Haiti after a powerful earthquake struck the country in 2010. While most other cities have long-since stopped aid to Haiti, Flagstaff remains, and is now one of the leading cities in the world for sending volunteers to a country still rebuilding. In the second story in our series Building Hope in Haiti, Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris Kohl reports on a group of Flagstaff volunteers who've - essentially - adopted dozens of Haitian orphans and the compound they live in.

Last December's deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut have led to a slew of school safety legislation across the country, including in Arizona. The Flagstaff Unified School District held a meeting recently to discuss the issue. Arizona Public Radio's Justin Regan reports on how local schools are reacting.

State senators voted this week to allow a teacher, administrator, custodian or cafeteria worker at rural and some suburban schools to be armed. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.

Unassuming shops and garages lie south of the tracks in Flagstaff. Inside, there's the clank of metal, the small of wood and the beauty of raw fabric. People here are using their hands to create useful goods. In the series Makers and Menders, Michael Collier and Rose Houk highlight this way of making a living and a life. Today, they take us to Joe Guida's woodshop which is filled with beautiful old tools.

A Senate panel has voted to make it harder for some people to collect unemployment. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.

The state House this week gave preliminary approval to legislation to let counties and the state's largest cities publish their legal notices online rather than spending money to buy newspaper ads. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.

Governor Jan Brewer gave state lawmakers their first detailed look at her plan to expand Medicaid. But Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports the governor has an uphill fight - especially in her own party.

Voters may get a chance next year to decide on a measure that would undermine union political influence. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.