Author: asnsadmin

Over the past two years, 475 Arizona prisoners collected $1.1 million in unemployment benefits while sitting in their cells.

On Feb. 8, the state Department of Economic Security found the 475 individuals by cross-matching lists of their beneficiaries and people incarcerated with the state Department of Corrections, said Tasya Peterson, communications director with DES.

On Feb. 22, DES began trying to recapture the $1.1 million in overpayments from January 2010 to January 2012.

DES presently can not report how much money they’ve collected and from who, but they are seeking collection in a number of ways including offsetting future benefits, seizing federal and state tax returns, and working with the Attorney General’s office to prosecute those who have collected enough benefits to constitute criminal unemployment fraud, Peterson said.

  Arizona Sonora News Service writer Dan Kohler discussed the Olympic goals of Northern Arizona University Athletes Adel al Nasser and Arnaud Froidmont. NAU Athletes {source}<iframe width=”100%” height=”166″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” src=”http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F39033875&show_artwork=true”></iframe>{/source} ASNS writer Zach Clark also talked with some Arizona athletes. He talked to Anna Jelmini and Jordan Clarke from Arizona State University. ASU Athletes…

Arizona has seen an increase of marijuana use over the years, but falls in the middle for most marijuana use by state.

 This comes at a time when the national rate of marijuana use is up, according to Brad Stone, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration communications director.

 SAMHSA is an agency established by Congress in 1992 to target substance abuse and mental health services effectively.

 The rise in the rate of marijuana use is based on a national SAMHSA survey and consists of data from 2008 to 2010.

 “In 2010 17.4 million Americans ages 12 and up were current users of marijuana,” Stone said. That’s almost 6 percent of the United States population.

 According to Stone, the rate of current marijuana users 12 and older has gone up compared to 2007 when it was at 14.4 million.

 The most current SAMHSA data available by state however, is from 2008 and 2009.  SAMHSA breaks the data up by age groups and puts states in to five different categories based on percentages of persons.

 These categories include: 12.85-16.29 percent; 10.87-12.84 percent; 10.06-10.86 percent; 9.02-10.05 percent; and 7.17-9.01 percent.

 Arizona falls into the middle category of 10.06-10.86 percent of people ages 12 and up who have used marijuana in the past year.

 California, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are among the states with the highest marijuana use.

 Idaho, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland fall into the same group as Arizona.

 The use of marijuana may be up, but the number of pounds of marijuana seized by the U.S. Border Patrol has gone down.

Arizona is becoming a hotbed for MMA fighters and a premier destination for training camps throughout the MMA community.

In 1993, a mixed martial arts competition was introduced to the United States labeled as the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since then, the sport of mixed martial arts has become a worldwide phenomenon.

This unique full combat competition is like no other, as it incorporates both standing and on the ground fighting. It incorporates a variety of fighting styles, from boxing, wrestling, grappling, muay thai and Brazilian jujitsu to name of few.

The sluggish economy has made creating and maintaining small businesses particularly challenging, but many businesses are discovering strategies that are allowing them to flourish while others fail. Check out the stories below to see what how some small businesses in Arizona are thriving. Part 1: Arizona small businesses working hard to remain profitable Part 2:…