Arizona is known for its tough-on-crime sheriffs. An image of a take-no-prisoners lawman is part of the state’s reputation. Tony Estrada of Santa Cruz County, currently Arizona’s longest-serving and only Hispanic sheriff, is cut from that same cloth. But for national audiences, the embodiment of that image has always been dominated by larger than life publicity-seekers…
Water rushes mercilessly through the lush green riparian corridor, sweeping everything along its path in a flash flood. The canyon is used to it, and so are the many inhabitants who call this creek called Aravaipa home. What looks like destruction in flood form is actually time to shine for native fish species in the…
Arizona’s voters in 2016 narrowly defeated a proposition to legalize marijuana, but advocates for the measure say they aren’t done yet. Ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana, thanks to state laws granting medical status to cannabis. The rapidly shifting attitudes toward cannabis that helped pave the way toward full legalization are partly due…
Tall and resilient, the saguaros of the Sonoran Desert are finding it more difficult to reach maturity as higher temperatures exacerbate drought and leave a trail of young cactus carcasses. A hotter, drier future awaits U.S. national parks, monuments, historic sites and memorials compared to the nation as a whole, based on the first analysis…
In a one-horse town just north of the Mexican border, where African-Americans make up less than 1 percent of the population, Arleen Kennedy stands out in more ways than one. She’s bold, confident, and not afraid of change — even if that change is packing up and moving 2,300 miles across the country. Despite being…
