Greg Hahne
KJZZ 91.5
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Past articles by Greg:
Wet winter will have scattered impacts on holding back wildfires
The wet winter will have varying impacts on wildfire dangers statewide depending on the elevation.Arizona’s low country has seen a dense buildup of tall grass, which could fuel any fire activity with spring winds and higher temperatures.“Not a lot of acres burned last year, not a lot of fires as compared to prior years. But with that being said, because we didn’t see those → Read More
Arizona House passes bill requiring students to recite Pledge of Allegiance
The state House of Representatives voted to require students 17 and younger to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The bill passed on a party-line vote. Existing law spells out that schools must set aside time each day for students who wish to recite, but the new bill adds language saying each student “shall” say the pledge.Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik joined others in her → Read More
'No drone zone' is new element of federal Super Bowl security
The first iPhones came out shortly before Glendale hosted its first Super Bowl in 2008.So smartphone tech was a focus for those charged with securing the game when it returned here in 2015.This year drones are the gadget front-of-mind for authorities.With Super Bowl events being held across the Valley, local police agencies plan security for those held in their city or venue. → Read More
Senate committee passes bill to require ID when dropping off early ballots at polling locations
The Arizona Senate Elections Committee has passed a bill that would require early voters to present an ID when they drop off their ballots at a polling location.Those who cast a vote without providing ID could be charged with a felony.While Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman (Queen Creek) says it’s an incremental approach to accountability, Democrat Priya Sundareshan (Tucson) → Read More
Bill advances to increase penalties of those who provide fentanyl
State Senate Republicans are working to boost the penalties against those who supply, transport or sell fentanyl.A bill advanced Thursday that would sentence those who provide the drug to life in prison or death, if someone dies after taking it.The move is prompted by the ongoing opioid epidemic, which has seen about 8,000 people die from overdoses in the last five years.The → Read More
Bill cracking down on protesting outside people's homes gains momentum in legislature
The state Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill that would crack down on protesting outside people’s homes.The bill proposed by Republican John Kavanagh would make it a misdemeanor to demonstrate outside a person’s home if the resident feels threatened, annoyed or harassed.Kavanagh said the standard is what a reasonable person would interpret as intimidating behavior. → Read More
Arizona marks 30 years of observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Arizona’s first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.President Ronald Reagan signed the federal holiday into law in 1983, but Arizona was the last state to recognize it. The controversial holdout cost the state its first Super Bowl.Arizona became the only state to approve the holiday by a popular vote, with the state’s residents passing a measure in 1992. → Read More
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer proposes 12 election reform laws
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has proposed 12 laws to reform state election processes.The proposals range from closing early voting days sooner, reforming campaign finance laws, and making the county recorder a nonpartisan position. Around the time of the election, many complained that the process took too long. However, Richer noted that Arizona has never had → Read More
President Joe Biden signs 3 bills aiming to expand water access to tribes in Arizona
President Joe Biden signed three bills Thursday aimed at improving access to water for three tribes in Arizona.One of the measures grants the Hualapai Tribe about 3,400 acre feet of Colorado River water every year and will allow the tribe to lease that water as well.One acre-foot is enough to supply about two households for a year. Another bill allows the Colorado River Indian → Read More
Judge to hear arguments Friday on whether to dismiss SOS election challenge from Finchem
An initial hearing was heard Tuesday on an election challenge against Secretary of State-elect Adrian Fontes.Losing candidate Mark Finchem alleges there were some 60,000 votes missing from Maricopa County and about 20,000 missing from Pima County. A hearing to dismiss the case will be heard Friday. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian told the attorneys she → Read More
New road adds connection to SR 24 in Mesa
Mesa has completed its expansion of Signal Butte Road, offering an alternate access route to state Route 24. The route opens Wednesday, connecting Signal Butte Road from Germann to Williams Field roads.The connection provides four lanes running north and two lanes for future expansion to the south.Improvements also include drainage infrastructure, new streetlights, and traffic signals. → Read More
Environmental groups seek protection for coyotes in order to help wolves
The same spots they are asking for is where the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America are found. In a petition sent to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, coalition groups said that small Mexican gray wolves are often mistaken for coyotes, citing multiple cases. Those groups argue that protecting coyotes could help guard the wolves as well. → Read More
Holiday spending is up compared to last year, but it might not be a good sign
Early data shows retail sales for the holiday season are showing year-over-year growth. Danny Court is the senior economist with Scottsdale based economic consulting firm Elliott D. Pollack & Company. He says the trend is not necessarily a good sign. "Inflation is not really taken into account here. So, while we had higher than last year in terms of dollar amounts, there’s → Read More
Arizona voters await final results to be certified Nov. 28
As tabulations came to a close across the state, voters wait for final results to be certified by Nov. 28.Arizona has seen closer races.Democrat Kathy Hoffman has already conceded to Republican Tom Horne as has 8,968 more votes in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction.More eyes will be on the race for attorney general as Democrat Kris Mayes leads Abe Hamadeh by → Read More
Arizona 2022 election: Arizona congressional districts results
The partisan makeup of Arizona's U.S. House delegation and control of Congress itself are up for grabs Tuesday, with Republicans hoping to shift the state's 5-4 Democratic tilt by picking up two and possibly three seats. → Read More
Arizona’s unemployment rate went up again in September
Even as the national rate has gone down, Arizona’s unemployment rate went up again last month. That’s the third time in the last four months it’s gone up in the state.The jobless rate went from 3.5% to 3.7% from August to September.Still that does not concern Doug Walls, the labor market analyst for the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. While the rate went up two-tenths → Read More
Ancient climate trends can lead to key insights for the future
Studying climate from the past can reveal how trends might develop in the future. Research from the University of Arizona found that secrets from 60 million years ago reveal how sensitive the climate is to carbon dioxide. About 56 million years ago, it is believed volcanoes dumped massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, rapidly heating up the globe. That time → Read More
Ducey disputes arguments he is busing migrants against their will
Gov. Doug Ducey is disputing arguments that he has bused migrants out of the state against their will. Last week, the Uncage and Reunite Families Coalition called for an investigation into the state’s busing program, claiming the governor may have broken state and federal laws. The coalition said the bus trips could cause the migrants to miss required court dates. Ducey said → Read More
Russian court to hear appeal on Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner case
A Moscow region court said it will hear an appeal on Oct. 25 for Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner.In February she was arrested in the country after vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. At the beginning of August, she was sentenced to over 9 years in prison, just short of the 10 year maximum for her drug possession and smuggling charges. → Read More
Save Our Schools Arizona fails to gather enough signatures for school voucher bill
An effort to send Arizona’s massive new school voucher expansion to voters has fallen short.Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a tweet Friday morning that the petition from Save our Schools Arizona would not meet the minimum requirement of 118,823 signatures.At a protest at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Gov. Doug Ducey called on Hobbs to expedite the count. → Read More