When families are strong and children thrive, the community prospers.



The 2019 Arizona Town Halls will address the topic of Strong Families Thriving Children.



Town Hall sessions will focus on how we can collectively support families and children so that they are better able to overcome risk factors such as adverse childhood experiences and economic downturns.

The Arizona Republic reported that Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will be required to take less water from the Colorado River for the first time next year under a set of agreements that aim to keep enough water in Lake Mead to reduce the risk of a crash.

Phoenix New Times reported that Preston Thoeny, the head brewer at Wren House, needs 1,000 gallons of water to make about 350 gallons of beer. If he could, he’d use solely recycled water — water that was previously used, before being treated and purified to the point of being safe to drink.

The Arizona Republic reported that groundwater pumping has caused stream flow in U.S. rivers to decline by as much as half over the last century, according to new research by Laura Condon, assistant professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences at University of Arizona.

KJZZ reported that the departure of Mexico’s ambassador from the World Trade Organization (WTO) could complicate trade disputes between the United State and Mexico — Arizona’s largest trading partner.

KJZZ reported that Arizona Sens. Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema may have had an epic battle on the campaign trail last year, but now they are joining together to sponsor a bill that works to address our region’s dry future.

Tempe/West Chandler Wrangler News reported that homelessness is a social problem not easily solved, yet several community leaders and organizations remain determined to search for solutions and to share their expertise with the public.

Apache Junction News reported that updated figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that Arizona remains 49th in the nation for median elementary teacher pay and, while the gap has slightly narrowed, Arizona is still nearly $13,000 behind the national median. While Arizona teachers have seen increased pay recently, so have teachers across the country.

Cronkite News reported that Arizona’s $11.8 billion budget for fiscal 2020, which was passed only after Republican lawmakers demanded changes to child sex-abuse laws, includes money for schools, infrastructure and health care.