ARIZONA
Abortion law bill to be voted on
In November, Arizona voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to include abortion rights in the state constitution.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s office announced on August 12 that 577,971 signatures had been certified – far more than the required number the coalition supporting the ballot proposal needed to submit in order to put the question before voters.
The Arizona for Abortion Access coalition said this was the highest number of confirmed signatures for a citizen’s initiative in the state’s history.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Democrats have made abortion rights a central message – and it is a key part of their efforts in this year’s election.
Arizona law currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. The ban, which took effect in 2022, allows exceptions in medical emergencies but places restrictions on non-surgical abortions. It also requires an ultrasound before an abortion and parental consent for minors.
The proposed amendment would allow abortion until the fetus can survive outside the womb, usually about 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or protect her physical or mental health. It would prevent the state from passing or enforcing laws that would prohibit access to the procedure.
Opponents of the measure say it goes too far and could lead to unlimited and unregulated abortions in Arizona.
Tribe wants to replace power line
SAN CARLOS APACHE RESERVATION — San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler wants answers after the northern half of the tribe’s reservation in southeastern Arizona was without power for 21 hours in early August after a storm took out a key power transmission line.
“This type of blackout is typically associated with developing countries, not the United States,” Rambler said in a statement on August 12.
Tribal officials say the transmission line is outdated and experiences regular outages, sometimes leaving reservation residents and businesses without power for days.
He said he would meet with Interior Secretary Debra Haaland in Washington next month to discuss financing solutions to prevent future defaults.
The power transmission line in a remote area between Coolidge Dam and Winkelman dates back to 1924, when the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs created the San Carlos Irrigation Project to provide electricity to residents on and off the reservation and to provide irrigation water and pumps to private landowners.
The tribe said it has repeatedly asked federal authorities to replace the power line that runs in a remote area between Coolidge Dam and Winkelman.
Between 2010 and 2022, the Office of Indian Energy invested over $120 million in over 210 tribal energy projects implemented across the 48 contiguous states and Alaska.
However, there is little talk of investments in modernizing the power grids in the San Carlos Reservation, which extends over 730,000 hectares in parts of three counties in Arizona.
UTAH
13 books banned in schools under new law
Thirteen popular books have been banned from all public schools in Utah, the first wave of bans expected under a new law that bans books if at least three of the state’s 41 school district boards say they contain pornographic or offensive material.
The law, which allows only a few counties to make decisions for the entire state, is one of the most lenient on book bans in the United States, according to PEN America, a free speech organization that tracks book bans in the United States.
The state Board of Education released its first list of banned books this month. It includes a popular young adult novel series by author Sarah J. Maas called “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” as well as books by Judy Blume and Margaret Atwood. The state’s two largest school districts, located in conservative parts of the state, were the first to ban the books.
Although the books are still available in public libraries, the law requires them to be disposed of by public school libraries. They may not be sold or distributed, the state said.
Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah Board of Education, said the list of banned books was far from sufficient. She said tests of the literary merit of books were “absurd” and “subjective.”
Citing the state’s criminal code, Cline added that all sexually explicit content should be banned from K-12 schools, including science or medical classes, which the new law allows.
Another board member, Carol Lear, believes the new law goes too far by allowing the concerns of some parents to influence the decisions of other parents across the state.
WYOMING
Impact of Cheyenne Frontier Days measured
CHEYENNE – This year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days had a big impact on the community, coordinators said. The 128th anniversary of “Daddy of ’em All” wrapped up with great success with ticket sales, new developments and the “Year of the Cowgirl” theme.
On June 28, officials held an unveiling ceremony for a new bronze statue titled “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls,” by Wyoming sculptor D. Michael Thomas, which was placed next to the Chris LeDoux statue on the western edge of Frontier Park. Winners in ranch bronc riding, breakaway roping and women’s barrel racing each received a miniature version of the cowgirl statue.
More than 1,500 competitors took part in the $1.2 million rodeo. In the opening event, Chet Weitz, a 23-year-old tie-down roper from London, Texas, set an arena record of 9.1 seconds. A total of 115,494 fans attended all nine rodeo performances, compared to 116,960 last year.
Tom Hirsig, CEO of CFD, said July 27 was probably the busiest day of Frontier Days in terms of ticket sales. Thomas Rhett performed that night and the rodeo was sold out.
Frontier Nights attracted 119,793 visitors, compared to 134,134 last year.
In addition to tickets for the rodeo and the evening show, 28,353 tickets were sold, bringing the total attendance for the ten-day event to 263,640.
Among the most popular free activities were the Behind the Chutes tours, which gave nearly 4,000 people the opportunity to see the rodeo animals and arena up close. The Native American Indian Village was also very popular, with approximately 35,948 people exploring the grounds.
