Michael Washburn, Author at Arizona Globe

Lochiel Raid Inflames Border Tensions and Draws Rebuke from Seventh District Rep. Grijalva

October 7, 2026 9:36 amOctober 7, 2026 9:36 am

On October 5, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agents raided an area near Lochiel, Arizona, and reportedly arrested at least 12 activists who had gathered in an attempt to stop the removal of an ancient cottonwood tree. A crane then...

Arizona Supreme Court Rules for Plaintiff in Abraham Lawsuit Over Withholding of University Records

September 28, 2026 11:45 amSeptember 29, 2026 9:44 am

Arizona’s Supreme Court on September 18 issued a long-awaited ruling in the case of Matthew Abraham, Ph.D. v. Arizona Board of Regents, finding that government agencies do not have the ultimate power to decide whether to grant requests for access...

Rep. Crane Claims Leadership in Water Wars as House Challenger Turns Up Heat

September 22, 2026 9:02 amSeptember 24, 2026 9:28 am

District 2 Rep. Eli Crane, a Republican, issued statements on Friday expressing his fervent support for H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act, which the House of Representatives passed on September 16 by a vote of 415-9. Crane described the...

Gov. Hobbs Blocks Removal of Salt River Horses Amid Feud With State Rep. Reim

September 14, 2026 9:05 amSeptember 15, 2026 10:02 am

On August 18, Governor Katie Hobbs announced plans to pause removal of wild horses from Arizona’s Tonto National Forest in 2026 and 2027, giving researchers at public universities the chance to conduct a genetic viability study of the herd and...

Federal Incursion into Border Region Strains Relations With Tohono O’odham

September 8, 2026 9:43 amSeptember 10, 2026 2:14 pm

On August 25, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contractors, along with about 20 armed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officers, came onto tribal lands with drill trucks and set to work at three separate...

Arizona Water Shortage Impacts Housing Development

Arizona Takes Biggest Colorado River Cut as State Challenges Federal Framework

August 27, 2026 9:29 amSeptember 4, 2026 8:44 am

Arizona will surrender 760,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually in 2027 and 2028 under new federal operating rules, by far the largest reduction among the three Lower Basin states. But state officials are already fighting the longer-term framework behind...

Damage to Hopi Headdress Underscores Precarious State of Many Native Artifacts

August 24, 2026 10:08 amAugust 28, 2026 9:57 am

The damaging of a priceless Hopi artifact at the Desert View Watchtower in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park earlier this summer has refocused attention on the vulnerability of such relics and the limited legal power of indigenous tribes to take...