RJ Hamster
AZ Briefing: Hobbs signals school voucher reforms as 2026…
Read in browser AZ BriefingYOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUPTue Dec 2 2025  Lorenzino EstradaDigital ProducerGood morning, Arizona. Here’s what our reporters are working on and what you should know about what’s happening across the state before you start your day.Gov. Katie Hobbs will again try to tackle Arizona’s universal private school voucher program when she proposes her policy and budget priorities early next year.Here’s what to know.Other big stories➤ Proposed tax breaks by two Republican lawmakers would provide significant savings for young people and parents in Arizona — but only if they’re married.➤ Arizona recently increased the thresholds for when real estate and personal property must go to probate court. Here’s what to know.➤ Three Arizona employers announced large-scale layoffs in November, including a health-care provider group that will be acquired by HonorHealth.➤ We’ve assembled a list of 12 holiday songs that tend to turn up in “worst Christmas songs of all time” lists. Now you can vote on which one is the worst of the worst.➤ News alerts in your inbox: Don’t miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. ➤ Today, you can expect it to be mostly sunny with a high near 71 degrees. Expect it to be partly cloudy at night with a low near 46 degrees. Get the full forecast here.These Metro Phoenix restaurants closed in November  Gadzooks Enchiladas and Soup plans to open a location at Epicenter. All the businesses at Epicenter, a new development under construction in Gilbert, are expected to open in late 2021 or early 2022.EpicenterOver half a dozen restaurants closed in Phoenix, Chandler and Tempe in November. Cuisines ranged from to Korean street food to doughnuts.If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber.Today in historyHere are just some of the historic events on this date in the past.•On this day in 1927: Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford and his son and company president Edsel Ford debuted the Model A automobile at the Ford Industrial Exposition in New York City. The Model A replaced the Model T after more than 15 million Model T cars had been made over nearly 19 years.•In 1942: Italian scientist Enrico Fermi, a prior winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, led a group of physicists at the University of Chicago in creating the world’s first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction. It was a vital step for the Manhattan Project in developing the atomic bomb.•In 1954: The Senate censured Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., for refusing to appear before a subcommittee to answer questions about his character and obstructing the panel’s investigation of him in 1951 and 1952, as well as publicly abusing and defaming Brig. Gen. Ralph Zwicker during the Army-McCarthy hearings on Feb. 18, 1954.•In 1970: The Environmental Protection Agency began operating as an independent federal agency tasked with protecting the environment, on executive order from President Richard Nixon.•In 1982: Dr. Barney Clark, a retired dentist from Seattle, became the world’s first recipient of an artificial heart, thanks to Dr. William DeVries, the cardiothoracic surgeon who implanted the newly FDA-approved Jarvik 7 heart over seven hours at the University of Utah Hospital. Clark died at age 62 of circulatory collapse and secondary multiorgan system failure 112 days after the surgery.•In 1993: Space shuttle Endeavor’s seven-member crew launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, embarking on a nearly 11-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope for the first time. The two teams of astronauts completed their tasks – including the installation of new solar arrays – performing a record five consecutive spacewalks over more than 35 hours. The telescope was redeployed on Day 9.•In 1993: Police in Medellín, Colombia, fatally shot notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, a top target in the U.S. war on drugs whose multibillion-dollar cartel had greatly profited from controlling much of the illegal cocaine trafficking during the 1980s that fueled the crack epidemic across the U.S.– Charlie White, USA TODAY NetworkTOP STORIESGroup accuses Border Patrol of ‘illegal’ warrantless raidNo More Deaths volunteers say Border Patrol agents claimed they didn’t need a warrant to enter structures because they were in “hot pursuit.”READ MORE Sign up for breaking news alerts and get real-time updates directly to your inbox.SIGN UP NOW Get world news FREESign up to receive GlobalPost, the leading daily newsletter devoted to world news. It’s free with your subscription.GET GLOBAL NEWS FREEPlay Your Way to a Relaxing BreakUnwind with crosswords and challenges that recharge you. USA TODAY PLAYCrosswords, Puzzles, Comics & HoroscopesSEE ALL GAMES |
