Arizona’s News Roundup: Abortion amendment revived, Biden visit, sports relocations
Aug 10, 2023, 11:53 AM
US President Joe Biden speaks with Ed Keable, Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, while viewing the Grand Canyon from Yaki Point lookout at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on August 8, 2023. (Photo by Jim Watson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jim Watson/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – A presidential visit, a proposed amendment and a new conference to call home – what a week!
The headlines this week truly spanned the whole state from Tucson to Tusayan.
If you can’t keep up with all these changing headlines, don’t worry, we’ve got a way to help you out.
Check out Arizona’s News Roundup, the weekly podcast that gets you all caught up on the biggest stories around the state on your time, from a Valley point of view.
Here’s some of what we talked about this week:
Arizona abortion activists set sights on 2024 ballot
This week, a coalition of Arizona abortion advocacy groups formed with the intent of getting an amendment to solidify abortion rights in Arizona on the 2024 ballot.
The Arizona for Abortion Access coalition will need to get 383,923 signatures by July 3, 2024, in order to see the initiative make it to the ballot.
The groups that make up the coalition include ACLU of Arizona and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Those against the measure include Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy Action, who believes voters won’t approve the proposed constitutional change.
Joe Biden makes second presidential trip to Arizona
For the second time in his presidency, Joe Biden was in Arizona this week.
He and members of Arizona’s delegation and his administration visited the Grand Canyon to declare much of the area around it a national monument.
President Biden also spoke about his climate change agenda.
The trip was part of a three-state Western tour as much of the region has experienced extreme heat this summer.
Arizona sports teams make bids for new homes
In the last week, Arizona’s two largest public universities announced they’d be leaving the Pac-12 Conference after being accepted by the Big 12 Conference.
The move came after several universities began fleeing the conference for greener pastures.
This comes as the Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo announced he had submitted a letter of intent to buy a parcel of land for a possible arena and entertainment district in Mesa.
This would be the first privately funded professional sports arena in the state.
The Coyotes had previously lost a public vote for an arena deal in Tempe in May.
