Area municipal elections now are held with the state and national election cycle, and that means our nation’s birthday falls within primary time. That provides an opportunity to look at the true legacy of democracy that we have at a local level.

Legislative District 8 covers much of Pinal County and part of Gila, taking in most of Casa Grande, part of Eloy, Coolidge, Florence and much of San Tan Valley. Rep. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, is term limited in the House and seeking to move to the Senate. On the Democratic side is Barbara McGu…

Arizona Democrats will see U.S. Senate challenger Mark Kelly unopposed on their primary ballot for Aug. 4. Republican incumbent Sen. Martha McSally is being challenged by Daniel McCarthy. While he has some strong conservative views that many Arizonans could support, he has little chance agai…

In Minneapolis, four former police officers are charged in the alleged murder of George Floyd. Meanwhile, the head of their union stands firmly behind them. Another killing of a Black man in Atlanta has resulted in criminal charges. Across the nation, Americans of a wide range of viewpoints …

Discussion at an annual state water conference was valuable, but it pointed out just how large is the challenge of planning for the future. The University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center brought together leaders involved in a diverse state’s differing situations. One thing much …

After a few months of living with COVID-19, Pinal County, Arizona and much of the nation are gradually reopening and seeking to return to something more like normal. That has produced an uptick in coronavirus cases, and authorities have gotten more serious about rules seeking to control the …

Deaths of black men at the hands of police officers have resulted in growing national concern and widespread protests. Those included peaceful protests in Pinal County cities following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 under the knee of a police officer who has since been ch…

Decades ago, before Interstate 10 was overcrowded in Pinal County and it was new, there was a safety problem caused by blowing dust during the summer monsoon season. That problem has continued to the present day. However, new technology is addressing the issue on a key stretch of the highway…

Many Arizonans have been spending their days at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with offices and recreation opportunities closed. That is changing rapidly, and various sites are opening up for summer, with some modifications. Meanwhile, the usual summer wildland fire problems have sta…

Past the time when seniors in the Casa Grande Union High School District would have walked up in caps and gowns and received their diplomas, the district has decided that won’t happen this year. The district board, administration and staff considered the possibility while also planning for v…

A case unfolding in Kingman holds a clue to the violent protests shocking and troubling Americans. Matthew Wright, a 32-year-old follower of the right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory, is charged with a list of crimes after he was arrested in a van blocking a road near Hoover Dam and carrying we…

As Arizona and America are hoping to emerge from the huge setback that COVID-19 brought in various ways, it is clear that economic recovery is tied most of all to reopening of business. Yet Congress has appropriated vast sums of money to help people, including putting cash directly in their …

Prosecutors have a way of recovering from criminals the proceeds they have generated from their enterprises. Seizing property and cash has been used effectively against organized crime and drug dealers. Such seizures have been done in Arizona for years, but sometimes they come from people wh…

Rick Gibson retires from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension this week after a career of nearly 40 years in the Pinal County office. Besides helping countless people directly with gardening and landscape questions, he reached many thousands through a column he wrote for this news…

The shutdown for the COVID-19 pandemic has been squeezing government and public institutions as well as private businesses and employees, and the effects are being seen more as time passes. Much public debate is ongoing about when schools can reopen, and some colleges already have announced …

Monday is the day we once again recognize those who have sacrificed their lives in America’s armed forces throughout our nation’s history, dating back to our fight for independence in the 1700s. Communities across the nation will — and should — pause for that reason. This year is different b…

Arizonans, since gaining statehood in 1912, always have had the right to decide issues directly on the ballot or even propose their own laws or remove elected officeholders. As we’ve said before, this seems like a great concept, but it has been misused by special interests, some from out of …

The Arizona Supreme Court has decided a Republican member of the state House, Shawnna Bolick, can be on the ballot for re-election. The decision, which includes a compromise, is a fair one.

Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who last year had more than $55 billion in net worth, made a late, temporary entry into the Democratic presidential sweepstakes. He spent almost a billion dollars and secured only 61 delegates. But he continues to spend big on causes he belie…

Pinal County’s landscape has been seen in quite a few films, but a new documentary focuses on reality rather than fiction. Matt Wolf’s “Spaceship Earth” looks at the history of Biosphere 2, the early-1990s science experiment that remains as a research center and picturesque tourist attractio…

Arizona and the nation are starting the task of reopening from the COVID-19 shutdown, and no one knows what will happen. Major decisions about when and how much mainly fall on the states, and they are taking different approaches. The economy has been in free fall, and Americans are getting r…

While much of business and government has been at a near standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some shocking details have emerged in the case of President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. This seems ironic in these strange times of delay since the details, so i…

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the rejection of a law banning “ballot harvesting,” or collection of ballots by third parties. And he makes some strong arguments.

After the announcement of Lucid Motors’ manufacturing plant in Casa Grande a few years ago, much discussion ensued about where the company would find a couple thousand qualified workers. With the later announcement of a Nikola Motor Company truck plant in Coolidge, discussion began to focus …

Oil trading at a negative price? That’s stunning, especially when we remember that before the U.S. production boom of recent years, oil at one time traded for more than $100 a barrel. But now tankers are at sea with nowhere to unload, and people in the oil business have run out of places to …

The COVID-19 pandemic has consumed our national attention, and that is no surprise as it is affecting nearly everyone’s life to a great degree. While most people are trying to see the bright side of things, most also are worried about their health and financial health.

Arizona’s schools are closed for the remainder of this academic year. Educators, including those in Pinal County, have worked to give students materials to study at home. It is well known that parental support is important in educational success, and that is even more important now.

Arizona’s good flying weather has made it a critical part of military aviation since World War II. Bases, especially for the Air Force, have been a major factor in the economy for decades, and that has continued in a much more populous Arizona — and even contributed to it. At the same time, …

Some elected officials in Pinal County this week sought a court order to obtain more specific information about where COVID-19 cases are. Meanwhile, health officials have seen problems with that, including a potential false sense of security in low-infection cities and towns. However, with t…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a crisis that is unprecedented and could not even have been imagined by many people. As the infection and death toll have risen in the United States, a shutdown of the economy and social life has increased. As many people predicted, a closure of schools has b…

Passing a new state budget in the spring is normally the apex of the Legislature’s annual efforts, allowing members to leave the Capitol. They had more incentive this year, however, with the growing coronavirus concern. Legislators passed a “skinny” budget early last week and departed, with …

Building new interstate highways is very difficult for various reasons, especially the cost and the challenge of obtaining right of way. Expansion of existing routes is challenging enough, with Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Chandler being a prime example. As that project inches forwa…

A bill in the Arizona Legislature to allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees has been blocked after pressure from the state’s three universities, which are all research institutions. That came after some support was shown, especially in the form of a 42-18 approval in the House, …

Casa Grande and Pinal County have become accustomed to major economic development projects, but the one that came to PinalCentral Monday clearly is a major one. The number of jobs does not rival the potential of Lucid Motors and Nikola Motor Company, but the overall impact on the area will be huge.

Mayoral and city council candidates in Pinal County and elsewhere are circulating petitions and organizing their efforts in anticipation of the August primary and November general election. Meanwhile, county, legislative and congressional candidates are running too, as we work through the pr…

The reach of the new coronavirus has raised more concern in recent days with its extension in the United States. More Americans are aware that this is something to be concerned about. At the same time, the illness now has been reported in Pinal County, and that certainly highlights the need …

The public school support organization Save Our Schools has launched another drive for a ballot measure to limit state dollars for private and parochial schools. While traditional district schools indeed deserve support, using a ballot vote to tie the hands of the Legislature rarely is a good idea.

The Casa Grande Union High School District is planning a special honor for students who do community service. Superintendent Steve Bebee recently outlined the program, called the Superintendent’s Challenge. Students will be recognized with a “varsity letter” the way athletes are if they do 5…

Almost no one wants to pay higher taxes, and Arizona lawmakers have made raising them difficult. Meanwhile, the state’s gasoline tax has not been raised since 1991, as construction costs have risen along with traffic and vehicles have become more efficient, which means a fill-up yields less …

Arizona is proud of its three public universities, which have grown as the state’s population has boomed. They all do research, which gives them prestige but also adds to the cost of tuition. That tuition is much higher than it was a couple of decades ago.

America went through a period of social change beginning in the 1960s. During that time, left-wing thought and speakers on college campuses led the charge. Now, society has changed so much that conservative or moderate thought is unwelcome on many college campuses. What once were places wher…

Everyone knows that operating an airport is expensive, and major ones like Sky Harbor International collect revenue from various sources, starting with the airlines and extending down to rental car companies, vendors and parking, which steadily increases in price. Phoenix operates the airpor…

The Arizona Legislature every year deals with many decisions and challenges. This year, a key one is deciding what to do with a surplus of money. While that is an enviable position compared to many years, finding a compromise no doubt will be difficult. The best answer certainly will be a mi…

The celebration that has brought countless people to Casa Grande over more than half a century begins this weekend. Cowboy Days & O’Odham Tash is now a collection of activities that take place over two weekends and also the week in between.

Prison inmates have jobs that pay minimal wages they can use to buy personal care items and save for their release. It’s a beneficial program, but advocates say they should earn more.

The news in Pinal County and Arizona constantly includes reports of people arrested smuggling fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine. And that means it is very deadly.

A Pinal County case has led to a bill in the Legislature that would standardize enforcement of noise complaints. While sponsor Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, is seeking to protect constituents like the owner of Hitching Post restaurant in Apache Junction from unequal enforcement, the bill also…