EXCLUSIVE:
@FBI
Public Corruption Unit investigating Gov.
@dougducey
administration after current and former staff, including a federal judge, pressured AZDOR to give away $100 million to clients of
@GBrintRyan
, a big-time
@GOP
and
@dougducey
donor.
The
@ArizonaCoyotes
last month boasted about having its CEO selected to be on a
@NHL
committee to stop racism....it then used its first draft pick on Mitchell Miller, convicted of bullying a Black classmate with disabilities.
Arizona Gov.
@dougducey
joined 19 other
@GOP
governors today to call upon
@POTUS
to not "pack" or increase the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gov.
@dougducey
, however, did exactly this in Arizona by packing the state supreme court with conservative justices.
So, some personal news: I’ve taken a job with
@USATODAY
as a business investigative reporter, and our family is relocating to San Diego. I’ve been blessed with great colleagues and friends at
@azcentral
, and we will miss the desert.
@TheSeanBrewster
@DavidBoyles3
I took a weeklong course on PPP loans and investigations by
@NatPress
for journalists. It was awesome! My beagle,
@DaisyLemonBeagl
, was awarded class valedictorian. Including pets in virtual meetings is a lot of fun during these crazy times.
Had a lovely experience at Gilbert
@costco
, which no longer is requiring members to wear masks. So, when I asked some folks to mask up, I was told to mind my Fu...ing business and one dude challenged me to a fight. So glad that $3 mil ad buy of
@dougducey
is working.
Gov
@dougducey
PR staff defending the governor on Sunday after photo emerges on
@Twitter
with the guv at a summer party with no masks and in close proximity to others despite his constant pleas at press conferences to be socially distant and to wear masks.
Here’s an example of taxpayer-funded charter schools in Az making big campaign donations. This $50k gift from
@BASISed
went to the PAC of Gov
@DougDucey
, who has increased funding for high-performing charters like Basis (which has virtually no special Ed kids)
@TheSeanBrewster
@DavidBoyles3
@NatPress
@DaisyLemonBeagl
For the folks who were so kind to “like” Daisy’s studious picture, we thought you may want to see her actual valedictorian certificate. This was clever and kind of the folks at
@NatPress
who ran an incredibly serious and informative virtual seminar with a bit of doggone fun. 🤣
After bashing
@potus
for months, Az Gov.
@dougducey
takes credit for Biden’s infrastructure package that received no votes from the
@gop
Arizona congressional delegation. And,
@dougducey
had nothing to do with the federal funding.
NEW: Gov.
@dougducey
today announced $100M to expand high-speed broadband and connect homes, schools, small businesses and more in underserved areas of the state. This is one of the single largest broadband investments in state history.
#ConnectAZ
Constituents furious as
@dougducey
brags about $1 Bil rainy day fund amid pandemic with Arizonans relying on food donations and unable to pay rent as economy still recovering.
After roughly two decades at
@azcentral
, today is my last day in the desert. I’ve been blessed with incredible colleagues who became my family and friends. I’ll be starting with
@USATODAYmoney
on Monday as a national business investigative reporter and relocating to San Diego.
So, a bit of personal news:
I’m leaving
@USATODAY
on Thursday after an incredible 27 years with Gannett. I’ve decided to take a very generous buyout. I’ve been blessed with great colleagues and editors throughout my career, and the last 1.5 years with the
@USATODAYmoney
team.
1/
Arizona hovers between 49th and 50th in per-pupil funding and cannot fill more than a quarter of its teacher vacancies. In the past 15 years, state funding per student has increased only 5% when adjusted for inflation......And, the state has a $5.3 billion surplus.
Az House Speaker Rusty Bowers to
@realDonaldTrump
: Sorry, the Az Legislature is NOT going to overturn the will over the voters: "I cannot and will not entertain a suggestion that we violate current law to change the outcome of a certified election."
Gov.
@dougducey
today threatened to cut funding from schools if they don't return to in-person learning. He doesn't seem to be upset about a for-profit virtual charter school giving a $10 Million shareholder distribution (who happens to be a Ducey donor).
EXCLUSIVE: See how a rich Texas millionaire tried to get $100 million in Arizona tax dollars with help from Gov.
@dougducey
and his top lieutenants:
@KirkAdams
,
@azchamber
CEO
@dbseiden
, federal judge Mike Liburdi and Deputy Chief of Staff
@AZGretchen
The dude who challenged me to a fight ( as he said he had 3 black belts ) told me I was soft, a sheep and Covid was a scam. I wonder if the families of the 4K Arizonans who died of Covid think it’s such a scam.
As President
@realDonaldTrump
comes to Phoenix for a rally, rising Democratic candidate
@MikeBloomberg
takes out front page wrap around ad in The Arizona Republic. Who says print newspapers are dead?
#JournalismMatters
It's interesting how some politicians, including Gov.
@dougducey
, contend sports teams should stay out of politics. The guv since 2014 has taken at least:
$168,893 from
@Suns
$130,690 from
@AZCardinals
$89,100 from
@Angels
$63,142 from
@Dbacks
$41,050 from
@ArizonaCoyotes
Gov.
@dougducey
on Tuesday asked Arizona's congressional delegation to oppose legislation that would cut fed funds from charter schools that contract with private companies....Owners of several of those companies have been big campaign donors to
@dougducey
while......
As Arizona ranks among the worst in the U.S. for public ed funding, Gov.
@dougducey
offers money to parents to pull kids out of school if COVID (the leading cause of death in Arizona) shuts down classrooms. Ducey's kids went to a private school that imposed strict COVID measures.
We’re making sure in-person learning remains an option for all Arizona families and students. That’s why we’re taking preemptive action and launching the Open for Learning Recovery Benefit. 1/
In Arizona, Primavera online charter got $2.2 mil
@SBAgov
loan forgiven.
School founder Damian Creamer gave $35K to
@GOPGovs
and $5,300 to
@KariLake
after school had its PPP loan forgiven.
@karilake
said no connection.
OMG. I sent an e-mail to a governor's office in another state an hour ago. This is the response:
"It would be easier to discuss by phone," and I was given a direct number to call!
Wonder if this PR person could give lessons to some Arizona state agencies. (Hint:
@ArizonaDES
)
Former AZ lawmaker Anthony Kern who was a protester at the U.S. Capitol in January when Trump supporters tried to violently overturn the vote is now....reviewing ballots for Arizona's presidential election. Hmmm.
There is a part of the base of the GOP that is just proudly and unabashedly anti-Semitic. Arizona State Senator Rogers is not “fringe” — she was endorsed by Trump and supported by Gov Ducey.
Az. Gov
@DougDucey
spending tax dollars to send asylum seekers to D.C., but he and AZ lawmakers refuse to give raises to teachers in one of worst education states in US, which also has $5 billion surplus.
Arizona this week announced it would bus asylum seekers to Washington, D.C. Announcement came 2 days after the first bus left, and details about the cost to taxpayers are still unknown. via
@azcentral
"He has been married four times and estranged for more than two decades from two adult children, and he does not know their children.".....His police background: "Retired, poor rating, would not rehire."
Mark Finchem, a full-throated MAGA warrior, is a leading contender to be Arizona’s next secretary of state. He has said that he won’t concede if he loses.
Hmm. So Gov.
@dougducey
just said Arizona's charter schools are a "model for the rest of the country." Did he mean a model of how to get rich through insider, no-bid deals at taxpayers' expense?
Charter school operators are among some of the largest campaign donors to Gov.
@DougDucey
and several operators have become millionaires under Arizona’s charter school regulations and minimal oversight.
Much to celebrate with Arizona’s exceptional charter schools at the capitol today. With more options, resources and empowerment for our kids and families, our state is positioned to be the
#1
school choice state in the nation. 1/
Gov.
@dougducey
budget appears to include $10 million to help charter schools, which already get more in per-pupil state funding than district schools, with transportation and a taxpayer-funded open enrollment campaign. PS. Charter owners are big Ducey campaign donors.
Just was told to fill out a public records form to get documents from a state agency in Arizona. The state Public Records Law DOES NOT require any kind of form to be filled out. Any person can put a request on the back of a napkin, and it's a legal request. Good grief.
For folks who think
@RexChapman
is just a cool
@Twitter
dude who posts funny videos, please listen to this interview from the
@dpshow
. Mr. Chapman reveals his own shortcomings (which we all have), and is brutally honest about what our country is going through.
"I went down a path of addiction to where I actually stole something... But nobodies ever called me a thug, nobody."... Really powerful stuff from
@RexChapman
today.
For Rex's Full interview:
This is the same Brahm Resnik that tweeted Nazi slogans last year. He refuses to stand for the pledge. He disrespects our flag. He engages in hate speech. He favors Nazi slogans. Where does his loyalties lie? He’s not a journalist. He is a propagandist of the worst sort.
Why local journalism matters: This is the 48th state employee to get rehired after
@azCentral
uncovered illegal or inappropriate firings since 2016 by Gov.
@dougducey
agency directors. Keep us in biz. Subscribe to
@azCentral
. via
@azcentral
Today
@azcentral
was awarded the prestigious
@PolkAwards
for Education Reporting on Arizona's charter schools. The entry covered mini investigations as well as a series called "The Charter Gamble." So, how did this all come together?....(Thread)
Polk Award for Education Reporting: Craig Harris, Anne Ryman, Alden Woods and Justin Price of The Arizona Republic for dissecting false claims and insider deals in charter schools.
#education
Earlier today, I tweeted a photo of a group of kids at
@CircleKStores
in Gilbert not wearing a mask. I made a mistake of posting the photo of the kids, and I apologize. I could have easily made the point without the photo.....And, I probably deserved to have the kid flip me off.
Got great news today that my lovely daughter, Annie Harris, will graduate (early) in December from
@ASU
. So proud. Next stop: Law school. (Yes, I not only married above my station, but I have two wonderful adult children)
#soblessed
.
Four years ago, Miller admitted in an Ohio juvenile court to bullying the African-American classmate, who was tricked into licking a candy push pop that Miller and another boy had wiped in a bathroom urinal. A police report says Miller continually called the victim the "N-word."
BREAKING: Gov.
@dougducey
has fired embattled State Parks Dir. Sue Black and her top deputy Jim Keegan, following a criminal investigation spurred by an
@azcentral
investigation.
Perhaps it's just me, but does anyone else see the irony in all these folks who want quick election results typically are the same ones who slow walk the release of public records requests.
Last week: Gov
@dougducey
said private companies "gifting" DPS body cams.
This week: Private companies say, uh, no. We're not giving away anything. BTW, one of us likely gets a lucrative no-bid contract.
PS: One of the companies is a big campaign donor.
The police report also alleges Miller told the African-American classmate to "go pick cotton," and that "nobody wants your N-word lips" on another student's drink. The victim at the time had the mental capability of a 10-year-old, according to the family.
PART 4: Gov
@dougducey
deputy chief
@AZGretchen
worked on $100 Million tax giveback effort that would have given about $10 Million to her dad’s company,
@FM_FCX
.
via
@azcentral
Quid. Pro. Quo? See how Gov
@dougducey
enriched his friends and campaign donors with no-bid deals and other favors during his 2 terms in office.
#openforbusiness
via
@azcentral
As AZ teachers wear Red and protest poor pay, consider this: Gov.
@dougducey
gave 33% raise to his DCS dir, a 13% raise to Reg of Contractors dir, and a 12.4% raise to his DPS director. Ducey's press secretary's pay increased twice by 14 % to $162,000: 4 times what teachers make.
Doing some research and found: Basis.ed, the private co. given tens of millions of your tax dollars to run charter chain Basis Schools, gave at least $85k in AZ campaign contributions in 2018. So, why does Basis ask parents to "donate" $1,500 per child to subsidize teacher pay?
I was called to participate in
@drcarachrist
phone town hall. So, I pressed "0" to ask why did
@dougducey
admin give a $1.2 mil no-bid contract to his friend, Mario Diaz, for COVID-19 outreach? I was told my question wasn't valid and cut off.
As Gov.
@dougducey
continues to come under fire from teachers for low pay, consider: In 2017, the average pay for Ducey's staff was $73,650, up 6.7 percent from 2015. Teachers would need a 57 percent pay raise to make the average pay for staffers working for
@dougducey
.
Gov.
@dougducey
refuses to answer question as to whether the state should raise its unemployment benefits from $240 a week, one of the lowest in the nation. The governor wants money to come from the feds.
What does 49% dropout rate, class sizes of 68 to 1 and 1 % raises to teachers get you? Well, a $1.3 million payment to yourself if you're Primavera online charter school CEO Damian Creamer. via
@azcentral
Arizona has more than $5 billion surplus, yet
@GOP
- controlled Leg and Gov.
@DougDucey
have shown no indication of increasing funding for public education, which is among the worst in US and has made Az one of the worst public Ed systems in the country.
The police report also says that Mitchell Miller, the
@ArizonaCoyotes
top draft pick, lied about his involvement in tricking a disabled, Black classmate into licking candy that Miller and another kid had put in a urinal. Miller also called the victim the "N-word" multiple times.
Among the worst paid teachers in America and recently ranked the worst education state in the country with low pay, large class sizes and low graduation rates, but there is $700 million for this….
Gov.
@dougducey
said today he’s negotiating the dollar amount for this after Senate Republicans approve spending $700 million for border wall construction in Arizona. By
@raystern
via
@azcentral
Gov.
@dougducey
COS
@scarpinato
and Deputy COS
@AZGretchen
leave the 9th floor after
@azcentral
investigation that showed Conger and others tried to secretly steer $100 Mil in tax refunds to special interest friends of governor, including Conger's dad.
UPDATE: Following the culmination of significant legislative victories, two of my top aides are transitioning to new opportunities: Chief of Staff Daniel
@Scarpinato
and Deputy Chief of Staff
@AZGretchen
Conger. 1/
Polk Award for Education Reporting: Craig Harris, Anne Ryman, Alden Woods and Justin Price of The Arizona Republic for dissecting false claims and insider deals in charter schools.
#education
Former
@GOP
Az Gov.
@DougDucey
’s tax cuts for high-wage earners and vouchers for private schools (which largely helped his campaign donors) create massive budget deficit in Arizona that could affect public schools. Great insight from the ever-talented
@azcapmedia
.
Surplus gone and spent, lawmakers return to Capitol Monday facing $420M immediate shortfall, with $450M red ink on the horizon for next fiscal year. Multiple causes, including income tax cut that mainly benefited the more well-off.
@Leo4AzHouse
If anyone wants to see those emails, he or she can simply file a public records request with the honorable
@Leo4AzHouse
. All emails to public officials are covered under the Arizona Public Records law, and they must be released “promptly,” according to the law.
Cha-Ching! Gov.
@DougDucey
voucher program largely helping those already getting a private education. Now, taxpayers are picking up the tab unless
@arizona_sos
gets enough signatures to put the measure - again - before voters.
Great first day of work at
@10News
. Amazing new colleagues who are outstanding journalist and incredibly warm and welcoming. New contact is craig.harris
@10news
.com and 619-510-2719.
I had the honor to be at
@brahmresnik
celebration the night he became a US citizen. He is a dear friend and an outstanding journalist who does his own in-depth reporting and does not just read from a teleprompter.
My last final today for my master’s in biz journalism program at
@Cronkite_ASU
after 2 years, which included a pandemic, job change and relocation to San Diego. The Harris home now has 4 grad and 2 undergrad degrees from
@ASU
. Daisy even put on an
@ASU
collar.
Grant Nulle, former dep dir at ADOR, said an
@FBI
agent contacted him to ask about his safety in mid-July, shortly after
@azcentral
investigation uncovered how the
@dougducey
admin had pushed the dept to agree to refund sales taxes on fuel for mining companies.
Nice scoop by
@DillonReedRose
and his FourthEstate48 newsletter. He found
@RealMarkFinchem
, the
@GOP
Az Sec of State nominee and 2020 election denier who has sued Arizonans to end vote-by-mail has......nearly ALWAYS voted by mail.
Colorado and New Mexico getting into a friendly argument over biggest pay raises for teachers. Meanwhile, Arizona is not only in the bottom of SW but one of worst in nation while Az sits on $1B-plus surplus.
We proposed increasing education funding by 8% in our budget to support our schools and teachers. If Colorado and New Mexico are competing over best paid teachers in the Southwest, that’s a good competition to have!
Hmm. Shortly after I privately accused a PR person today of creating the
@CraigHarrasAZ
parody account that made fun of my faith and family, it suddenly disappeared on Twitter. Still selling $5 pins of original screenshot. Made 4 sales; $$ going to
@azcentral
Season for Sharing.
When Gov.
@dougducey
wanted costly tax giveaway, these tax officials pushed back and saved Arizona taxpayers $100 million. Their reward?
@dougducey
fired them just after Christmas. (And one fired public employee had a special needs kid)
Banner pauses all non-emergency surgeries in Arizona as COVID-19 cases surge and Gov.
@dougducey
refuses to impose statewide mask mandate. Mandate in Utah has nearly cut COVID-19 cases in half has been good for biz, according to University of Utah study.
OK, I've bragged plenty today about me and my colleagues winning a pretty cool award. But, this is REALLY a nice family picture...Republic reporters receive prestigious Polk Award for charter-school reporting via
@azcentral
I’ll be on furlough this week. I recognize times are tough, but would you consider subscribing to
@Azcentral
? From holding Gov
@dougducey
accountable to even getting props from the guv on our COVID 19 coverage, we need you to stay in biz. Thanks
Gov
@dougducey
Office paid him $95K to fix unemployment. 10 weeks later, he's gone, and 37,000 people are still waiting for help. PS. He also got $25k in state retirement benefits while double dipping via
@azcentral
Just read a transcript on meeting among
@POTUS
and National Governors Association. It's truly interesting how cordial and polite
@GOP
governors are with the president when talking with him face-to-face, especially when they want federal help for COVID. Hmmm.
Democrats say state Sen. President
@FannKfann
refused to let teachers/educators into a public, taxpayer-funded building today to watch Arizona's so-called citizen legislature.
PUBLIC BLOCKED FROM THE PEOPLES HOUSE. Senator Fann is refusing to allow Teachers who are guests of Democratic members into the gallery today. In the past Republican guests have been allowed inside. What are they afraid of?
Here's the story on the background of Nulle and his former boss Carlton Woodruff, both of whom
@dougducey
fired after they were against the $100 million tax giveaway.
BILL WATCH AZ Republicans join book-banning movement w proposed ban on ‘sexuality explicit materials.’ Refers to ‘acts of homosexuality’ which is … being gay? Hearing skedded 2pm today in House Ed Ctte
#HB2495
If you get The Arizona Republic (God bless you!), here’s a story today on
@DamianCreamer
’s company
@StrongMindEdu
getting a $10 M shareholder distribution from Primavera online charter school, which got a $2M PPP forgivable loan from
@SBAgov
.
Gov.
@dougducey
, a millionaire who sent his kids to private school, repeatedly refused to answer questions from the media on whether he would raise the state's $240 weekly unemployment benefit, second lowest in the country. He ignored a question whether he could live on that.
Gov. Doug Ducey spoke for more than hour and answered some contentious questions during the COVID-19 briefing today in Phoenix. Topics included unemployment assistance, education, high school sports and case numbers. Follow
@azcentral
for a full delve into everything!
Today we said goodbye to the incredibly talented
@azrover
(Dennis Wagner), who is leaving
@azcentral
to join
@USATODAY
. He will be missed by all of us and bad guys will be breathing a sigh of relief.
Parks Dir. Sue Black becomes at least sixth agency head Gov.
@dougducey
has fired, with most getting the boot following
@azcentral
investigations into bad behavior by Ducey executives.
#journalismmatters
Scheduled to be on
@PBS
Arizona Horizon at 5 and 10 p.m. tonight to talk with
@tedatpbs
about the
@FBI
investigation of Gov.
@dougducey
's current and former staffers' pressure campaign to get a $100 million tax refund for special interests and Ducey donor.
BREAKING: Jake Angeli, of Arizona, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Chansley was taken into custody today. Story coming on
@azcentral
I so look forward to
@FannKfann
, Eddie Farnsworth & lawmakers who made demands for private information of Maricopa County voters to be as equally aggressive in responding to public records requests. I’m curious if Ben Franklin Charter will turn over all of its financial records.
Sen.
@FannKfann
accuses Maricopa BOS of hiding docs, after she refused to turn over public docs to
@azcentral
and rang up 500k tab to taxpayers in losing effort. Hmm
Mega kudos to
@AZDHS
for its vaccination station at
@StateFarmStdm
. I drove my wife, who is an educator, and it was incredibly organized and the workers were so helpful. Well done!
As Gov.
@dougducey
and
@gop
-controlled Leg don't want mask mandates for school kids, the Az Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (which reports directly to
@dougducey
) said today all inmate work crews and staff will continue the use of mandatory face coverings.
Hearing
@ArizonaDES
is so overwhelmed with phone calls that
@dougducey
agency is cutting off callers and not even allowing them to wait for an agent. Government at the speed of business? Or, just The Arizona Way.