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Arizona's ESA Program Still Favors Wealthier Zip Codes
As Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program nears 90,000 students going into the 2025–26 school year, the most recent state data shows a…
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Fourth Estate 48
Paul Petersen’s Long Con
An adoption empire collapsed. The fallout changed state law.
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Fourth Estate 48
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Toxic Water Lingers at Luke AFB
Despite filters and federal action, PFAS still show up in West Valley water systems serving thousands near Luke Air Force Base.
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Fourth Estate 48

July 2025

'Forever Chemicals' Found in 100+ Arizona Water Systems
One rural water system tested a PFAS compound near 500 parts per trillion, while metro Phoenix utilities near Luke Air Force Base also exceeded federal…
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Fourth Estate 48
Delayed Audits and a $1B Program in "Survival Mode"
ADE finally meets with the Auditor General under pressure, while refusing to release key ESA account data and dismissing Ombudsman findings.
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Fourth Estate 48
The Hidden Costs of Arizona’s Fireworks
From panicked pets to polluted skies and PTSD triggers, July 4 leaves damage in its wake — and state policy isn’t keeping up.
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Fourth Estate 48
Legislators Cash In: Big Pay for Minimal Work
Some Arizona House members earned over $75K — with perfect pay, but far from perfect attendance.
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Fourth Estate 48
Contracts, Cannabis, and Cronies
Taxpayers are footing the legal bill while key records stay sealed — and insiders profit.
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Fourth Estate 48
More Than $49 Million in Inactive ESA Accounts as Total Unspent Funds Soar to $444 Million
23 inactive accounts have around or more than $100,000.
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Fourth Estate 48
Eight Years of Resistance, One Billboard: Grand Ave’s Visual War on Trumpism
Take a look at many of the iterations that have graced the desert sky.
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Fourth Estate 48
Deported, Disappeared, Tortured: The Ordeal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Court records reveal how U.S. officials defied the Supreme Court and secretly sent a Maryland father to one of the world’s most notorious prisons …
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Fourth Estate 48
Arizona’s Medicaid System Could Collapse
‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ would gut Medicaid, end coverage for 500,000 Arizonans, and push half the state’s hospitals into the red.
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Fourth Estate 48
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