It's been another busy news year. We’re taking a look back at the stories that captured your attention these last 12 months.
We’re not saying these are the biggest stories out of Arizona this year — just the ones you, our audience, viewed the most.
Revisit the most popular politics stories on KJZZ.org in 2025.
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Math teachers at Cienega High School in southern Arizona are facing death threats and calls that they be fired after a Turning Point USA employee falsely accused them of wearing Halloween costumes mocking the assassination of the organization’s co-founder, Charlie Kirk.
Katherine Davis-Young/KJZZ
An executive order from the Trump administration has halted more than $27 million worth of funding for some restoration projects on tribal lands in Arizona.
Bridget Dowd/KJZZ
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority owns the stadium in Glendale. An authority spokesperson says event contracts, done by a separate stadium manager, are confidential.
Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0
Austin Smith, 30, represented an Arizona House district in the Phoenix suburbs for one term before dropping his reelection bid in April 2024 when questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions. He also resigned at the time as a leader of the conservative group Turning Point.
Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry
Records show court officials were aware of David Cramer’s penchant for filing fraudulent documents for years before state prison officials blamed a forged court order for Cramer’s accidental release.
