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Good afternoon. Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up today in Arizona. Questions about today's coverage plans are welcome, and should be directed to Walter Berry at 602-258-8934. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date.
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— School Vouchers
TOP STORIES:
ARIZONA BUDGET
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed the Legislature's $9.23 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, calling it principled and fiscally prudent and a step in the right direction because it adds spending for child welfare services. But she used her line-item veto power to cut some spending, including $1.3 million to help counties who will see lower revenue because of a tax cut bill she signed earlier in the day. Other cuts include $1 million for special technical education high schools, money for northern Arizona law enforcement and part of the money allocated for a new English language learning software program. By Bob Christie. SENT: 580 words. May stand.
SCHOOL VOUCHERS
PHOENIX —The number of applications to enroll in Arizona's school voucher program has more than doubled since last year. A national group that lobbies for school vouchers says its radio ads and neighborhood canvassing helped double the number of applicants this year over last year. By Astrid Galvan. UPCOMING: 350 words by 6 p.m.
TAX CUTS-MANUFACTURERS
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill that eliminates sales taxes on electricity and natural gas purchased by manufacturers and mining smelters, a move she said was needed to make the state more attractive to large businesses. Brewer signed Senate Bill 1413 at a Capitol ceremony attended by a couple of dozen business leaders, calling it "another smart tax reform that will bolster job creation in Arizona and our competitive edge." The tax cut is expected to cost the state general fund at least $17 million a year. By Bob Christie. SENT: 580 words. Should stand.
ADULT ABUSE
PHOENIX — Arizona officials are still struggling to decide on a response to a flood of reports of child abuse and neglect, but the state also has a big backlog in abuse and neglect cases involving adults. Those cases have increased by 27 percent in each of the past two fiscal years, and Adult Protective Services had 8,800 open cases at the end of February, the Arizona Capitol Times reported. SENT: 470 words. Should stand.
SHOE THROWER-HILLARY CLINTON
LAS VEGAS — A Phoenix woman accused of throwing a shoe some 60 feet toward Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared aware during questioning by U.S. Secret Service agents of the allegation against her, authorities said Friday. Alison Michelle Ernst, 36, was given a misdemeanor disorderly conduct summons and freed after she was booked at the Clark County jail, according to a Las Vegas police arrest report. Ernst could face up to a year in the county lockup if she is convicted of violating a county ordinance during the Thursday incident at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. By Ken Ritter. SENT: 440 words, photos, video. Should stand.
RANGE SHOWDOWN
LAS VEGAS — Images of a forced cattle roundup on a rural Nevada range sent ripples through the West on Friday, prompting elected officials in several states to weigh in, militia members to mobilize and federal land managers to reshape elements of the operation. Bureau of Land Management officials dismantled designated protest areas Thursday and Nevada's governor urged calm as the fight over rancher Cliven Bundy's cattle widened into a debate about states' rights and federal land-use policy. By Ken Ritter. SENT: 560 words, photos. Should stand.
REDSKINS-NAME
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation Council voted to oppose the use of the Washington Redskins name, while a United Nations human rights expert said separately that the term is "inextricably linked to a history of suffering and dispossession." The Council's committee of the whole voted 9-2 Thursday to oppose the name. The measure was sponsored by lawmaker Joshua Lavar Butler, who says the word can have negative psychological effects on American Indians. The statement of opposition also applies to what Butler says are disparaging references to American Indians in other professional sports franchises. SENT: 270 words. Should stand.
HUNGER STRIKE-INMATES
HONOLULU — A handful of inmates indicted on charges of being part of a prison gang have waged a hunger strike to protest conditions at Honolulu's Federal Detention Center. Attorneys for the inmates say about eight stopped eating Sunday to protest isolation in a segregated unit and conditions that include a lack of clean underwear, loss of family visits and maggots in food. Inmate Moses Thompson is leading the hunger strike. Thompson was in an Arizona prison serving a life sentence for murder, but returned to Honolulu when he and 17 others were indicted for alleged membership in the "USO Family" gang. By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher. SENT: 700 words. Should stand.
ALSO NOTE: TUCSON-SEXUAL ASSAULTS. SON KILLED. SCOTTSDALE-SCHOOL SCHEDULE. DAVIS-MONTHAN ECONOMIC IMPACT. STABBING-ROBBERIES. PARENTS-PRISON-TIME. SHOT IN CAR. PARKING LOT SHOOTING.
SPORTS
BBN--DODGERS-DIAMONDBACKS
PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers return to Chase Field to face Arizona for the first time since clinching the NL West title there last September and ticking off the Diamondbacks by celebrating in the ballpark's swimming pool. By Bob Baum. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game starts at 6:40 p.m.
BBO--MANNERS IN BASEBALL
OAKLAND, Calif. — Baseball's new expanded replay rules this season might mean most managers start minding their manners. That seems to be the case so far, with managers calmly leaving the top dugout step to chat with an umpire to either challenge a play or request that the umpire take a second look via review. By Janie McCauley. SENT: 900 words, photos.
BKN--SUNS-SPURS
SAN ANTONIO — Phoenix, which has won nine of its last 11 including victories over Portland and Oklahoma City, visits San Antonio in what could be a first-round playoff preview. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.
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MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Arizona and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.
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