Brandon Quester

AZCIR's @jasminedemers.bsky.social is talking with @kjzz.org about her latest reporting: new federal Medicaid work rules could make it harder for thousands of "medically frail" Arizonans to keep their coverage. Tune in at 9:06 a.m. on 91.5 FM or listen online. Story: azcir.org/news/2026/10...

Arizona farmers tried to limit new irrigation in the San Simon Valley a decade ago. The state said no. Since then, applications for large-scale wells have surged, groundwater declines have worsened and parts of the valley have sunk nearly seven feet. Read our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/10...

'Even if you have cancer, that doesn’t necessarily exempt you from having to work,' said Amy Taylor, CEO of Mariposa Community Health Center in Nogales. 'You have to be sick enough with that cancer to be exempt.'

Celestin Dima spent 2+ yrs in ICE custody & was nearly deported to a country where he'd never lived—despite protections he received after fleeing persecution. Now, he has won asylum, giving him a path to citizenship as courts wrestle with the policies that shaped his case. azcir.org/news/2026/10...

"(Workforce Pell) is not going to be the panacea I think some people had maybe hoped for." @azcir.org's latest via @molboha.bsky.social, and the first of more to come thanks to a new yearlong partnership with @opencampus.org

The DOJ lawsuit against Arizona filed yesterday, in a somewhat unusual move, extensively cited and attributed AZCIR reporting when it announced the legal filing. It got the numbers wrong

Worth noting: The financial calculations used in this lawsuit misinterpret AZCIR's findings. The number of students reported was cumulative since the program began, up until the fall 2025 semester (not in a single semester)

Judges ruled that deporting these immigrants to their home countries could expose them to torture or persecution. ICE detained them anyway—in some cases for over a year—while searching for other countries that would take them. Read our latest investigation: azcir.org/news/2026/08...

"They cycle through things like (group homes) and homelessness and crisis centers and interactions with police and fire. All the while getting sicker and sicker and sicker—and almost irredeemable." @azcir.org's latest, via @jasminedemers.bsky.social

ICYMI: A lawsuit brought by two out-of-state investment firms could make it harder for AZ to protect vulnerable groundwater basins. It’s already complicating decisions in other threatened aquifers. azcir.org/news/2026/08...

An important update on @azcir.org's ongoing reporting about groundwater in our state's rural aquifers: A new lawsuit has statewide implications for how ADWR designates one of the few protections in its regulatory toolbox. Our latest...

NEW: More than 1,300 ballots went undelivered in the Navajo County, located in the northeastern quadrant of the state, during last week's primary. That’s not ideal, but it might also be normal. Read my analysis in my newsletter: vbnewsletters.votebeat.org/p/navajo-cou...

ICYMI: Reporter @molboha.bsky.social appeared on AZ PBS last week to discuss her latest story on the state's yearslong, multimillion-dollar effort to get more students to continue their education after high school—only to see enrollment decline: youtu.be/PrfFwL5zyNI?...

AZ has spent years and millions of dollars trying to get more students to continue their education after high school. So why are fewer students enrolling? Tune in to @kjzzphoenix.bsky.social's The Show this AM at 9 to hear AZCIR's @molboha.bsky.social discuss her latest investigation: www.kjzz.org

NEW: AZ has spent at least $166 million since 2017 trying to get more high school grads to continue their education. Instead, the state's postsecondary enrollment rate has fallen—and ed leaders say AZ lacks the sustained funding and coordination needed to reverse the trend. azcir.org/news/2026/07...

"For two decades, I was well, and now I've lost all of that. One five-day loss of clozapine has ruined my life" -- Joni Martin @azcir.org's latest must-read, via @allymarkovich.bsky.social

A federal monitoring program was intended to protect those with schizophrenia from a rare blood disorder. Instead, patients lost access to their antipsychotic medication, sometimes with fatal consequences. Here’s what happened when families fought back. azcir.org/news/2026/06...

ICYMI: Arizona universities haven't been transparent about what they've changed to comply with federal guidance about DEI. To one professor at UA, decisions being made behind closed doors sends the message that "this isn’t your university anymore. This isn’t a community."

AZ’s three public universities quietly dismantled DEI programs over the past year, following threats from the federal gov to cut funding. When @azcir.org asked what changed and how, officials denied interviews, records requests and ignored detailed questions. Our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/04...

www.propublica.org/article/mari...

ICYMI: “The idea that we are a place where everybody has to carry their papers is not American,” said Annie Lai, immigrant rights attorney. “That’s not the kind of country that I think a lot of people think we should be.” Our latest, via @allymarkovich.bsky.social azcir.org/news/2026/03...

The citations remain in federal records for 30 years and can complicate green card or citizenship applications, potentially making people more vulnerable to deportation as the Trump administration expands efforts to revoke legal status of legal residents, including naturalized citizens.

Nearly 3 years in, unscrupulous sober living home providers continue recruiting and exploiting Native Americans. Lawmakers say systemic oversight failures persist at AHCCCS, while legitimate providers contend the agency’s response is still hindering care for vulnerable patients.

@azcir.org reporter @adriana-navarro.bsky.social continues to follow Arizona's abortion-related legislation this week with a new wave of GOP-led bills that could further restrict or limit abortion access, despite a recent court ruling striking down several laws with existing restrictions.

There are still several slots available for this essential training. It's free to attend, and increasingly important in today's reporting landscape. DM if want to hear more, registration link below (deadline 1/15), for training on 1/26.

Deeply reported, data-driven take on power dynamics between citizens and the lawmakers representing them. Give our reporter, @adriana-navarro.bsky.social a follow, share your tips—her beat explores the intersection of gender and policy and we want to hear from you!

In Arizona, years of escalating battles over the initiative process, court authority and partisan primaries have created a system in which voters can pass a constitutional amendment, only to see lawmakers search for ways around it. @azcir.org's latest, via @adriana-navarro.bsky.social

3 years after AZ voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students through Prop 308, it’s unclear how many have actually benefited. The state had no centralized system to oversee the law's rollout or ensure consistent implementation, AZCIR found. Read our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/01...

Our investigative journalism is only made possible by support from our community. Will you help us trigger matching funds for our end-of-year campaign so we can start 2026 strong? Donate today and help us raise the remaining $2,500 in our campaign!

Hear directly from @azcir.org's @allymarkovich.bsky.social, in collaboration with @appalachia100.bsky.social's @pnickcurran.bsky.social about their latest dispatch from Ukraine, where drone tech and tactics are now making their way to U.S. soil.

In our latest, a dispatch from Ukraine, we trace a direct line from Ukraine’s drone war to the U.S.–Mexico border, examining a blurring between military innovation and civilian law enforcement that has fueled the rise of dual-use, military-grade technology in domestic border operations.

Honored to talk about best practices to keep our staff and colleagues safer in today's escalating threat environment for journalists, with shout-outs to my esteemed colleagues and a thorough new guide from @penamerica.bsky.social & the Coalition Against Online Violence: pen.org/newsroom-lea...

On this #GivingTuesday, or what we call #GivingNewsDay, all gifts to our newsroom are double-matched by local and national donors thanks to our participation in #NewsMatch. Triple your impact by making that donation today!

Out-of-state investors and farms have poured millions into deep industrial wells and water-intensive nut orchards, betting on Arizona’s unregulated aquifers to keep profits flowing. Today, more than 99% of cropland in the Hualapai Valley basin is owned or controlled by foreign interests.

There’s never been a more critical time to support independent journalism. This is especially true for a newsroom like @azcir.org. The accountability reporting we produce matters—to our state and to our democracy. All donations to our newsroom are now double-matched through 12/31, #NewsMatch👇

ICYMI: Ten colleges in Arizona are losing millions of dollars after federal cuts hit grants to minority-serving institutions. Without the additional funds, schools are reducing services that helped raise GPAs and made students feel at home, AZCIR’s @molboha.bsky.social found: bit.ly/4o1dPNF

When the Trump administration recently cut certain grants to minority-serving institutions, millions of dollars earmarked for student support at 10 Arizona schools disappeared—forcing some to end student support programs and reduce staff, via AZCIR’s ‪@molboha.bsky.social‬ azcir.org/news/2025/10...

Medicaid cuts could mean reduced hours, layoffs, or even clinic closures — especially in rural areas where access to care is already limited. The ripple effects could destabilize the entire system, from emergency rooms to rural hospitals, @azcir.org's latest, via @jasminedemers.bsky.social

ICYMI: What happens if ICE shows up on campus? At some of Arizona’s biggest universities—including ASU and UA—there’s no clear public policy, @azcir.org’s @molboha.bsky.social found: azcir.org/news/2025/09...

At some of Arizona's biggest universities—including ASU & UA—there's no clear public policy for students or faculty to respond if ICE shows up on campus. @azcir.org's latest, via @molboha.bsky.social

Want to keep updated on @azcir.org's latest investigations, including the reporters who make this work possible? Follow our team, share your tips!

ICYMI: A tribal water settlement reintroduced in Congress this year could help repair decades of exclusion from major water allocations for Hopi, Navajo and San Juan Southern Paiute communities. Our latest, via @clomahqu.bsky.social azcir.org/news/2025/07...

Take some time to read through @clomahqu.bsky.social's latest two stories for @azcir.org. It's an important, nuanced look at a critical water settlement for three tribal communities in northeastern Arizona

ICYMI: Arizona’s Medicaid agency says its efforts to unravel the $2.5 billion fraud scheme could take many years. Even then, it’s likely that most of the stolen taxpayer money won’t be recovered.

Two years after Arizona officials uncovered a $2.5 billion Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans seeking treatment for addictions, the state has recouped just a fraction of the taxpayer funds lost to fraud. With @propublica.org.

Our investigation with @propublica.org found that Arizona’s response to a massive Medicaid fraud scheme left patients without access to the drug and alcohol treatment they needed. This week, the director of the state’s Medicaid agency resigned.

In January, AZCIR and @propublica.org reported on how former Arizona Medicaid officials had failed for years to stem a $2 billion fraud scheme targeting Native Americans, despite repeated warnings. A new law aims to add oversight. azcir.org/news/2025/04...

🚨JOB ALERT🚨 We have an ambitious vision for growth as Arizona's only nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide investigative journalism, and we're looking for a development associate to help shape our newsroom's future. DM for questions, details below