NEWS
Friday, 17 April 2020 10:03
CAST YOUR VOTE!
Arizona Law Day contest has begun!
Go to the contest page
Choose a grade level for the contest located on the left side of the screen
Find your favorite picture and click on it
It will take you to a page to vote. Find your favorite picture and click on the circle directly below it.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to click on “submit”
You have voted!
Share this link so others can vote too. You may vote one time each day for the same picture, but you can vote for more than one picture on any day. Voting will close at Midnight on April 30th and the winner will be announced on Law Day, May 1st. The winner from each grade level will receive an Ipad.
Monday, 16 March 2020 20:03
EDUCATIONAL FUN
Now that you have some extra time on your hands, since Arizona’s Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction announced that all Arizona schools will be closed, you may need to find some new things to do. Don't worry, we have you covered. Here is a list of some fun but still educational activities.
Participate in the Law Day Contest
Learn more about civics by playing icivics
Compete in the 9th Circuit Civics Contest
Weigh in on What Do You Think?
Enjoy!
Friday, 06 March 2020 12:30
JAKE'S LAW
Arizona has a new law that targets saving young lives, Jake's Law. Jake's law is named after Jake Edward Machovsky who died by suicide in 2016 at the age of 15. His family had tried everything to help their son, including sending him to stay at mental healthy facility when he was suffering from suicidal thoughts. However, insurance only covered a short period of time that his parent's knew wasn't long enough to help him. After Jake's death, they discovered that due to an insurance mistake Jake had not been given the life saving care that he had been entitled. Distraught over the loss of their son, Jake's parents set to changing the law so others would not have to experience the same grief of losing a loved one. This new law makes many positive changes in mental health care including: requiring insurance companies to cover mental health treatment just like they would a physical, creating the Children's Behavioral Health Fund and allowing for easier access to mental health care in schools. Providing access in schools will help treat the 20% of people age 13 to 18 who are dealing with a mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness if you are having suicidal thoughts call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Friday, 14 February 2020 14:32
108 FOR STATE 48
Arizona, one of the youngest states in the nation is 108 years old today. It was the last of the 48 continuous states to be added to the union on February 14, 1912. Our young age is just one of the many features that makes this state unique. There is a long list of things that make use different and Arizona has made some of those things official. For example Arizona has official state neckwear, the bolo tie. We also have an unusual official native animal, nope not the coyote, the ringtail an animal with a long stripped tail that is related to the raccoon. If you would like to learn more about some of the things that make Arizona unique read, Officially Arizona.
Monday, 03 February 2020 11:41
ICIVICS AZ REGIONAL E-TOURNAMENT
January 30th, 2020, marked a historic event in iCivics history when it hosted their first ever virtual iCivics AZ Regional Tournament. Over 300 students across Arizona participated in the event. Students competed in teams and played the online iCivics game Counties Work. Counties Work is a games that has players manage local government, evaluate citizen requests and maintain a balanced budget. Of the 109 teams that participated 16 will move on to the State E-Tournament that will be held on March 3rd, 2020. To see a list of those competing in the state tournament click here or to try Counties Work for yourself.
Friday, 10 January 2020 10:51
WE THE PEOPLE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 2020
The Arizona We the People State Competition was held on Friday, January 10th at Mesa Community College. The We the People program simulates congressional hearings where students testify as constitutional experts in front of panels of esteemed judges; often legislatures, judges and lawyers. Ten high school teams competed in the competition from all across the state but ultimately, at the end of the day, Mountain View High School reclaimed their first place title. Mountain View will have the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. to compete in the We the People National finals. Our second place winners, Corona del Sol High School, will also have the ability to join them this year as Arizona has received a Wild Card allowing Arizona to bring two teams. Hamilton High School took third and Gilbert Classical Academy took fourth place. Congratulations to all who competed and Good Luck to those who get to compete in D.C.
If you would like to get involved with the We the People Program talk to your teachers to see if you have a program at your school. Need more information about how to get a team started? Click here and fill out the contact us form.
Monday, 23 December 2019 13:39
FIREWORK FUN
Starting December 24th many Arizonans will be able to start using consumer fireworks. Fireworks have been on sale since the 10th but aren't allowed to be used until the 24th without being fined. Remember only certain fireworks are legal to find out which ones go to our My Streets page. You can also see a picture of the different types of fireworks here. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Monday, 25 November 2019 12:11
140 YEARS
The Arizona Court of Appeals sentenced a 17 year old to a 140 year prison term. Mark Kasic Jr. was “found guilty of 32 felonies arising from six arsons and one attempted arson” according to the Arizona Capital Times. However, what makes this case interesting isn’t the crime but the choice of sentence imposed by the court. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose a life sentence on juvenile offenders who do not commit homicide. While the Court of Appeals did not technically sentence Kasic to a life sentence some are wondering if a 140 year sentence is essentially the same thing and for that reason should not be allowed. What do you think? Do you agree with the judge who doesn't think the Supreme Court's rule applies to this case or do you side with the Supreme Court? Talk with your parents and let us know on our Facebook page.
Friday, 06 December 2019 12:03
FIREWORKS FOR SALE
Starting December 10th the winter fireworks season officially starts! Individuals 16 and over will be able to buy fireworks, but before you set off to find a stand you may want to view our My Streets map to see if fireworks are legal in your area. It should also be mentioned that while you may be able to purchase fireworks from December 10th through January 3rd you will only be allowed to set them off from December 24th through January 3rd.
Thursday, 21 November 2019 16:08
STREET MEDICINE
A couple of University of Arizona students are bringing Street Medicine to the homeless. "Justin Zeien, a third-year medical student at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, and Jeffery Hanna, a graduate student in the Clinical Translational Science program at the college, created Street Medicine Phoenix in May 2017 after learning about similar programs in other metro areas." Street Medicine is a program that provides free medical assessments, care and resources to the homeless around Phoenix. According to StreetMedicinePhoenix.org, "Student volunteers and faculty preceptors represent a variety of professions such as medicine, physician assistant, nursing, social work, nutrition, public health, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychiatry. These students come from schools all across Arizona to help assist this vulnerable population and make a difference to individuals who might otherwise would not be able to receive this care. Street Medicine Phoenix shows the difference students can make when they identify a problem and come up with a solution and that you don't have to wait until you are "older" to do it. In fact students just like you have been making a difference in their communities, just like Street Medicine Phoenix, through a program called Project Citizen. Project Citizen is a portfolio-based civic education program for grades 5-12. It helps teachers and students understand public policy and use this information to create change in their community thereby empowering them and their teachers. Find out how you can bring Project Citizen to your school and start making a difference today.
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Thursday, 14 November 2019 11:44
BAD IMPERSONATIONS
Have you ever wanted to be a police officer? Would you like to serve` your community, keep people safe and carry a badge? Being part of the police force is a noble profession but impersonating an officer can get you into a lot of trouble. Now pretending to be a police officer doesn't mean that you can't dress up like one and pretend to catch bad guys with your friends. Impersonating an officer is when you use the power or authority that an officer has to make another person do something. For example, a man in Prescott Valley put lights on his car to look like a police vehicle and used them to pull people over. The lights made people think that this man had the authority to pull them over because they thought he was a police officer. He has been arrested by the real authorities and is being charged with a felony. Head to our laws section to learn more.
Friday, 08 November 2019 09:08
NONYA INSTA BUSINESS
If you are on social media then you know about Instagram, the app that "bring[s] you closer to the people and things you love." In fact, you are likely one of the 1 billion people to have an account. But if you're one of the many teenagers who have decided to get an Instagram business profile you may be giving the world more than you intended. The business profile gives account owners access to Instagram Analytics which shows detailed metrics about their posts; which can be fun, entertaining and insightful to young users. However, it also gives people direct access to your contact information like email address and phone number. If you are a real business, this is great information for your followers to have; but, if your just curious about your stats chances are you don't want to give this info out. I mean you wouldn't just give your number to just anyone, right? Luckily, in October Instagram made it possible for business users to hide their contact information, but you need to update your profile to do so. So, if you have a business profile, have fun; but, if you don't want some to contact you remember to hide your info.
Friday, 01 November 2019 19:18
LASER STRIKE
Lasers are used in a variety of ways today, most commonly for entertainment; they pump up a party and add energy to concerts. Even the little hand held laser pointers have an instant fun quality that just can't be explained. Maybe it is the way the light cuts through the darkness or the way it seems to go on forever. Maybe it's because that little light never seems to stop moving no matter how hard you try. Whatever the reason, it's just plain fun and unlike what has been said about them for years laser pointers are relatively harmless even if you do shine it in someones eyes. According to Scientific American, most laser pointers aren't strong enough to cause retinal damage. Now you still shouldn't do it and is still extremely obnoxious when it is done to you but it is not illegal and won't hurt you. However, not all the stories you heard about laser pointers were a lie. In fact, if you heard that you can't point a laser at at a plane that's true. Pointing a laser at a plane or helicopter is called a laser strike and can be very dangerous for pilots. Under A.R.S. 13-1213 it is illegal and can be a class one misdemeanor or an assault. So, have fun but be mindful next time you point your laser in the sky and keep it away from flying aircraft.
Friday, 18 October 2019 10:16
TIKTOK TROUBLE
TikTok, formerly Musical.ly, may be in trouble with the law again. TikTok is an app that allows users to create short videos with special effects, filters, music. etcetera and then upload them to their app for the public to view. Recently, TikTok settled a case for $5.7 million in response to allegations that they violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Now, they could be in trouble for copyright theft according to the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA). According to Music Business Worldwide, the NMPA president sent a letter to Sen. Marco Rubio; in it he stated,“We hope that if Congress looks further into matters relating to TikTok that copyright theft is included in the scope of its examination." TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which is why the NMPA needs Congress to intervene in the situation. A spokesperson from TikTok responded to the allegations stating, "TikTok has broad licensing coverage across the music publishing industry covering many thousands of publishers and songwriters and millions of copyrights, and has paid royalties since its inception." If you want to know more about copyright law, how it effects you and why its important read "Copyright" or you can read a real case in "Copyright Law and the Fair Use Doctrine" (Don't worry its not as dry as it sounds.)
