🚨WELCOME TO STATE 48 NEWS!

Arizona is a beautiful, bold, wild place—but the politics? Messy, misleading, and way too often manipulated.

We get it. Most people are busy living their lives—working, raising families, serving their communities. It’s easy to tune it all out. Especially when the media is too filtered, too biased, or just plain out of touch.

‼️But here’s the truth: what happens in our school boards, city councils, courtrooms, and the State Capitol? It matters. It shapes everything from your tax bill to your kid’s education to your basic freedoms.

That’s where State 48 News comes in.

We’re here to give you the real story.

No spin. No corporate handlers. No party puppetry.

When politicians break promises, we call it out.

When bureaucrats hide behind closed doors, we knock.

When lobbyists write your laws while you’re at work, we pull the receipts.

We write for everyday Arizonans—not insiders.

Our founder, Christy Kelly, is a longtime legal mediator, political writer, and Arizona mom who’s been in the trenches—from IEP meetings to Capitol hearings. She’s fought for families, challenged bureaucracies, and built coalitions. Now she’s taking the fight to the page—bringing you the context, connections, and clarity you need to stay ahead of the nonsense. She’s got a gift for calling balls and strikes—fair and square—no matter who’s in the batter’s box. And when it comes to breaking down policy speak and legalese? She has a knack for turning bureaucratic jargon into plain talk.

Because Arizona deserves better. And because you shouldn’t need a law degree or a lobbyist to understand what’s happening to your state.

If you’re tired of being talked down to…

If you’re done with partisan garbage…

If you’re ready for news that respects your intelligence and your time…

You’re in the right place.

📰READ STATE 48 NEWS IF YOU WANT TO:

• Know what your elected officials are actually doing—not just what they tweet

• Learn how to challenge bad policies and praise good ones

• Understand how Arizona government works (and where it’s broken)

• Discover the players behind the scenes pulling strings

• Laugh when appropriate, rage when necessary, and always walk away smarter

• Stay connected to the battles that matter—from your backyard to the statehouse

We’re building something different here. Something honest. Something fearless. Something uniquely Arizona.

Thanks for being part of it.

WHY YOU SHOULD SUBSCRIBE?

Everyone’s obsessed with the federal circus.

We watch what actually affects your daily life—

your city council, school board, mayor, and the bills sneaking through the Arizona Legislature when no one’s looking.

No regurgitated wire stories. No fluff. No parroting press releases.

Just original reporting on the power players in your backyard—and what they’re doing with your tax dollars.

We don’t work for politicians. We work for you.

Reading is great. We appreciate you! But let’s be real:

Less than a cup of coffee is what keeps the lights on and keyboards typing.

Free clicks don’t fund watchdogs. You do.

Subscribe if you’re tired of:

• Biased media

• Sugarcoated stories

• Censorship

• Feeling like nobody’s holding local power accountable

•Spin doctors for the Left/Right

Support bold, independent Arizona journalism.

No spin. No filters. No backing down.

WHO ARE WE AND WHAT TO EXPECT?

We dig, we question, we uncover—and we do it all right here in Arizona for Arizonans.

Christy has been an advocate for families and fairness. With a JD and an LL.M in Dispute Resolution, she’s spent more than 18 years battling broken systems—from special education to city bureaucracy—making sure the little guy gets heard. Christy brings her legal expertise, relentless curiosity, and deep Arizona roots to every story. She’s been on both sides of the table and knows when someone’s bluffing.

Jen Barber brings the receipts—literally. With more than three decades in top-tier newsrooms across the country, she’s mastered the art of uncovering what powerful people don’t want you to see. Jen started her career at KETV in Omaha, worked her way through Houston’s KPRC, then became Senior Consumer Investigations Producer at KGO-TV San Francisco, one of ABC’s top stations. She settled in Arizona over 20 years ago.

Here, she traded the bright lights of TV for the front lines of civic engagement—serving on the Goodyear City Council, co-founding Goodyear in A.C.T.I.O.N., and was later named Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Person of the Year.

Jen’s a FOIA pro, a community watchdog, and a lifelong journalist who still asks the hard questions. Whether she’s digging through documents or hosting her podcast “Jen and Friends”, she brings the same grit and heart to everything she does.

Together, we’re a team that knows how to navigate the political maze—and shine light on what’s hiding in the shadows.

We’re not funded by PACs or party bosses. We’re powered by people like you.

📬Delivered to your mailbox you can expect:

Tuesdays & Thursdays

A sharp, clear-eyed look at what’s happening in Arizona politics, policy and community right now. From city halls, school boards to the State Capitol and beyond, we break it down so you know who’s doing what—and why it matters.

Fridays

Our Weekly Roundup connects the dots. What slipped under the radar? Who dodged accountability? What bills are creeping through? We track it all so you don’t have to in a quick, informative podcast.

Regular Deep Dives

Hard-hitting investigations and exclusive stories that others won’t touch. We pull records, ask the uncomfortable questions, and follow the money.

All of it is local. All of it is original. And it lands directly in your inbox (after you subscribe)

This is journalism with backbone.

This is State 48 News — Arizona’s Independent Voice.

Unfiltered. Unbiased. Uniquely Arizona.

Welcome to the New Era In Journalism.