Peter O'Dowd
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During the Great Recession, whole neighborhoods in Phoenix were left half-built or mostly vacant. But now developers are buying these lots to keep up with the high demand for housing. The market isn't where it should be, but it's better than it was two years ago, one real estate agent says.
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PHOENIX — During the Great Recession, home builders in the suburbs abandoned neighborhoods that were only half built. The so-called zombie subdivisions left a ring of unfinished construction around cities like Phoenix.
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SAN JUAN DEL SUR, Nicaragua — Nicaraguan powerbrokers want a foothold in the lucrative medical tourism industry.
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PLAYA HERRADURA, Costa Rica — As many as 50,000 Americans live in Costa Rica and many of them are Baby Boomers flocking to the country’s tropical beaches to retire, according to the U.S. State Department.
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Some of Sen. Jeff Flake's constituents in Arizona are still livid over his recent vote against expanded background checks for gun sales. They say the Republican is ignoring their calls for a public meeting.
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One of the busiest airports in the country is in the midst of a major upgrade that will bring local restaurants into a space typically reserved for mega-corporate chains. Nearly two dozen Phoenix culinary landmarks have landed space at Sky Harbor. But there is a cost. Rent at the airport is 10 times more expensive in some cases, and some small businesses have gone into a lot of debt to get their foot in the door.
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A group of Phoenix charter schools is facing criticism for using a teaching tool based on the work of L. Ron Hubbard, best known for founding the Church of Scientology. The tool has concerned parents in other schools, but the Phoenix schools' leader insists it has nothing to do with the church.
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The Chinese solar manufacturer Suntech has announced it is closing down its factory in Goodyear, Ariz. — the only one it has in the United States. The company says recent U.S. tariffs have made it too difficult to maintain its presence here.
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With consecutive days of subfreezing temperatures, homeless shelters say they're short on supplies and their budgets are stretched. Meanwhile, farmers are working to fight freezing temperatures that could affect the size and quality of this year's crops.
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Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, 36, is a former social worker who spent part of her childhood living in an abandoned gas station. To win her district, made up of almost equal parts Republicans, Democrats and independents, she had to focus on voters in the middle.