coming up in the next half hour, a new bill signed by governor Ducey made hazing illegal and in some cases a felony and that is coming up on Arizona horizon.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

I'm in for Ted Simons in tonight.

The legal team for phoenix Mercury star, Brittney Griner, says her nine-year sentence will be appealed.

They maintain Brittney Griner will be appealed.

Prosecutors in Georgia have told former trump aid Rudy Giuliani, they are investigating whether they broke the law to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

He will appear from the Georgia grand jury and did not say whether he will invoke the fifth amendment.

He served as trump's attorney during the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, a judge ruled that Lindsey Graham cannot squash an appeal to testify investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A district court sent that back to the Fulton county court and argue his actions in the election fell under the debate clause because his actions were a part of the legislative duties as chair of the senate judiciary committee.

>>> A new report says that at least 100 million Americans will be living in a heat belt by 2050 and they describe this where the temperature hits 125° one day of the year every year and the extreme heat belt goes from Texas to Louisiana and up to Missouri.

>>> Governor Ducey makes a law that makes hazing illegal and a felony and Jack's law, an 19-year-old ASU student who decideddiedduring a pledging event.

Pat, thanks for Johning us.

>> Give you some background and what his story was and how you got involved.

>> Ten years ago, Jack was at a pledge event at a local bar and he became severely intoxicated, left unattended and 16 days later, they found his body floating in the Tempe lake.

We were retained to represent Jack's family and we were able to resolve the case eventually.

But what had left in my mind was a stigma of hazing and torture that seemed to permeate some aspects of Greek life to our recent event and another case just recently, which exZimmermanexemplified hazing and torture.

>> What drove you to want legislative action on this?

>> We thought legislative action with hazing a crime, whether it be a misdemeanor or felony would act as a preventative measure, as well as a punitive measure in the event that folks took the law into their own hands.

We were trying to enact off law a law that hazing and torture-related hazing would not be tolerated.

There's been an pandemic of deaths in this country relate country related to hazing.

Since 20 deaths since 2010 and six in 2021.

We thought that this law would serve as a strong deterrent, as well as a strong reminder that this kind of conduct would not be tolerated.

>> How did the community react?

Was there a feeling we want this because our reputation has been sullied by events in the past or was there resistance to it?

>> That's a good question.

I think as a predicate, Steve, it has to be told this is not an indictment of Greek life.

Nor an indictment of any university.

This is endemic where these behaviors have gone on for decades.

Interestingly, we've had multiple reactions and some are, well, I went through it and may be a better person.

Some reactions, I went through it and it devastated me.

And I still think of it everyday since.

And for the most part, I think most people are supportive of the idea that you can have Greek life, but it doesn't have include emotional and mental and physical and sexual hazing.

And that's what this bill is aimed as ensuring doesn't occur.

>> Pat, I wonder, there's been comment from some people that is there a situation where, I guess in essence, are these things on the books in a sense, not related to fraternities as it relates to the extreme aspects if someone were to pass away from this sort of things?

Are they not enforced the what they wanted to or do we need to enforce these laws?

>> Whether they be fraternities or is aor is aor whatever.

>> Whatever activity you're involved with, whether youth, excellentorwhatever, you can participate free from any interference, physically, emotionally.

>> Is there a feeling that true hazing, not indicting Greek life in general, but is there a feeling that is something we should be more mature or humane about?

I guess we talk about things, there's a letter of the law or spirit of the law.

Is the spirit of communities now behind this to say, yeah that was ridiculous and not sure why we did that?

Even though you cited someone to be a better person.

>> Some of the pleasures that we interviewed as part of the litigation process that were comrades with either Jack or leventhaul, that in retrospect, whether they got through it or didn't get through it that in retretrospect how both immature or lasting were the effects of they went through.

And it's very similar to taking a 17 and 18-year-old kid who is just on campus for the first time in state or out of state, wanting to join or be a part of things, wanting to enjoy the social life offered at universities and taking that goal or that hope and turning it into a nightmare.

And I'm not suggesting, again, that this is an indictment of Greek life because for the most part, folks that enjoy Greek life, enjoy it in a very healthy way.

They're socially active and they're community oriented and so this law is not aimed at them.

This is aimed at those seemingly fraternities who have these invest tiddual traditions individuals.

>> Last month pope Francis visited Canada for the atrocities inside boarding schools.

Arizona had many boarding schools.

You Patty, welcome.

>> So at the basic level, why is pope Francis' actions so significant and how overdue was it?

>> We, significant because >> They never acknowledged its hand in cultural genocide among the people in Canada and it's important no understand how the U.S. boarding school system impacted the creation of residential schools in Canada.

So in the U.S., this was a government federal policy and the church said what a great idea and they started this in Canada.

And like in the United States, they were in exist audienceence for almost a hundred years and there was no oversight.

With what's happening in the greater Catholic church with so many priests being accused of sexual abuse, they can see what happened at these residential schools in Canada.

>> As we mentioned in the intro, you had your own experience with that and how did it shape your life and how has it stuck with you?

>> An important piece to remember, Steve, is that, like everything, things evolve and change and sometimes get better.

So when the phoenix Indian school opened, it was horrific and the Carlisle boarding industrial school and it's significant because it shows that the schools weren't true forms of institutions but intended to create a cheap workforce in the U.S. to grow towns and cities and so the boys were taught things like brick laying and construction and even printing.

And those ideas were to build the towns and cities.

And so the other thing to keep in mind is that whenever something bad happens, if it keeps happening over and over again, it somehow becomes normalized and that's what happened.

After the first ten years, the people just realized, OK, when I have children and they are of a certain age, they will be taken away by government agents and so the fight, I don't want to say went out of them, but less resistance but that's what you do to get along.

To keep the context when you talk about the history of boarding schools.

And then you look at the Federal Government level.

The Mariam report had a lot of bad things to say and then they try to improve things and then the country was going through change in the '50s and '60s and '70s and every native American student has a story that's personal and unique to them want they did.

When I went to school there, I had classmates who wanted nothing to do with the school.

They didn't get involved in clubs and did the bare minimum and went back to their rooms and waited for the end of the school year to go home or for those occasions on weekends when their families could pick them up and escape for the weekend.

And then other kids who were totally into activities and, you know, embraced school life and so they had a different experience.

And so you have to look at all of those factors and you can't paint a boarding school with one big brush.

You have to look at what was happening at the time.

>> We have about a minute left and you use a phrase like, "taken away by government agents" so many issues to be educated and people have to realize in some cases, that's how these things started.

In our final answer, how important is that no realize with the mixed history you talk about, we need to realize that was something that was bad and we shouldn't let happen again?

>> Will, anyAny parent who is watches, if your children who is taken away without your consent and you don't see them for the next eight or ten years and then we can have a conversation about that.

>> Thank you for your time.

>> Thank you, Steve.

♪♪ >> Arizona is a top choice travel destination reaffirmed one again and new research shows the state's recover about this outpaces the national average and we talk about that and what this scene looks like and Debbie, thank you for being here.

Pandemic, you can't have any conversation without that and two and two and a half years and how did the tourism survive and thrive again?

>> We're getting close to thriving.

We have a ways go.

We had a rough couple of years.

It was great in 2020 to see the leisure travel come back and once people could get out of the house in a way that was safe, whether they wanted to go camping or safe with a staycation and that was the great thing ba about what we have in Arizona and looking to rebuild the international travel and meetings and business travel, which is important to Arizona.

>> How does a 2022 tourism campaign, for example, differ?

>> 2020 and 2021 differed greatly, because we talked about rediscover Arizona and we talked about the outdoor spaces and that was fantastic to be able to brag about what we have in Arizona with the different geography and we're launching a new campaign and it's going to be about that travel will be fun again.

What we've all missed out on, whether family and friends or travel and we've missed out on something and what can we do to replace that?

All of the things that Arizona has for people who want to travel.

I would say we have just about everything.

>> People are visiting in the summer, I suppose.

>> People are visiting in the summer and Germans love Arizona in the summer and some of the international travelers love the heat.

So they love to come to Arizona and we forget that just for us, two hours north, up at Flagstaff, the grand canyon, they have the perfect summer weather to get away to.

>> The direction is going in a positive way.

The staycation, it seems like the bargain aren't quite there as much.

What's going on?

>> It is good and I think it will level off.

We all remember that time in the tourism industry when $99, $129 for a great place you would pay four our five times and demand is so high and every other industry is that worker shortage and resorts are having to close so the guests have a fabulous experience.

>> Is the worker shortage in in the travel?

How does it affect what you're trying to do?

>> You want to provide the great service.

If you've stayed anywhere, room service is only on demand or every two or three days instead of every night.

You're seeing a Starbucks location, for example, that is inside a hotel be open for limited hours and ones with a few restaurants with one or two open.

So I think we're all seeing it and trying to get the most and have people be able to enjoy their travel experience.

>> I want to ask you about competition.

Arizona is a unique place when it comes to natural resources expect resort industry and great for many years.

Are there certain communities that have popped up during the pandemic that Arizona has to put more shine on because other places have taken advantage of because of outdoor options?

>> Downtown phoenix is one place that struggled because of conventions and meetings and it doesn't have as heavy of a resort place.

It was higher last year than 2019, which is great and we have to work on other places and international is critical to comeback and we're happy to see the meetings come back and find a way to do it safely and keep people safe and come back to make people feel safe.

>> Supply chain, does that affect the tourism industry?

>> A little bit.

Any time you're doing renovations, look at what the issues mean and how it impacts the gifts and that's what the restaurants are all looking at to minimize the impact on the guest.

>> Final 30 seconds or so, we want to be optimistic and are you thinking the fall with the new campaign, fall winter, super bowl, should be a great period?

>> A fantastic period for travel and we want to get out it's safe to travel and great things in Arizona and there are people who aren't comfortable doing that staycation and having that whole experience and that's the beauty of Arizona and we take advantage of the great things and we are hoping to have a full cactus league and final for the following year and lots of great things in Arizona.

>> Debbie Johnson, thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> And that is it for now and thank you for joining us.

I'm in for Ted Simons and have a great night.

♪♪ - Another powerful edition of Arizona Horizon.

That has been a part of the news and public affairs programming in the Grand Canyon state for as long as I can remember.