Juan Ciscomani

Phillip McCluskey, a former U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division investigator who now works at the U.S. Army Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, received the Veteran Servant Leader Award on Oct. 14 for his volunteer work with the Cochise County Sheriff's Office. The award, presented by U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, recognizes veterans who continue to show leadership and service in their communities after leaving active duty.

McCluskey joined the Sheriff's Assist Team in 2022 after reading about a drug cartel placing a bounty on a sheriff's deputy. He reached out to Sheriff Mark Dannels, was connected with SAT commander John Black, and was later sworn in as a volunteer. Colleagues at the Electronic Proving Ground said his community service reflects the same dedication he brings to his civilian work supporting test and evaluation missions. McCluskey credited his family and fellow volunteers for supporting the effort, saying the team is motivated by duty rather than recognition.

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is one presidential signature away from becoming the country's 64th national park after Congress gave final approval to the Chiricahua National Park Act. The Senate passed the bipartisan measure, introduced by Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani, sending it to the president's desk. It is unclear when or if President Trump will sign it.

The 102-year-old monument spans roughly 12,000 acres of rock pinnacles and balancing rock formations in Cochise County. If signed, it would become Arizona's fourth national park alongside Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro, and the state's first new national park since Saguaro's 1994 redesignation. Local officials, including Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock, backed the change as a way to boost tourism, jobs, and economic development in rural southeastern Arizona. House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman also praised the bill's passage, noting its timing near the nation's 250th anniversary.

Arizona Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a candidate seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in a competitive U.S. House district, deleted numerous social media posts before launching her campaign. Archived records show the posts date to her 2020 Arizona Senate run, during the height of pandemic-era progressive activism following the murder of George Floyd. Deleted content included claims that "systemic racism is quite literally in the air we breathe" and that "racism is killing the planet," along with criticism of "privileged cis men" and calls to indoctrinate children against systemic racism.

The National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Mendoza over the deletions, also citing past comments calling police "an occupying army," her lobbying for tax increases, and a personal tax dispute. Mendoza's case follows similar deleted-post controversies involving Michigan Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and William Lawrence, as candidates nationally recalibrate messaging ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Arizona House candidate JoAnna Mendoza deleted old social media posts on race and policing before her 2026 campaign launch.