PHOENIX – Arizona officials urged residents to take precautions as firefighters face longer hours battling more intense wildfires across the state.
Gov. Katie Hobbs joined the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) for a media event outlining the 2025 seasonal fire outlook. They emphasized fire prevention and education for Arizona residents.
WASHINGTON — The millions of people living in the U.S. without documents put stress on emergency rooms and public schools. Some, as President Donald Trump emphasizes, commit crimes.
This population also stimulates the economy. They buy homes, run businesses and provide essential labor for construction and agriculture. Their payroll taxes help to keep the Social Security system afloat.
SEMINOLE, Texas — Gaines County in rural West Texas, home to 21,000 residents and known for its peanut farming and cotton production, typically remains quiet.
The county is currently at the center of media attention following hundreds of reported measles cases, including one that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old from the disease that once was officially declared eradicated from the United States.
PHOENIX – A bill that aims to cut out ultra-processed foods in the state’s public schools is now moving through the Arizona Senate after passing the House with overwhelming support.
HB2164, dubbed the “Arizona Healthy Schools Act,” would prohibit schools that receive federal funding or that participate in assisted meal programs from serving or selling food with certain ingredients. This prohibition would be in effect during normal school hours and includes potassium bromate, colored dyes and more.
TEMPE – While the Phoenix Suns continue to cling to the final threads of their playoff hopes, their G League affiliate is gearing up for a postseason appearance in the team’s first season.
Led by TyTy Washington Jr.’s near triple double – 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists – the Valley Suns clinched a G League playoff berth by closing out the regular season Friday with a 134-107 victory over the Texas Legends on Fan Appreciation Night at Mullett Arena.
PHOENIX — Major League Baseball is based on tradition and “old school” play. The San Francisco Giants may have created one of the most “old-school” style starting rotations heading into 2025.
During the offseason, the Giants added starting pitcher Justin Verlander — one of the most accomplished players since the turn of the millennium. Verlander, 42, is a nine-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, Most Valuable Player and two-time World Series champion.
TEMPE – From his hometown in Peoria, Illinois to Tempe, John Little has been all over the map in his basketball career, building his way into his position as coach of the G-League Valley Suns.
Under Little’s guidance, the Suns have clinched a playoff spot with a 20-14 regular season record, securing the fifth seed in the Western Conference as they await their first-round matchup.
But long before Valley’s inaugural season, Little’s love for the game began in Peoria, Illinois – a hotbed for basketball talent – where he grew up loving the high school basketball scene. Watching the rich basketball history of Illinois with players like A.J. Guyton, Frank Williams and Marcus Griffin, Little’s love for the game of basketball only grew stronger. Continue reading “Little’s big impact: Valley Suns coach’s journey culminates in G League playoff berth”
MESA – Sir Isaac Newton created the infamous three laws of motion. According to Athletics fans, there’s a lesser-known fourth law, and he patrols the A’s outfield.
Lawrence Butler, dubbed “The Fourth Law” by fans, inked a seven-year contract extension on March 10. The $65.5 million deal includes a club option for 2032.
PHOENIX – Before Zac Gallen delivered the first pitch of the 2025 MLB season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kenny Dillingham and several members of the Big 12 Conference champion Arizona State football team threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Torey Lovullo, who enters his ninth season as manager of the Diamondbacks, spoke highly of his growing relationship with Dillingham.
GILBERT – Perry High School boys basketball coach Sam Duane Jr. is stepping away from coaching to become the Mesa Public Schools District compliance and character coach. The decision came suddenly – just a week ago, as he was preparing for another season.
However, after another grueling year, he said he felt the toll more than ever and realized it was time to move on. When an unexpected opportunity arose within the district, he saw it as the right next step.
NEWARK, N.J. – A quiet fell over the streets of Newark, New Jersey, Thursday night near the Prudential Center as the Arizona Wildcats entered the arena that would soon decide their fate.
It was a sharp contrast to what had just occurred there, a game between BYU and Alabama that saw more than a combined 200 points scored. A smattering of Arizona fans trickled into the stands, rooting for their team far away from the heat of the desert. Their red and white was nearly washed away by the ocean of blue that surrounded them.
PHOENIX –Nine hours before tipoff against Duke in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats were already making headlines.
Koa Peat, a four-time Arizona high school state champion and the state’s top-ranked recruit in the class of 2025, announced his commitment to the University of Arizona Thursday morning.
LOS ANGELES – Officials have made it clear that mental health is a critical focus for Los Angeles County, and local leaders are continuing to pour money into accessible care and support despite federal funding budget cuts.
During a late March conference, Los Angeles County officials announced $4.15 million in grants for 68 local organizations to host mental health events throughout May as part of the county’s Take Action for Mental Health campaign.
PHOENIX – Major League Baseball can be grueling, its 162-game regular season sometimes seeming like an eternity. But the sport can also change as quickly as a lightning flash, as Travis Jankowski learned this spring.
After being signed by the Chicago Cubs to a minor league contract on Feb. 24 and going through spring training with the team before not being selected to go to Tokyo with the Cubs for Opening Day, Jankowski found himself searching for a new organization. He didn’t have to look far or long, as manager Will Venable and the cross-town Chicago White Sox came calling.
MESA – Baseball fans attend Cactus League spring training for a multitude of reasons. For some, it’s a spring break vacation to watch their favorite team play in the desert heat. Others go to games as part of a work event. For the Berk family, attending A’s spring training games is a family reunion.
The Berks plan a weekend every year to have a reunion during spring training. Part of the family lives in the East Bay, while some live in the greater Phoenix area.
TEMPE – Following the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in early March, Hines Ward, one of the best to ever play the game at his position, spoke with Cam Skattebo and told the Arizona State running back to make the most of the opportunity and “play with a chip on your shoulder,” similar to starting over again.
Ward has experience with the NFL Combine and draft. In 1998, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a third-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia. He went on to win two Super Bowls with the Steelers as a wide receiver and was the 2006 Super Bowl MVP.
DENVER – When Kevin Young entered Ball Arena for this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, he returned to a place of familiarity.
Young, who spent four seasons as an assistant and associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns, experienced joyous and painful memories there coaching against the Denver Nuggets, one of the arena’s tenants.
TEMPE – Women’s college basketball thrived in the Valley during the 2024-25 season, but not at Arizona State. While the Sun Devils struggled, their crosstown counterparts, Grand Canyon, made headlines under coach Molly Miller. The Lopes’ 32-3 season included a 30-game win streak, a WAC tournament championship and an NCAA tournament berth.
Following GCU’s first-round loss to Baylor in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, ASU athletic director Graham Rossini shoved his chips to the middle of the table to go all in and hire Miller, who was introduced Wednesday.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome a proven and dynamic leader to the Sun Devil family today,” Rossini said. “The excitement around coach Miller and the direction of our program is second to none.”
Miller took over at GCU in 2020 after coaching her alma mater, Drury, to the NCAA Division II tournament Final Four. She proved the ability to turn around a program in her second season when the Lopes finished with GCU’s most wins at the time (22). She followed that up with a 24-win season in 2023-24.
This season, the hoops world was put on notice as the Lopes rattled off 30 straight victories and turned home games in front of their rowdy crowd known as the Havocs into energetic parties.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Valley, Arizona State, in its Big 12 debut, finished the season 10-22 – the program’s fourth losing season in a row. The Sun Devils have not made a NCAA Women’s Tournament appearance since 2019. It’s a culture Rossini and ASU president Dr. Michael Crow hope to change with Miller’s hiring.
“My hope is that coach Miller can return ASU women’s basketball to the highest level of competitiveness possible at a moment when women’s basketball is taking off like a rocket,” Crow said. “I am all in for you to be as successful as possible.”
Miller faced a tough decision to leave GCU and a passionate basketball fan base after the historic season, but ultimately Rossini’s vision convinced her to trade in the purple and white for the maroon and gold.
“It was the vision that sold me,” Miller said. “I was going to be pretty picky for my next step if I was blessed to have one, and it was the commitment to athletics and women’s basketball that really made it clear that I belonged here.”
Rebuilding the Sun Devils into a winning program won’t be easy, but it is evident Miller has a vision, personality and perseverance to succeed. She has taken inspiration from a quote that ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham uttered before his Sun Devils shocked the world by improving from 3-9 to 11-3 and winning the Big 12 championship.
“A sailboat doesn’t sail on yesterday’s wind,” Miller recalled Dillingham saying. “I started thinking about the sailboat theme, and I came up with, when I am trying to revive a program and generate excitement, when there is no wind in your sail, row. And we’re going to row. I am going to get a staff here, we’re going to hit the ground running, we’re going to work hard and we’re going to row.”
The Drury and GCU coaching jobs led Miller to secure the Sun Devils job. The lessons she took from the NCAA tournament experience will help her keep the gig.
“I thought that was just a great first glimpse of how I need to recruit, what the level is, does the style of play work with that,” Miller said. “That was a blessing for me to not only be in the tournament and experience it, but really seeing the top of the conference and how they operate and work and what I need to do to plan for the future.”
Miller is no stranger to building a roster through the transfer portal, as her 30-win Lopes team from this season included 13 transfer students. She’s already looking into recruiting players who can serve as building blocks for her new program’s culture.
“At 9 p.m. last night, security tried to kick me out of my office,” Miller said. “We’re just burning the midnight oil because that’s the day we live in with the portal, and we are hitting the ground running.”
Miller expressed that her top priority is to recruit players from the Grand Canyon State. Former ASU women’s basketball coach Natasha Adair only rostered two players from Arizona last season.
“We’ve got to keep good Arizona players here,” Miller said. “I am going to recruit in the backyard first, and if they’re good enough to play at this level we’re going to recruit them and we’re going to recruit them early.”
Miller wants to transfer her passion for the game from Global Credit Union Arena to Desert Financial Arena. She hopes the ASU student population buys into her and women’s basketball to create a special environment that will motivate her players.
“Let’s go!” Miller said. “You are going to be my people, I want to rally and do a little huddle jump with you after games, I want to meet you before games, I want to invite you into practices and I want you to feel ownership and like you’re a part of this.”
New Arizona State women’s basketball coach Molly Miller, right, walks with athletic director Graham Rossini before her introductory press conference in Tempe Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Nute/Cronkite News)Molly Miller, right, accompanied by ASU president Michael Crow, said “it was the vision that sold me” when asked why she decided to come to Tempe. (Photo by Samuel Nute/Cronkite News)Molly Miller, left, poses with former Arizona State women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne, who won 488 games in 25 seasons with the Sun Devils. (Photo by Samuel Nute/Cronkite News)
