Por Nicollette Valenzuela
Cronkite Noticias
PHOENIX – “¿Podemos pasar directamente a la sesión de empoderamiento?”, grita alguien desde una multitud en una pequeña tienda con poca luz y un resplandor rosa fluorescente. La “sesión de empoderamiento” reúne a más de 30 participantes todos los martes por la noche en la tienda The Daily Mix Nutrition en Avondale.
Continue reading “Efecto de la salud mental en la mortalidad materna”
By Grace Monos
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Arizona’s higher-income residents and homeowners with steep property taxes have felt a pinch since Congress capped the state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000, but the presidential election could lead to changes in the tax code.
The SALT cap and other provisions in former President Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire next year. Even Trump has said he wants to let the cap expire.
By Jalen Woody
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Summer is the most brutal time in Phoenix, especially for those surviving without basic needs like water and cool places to rest. This year, the city offered 24-hour heat relief spaces that skyrocketed in demand. City officials say 92% of visitors were experiencing homelessness, and the centers are a means to help them get off the streets and into safer places.
The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) implemented the centers to provide people experiencing homelessness with much needed necessities to survive the temperatures.
By Aryton Temcio
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Since 1989, the international commercial trade of ivory has been banned in an effort to rebuild the dwindling population of elephants and other species poached for their ivory. Although these animals are found primarily in Africa and Asia, many agencies think the ramifications of ivory poaching are felt around the world.
The United States only adopted a near-total ban in 2016. Despite the bans on commercial trading, ivory is still legal to possess in the U.S., and many people still do.
By Brandelyn Clark
Cronkite News
LOS ANGELES – Amid the barren patches of dirt scattered throughout Los Angeles’ bustling streets, a movement for social change is taking root. Community gardens and local plants flourish in underused land, bringing much-needed green to the city’s concrete jungle.
Starting as a necessity for people who didn’t own land seeking to provide food for their communities, guerrilla gardening has evolved into a powerful tool for social rebellion and environmental activism.
EDS: Clients who used the Cronkite News story slugged Carbon Capture that moved Tuesday, Oct. 22, under a WASHINGTON dateline are asked to run the following correction. The errors occurred in grafs 10, 11, 30 and 31 of the original and in a photo caption. A corrected version of the story and caption have been posted here.
WASHINGTON – An Oct. 22 Cronkite News story about technology to reduce carbon emissions misidentified where Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed support for the CarbonCapture Inc. Mesa facility; it was in a statement. The quote, “And that needs to be certified,” regarding regulating direct air capture, should have been attributed to Klaus Lackner, an Arizona State University engineering professor and founding director of the ASU Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. An image of a CarbonCapture Inc. Leo module should have been identified as a photo.
By Amelia Monroe
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – An estimated 97% of Americans have detectable levels of invasive “forever chemicals” in their bloodstreams – many are unaware that they’re drinking them.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS – are man-made synthetic chemicals manufactured and commercialized since the 1940s. This class of chemicals includes roughly 14,000 variations, widely used in consumer and industrial products – nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, cosmetics and firefighter foam – due to their grease-, oil- and water-resistant properties.
EDS: An earlier version of this story miscast what $14.9 billion in tax revenue through 2045 would fund. The error occurred in the fifth graf the original. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.
By Hayden Larkin
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – With Proposition 479, a continuation of a half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County for transportation funding, on the ballot in November, Valley Metro and other groups are advocating for the continuation, while opponents say the tax on consumer goods is unneeded for a service few people use.
Public transit has provided Maricopa County residents with access to ease of travel. Light rail expansions, short-term rental bikes and scooters and public buses have all become viable options for city-dwelling Arizonans. With these options becoming more available, voters and groups are butting heads over the taxation and costs of expanding these transit systems. Some places in Maricopa County also may not have the means to afford certain forms of public transit to be able to expand into their cities.
By Madeline Nguyen
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Maria Losoya isn’t a doctor. She can’t treat patients, and she can’t do surgeries. But in southern Arizona’s border communities, she performs a special kind of life-saving health care. She’s an expert at navigating the health insurance marketplace – in English and Spanish.
It’s a strength that has made Losoya a trusted face in her home of Santa Cruz County, where nearly one in three residents were uninsured in 2022 – the highest rate in the state, according to the National Institutes of Health. Day and night, community members call Losoya from hospital rooms to see how they can afford the treatment they need, from emergency care to chemotherapy.
Continue reading “Future of ACA, health insurance coverage at stake in presidential election”
By Nicollette Valenzuela
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – “Can we skip straight to the empowerment session?” shouts someone from a crowd at a small, dimly lit shop with a fluorescent pink glow. The “empowerment session” gathers more than 30 participants every Tuesday night at The Daily Mix Nutrition store in Avondale.
After a battle with postpartum depression, Yormheri Munguia, the store’s owner, and Jennie Parra, a women’s transformation coach, recently started the Women’s Empowerment workout.
Continue reading “How mental health affects maternal mortality in Arizona”
By Keller Brown
Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – Following a chaotic 2024 tournament that received national scrutiny, organizers of the WM Phoenix Open announced sweeping changes to the PGA Tour’s most popular event.
A second entrance, higher ticket prices and wider walkways are among the changes for the tournament dubbed “The Greatest Show on Grass,” which often attracts close to 500,000 fans each year.
The goal is to make it “better, not bigger,” Matt Mooney, the 2025 WM Phoenix Open chairman, said Wednesday. Continue reading “‘Better, not bigger’: New entrance, ticket policy among changes for 2024 WM Phoenix Open”
By Brendan Pricco
Cronkite News
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Mat Ishbia is known around Arizona as the billionaire owner of the Phoenix Suns, who open their season Wednesday night at the Los Angeles Clippers’ new Intuit Dome. However, if you travel across the country to the spirited and picturesque college town of East Lansing, Michigan, he is known for his connection with the Michigan State Spartans.
Before conquering the business world, Ishbia was a 5-foot-10, 175-pound walk-on point guard attending his home state university: Michigan State. In his three-year career, he appeared in 48 total games, often in garbage time when the game had already been decided. The most significant minute of his collegiate career came on April 4, 2000.
Tom Izzo called Ishbia’s name in the final minute of Michigan State’s national championship victory over Florida. Not only did Ishbia log a minute, he made sure to etch his name into the box score with a shot attempt: a miss. Continue reading “Photo essay: Michigan State celebrates return of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia”
By Kendall Flynn
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon women’s basketball team welcomed seven new players to its roster. Despite the influx of talented newcomers, the Lopes are still working on meshing as a herd, which is something they will need to do quickly as the season officially begins Nov. 4.
GCU is hoping an infusion of fresh talent will give the Lopes a boost as they prepare for their final year in the Western Athletic Conference. Next year, GCU will join the West Coast Conference, meaning if the Lopes hope to capture their first WAC title, it’s now or never.
Looking at the Lopes’ record of 25-8 and 16-8 in the WAC last season, it’s no wonder the team had record-breaking achievements, including the most wins in their Division I-era season and the second-most home victories. However, the Lopes fell short in the first round of the WAC Tournament and went another season without an NCAA Tournament berth. Continue reading “New faces, same goal: GCU women’s basketball looks promising heading into final WAC season”
By Breden Paul
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – When Marc Lefkowitz was in his 20s, he struggled with a gambling problem. Now, after nearly 40 years of abstaining from gambling, he hopes to help today’s younger generation overcome their addiction the same way he did.
“When I grew up, you were a degenerate if you gambled on a regular basis,” said Lefkowitz, an internationally certified gambling counselor with over 25 years of experience. “Now it’s so socially acceptable.”
Many factors can contribute to teen gambling. Stress relief is one component of gambling’s appeal to the younger generation, according to Lefkowitz. He also points to teens experiencing problems in school and, most commonly, genetic issues, where addiction runs in a person’s family. Continue reading “Don’t ‘become a pickle’: Long-term psychological effects of youth gambling concern addiction experts”
By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News
TEMPE – Terry Shoemaker’s trip to a Baltimore cemetery inspired his research on sport and religion for years to come.
Shoemaker, a research scholar and religious studies professor at Arizona State, recently published his book “Religions and Sports: The Basics,” which covers the connections between religious and sporting activities.
“To study these two things, either comparatively or as if they’re overlapping, gives us a sense of what humans do and why they do it,” Shoemaker said in an interview with Cronkite News. Continue reading “Arizona State researcher Terry Shoemaker explores how sports and religion share common ground”
By Saleh Awwad
Cronkite News
TUCSON – The Arizona Wildcats’ showdown against the Colorado Buffaloes and Deion Sanders in Tucson quickly turned into a lopsided dud Saturday, but for NFL fans watching, the game featured a surplus of names expected to be called at the 2025 draft.
Across the two teams, five projected 2025 first-round NFL Draft picks took the field at Arizona Stadium, according to ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea and Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis matched up against Colorado’s two-way phenom Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Continue reading “Arizona, Colorado put future NFL draft picks to the test in Tucson with swarm of scouts in attendance”
By James Brown, Jr., Nathan Collins and Taylor Stevens
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Sometimes second chances can prove deadly.
A police officer in Minnesota was suspended for threatening to shoot a passenger in the head after an unauthorized high-speed chase. In Paterson, New Jersey, an officer threw a handcuffed woman to the ground and strangled her. And in Little Rock, Arkansas, a patrol officer was allowed to rack up 36 sustained misconduct allegations and at least 65 days of suspension.
Each officer went on to be involved in a deadly encounter with the public. Not in shootings, but in cases where the force – whether physical restraints, blows or weapons such as a Taser – is often referred to as “less lethal.”
Continue reading “These police officers had red flags in their past, then used force in a case that ended in death”
By Jalen Woody
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – In the middle of the desert, in Maricopa County, summer is the most brutal time. This year, temperatures reached 100 degrees or over for 142 days, according to the National Weather Service.
To combat heat struggles, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) implemented a heat-relief network of centers to provide everyone with the care needed to brave some of the hottest temperatures in the United States.
EDS: An earlier version of this story included several errors, which occurred in grafs 10, 11, 30 and 31 of the original and in a photo caption. The story and caption below have been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.
By Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – As climate change continues to wreak havoc, companies in Arizona are developing technologies intended to pull greenhouse gas from the air.
Arizona’s unusually intense summer heat – with triple-digit temperatures continuing into October – plus frequent wildfires and decreased flow in the Colorado River are all linked to greenhouse gas buildup, scientists say.
Continue reading “Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions”
By Keller Brown
Cronkite News
BISBEE – Once the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco with a population of about 23,000 people in the early 1900s, this once-booming mining community has transitioned into what today is a quirky artists enclave and tourist attraction.
But the town of about 5,000 tucked into the Mule Mountains not far from the U.S.-Mexico border still celebrates its rich history each year through the equally quirky Bisbee 1000: The Great Stair Climb.
It is a foot race (or walk) over a 4.5-mile course that winds through town and incorporates nine of the community’s many staircases, requiring contestants to climb more than 1,000 stairs along the way. Continue reading “The Great Stair Climb: Bisbee 1000 pays tribute to mining town’s boom days”
