Arizona rolls into rivalry battle against Arizona State riding momentum from OT upset

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Arizona Men’s Basketball Update. 540 words.
  • Photo available

By Yousef Mabrouk
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Coming off their biggest win of the season against No. 3 Iowa State, the Arizona Wildcats charge full speed ahead into enemy territory for a Saturday game against rival Arizona State.

In the first meeting of the teams as new members of the Big 12, Arizona (14-6), riding a three-game win streak, looks to improve to 9-1 in Big 12 play and stay within striking distance of No. 6 Houston for the top spot.

On the other side, the Sun Devils have been dealing with injuries all season long, but that hasn’t altered the Wildcats’ game plan or preparation. Continue reading “Arizona rolls into rivalry battle against Arizona State riding momentum from OT upset”

Cronkite News Digest for Friday, Jan. 31

by Paola Boivin

Good afternoon! Here is your Cronkite News lineup for Friday, Jan. 31.

Continue reading “Cronkite News Digest for Friday, Jan. 31”

Bill would give Arizona rural communities a say in how groundwater is allocated

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: News–Groundwater Protection. 560 words.
  • 3 photos available

By Allison Kotzbauer
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs along with a group of bipartisan state and rural leaders announced legislation Thursday that gives rural communities a say in managing local groundwater.

The Rural Groundwater Management Act of 2025 would allow rural Arizonans to create water management programs that would have decision-making authority over conservation programs. Those programs are meant to reduce groundwater use and improve aquifer conditions, according to a fact sheet provided by the Governor’s Office.

Senate Bill 1425 also would create five-person councils in each water management program. Council members would be selected by the Arizona Senate president, House speaker and minority leaders in both chambers.

Continue reading “Bill would give Arizona rural communities a say in how groundwater is allocated”

Phoenix Holocaust center raises $38 million, expected to open in 2027 to foster education

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: News–Holocaust Center. 710 words.
  • Photo available

By Katrina Michalak
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Funds for the future Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center in Phoenix are now up to $38 million, providing more resources ahead of the expected opening in April 2027.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors allocated $2 million to the project in October 2024. Phoenix has given $2 million, and the state also authorized a $7 million appropriation in the fall.

“This collaboration with the Arizona Jewish Historical Society will help preserve and embrace the rich heritage of our local Jewish communities, educate the public on the historical significance of the Holocaust, and teach students to take responsibility for building a better and more just world,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin in an October news release. The $2 million from Maricopa County came from Galvin’s portion of the county’s Community Solutions Funding. Continue reading “Phoenix Holocaust center raises $38 million, expected to open in 2027 to foster education”

End of an era: Mercury legend Brittney Griner departs for Atlanta Dream as Alyssa Thomas arrives in Phoenix

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Griner Leaves Mercury. 1,000 words.
  • 2 photos available

By Brendon Pricco
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The sun rises on a new era in Phoenix for the Mercury.

Tuesday’s excitement of the Mercury’s blockbuster trade to acquire five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun was soured with the gut punch of a free agency decision from Brittney Griner.

Griner, a 10-time All-Star and a face of the Mercury franchise for the last decade, plans to sign with the Atlanta Dream, she announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday night and her agency, Wasserman Group, confirmed Wednesday with Cronkite News. Continue reading “End of an era: Mercury legend Brittney Griner departs for Atlanta Dream as Alyssa Thomas arrives in Phoenix”

From ASU’s video room to NBA sidelines? Madeline Sulka pursues history on road less traveled

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Sulka Video NBA Dreams. 1,500 words.
  • Photo available

By Koby Braunstein
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Madeline Sulka is relentless in her pursuit to become the NBA’s first female head coach — a goal she first expressed in her Concordia University Irvine basketball bio as a player in 2017.

“All basketball players can relate that you don’t always know exactly what’s next when you are done playing,” Sulka said. “You love the game for so long, and it’s all you know. (Basketball) is engraved into who you are as a person.

“Coaching was never necessarily on my mind, (but) I was always a natural leader. I liked helping others and being that strong voice on the court that your teammates trust (and) that your coaches trust.” Continue reading “From ASU’s video room to NBA sidelines? Madeline Sulka pursues history on road less traveled”

Seton Catholic’s Karen Self smashes wins record for Arizona girls basketball – and she’s not done yet

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Karen Self Basketball Record, 1,200 words.
  • 3 photos available

By Sebastian Mondaca Sepulveda
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – Surrounded by those who had been part of her journey, from players she once coached to colleagues who had watched her rise through the ranks, Karen Self could feel the weight of the achievement settle in. She had become the winningest coach in Arizona girls basketball history on Jan. 17 against Globe, a milestone that was not just hers alone, but one that belonged to an entire community.

Her legacy, built on 833 wins (and counting) and 12 state championships, was now woven into the fabric of Seton Catholic and the Arizona basketball scene.

At that moment, Self didn’t need to say a word. The love and admiration from those around her spoke volumes, capturing the essence of a career devoted to more than just the scoreboard. Continue reading “Seton Catholic’s Karen Self smashes wins record for Arizona girls basketball – and she’s not done yet”

Arizona lags in childhood vaccinations and fluoride – public health measures targeted by Trump HHS nominee RFK Jr.

by Todd Gillman
  • Slug: News–RFK Vaccines Fluoride. 1,000 words.
  • Photo available

By Madeline Bates
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Kindergartners are less likely to get vaccinations in Arizona than in almost any other state. And fewer than three in five state residents have access to fluoridated water – also well below the national average.

These metrics leave public health experts in Arizona especially concerned about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was grilled by senators Wednesday during the first day of his confirmation hearings for secretary of Health and Human Services.

For years, RFK Jr. has questioned the safety and effectiveness of childhood immunizations against measles, polio and other scourges that have mostly disappeared in the United States. And he wants to eliminate fluoridation of public water supplies, which dental experts believe would cause an epidemic of unnecessary cavities.

“It would be catastrophic if he gets in this job,” said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, whose members include nurses, researchers and other health care professionals.

Continue reading “Arizona lags in childhood vaccinations and fluoride – public health measures targeted by Trump HHS nominee RFK Jr.”

How the NCAA’s decision to welcome CHL players could reshape college hockey in the United States

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-NCAA Hockey. 1,500 words.
  • 2 photos available

By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A landmark legal battle by a 19-year-old Canadian defenseman has forever changed the face of college hockey in the United States.

The swift action began last August with a lawsuit that challenged the NCAA’s long-standing rule prohibiting Canadian Hockey League players from competing for Division I schools. Rumors swirled almost immediately that the NCAA would buckle and change its eligibility rule, which has barred generations of CHL players from competing in U.S. collegiate athletics.

On Nov. 7, the NCAA Division I committee voted to drop the ban. The new rule will take effect on Aug. 1 – and the landscape for college hockey in the U.S. will change drastically.

Continue reading “How the NCAA’s decision to welcome CHL players could reshape college hockey in the United States”

Unrivaled offers safer alternative to overseas play for Phoenix Mercury stars, WNBA players

by Adnan Alam
  • Sports-Unrivaled League. 900 words.
  • Photo available.

By Aya Abdeen
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Nearly three years ago, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport while traveling to Russia to play overseas during the WNBA offseason. She was held for nearly 10 months after being charged and sentenced for possessing vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

Her harrowing experience highlighted the risks and uncertainties athletes face when seeking offseason opportunities abroad, underscoring the need for a safer, domestic alternative — a gap the Unrivaled Basketball League aims to fill for WNBA players.

“I was looking forward to it,” Griner said about the league, which debuted its inaugural season Jan. 17. “I feel like something was missing in my offseason. Continue reading “Unrivaled offers safer alternative to overseas play for Phoenix Mercury stars, WNBA players”

Forks up, chow down: Inside Arizona State’s winning recipe for Sun Devil Athletics nutrition

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Sun Devil Nutrition. 3,000 words.
  • Photo available

By Dylan Ackermann
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Behind every athlete’s highlight-reel performance lies an unseen effort, where nutrition plays a starring role.

From carefully crafted meals to personalized fueling strategies, the journey to peak athletic performance starts long before game day – and it’s happening behind the scenes at Arizona State University.

Inside the 118,669-square-foot Butterfield Kent Furst Student-Athlete Facility, nestled at the north end of Mountain America Stadium, the magic unfolds through the seamless blending of science, personalization and collaboration among players, coaches, dietitians and chefs. Continue reading “Forks up, chow down: Inside Arizona State’s winning recipe for Sun Devil Athletics nutrition”

Federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: News–Birthright Citizenship Blocked. 420 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Emma Paterson
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – At the behest of Arizona and three other states, a federal judge in Seattle on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil without at least one parent who’s an American citizen or green card holder.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour was the first judge to hear and decide on Trump’s controversial executive order reinterpreting the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. Nearly half the states have challenged the order that Trump signed on his first day back in office.

Coughenour said that in his 40 years as a judge, he has “never seen something so blatantly unconstitutional.” Continue reading “Federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order”

‘QAnon Shaman’ and other Jan. 6 rioters from Arizona celebrate Trump pardons that many denounce as a slap to democracy and police

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: News–Pardons J6 Arizona. 1,282 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Matthew DeWees
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The “QAnon Shaman” called President Donald Trump’s pardons for him and other Jan. 6 rioters “a brilliant political move.” Another Arizona man in the mob called his pardon a relief but criticized Trump for wiping away convictions for others who attacked police.

“It’s a really nice weight off my shoulders,” said Cory Konold, a Tucson man who was near the front of the crowd that day with his sister. But, he added, “I don’t think truly violent offenders should be fully pardoned.”

Roughly 15 of the 1,583 defendants who received clemency from Trump are from Arizona. Continue reading “‘QAnon Shaman’ and other Jan. 6 rioters from Arizona celebrate Trump pardons that many denounce as a slap to democracy and police”

Rewriting the playbook: ASU’s Kenny Dillingham embraces new-school philosophy to reach old-school success

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Coaching evolution. 1,668 words.
  • Photo available

By Keller Brown
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – While some view coaching football as a chore, others see it as an opportunity to teach a younger generation. With college football undergoing constant changes on and off the field, some have argued that the art of coaching a football team has evolved.

Coaches come from all walks of life. Whether they are in their first season as the head of a program, or wrapping up decades of dominance at one school, everyone has a different philosophy of how they go about their business.

Monday’s College Football Playoff showcased those differences in coaching styles and experience, with Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame Marcus Freeman – named the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year – emphasizing their unique approaches, while Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham & Co. nearly took down Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns in the CFP quarterfinals.

“I think (coaching philosophy) comes from obviously your experiences and where you come from,” former ASU football coach Todd Graham said. “Different people believe in different things.”

Continue reading “Rewriting the playbook: ASU’s Kenny Dillingham embraces new-school philosophy to reach old-school success”

Arizona joins 21 other states to oppose Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Birthright Citizenship. 815 words.
  • Photo, caption available below.

By Emma Paterson
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona and 21 other states went to court Tuesday hoping to block President Donald Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship for children born to non-Americans.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called Trump’s order “blatantly unconstitutional.” Gov. Katie Hobbs, a fellow Democrat, blasted it as both “unconstitutional and un-American.”

Continue reading “Arizona joins 21 other states to oppose Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants”

‘Take repatriation seriously’: Hobbs pledges $7M to speed state museum’s work to return ancestors, artifacts to Arizona tribes

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA Hobbs. 700 words.
  • Photos, captions available below.

By Mackenzie Miller, Matthew Bird and Justin Patton
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

PHOENIX – The mood at the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Wednesday was shock.

The museum’s staff, who facilitate the repatriation of Native American human remains and artifacts to Indigenous tribes, learned that Gov. Katie Hobbs was seeking $7 million to aid their efforts.

Continue reading “‘Take repatriation seriously’: Hobbs pledges $7M to speed state museum’s work to return ancestors, artifacts to Arizona tribes”

Trump vents about Biden’s pardons, Capitol riot ‘hostages,’ crowd undercount 8 years ago in unscripted post-inauguration speech

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Trump Unscripted. 600 words.
  • Photos, captions below.

By Matthew DeWees
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – After a scripted half-hour inaugural address, President Donald Trump went off on a lengthy, unscripted riff to an overflow crowd at the Capitol – venting about a “rigged” 2020 election and blasting former President Joe Biden for 11th-hour pardons of lawmakers who investigated the Jan. 6 attack.

Continue reading “Trump vents about Biden’s pardons, Capitol riot ‘hostages,’ crowd undercount 8 years ago in unscripted post-inauguration speech”

Donald Trump’s inaugural pledges: Retake Panama Canal, seal border, rename Gulf of Mexico, restore U.S. ‘golden age’

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Trump Inauguration. 770 words.
  • Photos, captions below.

By Madeline Bates
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump returned to office with an ambitious agenda intended to reassert American leadership and undo four years of Democrat Joe Biden’s policies.

Continue reading “Donald Trump’s inaugural pledges: Retake Panama Canal, seal border, rename Gulf of Mexico, restore U.S. ‘golden age’”

Donald Trump vows breathtaking pace of pardons, deportations and retribution after inauguration

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Trump Rally. 1,800 words.
  • Photos, captions below.

By Madeline Bates, Matthew DeWees, Emma Paterson and Samuel Travis
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump offered a vision of American renewal as he returns to the White House, along with swift and sweeping changes on immigration, “woke” ideology and the economy.

Continue reading “Donald Trump vows breathtaking pace of pardons, deportations and retribution after inauguration”

Trump inauguration gets cold shoulder from some Arizona Democrats but draws both Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: News-Inauguration Arizona Democrats. 470 words.
  • File photo available.

By Emma Paterson
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Newly elected Rep. Yassamin Ansari prefers to be in Phoenix as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. But freshman Sen. Ruben Gallego and veteran Rep. Greg Stanton will be among the Democrats on hand to witness his return to power.

The second inauguration of the divisive former president is putting civility to the test. Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping it. So is former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“I have a tradition of going to the MLK events in Phoenix,” Ansari said in a brief interview outside the House chamber. “I will be attending a march.” Continue reading “Trump inauguration gets cold shoulder from some Arizona Democrats but draws both Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake”