Give me an R! Snubbed by Olympics again, cheerleading continues quest for respect

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports-Cheerleading Respect, 4,200 words
  • 5 photos available.

By Mohana Holloway
Special to Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “We’ve got spirit, yes we do!”

We also have a lack of recognition, a lack of regulation, stereotyping, discrepancies in funding and psychological impacts, many cheerleaders will tell you.

Behind the glitz, glamor and stereotypes, a large number – over 3 million in the United States alone – of women and men are dedicated to cheerleading. For the typical two-and-a-half-minute routine, the average cheerleader often spends eight or more hours a week in the gym undergoing intense training for tumbling and pyramid work. Continue reading “Give me an R! Snubbed by Olympics again, cheerleading continues quest for respect”

All eyes on Marvin Harrison Jr. as Arizona Cardinals kick off minicamp

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Sports-Cardinals Marvin Harrison. 740 words.
  • 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
  • Video available.

By Mateo Arenas
Cronkite News

TEMPE – All eyes were on Marvin Harrison Jr. as the Arizona Cardinals kicked off minicamp.

The Cardinals ran through the first day of mandatory minicamp Tuesday. After an exciting offseason, headlined with the selection of Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the young wide receiver was the center of attention.

Continue reading “All eyes on Marvin Harrison Jr. as Arizona Cardinals kick off minicamp”

‘Voice for the voiceless’: Natasha Cloud, Phoenix Mercury use platform to raise gun safety awareness

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Mercury Gun Control, 1,160 words
  • 3 photos available.

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Natasha Cloud had an arranged dinner with her agent Thursday night, but a burdened heart forced the Phoenix Mercury guard to cancel.

Cloud, teammate Natasha Mack and other staff members attended a two-and-a-half-hour private Moms Demand Action event earlier in the day. They met with local gun violence survivors and their families to hear their stories in preparation for Gun Safety Awareness theme night Friday at Footprint Center. Moms Demand Action is a nationwide grassroots movement that advocates for improved gun laws to protect the country from gun violence.

“(The event) was heavy,” Cloud said after shootaround Friday morning. “We could have been there all day, having those survivors, whether they actually survived the bullet themselves or a family member was taken from them, to hear their stories, to hear their trauma, that is never fruitful. I hear a lot of times (people say), ‘This person lost so-and-so.’ They didn’t lose (someone); they were taken from them.” Continue reading “‘Voice for the voiceless’: Natasha Cloud, Phoenix Mercury use platform to raise gun safety awareness”

Entertainment or exploitation? Controversial Micro Mania Tour that highlights wrestlers with dwarfism stops in Phoenix

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Controversial Wrestling Tour 1,500 words
  • 13 photos available.

By Aaron Decker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The metal trash can lid collides with the wrestler’s head, delivering a resounding “clang” and toppling the man to the mat. His opponent looks out into the crowd, absorbing the cheers and boos from the hundreds of fans surrounding the ring that rests in the middle of a bar floor. The room turns warm, and emits an aroma of draft beer, liquor and buffalo wings. They have packed into the Phoenix bar to see the wrestling tour that brandishes its name on the ringside banner, The Micro Mania Tour.

The wrestling tour travels the country with a roster of competitors who are primarily people with dwarfism. The show presents an entertaining night of wrestling, comedy and even singing before organizers tear down the ring, throw equipment in a van and drive to the next show.

The Micro Mania Tour is one of a few traveling wrestling tours that promote wrestlers with dwarfism, but it is unique in that it proudly advertises itself as “midget wrestling” and openly challenges the idea that the word “midget” is derogatory. The tour’s merchandise uses the word, and its ringside banner proclaims “Midget Lives Matter.” The tour’s organizer, Billy Blade, has said that the goal is to make the word midget great again and turn the perceived insensitive word on its head. Continue reading “Entertainment or exploitation? Controversial Micro Mania Tour that highlights wrestlers with dwarfism stops in Phoenix”

Misplaced artifacts, inaccurate inventories and 2% of Native American remains returned to tribes: Inside ASU’s repatriation record

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA-ASU. 4,350 words.
  • Photos, documents and embeddable graphics available (all below body copy).
  • Video available.

By Sam Ellefson and Aspen Ford
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

PHOENIX – Thirty-four years ago, Congress granted Native American tribes a pathway to reclaim ancestors that were dug up, stored and sometimes displayed in museums. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) required American institutions to return them.

The road to repatriation has been long at Arizona State University. The university has made under 2% of its Indigenous human remains available to Native American tribes, among the lowest rates in the nation, according to an investigation by Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU.

Continue reading “Misplaced artifacts, inaccurate inventories and 2% of Native American remains returned to tribes: Inside ASU’s repatriation record”

Low staffing, space crunch hobble state museum’s Native American repatriation work at UArizona

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA-UArizona. 2,850 words.
  • Photos, documents and embeddable graphics available (all below body copy).
  • Video available.

By Reagan Priest and Christopher Lomahquahu
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

TUCSON – In early February, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, took to the Senate floor to lambast 70 universities and museums for failing to return tens of thousands of Indigenous human remains and artifacts to the Native American tribes from which they were taken.

Schatz called the institutions the foremost offenders of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA, and accused them of having “done everything in their power to obstruct and obfuscate when confronted about their collections.”

One of the institutions Schatz singled out was the University of Arizona.

Continue reading “Low staffing, space crunch hobble state museum’s Native American repatriation work at UArizona”

As farmers age and the number of farms shrinks, new growers struggle to get started in the agriculture industry

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Young Farmers. 655 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Amaia J. Gavica
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The average American farmer was 58 years old the last time the U.S. Department of Agriculture checked.

As food producers age, the number of farms is shrinking. For younger growers, land to get started on is increasingly scarce. Many gravitate toward organic and sustainable farming, where competition and costs are also obstacles.

There were just over 1.9 million farms nationwide in 2022, according to the USDA’s 2022 census – down 315,000 over the last quarter-century and by 141,733, or 7%, in just the last five years.

Continue reading “As farmers age and the number of farms shrinks, new growers struggle to get started in the agriculture industry”

How Cronkite News and the Howard Center reported on NAGPRA

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA-How We Did It. 310 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Staff
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

PHOENIX – Reporters for Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University examined the repatriation records of Arizona’s three flagship public universities and wrote stories about the two with the largest collections of unrepatriated Native American human remains and artifacts: the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Northern Arizona University, with a collection of fewer than 10 human remains, made its entire holdings available for repatriation to the Hopi Tribe in 2022 and did not figure prominently in the investigation.

Continue reading “How Cronkite News and the Howard Center reported on NAGPRA”

Community, healing and justice: Indigenous journalists share what reporting on repatriation meant to them

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA-First Person. 1,030 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).
  • Video available.

By Chad Bradley, Aspen Ford and Christopher Lomahquahu
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

PHOENIX – In January, eight reporters set out to report stories about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA for short, as part of the course work for a master’s degree in investigative reporting at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

All early career journalists, they came from different states and different family backgrounds. Yet they all shared a keen desire to spotlight an important national issue and give readers and viewers information they didn’t have.

Continue reading “Community, healing and justice: Indigenous journalists share what reporting on repatriation meant to them”

What is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990?

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: NAGPRA-Explainer. 335 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Staff
Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU

PHOENIX – The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 outlines a process by which tribes can reclaim ancestors and artifacts that were taken from their ancestral homelands.

The law’s major stakeholders include the nation’s 574 federally recognized tribes and villages, federally funded archeological institutions and museums, and federal agencies.

Continue reading “What is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990?”

Just an eagle: One player’s perspective of competing in a U.S. Amateur Qualifier

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-U.S. Amateur Qualifier First Person, 1,100 words
  • 2 photos available.

By Jack Reeves
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – One hole to play, I need an eagle to advance. From 245 yards away on the par-5 closing hole, I hit a cut off the left side of the green, tracking right on the flag, waiting for the ball to land.

A potential spot in the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship awaits.

Four hours earlier, I started my round at Desert Highlands Golf Club, looking to finish in the top eight of the 76-player qualifier field. If I make the cut, I advance to the final qualifying stage, looking to eventually make the field at Hazeltine National. Continue reading “Just an eagle: One player’s perspective of competing in a U.S. Amateur Qualifier”

CORRECTION to June 4 story about Arizona’s cannabis social equity program

by Julia Thompson

EDS: Clients who used a Cronkite News story slugged BC-CNS-Cannabis Social Equity that moved Tuesday, June 4, under a PHOENIX dateline are asked to run the following correction. The error occurred in the 55th graf of the original. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.

PHOENIX – A June 4 Cronkite News story about Arizona’s cannabis social equity program misquoted civil litigation and cannabis lawyer Jimmy Cool. “You’re going to send these people back to their communities, they’re going to spend money at the local store, they’re gonna contribute to the property tax base, they are going to enrich their community,” Cool said. “It creates economic activity in these areas that we hollowed out.”

Congress gave citizenship to Native Americans a century ago, but voting rights would come decades later

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Indian Citizenship Turns 100. 1,695 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – June 2 marked one century since then-President Calvin Coolidge signed a law granting American citizenship to Native Americans.

Women had secured the right to vote four years earlier under the 19th Amendment. For the nation’s 250,000 or so Native Americans, the Indian Citizenship Law promised acceptance, economic opportunity and legal protections.

But it was not intended to ensure voting rights.

That remained the purview of states, and many threw up obstacles for decades. Arizona, in particular, used literacy tests and other tools to quash voting rights of Americans who also happened to be Native American.

Continue reading “Congress gave citizenship to Native Americans a century ago, but voting rights would come decades later”

Supreme Court rules in favor of two Native American tribes in dispute with federal government over insurance billing fees

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: BC-CNS-SCOTUS Tribal Health. 425 words.
  • File photo available.

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the federal government must pay millions in administrative and overhead costs for federal health care programs that Native American tribes had taken over.

The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act authorizes Indian tribes and Tribal Organizations to contract for the administration and operation of certain federal programs, such as those run by the Indian Health Service, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Continue reading “Supreme Court rules in favor of two Native American tribes in dispute with federal government over insurance billing fees”

Fashion forward: How the ABA paved the way for NBA style, player expression

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports-NBA Fashion ABA, 2,300 words.
  • 3 photo available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — As the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics tip off Thursday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the primary focus will be on Kyrie Irving’s wizardry, Luka Doncic’s bionic eyes and Jayson Tatum’s exceptional wing play.

However, before stepping on the court, the superstars stroll through the arena tunnel. Here, one will witness the flair expressed in their outfit choices. For several decades, NBA players have taken pride in showing off their game day clothing selection in the tunnel.

Still, whether it’s a vibrant suit, simple overalls or a white T-shirt, the players’ freedom to express themselves through fashion derives from the American Basketball Association, an innovative basketball league that experienced its glory days from 1967 to 1976. Continue reading “Fashion forward: How the ABA paved the way for NBA style, player expression”

Boosting mental health through haircuts: ClipDart recreates barbershop, salon experience for Glendale older adults

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: BC-CNS-ClipDart Haircuts. 790 words. David Ulloa Jr.
  • Photos, file video available.

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Surrounded by the low hum of clippers and the click of scissors cutting hair, a group of older adults sits at a long rectangular table in the Glendale Community Center. They place beans on Lotería cards – a traditional Mexican game similar to bingo – as one of the staffers calls out the names of icons on the playing cards, in broken yet well-intentioned Spanish. One client jumps up from her salon chair as soon as her haircut is done to join the rest of them to see if she can fill her card and yell “Lotería!” to win the game.

The barbers and hairstylists at the Glendale Community Center are part of a nonprofit organization called The ClipDart Giveback, a group of mobile barbers and hairstylists who help improve the mental health of vulnerable communities by providing an authentic barbershop and hair salon experience.

Continue reading “Boosting mental health through haircuts: ClipDart recreates barbershop, salon experience for Glendale older adults”

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark outlines new-look conference’s vision in meeting with Arizona Board of Regents

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports-Big 12 Commissioner ABOR. 700 words
  • 2 photos available.

By Mateo Arenas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Big 12 Conference is set to leave its mark on Arizona, as a positive early step was checked off Thursday.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was in Tempe, speaking to the Arizona Board of Regents at Arizona State’s Fulton Center. Yormark spoke on the current state of college athletics, highlighting the new-look Big 12 with the addition of several schools, including ASU and the University of Arizona.

The conversation covered a variety of topics embedded in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, including expansion, revenue-sharing, and name, image and likeness. Joined on stage by recently hired athletic directors Desireé Reed-Francois of Arizona and Graham Rossini of ASU, Yormark emphasized his vision for the Big 12 as the conference expands to 16 teams starting this fall.

“I love the market, and it’s always nice to pay a visit here,” Yormark said. “I will say there’s never been a more important time for college athletics than right now … As I see it, (sport) sits at the front porch of every institution for all the right reasons, and it drives the ecosystem across the board.”

Continue reading “Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark outlines new-look conference’s vision in meeting with Arizona Board of Regents”

CORRECTION to June 5 story about right-to-contraception bill

by Julia Thompson

EDS: Clients who used the Cronkite News story slugged BC-CNS-Contraceptives Senate that moved Wednesday, June 5, under a WASHINGTON dateline are asked to run the following correction. The error occurred in the headline of the original. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.

WASHINGTON – The headline on a June 5 Cronkite News story about a measure that attempted to ensure access to birth control nationwide misspelled the first name of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Senate Republicans block right-to-contraception bill backed by Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona

by Julia Thompson

EDS: An earlier version of this story contained an error in the headline. It has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

  • Slug: BC-CNS-Contraceptives Senate. 920 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans blocked a measure that would ensure access to birth control nationwide as reproductive rights dominate the upcoming Arizona elections.

The 51-39 vote fell short of the 60 needed to proceed. Democrats had expected the effort to fail but were eager to score political points.

The bill would have codified access to contraception, regardless of any state-level restrictions, though no states are moving in that direction. Republicans called the legislation unnecessary.

Continue reading “Senate Republicans block right-to-contraception bill backed by Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona”

LUCHA files lawsuit, vows to fight controversial HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: BC-CNS-HCR 2060 Lawsuit. 650 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lauren De Young
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In the wake of the passage of HCR 2060, Living United for Change in Arizona filed a lawsuit against the state Wednesday aiming to strike it from the ballot in November.

The lawsuit claims that House Concurrent Resolution 2060, known as the Secure the Border Act, violated the single-subject rule, which states that the measures within a bill must be united under one subject.

“This is not some mere technicality. This rule ensures that acts of the Legislature do not result in surprise from unrelated propositions that are under the same act in order to attract majority support for what would otherwise be unpopular measures,” said Jim Barton, an attorney for LUCHA.

Continue reading “LUCHA files lawsuit, vows to fight controversial HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act”