Author: Adnan Alam

Attempt to repeal abortion ban fails as House devolves into raucous shouting

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Repeal Repelled,850 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona House blocked two efforts to overturn a near-total ban on abortion Wednesday, one day after the 19th-century law was reinstated by the state Supreme Court.

The procedural moves to block the repeal sparked an outburst by angry Democrats, who shouted down the lawmakers who called for a recess. That was followed by a more-civil, but no more successful second try later in the day before the House adjourned for a week.

Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, D-Tucson, said “the eyes of the world watching the state of Arizona” and she urged her colleagues to stay in session and vote to reverse the Supreme Court’s “extreme” ruling. Continue reading “Attempt to repeal abortion ban fails as House devolves into raucous shouting”

Clinics vow to continue providing abortions, but unsure for how much longer

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Scramble,550 words.
  • File photo, video story available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sadie Buggle and Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – One day after the Arizona Supreme Court resurrected a law that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, clinics around the state said they will continue offering care even as they scramble to figure out how long they can do so.

The court ruled Tuesday that an 1864 law banning abortions in all cases except to save the life of the mother is still in effect, overriding a 2022 law that allowed abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. But the justices put the ruling on hold to allow for legal challenges in lower courts – a delay that different groups have said could be 14 days or two months. Continue reading “Clinics vow to continue providing abortions, but unsure for how much longer”

Despite auction date set, roadblocks lie ahead in Arizona Coyotes’ trip to new arena as Salt Lake City makes overtures

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Coyotes Arena Potential Move. 1,300 words.
  • Photo available

By Zach Mott
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The Arizona Coyotes have had a wild month. Between zeroing in on yet another potential place in the Valley to call home and news that the NHL has reportedly dropped a contingency plan in case the team is relocated to Salt Lake City – along with the owner of the Utah Jazz asking fans on social media for possible team names should SLC lure the ‘Yotes – there has been no shortage of off-the-ice drama.

Now, Coyotes fans will have to wait until June 27 to see if and where the team’s future exists.

The Coyotes are focused on a 110-acre piece of land next to the Desert Ridge Marketplace in north Phoenix, right off Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road, a parcel of desert that was approved for auction on March 14. An already popular area will become more popular with the addition of the arena and the entertainment district in the surrounding areas, according to Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo.

But the interest from business executives and politicians in Utah could prompt the franchise to once again pull up stakes and move to what it considers greener pastures. In 1996, the Winnipeg Jets moved to the Valley and rebranded as the Phoenix Coyotes, before changing the name in 2014 to the Arizona Coyotes.

Continue reading “Despite auction date set, roadblocks lie ahead in Arizona Coyotes’ trip to new arena as Salt Lake City makes overtures”

Ra’Shaad Samples, ASU’s coveted wide receivers coach, leaves for new role with Oregon Ducks

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Ra’Shaad Samples Oregon. 500 words.
  • Photo available.

By Timothy Russell
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The heralded Texas-to-Tempe football pipeline took a rough detour this week.

Ra’Shaad Samples, Arizona State’s wide receivers coach and one of the most dynamic recruiters in the country, has left the Sun Devils for the University of Oregon, where he will be the Ducks’ running backs coach and assistant head coach. The news comes just four months after Samples signed an extension with ASU that was meant to keep him in the Valley through the 2025 season.

Samples, 29, was also ASU’s passing game coordinator. Before he joined the Sun Devils, his resume was already stacked, as he worked his way up to an assistant coach at SMU after three years with the team from 2019-2021. Samples had also been TCU’s assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2021 before joining the Los Angeles Rams.

The loss of Samples comes smack in the middle of ASU’s spring practices, tossing yet another hurdle at a team searching for ways to jump-start its stagnant program.

“You lose your wide receiver coach at the time, but that’s the nature of adversity,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said Tuesday.

Continue reading “Ra’Shaad Samples, ASU’s coveted wide receivers coach, leaves for new role with Oregon Ducks”

HBCU All-Star Game shines spotlight on Black excellence during Final Four weekend

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-HBCU Showcase. 760 words.
  • Photo available.

By Jaden Batiest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Rick Mahorn, who played 18 seasons in the NBA and won a league championship with the 1988-89 Detroit Pistons, established his college basketball roots at Hampton University, a Historically Black College and University in Hampton, Virginia.

So Mahorn knows better than most about the progress of HBCU sports over decades, and he saw it on display from the sidelines Sunday when he was one of two NBA legends coaching some of the best HBCU basketball players in the country at the third annual HBCU All-Star Game at Grand Canyon University’s Global Credit Union Arena.

Ben Wallace – also a former Piston who played college basketball at another HBCU, Virginia Union University – coached the opposing All-Star team.

There was “nothing like this,” Mahorn said, when he starred at Hampton from 1976-1980. Thanks to the vision of Travis Williams, the CEO and founder of the HBCU All-Star Game, “this wouldn’t be possible,” Mahorn added.

Continue reading “HBCU All-Star Game shines spotlight on Black excellence during Final Four weekend”

Sky-high action, sharpshooting tips off Final Four weekend at GCU’s Global Credit Union Arena

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Final Four Slam Dunk Update, 830 words.
  • 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Noah Maltzman
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Nicknamed “Young Skywalker,” Grand Canyon star Gabe McGlothan played a significant role in his team’s 30-win season and stuffed the stat sheet in the 12th-seeded Lopes’ first-round NCAA Tournament upset over the fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels.

He posted a double-double in that game, Grand Canyon’s first NCAA Tournament victory ever, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

And McGlothan put on another March Madness show to remember in front of his home crowd during last Thursday’s 35th annual State Farm College Dunk & 3-Point Championships at Global Credit Union Arena. Continue reading “Sky-high action, sharpshooting tips off Final Four weekend at GCU’s Global Credit Union Arena”

Despite overcast skies, ‘Great American Eclipse’ delivers for Arizona fans

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Sun Screen,770 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

FLAGSTAFF – The weather was chilly and the skies were partly cloudy, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds who came to Lowell Observatory to watch the last solar eclipse in the continental U.S. for the next 20 years.

The observatory was not in the path of totality for Monday’s so-called “Great American Eclipse,” which cast a shadow from Texas through New England, but sky-watchers in Arizona were able to see about two-thirds of the sun blocked by the moon at the height of the eclipse. Continue reading “Despite overcast skies, ‘Great American Eclipse’ delivers for Arizona fans”

For second time in a month, feds shower billions on Arizona microchip makers

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Chips Shot,720 words.
  • File photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Biden administration announced Monday that it will award $6.6 billion in grants and another $5 billion in loans to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to enhance and expand semiconductor production in Arizona.

It’s the second time in three weeks that the White House has delivered CHIPS and Science Act funds to an Arizona chipmaker – Intel received $8.5 billion in grants and $11 billion in loans last month for its planned expansion in the state.

Federal and local officials hailed the support for TSMC, which is currently building two semiconductor plants in Phoenix and will now invest in a third, moves supporters say will help create thousands of jobs in the state. Continue reading “For second time in a month, feds shower billions on Arizona microchip makers”

Water and power collide in proposed $100 million Colorado River deal

by Adnan Alam

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

  • Slug: BC-CNS-Shoshone Water,2420 words.
  • 6 photos, audio story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alex Hager
KUNC

Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon is as busy as it is majestic. At the base of its snowy, near-vertical walls, the narrow chasm hums with life. On one side, the Colorado River tumbles through whitewater rapids. On the other, cars and trucks whoosh by on a busy interstate.

Pinched in the middle of it all is the Shoshone Generating Station.

“It is a nondescript brown building off of I-70 that most people don’t notice when they’re driving,” said Amy Moyer, director of strategic partnerships at the Colorado River District. “But if you are in the water world, it holds the key for one of the most interesting and important water rights on the Colorado River.” Continue reading “Water and power collide in proposed $100 million Colorado River deal”

Nothing short of madness: UConn basketball seeks rare feat in Men’s and Women’s Final Fours

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-UConn Men Women Basketball, 800 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Brevan Branscum
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As the UConn men’s basketball team prepares to take on Alabama in the NCAA Division I Men’s Final Four in Glendale Saturday, there’s a chance to make history. The Huskies are two wins away from becoming the seventh program ever to win back-to-back NCAA championships, and the first since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007.

However, with the UConn women’s basketball team also playing in the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland, UConn basketball has a chance to enter much more illustrious territory with four combined wins this weekend.

If both the men’s and women’s teams win their respective NCAA tournaments, it would be just the third time in history that one school wins both championships in the same year. Continue reading “Nothing short of madness: UConn basketball seeks rare feat in Men’s and Women’s Final Fours”

‘She was this diamond’: Before women’s Final Four gems, Ann Meyers Drysdale lit up the court

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Ann Meyers Drysdale, 1,500 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jaden Batiest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Whenever Caitlin Clark sinks a smooth jump shot, Ann Meyers Drysdale probably smiles. When Angel Reese forces a turnover, Meyers Drysdale likely nods in approval. When JuJu Watkins attacks the rim in the blink of an eye, Meyers Drysdale must feel like offering a fist bump.

Five decades might separate Meyers Drysdale from today’s female college basketball players, but a true baller’s heart always beats slightly faster this time of the year.

March Madness is upon us, and the excitement surrounding women’s basketball is real. Rising stars like Clark, Reese and Watkins are receiving extensive coverage. The level of attention compared to the era when Meyers was on the court illustrates the monumental progress women’s basketball has made. Continue reading “‘She was this diamond’: Before women’s Final Four gems, Ann Meyers Drysdale lit up the court”

Back in Arizona: Men’s Final Four provides full circle moment for NC State’s DJ Horne

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-DJ Horne Returns, 800 words.
  • 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – The 2022-2023 season for the Arizona State men’s basketball team was one of its most successful in recent years. The team won 22 games and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018-2019.

Despite the short postseason stint, guard DJ Horne made a name for himself, leading the team in scoring in both games. Soon afterward, Horne announced he was entering the transfer portal and weeks later, he revealed he was transferring closer to home – North Carolina State – with most believing he would never return to Arizona.

Fast forward a year later and Horne is back in the Valley, this time leading NC State to a Men’s Final Four bid. Continue reading “Back in Arizona: Men’s Final Four provides full circle moment for NC State’s DJ Horne”

Mudita: Alabama men’s basketball practices Buddhist mindset, turns around season

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Alabama Basketball Mudita,  630 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Addison Kalmbach
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Successful programs often have a secret that pushes them through adversity, and the Alabama men’s basketball team is no different. But it took a slow start to the season for the Crimson Tide to discover it.

Mudita.

“(It’s) a really like a big thing for me … and I feel like I’ve tried to embrace that idea no matter what the game entails,” freshman sharpshooting Sam Walters said. Continue reading “Mudita: Alabama men’s basketball practices Buddhist mindset, turns around season”

DJ Burns Jr. shines bright during remarkable NC State March Madness run

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-NC State DJ Burns, 1,300 words.
  • 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jayla French
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Thanks to his artful footwork, bright smile and infectious energy, DJ Burns Jr. has gained the attention of many sports fans during North Carolina State’s remarkable run through March Madness.

Burns has been a key part of the Wolfpack’s success in the Men’s NCAA Tournament, starting with the team’s first ACC Tournament win in 41 years. Averaging 18.3 points in the past four games, he has been instrumental in helping No. 11 seed NC State reach Saturday’s Final Four game against No. 1 Purdue at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

While his highlight reels are plentiful and have helped turn him into something of a folk hero, they simply illustrate who he has always been. Continue reading “DJ Burns Jr. shines bright during remarkable NC State March Madness run”

The greatest, least talked about team: How the 1997 Arizona Wildcats became March’s underdogs

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Arizona 1997 NCAA Tournament, 1,700 words.
  • video available

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Twenty-seven years after the University of Arizona surprised the men’s college basketball world by taking home the 1997 title, the team’s former players still feel they don’t quite receive the recognition they deserve. Led by a group of almost all underclassmen, the Wildcats fought through their relative inexperience to win the 1997 championship.

“We’re the only team to ever beat three number one (seeds),” Miles Simon, a junior guard on the team and current Phoenix Suns assistant coach. “It’s never been done before and might not ever be done again. But this type of stuff is embedded in my mind forever.”

Though Arizona is called the Wildcats, they were certainly underdogs in the tournament. While they came into the tournament seeded fourth, national doubt surrounded whether the Wildcats could make the Final Four after being ranked just 15th in the country and losing their last two games of the season. Continue reading “The greatest, least talked about team: How the 1997 Arizona Wildcats became March’s underdogs”

Low-income hearing health care expanded to all three Arizona universities

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Hearing Help,1200 words.
  • 5 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Annika Tourlas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Jane M. Howard Turner lived with the “noise of the night,” a term she coined in her youth when a medication caused permanent ringing in her ears. For decades, Turner watched her mother manage progressive hearing loss without realizing that the “noise of the night” was a sign that Turner was in the same situation.

Turner had her hearing tested for the first time at 19 years old, when doctors told her to sleep with the television on to try to muffle the constant ringing in her ears. Over 50 years later, Turner finally received proper hearing health care from the Arizona State University Speech and Hearing Clinic . Continue reading “Low-income hearing health care expanded to all three Arizona universities”

Pressure? What pressure? Beyond rankings, top Chicago Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong focused on MLB glory

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Cubs Prospect, 1,100 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Tyler Bednar
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Pete Crow-Armstrong, who MLB.com has identified as the Chicago Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, had a colorful explanation for how he has handled the pressure that comes along with that title.

“I think I’ve handled it very well,” Crow-Armstrong said during a recent break from spring training at Sloan Park. “I don’t think (the pressure) has ever leaked into my play … It’s (expletive) baseball at the end of the day. There’s a lot of us, and I’ve felt the same over the last few years, (expletive) No. 1 prospect, No. 2 (prospect), that could be given to a number of guys in this organization. I don’t feel like that’s a very special thing. I think it’s special in the sense that there’s a lot of us that can hold that “title”.”

“All of that stuff is ridiculous anyways. We’re all here to play baseball. We’re not here to get ranked. We’re here to make the big leagues and win a World Series.” Continue reading “Pressure? What pressure? Beyond rankings, top Chicago Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong focused on MLB glory”

Purdue Boilermakers chase redemption in first Final Four appearance since 1980

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Purdue Basketball Motivation, 1,070 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Making the Final Four in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament can be notoriously difficult, with some Power 5 programs going decades between appearances. This year is no different, with Alabama making its first appearance in the Final Four, as well as NC State reaching its first appearance since 1983’s championship run.

But for the Purdue Boilermakers, reaching the men’s Final Four marks not only their first appearance in the landmark event since 1980 but also a chance to avenge their past demons in the hunt for the program’s first championship.

This weekend’s stage at State Farm Stadium is unknown territory for Purdue and coach Matt Painter, who has never made it to the Final Four in his coaching career. The top-seeded Boilermakers face No. 11 N.C. State to kick off the slate Saturday at 3:09 p.m., followed by No. 1 seed UConn against fourth-seed Alabama. The winners meet Monday night in the title game. Continue reading “Purdue Boilermakers chase redemption in first Final Four appearance since 1980”

Elite Interscholastic Basketball Conference goes off without hitch in inaugural season

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-EIBC Baseball Conference, 780 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Noah Maltzman
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Red Rock Academy narrowly defeated Canyon International Academy in the Elite Interscholastic Basketball Conference Finals last month at The PHHacility.

But the inaugural title game did play out like the average hoops game.

Founded in August of last year by Barry Jones, the EIBC has been a massive success in its first season with a unique set of rules. Continue reading “Elite Interscholastic Basketball Conference goes off without hitch in inaugural season”

Art of stealing bases: ASU softball creating chaos on basepaths

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-ASU Softball Base Stealing, 1,700 words.
  • 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Aaron Decker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The neon yellow ball, just released from the revolving arm of the pitcher, accelerates to the Arizona State batter at the plate. Then a whoosh of the bat. A pop in the glove. Strike out!

Success for the Oregon Ducks, except for the reveal at second base. An ASU player dashing from first base to second base. The catcher doesn’t even offer a throw, there is no chance to stop it. The player, Tanya Windle, just stole second base.

As expected no major celebration follows this tiny victory but jubilee is the result when Windle slides into home plate minutes later, morphing her slide into an immediate jolt upright and an indulgent celebration. Continue reading “Art of stealing bases: ASU softball creating chaos on basepaths”