PHOENIX – Rep. Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake had a polite handshake to start their first and potentially last U.S. Senate debate, but that was the friendliest moment in a border-focused and interruption-prone event.
Gallego and Lake quickly launched broadsides about their opponent’s position on the border, with Lake firing off comments about open borders and Gallego countering with her position on the failed bipartisan immigration bill.
PHOENIX – Tyus Jones could be the missing link to unleashing the Phoenix Suns’ offensive potential and bringing an NBA championship to the Valley in 2025.
Jones will look to spearhead a high-tempo brand of basketball oriented on crisp ball movement and transition 3-pointers while serving as a security blanket that maximizes each player’s strengths.
Slug: Sports-Booker Russell friendshop, 1,060 words.
Photo available.
By Connor Moreno Cronkite News
PALM DESERT, Calif. — As Devin Booker wrapped up his routine of feeling out the game ball before the Phoenix Suns tipped off last Sunday’s preseason game, Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell jokingly tried to steal the ball in front of referee Kevin Cutler to stop Booker from getting comfortable.
After exchanging a few words and laughs, the two guards embraced with a dap-up and a hug and lined up on their respective sides of the jump ball circle to open the 2024 NBA preseason – marking the start of the 10th season for the friendly foes.
From getting each other in trouble for breaking curfew at the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2014, to hitting golf balls at Booker’s mountainside driving range in the 2024 offseason as a part of Russell’s “Backyard Podcast,” their friendship has mostly been unknown to the public. Continue reading “Book & D-Lo: One of NBA’s closest friendship is hidden in plain sight”
Slug: Latino Blood Drive. 470 words. By Brianna Chappie
Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
By Brianna Chappie Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood donation, according to the American Red Cross. The Southwest Arizona Chapter of the organization is running a campaign to encourage more Latinos in Arizona to donate blood.
The Southwest Arizona Chapter serves 1.4 million people across Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Yuma, La Paz, Graham and Greenlee counties. The group’s”Los Donates” campaign, timed to coincide with Hispanic Heritage seeks to inspire more Latinos in Arizona to donate blood and help meet the critical demand.
“Donating blood is one of the noblest acts a person can do,” said Edgar Olivo, CEO of the Red Cross of Arizona and New Mexico.
The initiative draws inspiration from the traditional Mexican card game lotería, similar to bingo. The donantes, or donors, featured on the Red Cross cards represent people who’ve won because they’ve donated a lifesaving necessity which is blood donations.
Around 60 percent of Latinos have Type O blood, according to the American Red Cross. Type O is vital: O-positive blood is the most common blood type, account for an estimated 37% of the world’s population. O-negative blood is a universal donor, meaning it can be donated to anyone regardless of blood type or phenotypes.
Latinos also make up 30.7% of Arizona’s population, showing a heightened need for a significant portion of people in the state.
Olivo emphasized how increasing the number of blood donors could help meet the needs of people outside urban areas.
“We know that the rural hospitals, the ones that are away from the metro Phoenix area, are the ones that need blood just as much as the metro hospitals as well,” Olivo said.
Ashley Mérida, chapter president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses in Phoenix, says that fighting misinformation is a challenge when it comes to encouraging new donors.
“I think a lot of Latinos have a lot of misinformation regarding the donation of blood,” Mérida said. “I’ve heard some people say that it can alter the DNA. It changes the DNA. I’ve heard people just say like they just really aren’t interested, or maybe it’s just the lack of time of getting to a blood drive.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs was at the Red Cross’ Hispanic Heritage Month Kick Off on Sept. 17 and encouraged all people to donate, regardless of blood type.
“Even if you don’t have Type O blood, your donation is invaluable,” Hobbs said. “So today, I’m encouraging all of you celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month to consider doing so by making a blood donation and encouraging your friends and family to do so as well.”
Hispanic heritage Month runs through Oct. 15. Anyone interested in donating blood or blood platelets can visit the American Red Cross website to find the nearest American Red Cross clinics and view available times to donate.
Attendees and media representatives at the launch of the Los Donantes initiative in Phoenix on September 17, 2024. (Photo by Ignacio Ventura/Cronkite News)Scarlett Spring donates blood at Health & Wellness Phoestival on April 13, 2024. (File photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)
TUCSON – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium came alive as Tucsonans flocked to the diamond for a vibrant weekend of baseball, food and lively music to celebrate Mexican culture during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Mexican Baseball Fiesta, a beloved annual Tucson tradition, hosted professional teams from the Mexican Pacific League along with a special appearance from the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.
TEMPE – Other than their names ending in “ham” and guiding their teams to identical records through the first six weeks of the college football season, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham share few similarities.
On Friday night at Mountain America Stadium, the two coaches will lead their 4-1 teams into battle against one another in a true test of youth against experience.
The 64-year-old Whittingham has been with the Utes since 1994, becoming the head coach in 2004 after the University of Florida took a chance on an exciting new coach named Urban Meyer. Since then, Whittingham has amassed a record of 166-80, quietly becoming one of the nation’s best coaches. Continue reading “Battle of the ‘Hams’: ASU braces for No. 16 Utah under Friday night lights”
PHOENIX – ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” “College GameDay,” and the 2024 U.S. Open Tennis Championships are among the most notable television sports programs that DirecTV customers could not view in September as a result of the contract negotiations between cable provider DirecTV and entertainment giant, The Walt Disney Co.
The deal impacted viewers for 13 days, but for diehard sports fans, it felt much longer.
Suzy Emre, a college football and Kansas City Chiefs fan, was one of the many DirecTV customers who vocalized their dissatisfaction with the platform’s failure to secure a deal in time for the football season. Like Emre and other sports fans, their love for the game has a personal connection, and missing the first games of the season left them feeling empty. Continue reading “DirecTV-Disney standoff underscores ongoing media industry shift, future of sports fan viewership”
Slug: Sports–Arizona Fall League Preview, 1050 words.
4 photos available.
By Grace Del Pizzo Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – Baseball in Arizona is truly a year-long love affair. It begins in February, when 15 big league teams make their spring home in the Cactus League.
It continues with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ season from March through at least September. And every October, the top prospects in baseball descend upon the Valley to make their mark in the Arizona Fall League, which began play Monday.
Slug: Sports–Coyotes Transition to Utah, 1,600 words.
Photos available.
By Chase Beardsley Cronkite News
SALT LAKE CITY – As the NHL drops the puck on the 2024-25 regular season Tuesday, Arizona hockey fans are facing off with the reality that their hockey club is gone.
The Arizona Coyotes are now the Utah Hockey Club, which opens the season against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center. In April, the NHL’s board of governors approved the sale of the team to tech billionaire Ryan Smith, who owns the NBA Utah Jazz, and signed off on the club’s relocation to Salt Lake City.
Slug: Sports–Suns v. Lakers Palm Springs. 872 words.
Photo available.
By Connor Moreno Cronkite News
PALM DESERT, Calif. – There would be no history if there wasn’t a first.
It was a night of firsts for the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers during a 118-114 Phoenix preseason victory over at Acrisure Arena Sunday. It was the Suns’ first game under new coach Mike Budenholzer. It was the first time their new point guard, Tyus Jones, took the floor with “SUNS” stitched across his jersey.
And it was the first time in NBA history that a father-son duo graced the floor together in either a preseason or regular-season NBA game.
TUCSON – Just when it appeared Arizona was ready to live up to preseason expectations after they upset top-10 ranked Utah on the road, the Wildcats wasted a strong defensive effort and lost at home to Texas Tech.
The Wildcats dominated in almost every area against the Red Raiders, except the one that counts most – the score.
Arizona beat Tech handily in time of possession, total yards and first downs. However, the Wildcats were unable to finish off drives, settling instead for five Tyler Loop field goals in a 28-22 loss at Arizona Stadium. The offensive woes wasted a solid Wildcats defensive performance against a good Red Raiders offense that came in averaging 41.6 points a game. Continue reading “Tech fall: Arizona slips to 3-2 with home loss to Red Raiders; road test at BYU next”
WASHINGTON – The threat of a government shutdown thrust noncitizen voting, a long-standing Arizona political flashpoint, into the national spotlight after House Speaker Mike Johnson paired the government funding package with a controversial election integrity bill.
Backed by former President Donald Trump and four U.S. House representatives from Arizona, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
LOS ANGELES – Last month, experts examined cancer in medically underserved communities at the 17th annual American Association for Cancer Research Conference in Los Angeles. One panel was dedicated to the intersections of climate change and cancer disparities.
The panelists said there is a need for a more equitable approach to environmental justice and cancer care among marginalized communities.
TEMPE – Even with the scorching heat pummeling down on Arizona residents, hundreds of people still come out every Sunday morning to run on Tempe Town Lake because of the sense of community that BLK Arizona Run Club provides.
Every Sunday starts at 7:30 a.m. with a group stretch, with the runners surrounded by Black-owned business vendors. From fresh lemonade to granola bars, attendees are enticed by healthy options before, during and after running along the lake.
TACOMA – Jack Gohlke’s journey since he drilled 10 3-point shots to lead 14th seeded Oakland University to a Cinderella upset of third-seeded Kentucky in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament began as a nationwide tour.
TEMPE – Shawn Philips and Adam Miller are just entering their 20s, but in the Arizona State locker room, they are now considered the old heads. Philips and Miller are two of only four players remaining from last year’s ASU men’s basketball team who will embark on another campaign in the desert.
Despite massive roster upheaval – for a second consecutive offseason – coach Bobby Hurley is optimistic as the new-look Sun Devils head into their first season in the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25.
LOS ANGELES – As California grapples with a surge in crime, the debate over how to address the issue has divided the state. Proposition 36, also known as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, would toughen penalties for nonviolent drug and theft offenses and add new sentencing enhancements.
Supporters argue it’s a necessary step to rebuild communities’ safety and health while critics warn the proposition will refill prisons and disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
If passed, Prop. 36 would reverse Proposition 47, an extensive prison and sentencing reform measure. Since its adoption nearly a decade ago, it has reduced the prison population, reduced recidivism and saved the state more than $800 million.
