• Slug: Lethal Restraint-Repeat Offenders. 1,485 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

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”

• Slug: Heat-Relief Centers. 880 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

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.

Continue reading “Maricopa County combats heat with its heat-relief network; Phoenix reports serving 35,000”

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.

• Slug: Carbon Capture. 900 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions available below).

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”

• Slug: Military Pets. 620 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sienna Monea and Nash Darragh
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Two Arizona-based organizations, Soldier’s Best Friend and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), are supporting military families by ensuring both the mental health of veterans and the well-being of their pets and service animals while they serve and beyond.

Project Active Duty is an AHS program launched in response to the 9/11 attacks. Partnered with PetSmart Charities and Credit Union West to provide foster care for the pets of deployed service members from all military branches, the initiative offers peace of mind to those on active duty who know their pets will be waiting for them when they return home.

Continue reading “Arizona Humane Society and Soldier’s Best Friend aid military families with pets, service animals”

• Slug: Food and Climate. 930 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Samantha Bell
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Like many in Generation Z, Aria Harness worries about whether her next meal will harm the planet. Her biggest concerns: pesticides in food, water and soil.

“It is up to each individual to make these choices about their health,” she said, though she acknowledged that processed food is often more affordable than natural alternatives, “especially for college students, due to the significant increase in price and lack of options on campus.”

Continue reading “Gen Z in Arizona and beyond worries that food choices are driving climate change”

• Slug: Lethal Restraint-Mental Health. 1,550 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lisa Patel and Mikey Galo
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Joseph William Holsopple was pronounced dead on Sept. 27, 2020, at a hospital in the city where he was born, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Cause of death: alcoholism. Marital status: divorced. Age: 48.

He graduated high school in Akron, Ohio, in 1990 and joined the Springfield Township Police Department in 2000. Over the years, Holsopple married, had two children and bought a house. But his life began to unravel, and in January 2018 he was fired from the department for showing up to work intoxicated and failing a breathalyzer test.

Continue reading “The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too”

• Slug: Borderlands-Costa Rica Crime. 3,000 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Data visualization available here.

By Carly Stoenner
Cronkite Borderlands Project

SAN JOSÈ, Costa Rica — Dense jungles, pristine beaches, towering volcanoes, and a welcoming attitude toward visitors have caused tourists to flock to this peaceful nation for decades, but a wave of crime is now threatening paradise.

In 2023, Costa Rica welcomed 2.7 million visitors, according to the country’s Tourism Institute. Tourism has risen steadily since the end of the COVID pandemic.

Continue reading “As Costa Rica welcomes record-breaking number of tourists, the country is battling rising crime”

• Slug: Native American Diabetes. 560 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Federal funding expires at the end of the year for a program that has reduced diabetes among Native Americans. Congress has yet to act, leaving providers and patients worried.

Diabetes is especially prevalent among Native Americans. In Arizona, 27% of Indigenous adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 10% of the White population, according to 2021 data from the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Continue reading “Funding stalled for federal program that’s reducing diabetes among Arizona Native Americans”

• Slug: Indigenous Peoples Day. 1,000 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Marshall Baker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Indigenous Peoples Day is a day to embrace all Indigenous people everywhere,” said Deeanna Talley, who goes by Nanibaah. She is the lead singer for Earth Surface People, an Indigenous music collective in Arizona. Her group headlined the mainstage for Indigenous Peoples’ Day Phoenix Fest in downtown Phoenix, a festival celebrating Native culture and artists in and around the Phoenix area.

“For me, I love it. It means so much to me,” Talley said. “It doesn’t limit anyone to a country, to a tribe, whether you’re half Native or mixed. … It’s to embrace every single person from every walk of life, that’s still here as a result of genocide.”

Continue reading “‘We’re still here to stay’: Indigenous Peoples Day festival gives Arizona Native communities visibility”

• Slug: Trump Chips Taiwan. 1,090 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Phineas Hogan
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The federal government promised billions to a Taiwanese semiconductor giant to bring thousands of high-paying jobs to Phoenix. Former President Donald Trump is critical of the funding, and if elected, he could claw back the subsidies – putting those jobs at risk.

“Taiwan took our chip business,” he said in a June interview that roiled the stock price of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, arguing that Taiwan is “immensely wealthy” and the U.S. shouldn’t be “giving them billions of dollars to build chips.”

Continue reading “Donald Trump opposes U.S. funds for massive Phoenix chip factory, could scrap deal with Taiwan semiconductor giant if elected”

• Slug: EV Charging Stations. 660 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Electric vehicle sales have increased in Arizona faster than installation of charging stations.

The number of EVs registered in the state has tripled in the last year and a half to 89,798, according to the Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center. California has 1.2 million EVs, the most of any state. Arizona ranks 10th.

State and federal officials are scrambling to make sure the infrastructure catches up.

Continue reading “Number of electric vehicles in Arizona has tripled, outpacing charging station installation”

• Slug: Ozempic Medicaid. 925 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Madeline Nguyen
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – For 14 years, Jesse’s mind spiraled. So did his weight. The medications he took for schizophrenia drove his weight up until he nearly hit the 300-pound mark.

His mom wanted to get him on a weight-loss drug like Trulicity or Ozempic. But in Arizona, as in most states, Medicaid doesn’t cover GLP-1s for obesity alone. The family struggled even to afford air conditioning.

Continue reading “Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic too costly for Arizona patients on Medicaid, until obesity leads to diabetes”

• Slug: STOP-IT Fentanyl Initiative. 575 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Sienna Monea
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona’s Department of Education has introduced an initiative aimed at tackling the growing threat of fentanyl in schools. The School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce (STOP-IT) is educating students and school staff and working to prevent fentanyl-related incidents statewide.

Fentanyl overdoses have become a critical issue in Arizona, particularly among young people.

Continue reading “Arizona Department of Education launches STOP-IT Task Force to raise awareness about dangers of fentanyl”

• Slug: Costa Rica Migration Policy. 1,725 words.
• Photos available.

By Christopher Lomahquahu
Cronkite Borderlands Project

PASO CANOAS, Costa Rica – Migrant advocates in this small town on the Panama-Costa Rica border say their country has become the United States’ “tercera frontera” – its third border – a place where the U.S. hopes to slow migrants from continuing north.

The Costa Rican government, however, has implemented a busing system that actually speeds migrants northward, while relatively few are able to enroll in a system designed by the U.S. government to stem the flow of people headed to the U.S. border.

Continue reading “In Costa Rica and elsewhere, U.S. ‘Safe Mobility’ program for migrants is unknown, underused”

• Slug: Native American Rodeo. 1,110 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Marshall Baker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona State Fair is one of Arizona’s longest-standing traditions, dating back almost 30 years before statehood. Starting all the way back in 1884, it’s one of the largest fairs in the United States, bringing in over 1.4 million visitors in 2023.

The Native American Rodeo is part of the rich tradition of the fair, with spectators and competitors from tribal nations across the country. It celebrates the Indigenous peoples who heavily influenced the history of Arizona. It is one of the most popular events among Indigenous communities at the fair, but there are questions surrounding their involvement with all aspects of the rodeo.

Continue reading “After 2022, tribal involvement in the Arizona’s State Fair’s Native American Rodeo waned”

EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Carlos Rene Castro
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Michael Nowakowski
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Position sought: Phoenix City Council in District 7
• Career: Vice president of communications for the Cesar Chavez Foundation

Continue reading “Former Phoenix City Council member Michael Nowakowski runs to lead constituents of District 7”

• Slug: Vance in Arizona. 810 words. By Brianna Chappie.  
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

MESA – God, conservative values, immigration and Donald Trump.

Those were the main talking points at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Mesa on Wednesday, where former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, made his second appearance in Arizona after attending a Tucson rally earlier in the day.

Continue reading “JD Vance visits Arizona’s 2 largest metro areas in bid for Hispanic voters”

EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Didi Mariz
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Marcelino Quiñonez
• Political affiliation: Democratic Party
• Position sought: City Council member for District 7
• Age: 40
• Career: Educator

Continue reading “Former educator and state Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez is running for Phoenix City Council District 7”

EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Tristan E. M. Leach
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Anna Hernandez
• Political affiliation: Progressive Democrat
• Position sought: City Council, District 7
• Age: 42
• Career: State senator for District 24

Continue reading “Anna Hernandez seeks Phoenix City District 7 seat”

EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Shondiin Mayo
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Martyn Bridgeman
• Position sought: Phoenix City Council  in District 7
• Age: 40
• Career: Real Estate

Continue reading “Martyn Bridgeman is running for Phoenix City Council District 7 as a fresh face for government”