• Slug: BC-CNS-Consul Capitol,890 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The public was kept out of a joint session of the Arizona Legislature Wednesday where an Israeli diplomat said “Hamas must be eradicated” after an Oct. 7 attack sparked a war that has since killed thousands of civilians.

The unapologetic defense by Consul General to the Pacific Southwest Israel Bachar was warmly received by lawmakers in the House chamber, most of them Republicans. But outside the Capitol, a small group of lawmakers and pro-Palestinian activists complained that their voices had been muzzled: While the address was livestreamed, the galleries were closed to the public. Continue reading “Public kept at bay as Israeli diplomat addresses joint legislative session”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Petitions,730 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Activists said this week that they have collected more than 500,000 signatures to put an abortion-rights initiative on this fall’s ballot, giving organizers a 100,000-signature cushion already with another three months before petitions are due.

Besides working against the calendar, advocates are also working in the shadow of the Arizona Supreme Court, which is expected to issue a ruling that could return state law to a near-total ban on abortions. The Arizona Abortion Access Act could trump such a ruling by enshrining abortion rights in the state Constitution if approved by voters. Continue reading “Advocates hit milestone in push to get abortion-rights question on ballot”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Animal Cruelty Bill. 890 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – Advocates are pushing for a bill to bolster Arizona’s animal cruelty laws following a surge in reported cases and a high-profile incident in which 55 maltreated dogs were removed last year from a Chandler residence.

Introduced by Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, and championed by the Arizona Humane Society, SB 1047 states that a person commits animal cruelty by “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly failing to provide the medical attention necessary to prevent unreasonable suffering to any domestic animal under the person’s custody or control.”

The bill, which passed the Arizona Senate with bipartisan support and is working its way through the House, also defines “cruel neglect” as failing to provide an animal with necessary and adequate food, water and shelter.

Continue reading “Arizona Legislature considers tougher animal cruelty laws after spike in cases”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Eastlake Legacy,430.
• 7 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When single mother Elizabeth White traveled from Texas to Arizona in 1964 and opened Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, she never imagined the tremendous impact it would have on the community.

Despite how segregation created hurdles for local businesses, however, White hung on and remained true to serving up traditional dishes. Now, Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe is a Phoenix gem, attracting people from all across the Valley.

White, now 101 years old, is just one of the groundbreaking Phoenix people of color featured on a new mural at the Eastlake Park Community Center, courtesy of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Legacy Project. The mural is just one part of the project that also refurbished indoor and outdoor basketball courts and a weight room at the center. Continue reading “Eastlake Park Community Center unveils NCAA Men’s Final Four Legacy Project in Phoenix”

• Slug: BC-CSN-Dog Field Trips. 840 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Crystal Aguilar
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Dogs waiting to be adopted from the Arizona Humane Society can be taken out of the facilities for a couple of hours prior to the shelter opening. A volunteer comes into the shelter and signs up to take a dog out on a field trip in an attempt to raise its chances of being adopted.

“A program like a doggy field trip is so amazing and important because it gives them some time outside of a kennel,” said Joe Casados, public relations and social media manager at the Arizona Humane Society. “It also just gets them outside in the community that someone who might be thinking of getting a dog but maybe hasn’t come into the Humane Society has now been introduced to this cute dog on a walk and that’s going to get them interested maybe in that dog particularly or just to come in and check out the Arizona Humane Society and see what other dogs we have available.”

Continue reading “Arizona Humane Society introduces dog field trips to broaden dogs’ exposure, increase adoptions”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Final Four Security. 750 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Are you ready for the Final Four games? The city of Glendale is.

March Madness will come to an exhilarating conclusion in the Valley this weekend when men’s basketball teams from North Carolina State, Purdue University, University of Alabama and University of Connecticut face off for the NCAA championship.

During the first round of the basketball bracket, almost 260,000 fans attended the games in cities and college towns across the country. In preparation for the Final Four games scheduled for State Farm Stadium, state, local and federal officials have put in place security procedures and protocols for the influx of traffic and travel expected for the big game.

Continue reading “Here’s how Arizona officials are preparing for expected influx of NCAA men’s Final Four visitors”

• Slug: BC-CNS Pulse Oximeter Inaccuracies. 1,135 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Brenna Gauchat
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Food and Drug Administration is considering plans to update its 2013 premarket guidance for pulse oximeter manufacturers as research suggests the devices may provide inaccurate readings for patients with dark skin.

The problem, according to several studies, is that pulse oximeters may overestimate blood oxygen levels for patients with darker skin and these false readings can lead to inaccurate diagnoses and the wrong treatments.

Continue reading “FDA considers updating pulse oximeter guidelines to make readings on dark skin more accurate”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Roy Scott. 2,840 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Manning, Isza Amponin Zerrudo, Sam Ellefson and Arlyssa Becenti
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

LAS VEGAS – On a chilly morning in 2019, just after 3 a.m., Roy Anthony Scott called 911 to report that a group of people – one armed with a saw – was trying to break into his apartment.

This wasn’t the first time a dispatcher had sent emergency responders to Scott’s home in Sunset Gardens, a senior living complex in Las Vegas. Seven other 911 calls had been placed from his apartment over the previous year, logs from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue show, including one just hours before the call about the attempted break-in.

Continue reading “‘My dad, he needed help’: Woman says her dead father deserved more from Nevada police”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Nevada. 3,495 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Taylor Stevens and Katie Donnelly
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

LAS VEGAS – Richard Ybanez always saw himself as his little brother’s protector.

Growing up as latchkey kids on Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, he and Glenn spent their childhood mostly outdoors, tinkering with their bicycles and riding their skateboards. If anyone tried to pick on his brother, Richard had his back.

But Richard wasn’t there the morning a Las Vegas police officer pulled over Glenn Ybanez and his girlfriend after she allegedly failed to signal before switching lanes. Glenn, a former Army combat medic, who struggled after his return from Iraq, had two outstanding drug warrants. He tried to run from the traffic stop, according to the police report, but an officer tackled him before three onlookers piled on. Paramedics transported the unresponsive Glenn to the hospital, where he was found to have a small brain bleed and abrasions covering his body, the report said.

Continue reading “How non-shooting deaths involving police slip through the cracks in Las Vegas”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Meth. 1,060 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Manning
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Roy Anthony Scott’s death is not an anomaly.

An analysis by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism in collaboration with The Associated Press identified 11 other deaths after non-shooting police encounters in Nevada from 2012 through 2021. Like Scott, who died in 2019 after an encounter with Las Vegas police, four of the dead had a combination of histories of mental illness and meth in their systems at the time of their deaths.

Continue reading “Mental health problems and meth common in deaths in non-shooting police encounters in Nevada”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-CA Transparency. 1,860 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Tyler Dedrick
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

PHOENIX – Despite new laws intended to “pierce the secrecy” protecting California police officers, law enforcement agencies have thwarted those who seek information on cases of misconduct – in some instances battling requesters in court.

And some basic personnel records – including complaints and disciplinary action against officers – are still hidden from the public, accessible only when a California judge grants access to them.

California, considered one of the most progressive states in the nation, had at least 198 non-shooting deaths from 2012 through 2021 after police used force that isn’t supposed to be deadly — the most documented in any state in the nation, an investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, in conjunction with The Associated Press, found. The investigation identified 1,036 deaths across the country during that time frame, though suppression of information means the numbers are likely an undercount.

Continue reading “California law enforcement agencies have hindered transparency efforts in use-of-force cases”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Fillmore Bike Lanes. 545 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Downtown Phoenix is growing rapidly as more people are moving to the developing center of the city.

Concerns have been raised regarding walkable sidewalks, accessible bike lanes and connectivity that contribute to safety. The Phoenix Street Transportation Department is exploring modifications for Fillmore Street downtown for those riding bicycles or other active modes of transportation.

The department conducted an online survey, which closed on March 3, as part of a feasibility study and pre-design phase. The Fillmore Street project could add bike lanes or a two-way protected bikeway on Fillmore from Seventh to Central avenues.

Continue reading “Downtown Phoenix community speaks out for safer bike lanes along Fillmore Street”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Drone Incursions,590.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Cartels are sending as many as 1,000 unmanned drones across the border every month, sometimes smuggling drugs but more often probing the border for vulnerabilities, a Pentagon official told a Senate committee this month.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, who assumed command of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command in February, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that countering unmanned aircraft systems had “dominated … the first month” of his tenure. Senators started asking about drone flights around military bases, but the discussion then turned to incursions across the border. Continue reading “Senators told of ‘alarming’ level of drone incursions at southern border”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Dreamscape Learn. 765 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Lauren Kobley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Have you ever been inside of a cancer cell? Or 30 meters below the ocean’s surface? Elementary students at ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest Elementary & Middle School have (virtually).

The school is the first in the U.S. to offer the innovative learning experience that immerses K-12 students in places and topics they study, through a partnership with Arizona State University and Dreamscape Learn, which says it’s “a transformational education experience born from a groundbreaking entertainment platform.” ASU offers a similar Dreamscape Learn program for college students.
Continue reading “Dreamscape Learn provides virtual learning experiences for ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest students”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Menthol Cigarette Marketing. 900 words.
• Photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Arizona and across the U.S. Federal and state officials are now targeting flavored tobacco products, particularly menthol, for having made the problem worse.

The American Lung Association recently joined Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and attorneys general from other states urging the Biden administration to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Continue reading “Menthol cigarettes, heavily marketed to African American communities for years, face possible state and federal bans”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Kratom. 1733 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Nicole Macias Garibay
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration first intended to categorize kratom, an herbal substance, as a “drug of concern” back in 2016, it was met with resistance causing it to withdraw that designation. Ever since, there has been an ongoing discussion about how kratom helps or harms people.

Continue reading “Former users and experts debate whether kratom, an herbal substance, helps or harms those who take it”

• Slug: BC-CNS-South Mountain Farmers. 1,050 words.
• Photos available.

By Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Older Phoenix residents might recall memories of driving along Baseline Road in the late 1960s and the mile-long stretches of vibrant flower fields that once flourished at the base of South Mountain.

The Japanese Americans who immigrated to the area in the early 1900s started farms that quickly grew into iconic agricultural staples in the South Phoenix area. According to Kathryn Nakagawa, daughter of the original Nakagawa flower field owner, seven main Japanese American families were the driving force behind the booming, blooming businesses on Baseline. They persisted even after the families faced incarceration in internment camps during World War II, until slowly selling their farmlands off in the early 2000s.

Despite the era of the Japanese flower farms having come to an end – the hundreds of acres of floral fields having now been replaced by blocks of housing and urban development – the environment at the base of South Mountain continues to offer plentiful opportunities for the next generation of farmers.

Continue reading “Where flower fields historically grew, the next generation of farmers cultivates south Phoenix”

• Slug: BC-CNS-ACA Anniversary. 460 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video, graphic available.

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On Tuesday morning, health care advocates and others gathered at the Valle del Sol Community Health Center in central Phoenix to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act is a comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 and is sometimes known as ACA or “Obamacare.” During the 2024 open enrollment period, a record 21.3 million people across the country selected an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plan. The number of Arizonans covered by the ACA rose more than 110,000 during the year, to 348,055, also a record.

Despite its increasing adoption, the ACA continues to be a controversial topic in the political arena.

Continue reading “Affordable Care Act celebrates 14th anniversary following jump in enrollment, continuing political discord”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Reservation Connectivity,1630 words
• 10 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

TOHONO O’ODHAM NATION – In a vibrant building adorned with murals on the grounds of Tohono O’odham Community College, students gather in a classroom around a U-shaped table. Here, under the guidance of Marvin Carmen, the course instructor, they learn the fundamentals of email composition. With focused attention, they absorb Carmen’s instructions on writing recipients in the “To” section, crafting subjects for their messages and formatting mock emails for practice.

Continue reading “Tohono O’odham Nation receives grant to expand internet connectivity”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Scotus SanCarlos,740.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The San Carlos Apache said Monday that the federal government owes it $3 million for health care services, one of two tribes arguing before the Supreme Court for more support from the Indian Health Service.

But attorneys for the government argued that allowing tribes to claim additional overhead costs for the health care they provide their members would strap the system, and end up siphoning away money for care of Native Americans in other tribes. Continue reading “Tribes, feds spar before Supreme Court over who pays for health care”