• Slug: BC-CNS-ESA Report. 845 words.
• Video available.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News 

PHOENIX – The Common Sense Institute Arizona has released a on Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, also known as ESAs or universal school vouchers. The report contends the state-funded program “has (and hasn’t) altered Arizona’s K-12 landscape.”

Since its expansion last year, ESA program enrollment has grown from 12,000 students to 77,000, according to the report. 

Key findings from the report contend that while ESA enrollment is slowing down and public school enrollment is in decline, the ESA program may not be solely to blame. 

Continue reading “Report: ESA voucher program not fully to blame for public school enrollment decline”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Upheaval,1260 words.
• 7 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A divided Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a 19th-century, near-total ban on abortion, saying it overrides a 2022 law that allowed abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

State officials said it will be another 60 days before the ruling could take effect, but the reaction was swift and angry to what abortion-rights groups called a “dark day for Arizona.” Continue reading “Arizona Supreme Court restores near-total ban on abortions in the state”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sniffspot Photo Story. 555 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)
• Video available.

By Crystal Aguilar
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Technology is aiding dog owners through apps like Sniffspot, which lets pet parents who don’t have their own backyard rent other people’s property to give their pets space to run.

“I think any time we can make owning a pet more accessible for a larger amount of people is beneficial not only for pets in the area who need homes but also for people who maybe don’t have backyards or feel that they don’t have quite enough space for a dog to run around. But if they can use a neighbor’s yard for a pet, that is going to help make it easier for them to own one, and maybe open up a door to a new pet owner that maybe didn’t exist before,” said Joe Casados, Arizona Humane Society public relations and social media manager.

Continue reading “‘Sniff and have fun’: Technology like Sniffspot app gives pets space to roam”

• 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”

• 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”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Long Term Care Legislation. 700 words.
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• Video available.

By Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The multiyear journey to get health care reform for long-term assisted living facilities signed into law has finally come to fruition. Gov. Katie Hobbs signed HB 2764 at the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower on Monday morning.

“I urged legislators to join me in addressing this issue head on, making sure that bad actors are held accountable and putting an end to the cycle of abuse against vulnerable Arizonans,” Hobbs said during opening remarks. “Today, with the signing of House Bill 2764, that is exactly what we are doing.”

According to the Arizona Adult Protective Services’ annual report on elder and nursing home abuse, the state received over 37,000 reports during fiscal 2023, approximately 2,500 of which came from caregivers and resident managers. HB 2764 requires the Arizona Department of Health Services to implement stricter standards and oversight for these facilities, particularly in memory care services, to ensure public health, safety and welfare are maintained.

Continue reading “Gov. Katie Hobbs signs law aimed at accountability for Arizona long-term care facilities”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homelessness Spending. 800 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By John Sanders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Think tank Common Sense Institute Arizona released a research study earlier this year claiming that Arizona spends as much as $1.1 billion a year on homelessness-solution services. The organization found that in 2023, approximately 14,200 people were unhoused and the number of unhoused individuals has increased by 30% since 2020.

The research estimates that the 167 nonprofit organizations providing homeless services across the state employ 9,003 people and utilize another 42,053 volunteers – a workforce that rivals the state’s mining and logging industries in terms of annual work hours.

Continue reading “Think tank estimates Arizona spends $1.1 billion annually for homelessness solutions”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Indigenous Astronaut. 1107 words.
• 4 photos, available (thumbnails, captions below).

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

AVONDALE – Estrella Mountain Community College celebrated Women’s History Month by hosting an event on March 27. Marine Col. Nicole Mann, a member of the Wailacki tribe of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, was invited to speak at the event. She shared her unorthodox journey to becoming an astronaut.

Continue reading “The first Indigenous woman in space never planned on becoming an astronaut “

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• 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”

• 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”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homeless ID Fees. 875 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona advocates are working to help get identification documents for those experiencing homelessness, aiming to eliminate the barriers faced by people seeking to regain stability and self-sufficiency. One step in that process is fighting to waive the fee to get a state identification card.

Experts say not being able to easily obtain licenses is a factor that can make it nearly impossible for people to escape the cycle of homelessness. Without an ID, it can be difficult or impossible to gain employment, secure housing, apply for food stamps or access disability benefits.

Continue reading “Arizona advocates aim to break cycle of homelessness through ID accessibility”

• Slug: BC-CNS-RIP Medial Debt. 980 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jack Orleans
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — On March 4, the governor’s office announced that Arizona is partnering with RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to clearing Americans’ medical debt, to cancel the debt of up to 1 million Arizonans.

In making the announcement, Gov. Katie Hobbs said the program will help working Arizonans who have incurred debt from cancer treatments, life-saving surgery and accidents “through no fault of their own.”

Continue reading “Governor’s office partners with RIP Medical Debt to forgive billions in medical debt for some Arizonans”

• 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”