Here are Cronkite News Service stories that moved from Oct. 15-19. If you have questions or would like to receive the daily news digest by e-mail, please contact Steve Elliott at 602-496-0686 or steve.elliott@asu.edu.

WEEKEND SPECIAL

VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE LEAVES PET OWNERS SCRAMBLING IN EMERGENCIES

BULLHEAD CITY _ At times, veterinarian Pam Clark is too busy with surgery and routine appointments to treat pets needing emergency care at her North Valley Animal Clinic. Things often aren’t any better at the half-dozen other animal clinics serving this fast-growing area. Frantic pet owners then are left to find emergency care elsewhere, and sometimes that’s 100 miles away in Las Vegas. Clark said she has advertised continuously for help over the past eight years but has been able lure only two veterinarians who didn’t stick around long. Until another veterinarian joins her practice, she isn’t accepting new clients, and current clients have to wait two months for appointments. “I have to set limits,” Clark said. “I’m not going to kill myself over it like I used to, working 24/7.” Communities statewide are short of veterinarians, officials say, but the problem is most acute in rural areas.

Slug BC-CNS-Veterinarian Shortage. By Jonathan J. Cooper.

NOTE: This story moved Wednesday, Oct. 17. We recommend it for weekend use.

Photos: 1 | 2 (thumbnails, captions below)

WEEKDAY SPECIALS (Stories offered for use throughout the week)

OFFICIALS URGE HIKERS TO PREPARE BEFORE HEADING INTO DESERT

PHOENIX (Monday, Oct. 15) _ For Alan Mazurek, a recent afternoon hike in the Superstition Wilderness turned into an overnight misadventure after he left the trail looking for an Indian ruin. If not for a detailed itinerary he left for his wife and the note he left at a guest register at the trailhead, Mazurek may have been stuck longer than the nearly 11 hours he spent alone. “The wilderness can humble you very quickly,” said Mazurek, a Mesa resident. As cooler weather arrives, more hikers will head into the desert. And most of them are “totally unprepared,” said Robert Cooper, commander of Superstition Search and Rescue.

Slug BC-CNS-Hiking Safety. By Sonu Munshi. With BC-CNS-Hiking Safety-Tips.

Download Photo (thumbnail, caption below)

THE WEEK’S NEWS

NEW SCHOOL HELPS TEENS PURSUE POLICE, FIREFIGHTING CAREERS

PHOENIX (Thursday, Oct.18) _ When she watched the television drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” teenager Sara Lopez knew she wanted to be a police detective. “There are a lot of problems on the streets, such as gangs and drugs,” Lopez said in Spanish. “This is something that I want to do to help out the community.” She’s getting a chance to pursue her dream at Franklin Police and Fire High School, a first-of-its-kind institution dedicated Thursday.

Slug BC-CNS-Police-Fire High. By Stephanie Sanchez. With BC-CNS-Police-Fire High-Box.

Download Photo (thumbnail, caption below)

CRONKITE/EIGHT POLL: ARIZONANS SUPPORT EMPLOYER SANCTIONS LAW

PHOENIX (Tuesday, Oct. 17) _ Most Arizonans support a new state law that will punish those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, according to a Cronkite/Eight Poll released Tuesday. Sixty-nine percent of voters surveyed statewide said they support the employer sanctions law, which as of Jan. 1 will require firms to run employees’ information through a federal database to confirm their eligibility to work.

Slug BC-CNS-Cronkite/Eight Poll. By Stephanie Sanchez. With BC-CNS-Poll-Box.

UA, ASU DEDICATE JOINT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER IN PHOENIX

PHOENIX (Monday, Oct. 15) _ Calling it a historic collaboration, officials from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University dedicate a joint research center at the emerging biomedical campus downtown.

Slug BC-CNS-Biomedical Center. By Eric Graf.

Download Photo (thumbnail, caption below)

^___=

PHOTOS WITH BC-CNS-VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE: Veterinarian Pam Clark examines a cat named Princess on Oct. 12, 2007, at North Valley Animal Clinic in Bullhead City. Clark, the only veterinarian in the practice, says she’s unable to take new clients because demand in the growing area is so great. She has tried for eight years to get another veterinarian to join the practice. The Arizona Veterinary Medical Association says all of Arizona is suffering from a shortage of veterinarians, but it says the problem is most acute in rural areas. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE: Veterinarian Pam Clark comforts dogs that have undergone surgery on Oct. 12, 2007, at North Valley Animal Clinic in Bullhead City. Clark, the only veterinarian in the practice, says she’s unable to accept new clients because demand in the growing area is so great. She has tried for eight years to get another veterinarian to join the practice. The Arizona Veterinary Medical Association says all of Arizona is suffering from a shortage of veterinarians, but it says the problem is most acute in rural areas. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)

^___=

PHOTO WITH BC-CNS-HIKING SAFETY

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-HIKING SAFETY: Poppies make this trail in Catalina State Park north of Tucson a magnet for hikers. With cooler weather arriving, many more hikers will head into the desert. And many of them are unprepared, officials say. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Arizona State Parks)

^___=

PHOTO WITH BC-CNS-BIOMEDICAL CENTER

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-BIOMEDICAL CENTER: Jana Lemau, a research technician with the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix in Partnership with Arizona State University, works Monday, Oct. 15, 2007, in the new Arizona Biomedical Collaborative building in downtown Phoenix. Calling it a historic partnership, officials from the UA and ASU on Monday dedicated the building, which houses research operations from both schools. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Eric Graf)

^___=

PHOTO WITH BC-CNS-POLICE-FIRE HIGH

DOWNLOAD PHOTO

CAPTION WITH BC-CNS-POLICE-FIRE HIGH: Students line up Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, at Franklin Police and Fire High School, which prepares students for careers in firefighting and law enforcement. Officials from the city and the Phoenix Union High School District dedicated the school Thursday, calling it the first of its kind in the nation. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Stephanie Sanchez)