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THIS IS YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2GO BRIEFING.

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I’M EMILY MAI ( go to story )

Migrant Deaths Fall – (Reader/Tristan/Autriya writes)
There’s been a decline in migrant deaths in Arizona deserts even though the number of migrants caught crossing the border has increased. Pima County medical records show 136 bodies were recovered between January 1 and September 1, compared to the 163 in the same period last year. Migrant apprehensions, however, increased by 75-percent through the end of July. advocates say migrants continue to die because they are forced to cross the border at the most inhospitable parts. Medical examiners say they expect the death toll to surge later this year.

Fentanyl Awareness – (Wrap/ Conor)
HOST INTRO:

FENTANYL IS KNOWN TO BE A DEADLY DRUG. …IT CAN BE 80 TIMES AS POTENT AS MORPHINE AND HUNDREDS OF TIMES MORE POTENT THAN HEROIN ACCORDING TO THE CDC. CRONKITE NEWS’ CONOR MCGILL REPORTS ON A NEW STUDY THAT FINDS ARIZONA YOUTH AREN’T AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL
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“He died at 16. And he is always going to be gone and I will always love him.”
THAT’S SHARI DUKES. SHE LOST HER SON TO FENTANYL IN 2018. AND SHE WANTS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO OTHER FAMILIES.

“Fentanyl kills. The one pill kill routine doesn’t work for me. One pill killed my son. And that’s what I want people to know.”

OVERALL, DRUG USE IS DOWN AMONG ARIZONA YOUTH. BUT A NEW SURVEY SHOWS DRUG AWARENESS, IN PARTICULAR FENTANYL IS FAIRLY LOW. ANDREW LEFEVRE IS THE ARIZONA CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAYS ONLY ABOUT 60% OF EIGHTH GRADERS THOUGHT THERE’S GREAT RISK TO USING FENTANYL.

“THAT IS ANOTHER GAP OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN FORTY PERCENT OF EIGHTH GRADERS DON’T THINK THERE’S A GREAT RISK IN FENTANYL.

ANOTHER STATISTIC SHOWS THAT IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS ABOUT 17-PERCENT OF STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL WITH THEIR PARENTS. DUKES WANTS MORE TO BE DONE.

“So when you are talking with your children, you gotta be open, you gotta think that this may be the last conversation I have with them and I don’t want this to be it.”

THE ARIZONA CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION AND THE ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY DID THE SURVEY. THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THEY’VE GATHERED DATA ON FENTANYL.

CONOR MCGILL, CRONKITE NEWS.

Flagstaff Minimum Wage – (Reader/Autriya)
The City of Flagstaff is increasing its minimum wage to 16 dollars and 80 cents per hour starting next year. This one dollar and 30 cent raise comes from a 2016 decision to increase wages every year starting in 2023 as living costs rise. Flagstaff officials said the minimum wage applies to current or future employees working at least 25 hours.
Arizona’s minimum wage is tied to changes in consumer price index. This means that as inflation increases, so will minimum wage. The consumer price index in August was 8.3% higher than August of last year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cicada’s Singing (Wrap/Athena)
HOST INTRO:

SUMMER IS COMING TO A CLOSE AND SO ARE THE DESERT’S DRAMATIC THUNDERSTORMS. SOON CICADAS WILL ALSO QUIET. CRONKITE NEWS’ ATHENA ANKRAH (AHN-CRUH) REPORTS THAT THE INSECTS AND THEIR TELLTALE BUZZ COULD CHANGE AS THE CLIMATE WARMS.

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Ambi: cicadas buzzing, fades down

ATHENA: THAT’S THE SOUND OF CICADAS ON A RECENT SUMMER EVENING. ARIZONA IS HOME TO DOZENS OF DIFFERENT BROODS THAT POP OUT OF THE GROUND AT THE HOTTEST TIME OF YEAR. BRENNAN HAYS IS A MASTER’S STUDENT STUDYING INSECT RESPONSES TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY. HE SAYS THE CICADAS’ FAMILIAR SONG MAY BE AT RISK.

Ambi: buzzing comes up again

“Basically any impact on cicadas is really going to be coming from probably an impact on the trees that they occupy.”

CICADAS DEPEND ON TREES FOR FOOD AND SHELTER. SO HAYS SAYS, DEFORESTATION AND INCREASINGLY INTENSE AND UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY THREATS.

 

“When cicadas emerge, it’s like a big, big, big burst of life that a lot of things need to eat; during a time of year when it’s very hot, you need access to water, you need access to food and nutrients.”

Ambi: cicadas buzz one last time, fade away for my slate

HAYS SAYS LIKE ALL INSECTS, CICADAS ARE VITAL TO THE LOCAL FOOD CHAIN AND ECOSYSTEM. IF THEY’RE NOT ABUZZ, SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH THE BIGGER PICTURE.

ATHENA ANKRAH, CRONKITE NEWS.

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WE HAD HELP TODAY FROM TRISTAN RICHARDS, CONOR MCGILL AND ATHENA ANKRAH (AHN-cruh). SPECIAL THANKS TO AUTRIYA MANESHNI WHO PRODUCED OUR SHOW.. . (list everyone who contributed for the show including the producer credit as well)

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YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STORIES YOU HEARD IN TODAY’S NEWS UPDATE, BY GOING TO CRONKITENEWS-DOT-AZPBS-DOT-ORG.

THAT’S ALL FOR YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2 GO. I’M .

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