Tax Day greetings! Here is your Cronkite News lineup for Monday, April 15. If you have questions on news stories from the Phoenix bureau, please contact Managing Editor of Digital Julia Thompson at 602-496-5050 or julia.thompson.1@asu.edu, while questions about stories from our Washington bureau should go to Steve Crane at 202-684-2398 or steve.crane@asu.edu. Sports story questions can be directed to Paola Boivin at paola.boivin@asu.edu. Clients who want to use Cronkite videos should contact Allysa Adams at 480-580-5502 at aadams1@asu.edu for clean versions. If not linked below, stories promised for today, along with photos and links to multimedia elements, will post to our client site at cronkitenews.jmc.asu.edu/clients.
TODAY’S NEWS
Biggs ready for his day in impeachment spotlight, even if it’s short-lived
WASHINGTON – Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs said he is prepared to lecture the Senate, and the American public, on the “historical basis” of high crimes and misdemeanors and how they apply to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment. If he gets the chance. The Senate is expected to quickly dismiss articles of impeachment that will be sent over this week from the House, which indicted Mayorkas in February on two counts, including “breach of public trust.” Biggs is one of 11 House managers scheduled to present the case to the Senate, what one analyst said is “as close to political nirvana as it gets” for the Gilbert Republican who is one of the leaders for the far-right Freedom Caucus in the House. Contact Steve Crane with questions.
Slug: BC-CNS-Biggs Stage. 820 words. By Ian McKinney.
Photo available.
SPORTS
How 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament affected WNBA Draft stock for collegiate superstars
PHOENIX – Just eight days separate the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game and Monday’s WNBA Draft, meaning players from teams who made it far into the tournament have had just a little over a week to reset and turn their attention to the next phase of their careers. While the turnaround may be short, it can also have its benefits. Players who put up stellar performances in the later stages of March Madness can leave a lasting impression in the minds of WNBA general managers and executives. Draft stocks can shoot up and solidify based on the way a player performs in the final few games of their collegiate careers, drastically changing the outlook on their professional careers. This year, Nika Mühl and Kamilla Cardoso were two of the top beneficiaries.
Slug: Sports-WNBA Draft Stock Impact. 1,200 words. By Tia Reid.
Photo available.
WNBA Draft Day arrives, but Phoenix Mercury’s splash already made in Kahleah Copper trade
PHOENIX – The NCAA Championship game April 7 drew 18.7 million viewers –nearly four million more viewers than the men’s championship – and the momentum keeps rolling Monday with the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Women’s NCAA Tournament interest was fueled by the success of Iowa star Caitlin Clark, who is expected to go No. 1 to the Indiana Fever in today’s draft. But there were other generational stars in the tournament who also will be among the top players in today’s draft, including Stanford forward Cameron Brink, South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, Connecticut forward Aailiya Edwards and Louisiana State center Angel Reese. It was supposed to be a big day for the Phoenix Mercury, too. However, the Mercury made their splash before the draft, packaging the No. 3 overall pick in a deal to land 2021 WNBA Finals MVP guard Kahleah Copper of the Chicago Sky.
Slug: Sports-Mercury Draft Preview. 1,300 words. By Justin de Haas.
Photos available.
Saguaro beach volleyball rides standout season into promising playoff run
SCOTTSDALE – One year ago, Saguaro High School’s beach volleyball team broke the mold for the program with its first playoff appearance, which included a first-round upset over No. 5-seed Valley Christian before losing a 3-2 heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to Northwest Christian. With this year’s playoffs slated to begin Tuesday afternoon, the Sabercats are in prime position for a title run just one season after their first playoff berth. Saguaro enters the 2024 AIA Beach Volleyball Division II State Team Championship playoffs as the No. 6 seed behind a program-best 10-2 regular season and will face No. 11 AZ College Prep (10-3) in the first round.
Slug: Sports-Saguaro Beach Volleyball. 850 words. By Brett Lapinski.
Photo available.
WEEKEND SPECIALS
The Wall That Heals: Replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial travels to Lake Pleasant
PEORIA – The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is on display through Sunday at Lake Pleasant in Peoria. The traveling replica has been displayed in nearly 700 communities across the U.S., according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The three-quarter-scale replica is 375 feet long and 7.5 feet tall and honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. It features the names of more than 58,000 who lost their lives in the war.
Slug: BC-CNS-Veterans Wall Photos. 90 words. By Kayla Mae Jackson
10 photos, video available.
‘Absolute beautiful place’: Rockin’ River Ranch State Park opens in Camp Verde
CAMP VERDE – After setbacks and struggles and eager anticipation and waiting, Rockin’ River Ranch State Park opened on Feb. 9. Arizona’s newest state park sits between Phoenix and Flagstaff, at the confluence of West Clear Creek and the Verde River, where native wildlife, hiking trails and picnic areas have already attracted local and international visitors. The 209-acre state park was originally privately owned and operated as a guest ranch with horse riding and boarding facilities. The state acquired Rockin’ River Ranch in 2008, and master planning happened in 2017 and early in 2018.
Slug: BC-CNS-Rockin’ River Ranch. 660 words. By Marnie Jordan.
Photos, video available.
FROM FRIDAY’S DIGEST
Harris, Arizona Democrats seize on abortion ban to blast Trump, GOP
TUCSON – Vice President Kamala Harris blasted former President Donald Trump Friday as “the architect” of new abortion restrictions sweeping the country, including the near-total ban that was resurrected this week in Arizona. The hastily arranged campaign stop came just three days after a divided Arizona Supreme Court ruled that, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decision in 2022, an 1864 abortion ban that was still on the books in Arizona was back in effect. Trump said Friday that Arizona “went too far” and called on state lawmakers to rein in the law. But Harris, flanked by Arizona elected officials, called the Arizona ruling “a new inflection point” in the fight for abortion rights. Contact Steve Crane with questions.
Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Veep. 740 words. By Lillie Boudreaux.
4 photos, video story available.
Shaman sidelined: Chansley among more than 70 to miss signature threshold
WASHINGTON – Jacob Angeli-Chansley, better known as the “Qanon Shaman,” will not be going back to Washington – at least not in any official capacity. Angeli-Chansley was one of more than 70 would-be candidates for federal office who failed to meet the April 1 deadline to turn in signatures to the secretary of state’s office that were needed to get their names on the ballot. While that narrowed the field, it still left dozens of candidates who will compete in this fall’s primary and general elections – some of which are already shaping up to be bitter, high-profile bloodbaths. Contact Steve Crane with questions.
Slug: BC-CNS-Early Exit. 850 words. By Ian McKinney.
File photos available.
Annual 5K walk & run tackles misinformation and stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS
TEMPE – Kenyon Belyeu was handing out leaflets and condoms at the Aunt Rita’s Paint the Town Red AIDS Walk Arizona & 5K Run, when he talked candidly about his own HIV diagnosis – a discovery he made only because he was being treated for substance use disorder. “I found out nine years ago that I was HIV positive and if I never went to rehab or if I never got tested, I would never know my status,” said Belyeu, a program supervisor at Terros Health, It was just one of the many partner organizations involved in the April 6 run sponsored by Aunt Rita’s Foundation, which which supports HIV prevention and treatment programs with grants to groups like Terros Health that may not have the budget to cover its wide range of HIV-related services.
Slug: BC-CNS-AIDS Walk. 1,300 words. By Brenna Gauchat.
Photos available.
NOTICIAS DEL VIERNES EN ESPAÑOL
Festival de Cine de Phoenix impulsa escena cinematográfica de Arizona
PHOENIX – El Festival de Cine de Phoenix está celebrando su 24º año y se dedica a promover el cine independiente y proporcionar una plataforma para que los cineastas muestren su trabajo.
Nombre: CB-FilmFest. 1030 palabras. Por Paloma Rutherford.
3 fotos disponibles.
FRIDAY IN SPORTS
Blocking the noise: Arizona Coyotes aim to limit outside distractions, finish season strong
PHOENIX – Shortly after Wednesday’s overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes players celebrated in the visitors’ dressing room in the bowels of Rogers Arena. Forward Liam O’Brien handed a football meant to symbolize a “game ball” given to the squad’s best player that night to rookie forward Logan Cooley, who scored the game-winning goal, as cheers from his teammates filled the room. Amid the endless saga of recent relocation rumors, the latest of which came Wednesday and hinted at the franchise potentially relocating to Salt Lake City, none of it seemed to matter during that very moment.
Slug: Sports-Coyotes Outside Noise. 970 words. By Sean Brennan.
2 photos available.
‘We’re here because Pat lived’: Tempe gears up for 20th annual Pat’s Run, in honor of Pat Tillman
TEMPE – In what has become an April ritual and a highlight of the Valley’s sports scene, approximately 30,000 people will flood the streets around Arizona State’s Tempe campus Saturday morning to participate in the 20th annual Pat’s Run, honoring fallen hero Pat Tillman. As of Friday morning, more than 24,000 people had registered for the race, while more than 4,000 people signed up to participate virtually.
Slug: Sports-Pat’s Run. 830 words. By Hannah Pedeferri.
3 photos available.
Reunited: From Ashburn to Arizona to Milwaukee, pitchers JB Bukauskas and Taylor Clarke together again
PHOENIX – Familiarity breeds contempt, or so goes the saying. Not for pitchers JB Bukauskas and Taylor Clarke. They’ve found that, when entering a new situation for the first time, perhaps it’s better to have someone you know on your side, Bukauskas and Clarke both hail from the same hometown, Ashburn, Virginia, and the two are both pitchers within the Milwaukee Brewers organization. The Brewers will look to them among others as they retool their pitching staff following the trade of 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and a season-ending injury to Brandon Woodruff.
Slug: Sports-Brewers Hometown Teammates. 1,280 words. 2 file photos available.
2 file photos available.
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