Broken hearts: ASU football falls just short in Peach Bowl classic, shows promise for future

  • Slug: Sports–ASU Peach Bowl, 1,000 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Tucker L. Sennett
Cronkite News

ATLANTA – Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t believe in moral victories.

“This should hurt and be painful,” he said Wednesday. “The locker room is dreadful right now and it should be. If it weren’t, something would be wrong.”

Classic. Blockbuster. All-timer. Those are the words that will be associated with the 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Texas. After a comeback for the ages, the Sun Devils couldn’t hang on and ultimately fell in double overtime 39-31, failing to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. Continue reading “Broken hearts: ASU football falls just short in Peach Bowl classic, shows promise for future”

‘These guys will be in my life forever’: Cam Skattebo reflects on ASU football career

  • Slug: Sports–Skattebo Peach Bowl, 550 words.
  • Photo available.

By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

ATLANTA – One moment, he is vomiting on the sidelines. The next, he is throwing a touchdown pass.

If anyone needed to see a quintessential Cam Skattebo game, Wednesday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl meeting with Texas was it.

Although the 39-31 overtime loss wasn’t the ending to his college career he wanted, Skattebo was determined to give everything he had for the team he calls family. Continue reading “‘These guys will be in my life forever’: Cam Skattebo reflects on ASU football career”

Penn State defense channels 1987 Fiesta Bowl victory to secure 2024 CFP semifinal spot

  • Slug: Sports–Fiesta Bowl, 650 words.
  • 5 photos available.

By Saleh Awaad
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Nearly 38 years ago, Penn State forced Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde to throw five interceptions in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl as the Nittany Lions secured the program’s second national title in five years against the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes. 

During Tuesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup at State Farm Stadium, Boise State’s offense encountered a similar fate.

Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos’ 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up,  put the college football world and NFL teams on notice this season, finishing the year with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground. However, in No. 3 Boise State’s biggest game of the season, Jeanty struggled to add another dominant game to his resume against a stout Penn State defense, which forced the Broncos into four turnovers in a 31-14 win to secure a spot in the CFP semifinals.  Continue reading “Penn State defense channels 1987 Fiesta Bowl victory to secure 2024 CFP semifinal spot”

Cronkite News Digest for Wednesday, Jan. 1

Happy New Year! Here is your Cronkite News lineup for Wednesday, Jan 1.

Continue reading “Cronkite News Digest for Wednesday, Jan. 1”

Sarkisian vs. Dillingham: Peach Bowl coaches primed for CFP duel

  • Slug: Sports–Sarkisian Dillingham Peach Bowl, 900 words.
  • Photo available.

By Tucker L. Sennett
Cronkite News

ATLANTA – Steve Sarkisian and Kenny Dillingham sat about 6 feet apart from one another Tuesday morning, a little more than 24 hours before their teams’ scheduled meeting in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The two brilliant offensive minds from Texas and Arizona State were humble, respectful and real in a setting that profiled more like a heavyweight boxing weigh-in event than a press conference. 

“If you’re a year behind (Sarkisian), you’re about three years ahead of everybody else,” Dillingham said. “Definitely a guy you want to watch offensively.” Continue reading “Sarkisian vs. Dillingham: Peach Bowl coaches primed for CFP duel”

How wealth and race determine L.A.’s hottest and coolest areas

  • Slug: LA Thermal Inequities. 1,265 words.
  • 5 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Shi Bradley
Cronkite News

LOS ANGELES – This summer marked the end of the warmest 15 months in a row, with heat waves scorching the Southwest. Urban design, with heat-trapping concrete and asphalt, roasted cities – though not all areas were equally hot.

How hot or cool a neighborhood depends on demographic variables: economically disadvantaged, mainly minority populations live in parts of town that can be several degrees hotter than affluent, predominantly white neighborhoods.

Continue reading “How wealth and race determine L.A.’s hottest and coolest areas”

Tucson’s lost baseball legacy: A city fights for a future in America’s pastime

  • Slug: Sports–Tucson Baseball Legacy. 2,520 words.
  • 5 photos available.

By Ethan Desjardine
Cronkite News

TUCSON – Just 15 minutes south of downtown Tucson lies the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, an 11,000-seat venue built in 1998 and kept in pristine condition within the Kino Sports Complex. However, despite the city’s rich history in baseball, the complex now stands vacant of any Major League Baseball team or affiliate.

As of July 2023, Tucson’s population exceeds 547,000. To outsiders, it might come as a surprise that a city of this size and once a well-known baseball hub, now lacks MLB-affiliated teams – but that wasn’t always the case.

On March 8, 1946, Tucson hosted the first MLB spring training game in Arizona at Hi Corbett Field, featuring the Cleveland Indians and New York Giants. Over the next six decades, Tucson hosted Cactus League games and served as a spring training home for teams like the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Continue reading “Tucson’s lost baseball legacy: A city fights for a future in America’s pastime”

Trump’s vow to repeal Biden regulations on carbon from coal-fired power plants will hamper fight against climate change, critics warn

  • Slug: Trump Coal Emissions. 1,235 words.
  • 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – By 2032, operators of coal-fired power plants and new gas-fired plants will be required to install equipment that cuts 90% of greenhouse emissions, under a rule issued in April by the Biden administration.

As soon as he is inaugurated Jan. 20, President-elect Donald Trump could revoke that rule and others aimed at slowing climate change, fulfilling a campaign promise to end what he called a “regulatory jihad to shut down power plants.”

Continue reading “Trump’s vow to repeal Biden regulations on carbon from coal-fired power plants will hamper fight against climate change, critics warn”

Mobile clinics bring health care to underserved communities in Arizona

  • Slug: Mobile Clinics. 555 words.
  • 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Ignacio Ventura
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In Arizona, 12.4% of residents live in poverty, and 12.1% of people under 65 lack health insurance, according to 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Mobile health clinics are helping to bridge the gap by providing essential care to underserved communities.

Continue reading “Mobile clinics bring health care to underserved communities in Arizona”

Arizona roller hockey thrives on wheels in the Valley despite rink shortages, Division I challenges

  • Slug: Sports–Arizona Roller Hockey. 1,334 words.
  • Photos available.

By Brenden Paul
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In just its second year as a program, Grand Canyon University’s roller hockey team won the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Division I National Championship this past season with a 2-1 win over Lindenwood University in triple overtime.

Even though three Arizona schools compete at the Division I level in collegiate roller hockey, the teams share one rink, after two other facilities closed in the past two years. In addition to the lack of facilities, there are challenges to restore the sport’s success to its height before COVID-19, but also opportunities to expand the reach and online social media presence.

“I played two seasons of collegiate roller hockey at Lindenwood University,” said Aydin Schwetz, the director of operations for the program at GCU. “I was incredibly underwhelmed and disappointed in the program and how it was run despite winning an AA Division National Championship. So I left and started the GCU Division I program.”

Continue reading “Arizona roller hockey thrives on wheels in the Valley despite rink shortages, Division I challenges”

Weighty problem: Oversized portions in restaurants contribute to obesity

  • Slug: Standard Portions. 1,370 words.
  • Photo thumbnails, captions below.

By Shi Bradley
Cronkite News

LOS ANGELES – Angel Chen, a master’s student in nutritional sciences at California State University, Los Angeles, was shocked when she moved from Taiwan and began eating out. “Everything is double the size,” Chen said. “Fast food is cheap and bigger portions than in my country.”

The trend began in the 1970s as competition drove restaurants to lure customers with more generous helpings, equating larger portions to better value. In 1978 Americans consumed 15 percent fewer calories daily compared to 2018: 1,807 and 2,093, respectively. Eating out has become more frequent than it was a couple of decades ago and plays a significant role in increased calorie consumption mainly because of large portion sizes and calorie-dense meals, according to a study co-authored by Deborah Cohen, an obesity research scientist at Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California office.

Continue reading “Weighty problem: Oversized portions in restaurants contribute to obesity”

Photo Essay: A major blitz of girls flag football highlights Arizona high school competition

  • Slug: Sports–Photo Essay: Girls Flag Football, 350 words.
  • 4 photos available.

By Daniella Trujillo
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Ever since the Arizona Interscholastic Association voted to sanction girls flag football as a varsity competition for the 2023-2024 school year, the sport has taken off at a variety of levels.

Among high schools in the state, participation increased from 55 teams to 102 in just one season, the AIA reports.

The 2024 season wrapped up in late November, with Chandler’s Hamilton High School capturing the 6A title, Waddell’s Canyon View High winning the 5A and St. Mary’s winning the 4A.

Continue reading “Photo Essay: A major blitz of girls flag football highlights Arizona high school competition”

Patinar puede mejorar tu estado de ánimo y mantenerte en forma

  • Nombre: CNPatAnim. 624 palabras.
  • 2 fotos disponibles

Por Lizeth Adriana Calderon
Cronkite Noticias

PHOENIX – Practicar trucos en una patineta puede ayudar a navegar emociones difíciles y puede ser especialmente útil para aquellos que provienen de comunidades donde la salud mental está estigmatizada.

La actividad crea un sentido de pertenencia y reduce el estrés. Los hispanos y latinos enfrentan más barreras en el acceso y la calidad de la atención de salud mental, informa la Alianza Nacional sobre Enfermedades Mentales.

Las personas manejan el estrés y la ansiedad de muchas maneras no médicas, como tomar aire fresco o pasar tiempo con sus seres queridos. El ejercicio es una de las formas más eficaces para combatir el estrés. Como actividad física y exigente, patinar no solo mejora la fuerza y la coordinación, sino también la salud mental.

“Cuando se trata de patinar, tienes que usar realmente tus piernas, principalmente tus glúteos, tus cuádriceps, tus isquiotibiales y tus pantorrillas. También hay que usar el tronco, que involucra los abdominales y los oblicuos”, dijo Ashkan Alkhamisi, médico deportivo de HonorHealth Orthopedics.

El patinaje libera cuatro hormonas neurotransmisoras comunes en el cerebro: dopamina, oxitocina, serotonina y endorfinas.

“La dopamina ayuda con la motivación en el centro de recompensas porque estás tratando de realizar una determinada tarea. La oxitocina ayuda a mejorar tus relaciones con las personas con las que andas en patineta… La serotonina es una sensación de significación e importancia y las endorfinas… es el tipo natural de analgésico que ayuda a reducir la ansiedad y el estrés”, dijo Alkhamisi.

Adalberto Jesús Orozco, un ávido patinador de Arizona, dijo que cuando patina, nada más le importan los trucos de aterrizaje.

“Cuando no quiero estar en casa o no quiero tratar con nadie, simplemente vengo y patino, escucho música y me nivelo”, dijo Orozco.

Según Beyond the Board, un estudio de la Universidad del Sur de California sobre la cultura del monopatín no es solo una forma de recreación, sino una forma de que las personas construyan relaciones significativas.

El patinador de Arizona, Carlos Ochoa dijo que le gusta que la comunidad se una y aprecia las amistades que ha hecho.

“Me gusta el hecho de que une a todos y que sigo viendo a mis amigos patinar y mejorar, y nos ponemos felices y emocionados cuando conseguimos nuevos trucos”.

Más de uno de cada cinco adultos estadounidenses vive con una enfermedad mental, según el Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental. En Arizona, casi el 36% de los adultos reportaron síntomas de ansiedad y/o trastorno depresivo, que es ligeramente más alto que el promedio nacional de más del 32%.

Las comunidades hispanas y latinas a menudo no reconocen las luchas de salud mental debido a la falta de acceso a recursos, el estigma y las barreras financieras. La Alianza Nacional de Enfermedades Mentalesinforma que alrededor de un tercio de los adultos hispanos/latinos con enfermedades mentales reciben tratamiento, en comparación con casi la mitad de la población general de los Estados Unidos.

Ochoa libera las presiones de la jornada laboral patinando.

“Cuando estoy estresado, puedes venir al parque y tratar de divertirte”, dijo Ochoa.

El monopatín mantiene a los adultos jóvenes activos y reduce el tiempo que pasan en dispositivos que contribuyen a la ansiedad, la depresión, el aislamiento, la baja autoestima y los problemas de sueño, según un estudio de la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina.

“Nuestra investigación muestra que, a través del patinaje, los patinadores desarrollan la capacidad de comunicarse y construir relaciones con personas de diversos orígenes”, dijo Neftalie Williams, coautora de The Skatepark Project, en un comunicado de prensa.

Los investigadores también dijeron que patinar desarrolla el pensamiento crítico, la resolución de problemas, la resiliencia y los lazos fuertes, y aunque cada patinador desarrolla sus propias estrategias de éxito, a menudo ven los logros de los compañeros patinadores como propios.

Para más reportajes de Cronkite Noticias, visite cronkitenews.azpbs.org/Noticias

^__=

Patinadores en el Venice Beach Skate Park de Los Ángeles el 16 de noviembre de 2024. Los investigadores dicen que el patinaje libera cuatro hormonas neurotransmisoras comunes en el cerebro: dopamina, oxitocina, serotonina y endorfinas. (Foto de Gabriel Garza/Cronkite Noticias)
Un patinador hace trucos en el Venice Beach Skate Park en Los Ángeles el 16 de noviembre de 2024. Una de las actividades más efectivas para eliminar el estrés es el ejercicio. Como actividad física y exigente, el patinar no solo mejora la fuerza y la coordinación, sino también la salud mental. (Foto de Gabriel Garza/Cronkite Noticias)

Groundbreaking development: Mosaic Quarter set to transform Tucson sports scene with 2027 opening

  • Slug: Sports–Tcuson Mosaic Quarter, 1,060 words.
  • 4 photos available.

By Tom Forbes
Cronkite News

TUCSON – Soon Tucsonans won’t have to make the trip to Phoenix to fulfill their ice skating and hockey needs.

Tucson’s newest sports and recreational complex is under construction after the recent official groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 20, with Tucson mayor Regina Romero and the University of Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois in attendance.

The Mosaic Quarter, a multi-million dollar project, promises three ice rinks and a field house for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and football in its first phase, which is expected to be completed by 2027. The facility will also have a commercial space that can accommodate up to four restaurants and a solar farm to help power the facility, according to the project’s executive summary. Continue reading “Groundbreaking development: Mosaic Quarter set to transform Tucson sports scene with 2027 opening”

Indigenous Enterprise dancers bring colorful Native representation to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

  • Slug: Macy’s Parade Photo Story. 680 words.
  • Photos available.

By Grace Monos
Cronkite News

NEW YORK – While many Americans see Thanksgiving as a joyous day to gather with family and feast on turkey, it’s more somber for descendents of people pushed off ancestral lands generations ago.

This Thanksgiving brought a moment of rare visibility, thanks to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which featured a performance by Indigenous Enterprise, an award-winning dance company based in Phoenix.

Continue reading “Indigenous Enterprise dancers bring colorful Native representation to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

‘We’re never going to go away’: How Kenneth Shirley danced Indigenous representation into the mainstream

  • Slug: Kenneth Shirley Profile. 4,160 words.
  • Photos available.

By Marshall Baker
Cronkite News

NEW YORK – The downpour starts early on Thanksgiving morning in Manhattan. Equipped with ponchos and umbrellas, people flock to the streets before dawn to get a good spot for the city’s coveted parade. Balloons and floats prepare on West 77th Street. Kenneth Shirley waits eagerly among them to greet the crowds.

Shirley had spent the past week in Newark practicing tirelessly with his dance troupe.They had been given an opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a 60-second window on national television to show millions who they are and their ancestral roots.

Continue reading “‘We’re never going to go away’: How Kenneth Shirley danced Indigenous representation into the mainstream”

CORRECTION to Dec. 6 story on solar power’s outlook under the Trump administration

EDS: Clients who used the Cronkite News story slugged Solar Energy Trump that moved Friday, Dec. 6, under a WASHINGTON dateline are asked to run the following correction. The error occurred in graf 21 of the original. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.

WASHINGTON – A Dec. 6 Cronkite News story about President-elect Donald Trump’s policies on solar energy used an incorrect title for Autumn Johnson. She is executive director at Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association.

Rural New Mexico, Arizona residents oppose Air Force training flight expansion over health risks

  • Slug: Air Force Expansion. 1,350 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Nicollette Valenzuela
Cronkite News

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Silver City, a small town in southwestern New Mexico, preserved its mining character and stands unbothered by modernity and commercialization. The town’s hilly streets introduce visitors to its quiet beauty. Everything whispers a story, such as the nearly 150-year-old Palace Hotel, with a mine entrance in its basement.

North of the town’s many Victorian, Spanish Colonial and American Western-style homes – some more, some less elaborate – Silver City is a gateway to the mountainous region of a vast Gila National Forest, home to the world’s first designated wilderness area.

Continue reading “Rural New Mexico, Arizona residents oppose Air Force training flight expansion over health risks”

Native American traditional healing practices now covered under Medicaid in 4 states, including Arizona

  • Slug: Traditional Healing Medicaid. 1,095 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Native Americans in Arizona and three other states could now see government health coverage for some traditional healing practices.

On Oct. 16, the Biden administration announced it had expanded both Medicaid coverage and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon to cover traditional Native American healing practices through demonstration amendments to section 1115 of the Social Security Act.

Continue reading “Native American traditional healing practices now covered under Medicaid in 4 states, including Arizona”

4 real: ASU football secures coveted CFP bye, earns quarterfinal spot in Peach Bowl

  • Slug: Sports–ASU CFP Peach Bowl, 560 words.
  • Photo available.

By Fletcher Anderson
Cronkite News

ARLINGTON, Texas – Arizona State, long known as college football’s “sleeping giant,” changed its identity in 2024.

The giant woke up.

The Sun Devils continued their tear through the back half of their schedule and dominated Iowa State 45-19 Saturday to secure the Big 12 Conference title. The College Football Playoff selection committee rewarded them Sunday with a No. 4 seed, which translates to an opening-round bye and a spot in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Continue reading “4 real: ASU football secures coveted CFP bye, earns quarterfinal spot in Peach Bowl”