Arizona State researcher Terry Shoemaker explores how sports and religion share common ground

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Sports and Religion, 650 words.
  • Photo available.
  • Video available (Video by Deron Orr Jr./Cronkite News)

By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Terry Shoemaker’s trip to a Baltimore cemetery inspired his research on sport and religion for years to come.

Shoemaker, a research scholar and religious studies professor at Arizona State, recently published his book “Religions and Sports: The Basics,” which covers the connections between religious and sporting activities.

“To study these two things, either comparatively or as if they’re overlapping, gives us a sense of what humans do and why they do it,” Shoemaker said in an interview with Cronkite News. Continue reading “Arizona State researcher Terry Shoemaker explores how sports and religion share common ground”

Arizona, Colorado put future NFL draft picks to the test in Tucson with swarm of scouts in attendance

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–NFL Prospect Arizona Colorado, 880 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Saleh Awwad
Cronkite News

TUCSON – The Arizona Wildcats’ showdown against the Colorado Buffaloes and Deion Sanders in Tucson quickly turned into a lopsided dud Saturday, but for NFL fans watching, the game featured a surplus of names expected to be called at the 2025 draft.

Across the two teams, five projected 2025 first-round NFL Draft picks took the field at Arizona Stadium, according to ESPN’s latest mock draft.

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea and Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis matched up against Colorado’s two-way phenom Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Continue reading “Arizona, Colorado put future NFL draft picks to the test in Tucson with swarm of scouts in attendance”

These police officers had red flags in their past, then used force in a case that ended in death

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Lethal Restraint-Repeat Offenders. 1,485 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By James Brown, Jr., Nathan Collins and Taylor Stevens
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Sometimes second chances can prove deadly.

A police officer in Minnesota was suspended for threatening to shoot a passenger in the head after an unauthorized high-speed chase. In Paterson, New Jersey, an officer threw a handcuffed woman to the ground and strangled her. And in Little Rock, Arkansas, a patrol officer was allowed to rack up 36 sustained misconduct allegations and at least 65 days of suspension.

Each officer went on to be involved in a deadly encounter with the public. Not in shootings, but in cases where the force – whether physical restraints, blows or weapons such as a Taser – is often referred to as “less lethal.”
Continue reading “These police officers had red flags in their past, then used force in a case that ended in death”

Maricopa County combats heat with its heat-relief network; Phoenix reports serving 35,000

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Heat-Relief Centers. 880 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jalen Woody
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In the middle of the desert, in Maricopa County, summer is the most brutal time. This year, temperatures reached 100 degrees or over for 142 days, according to the National Weather Service.

To combat heat struggles, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) implemented a heat-relief network of centers to provide everyone with the care needed to brave some of the hottest temperatures in the United States.

Continue reading “Maricopa County combats heat with its heat-relief network; Phoenix reports serving 35,000”

Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions

by Adnan Alam

EDS: An earlier version of this story included several errors, which occurred in grafs 10, 11, 30 and 31 of the original and in a photo caption. The story and caption below have been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

  • Slug: Carbon Capture. 900 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions available below).

By Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – As climate change continues to wreak havoc, companies in Arizona are developing technologies intended to pull greenhouse gas from the air.

Arizona’s unusually intense summer heat – with triple-digit temperatures continuing into October – plus frequent wildfires and decreased flow in the Colorado River are all linked to greenhouse gas buildup, scientists say.

Continue reading “Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions”

The Great Stair Climb: Bisbee 1000 pays tribute to mining town’s boom days

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Bisbee Great Stair Climb, 970 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Keller Brown
Cronkite News

BISBEE – Once the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco with a population of about 23,000 people in the early 1900s, this once-booming mining community has transitioned into what today is a quirky artists enclave and tourist attraction.

But the town of about 5,000 tucked into the Mule Mountains not far from the U.S.-Mexico border still celebrates its rich history each year through the equally quirky Bisbee 1000: The Great Stair Climb.

It is a foot race (or walk) over a 4.5-mile course that winds through town and incorporates nine of the community’s many staircases, requiring contestants to climb more than 1,000 stairs along the way. Continue reading “The Great Stair Climb: Bisbee 1000 pays tribute to mining town’s boom days”

Nights to remember: Phoenix Rising FC honors Fan Appreciation Night in final home game of season

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports–Phoenix Rising Fans, 960 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Sebastian Mondaca Sepulveda
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Fan Appreciation Night is also known as a moment to honor fans for the support they’ve provided the entire season.

For Phoenix Rising FC, it means more than just honoring supporters, but paying it forward despite the adversity they faced throughout the season.

Rising’s efforts started Thursday at home by hosting a fan event, Rising Together, an open training session for attendees to watch the team train and be part of the squad. Continue reading “Nights to remember: Phoenix Rising FC honors Fan Appreciation Night in final home game of season”

Buying championships: How NBA’s second apron changes team building for owners, general managers

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports–NBA Second Apron, 1,400 words.
  • 3 photos available.

By Keller Brown
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns currently rank first in total team payroll heading into the 2024-25 season, with three big names on their roster making a majority of that money. Over $150 million in payroll is dedicated to players who were acquired by trading draft picks and combining player salaries to acquire the already highly paid players.

Team-building philosophies vary from team to team. Some organizations have an owner who is willing to shell out any amount of money necessary to compete, such as Mat Ishbia and the Suns, as well as Wyc Grousbeck and the Boston Celtics, who are the reigning NBA champions and have a payroll of $199 million.

This trend may come to a halt, however, due to new rules put in place regarding “aprons” in the salary cap. Continue reading “Buying championships: How NBA’s second apron changes team building for owners, general managers”

For Mike Budenholzer and Phoenix Suns, talk ‘really doesn’t matter’ ahead of 2024-25 NBA season

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–Suns Season Preview, 800 words.
  • 2 photos available.

By Connor Moreno
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić invites teammates to his summer training spot in Split, Croatia, the typical response is a sarcastic, “Yeah, I’ll be there” – the kind of response one would give to politely decline.

Not from coach Mike Budenholzer, though.

“I didn’t doubt it,” Nurkić said of Budenholzer accepting his invitation this past offseason. “But also, it’s the NBA. People say a lot of things that you want to hear. When I came to (training) camp, he was all about his words. Continue reading “For Mike Budenholzer and Phoenix Suns, talk ‘really doesn’t matter’ ahead of 2024-25 NBA season”

GCU men’s basketball balances experience, youth in final WAC championship pursuit

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–GCU MBB Preview, 1,200 words.
  • 2 photos available.
  • Video available.

By Kendall Flynn
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Maybe not older, but wiser.

That might be the best way to describe Grand Canyon’s men’s basketball team. Half the roster is made up of underclassmen, but there also is a wealth of experience as the Lopes chase a fourth – and final – Western Athletic Conference basketball championship.

GCU has four true freshmen on the roster this season, including the program’s first top-100 signee in forward Sammie Yeanay, who comes to the Lopes as ESPN’s highest-ranked player in the top 100 to choose to play outside a Power 6 basketball conference. Continue reading “GCU men’s basketball balances experience, youth in final WAC championship pursuit”

Arizona Wildcats hope to regroup amid three-game skid, injury setbacks

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Sports–Arizona Wildcats Football Struggles, 740 words.
  • 4 photos available.

By Tom Forbes
Cronkite News

TUCSON – The University of Arizona was eyeing a chance to take down Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes during a sold-out homecoming weekend in Tucson Saturday.

Instead, the Wildcats might be watching their season slip away.

Arizona fell 34-7, their third straight loss, tumbling to 10th place in the Big 12 standings and putting coach Brent Brennan’s team in a fight just to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. Continue reading “Arizona Wildcats hope to regroup amid three-game skid, injury setbacks”

Arizona Humane Society and Soldier’s Best Friend aid military families with pets, service animals

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Military Pets. 620 words.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sienna Monea and Nash Darragh
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Two Arizona-based organizations, Soldier’s Best Friend and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), are supporting military families by ensuring both the mental health of veterans and the well-being of their pets and service animals while they serve and beyond.

Project Active Duty is an AHS program launched in response to the 9/11 attacks. Partnered with PetSmart Charities and Credit Union West to provide foster care for the pets of deployed service members from all military branches, the initiative offers peace of mind to those on active duty who know their pets will be waiting for them when they return home.

Continue reading “Arizona Humane Society and Soldier’s Best Friend aid military families with pets, service animals”

Playoff bound: Phoenix Rising FC squeaks into USL Championship postseason, readies for Saturday’s finale

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Sports–Phoenix Rising Playoffs, 570 words.
  • 2 photos available.

By Cooper Burns
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC will not go down without defending its crown.

For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, Rising clinched a USL postseason spot, but the news came in the wake of the reigning champion’s 1-0 loss Saturday against Memphis 901.

Rising needed help to secure a playoff season and they got it as all the dominoes fell the right way to slot Rising into the playoff bracket. Continue reading “Playoff bound: Phoenix Rising FC squeaks into USL Championship postseason, readies for Saturday’s finale”

Dillingham apologizes, ASU football looks to bounce back after kicker controversy

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports–ASU Dillingham Kickers, 740 words.
  • 4 photos available.

By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

CINCINNATI – After calling Arizona State’s kicking game “atrocious” in the wake of a 24-14 Big 12 loss at Cincinnati Saturday, Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham continued to walk back his criticism of kicker Ian Hershey during his Monday press conference.

Dillingham opened the media session by apologizing for his comments immediately after the game, when he said he would hold open tryouts for a kicker and invited ASU students to email him if they have kicking experience.

“I’m not kidding,” Dillingham said at the time. Continue reading “Dillingham apologizes, ASU football looks to bounce back after kicker controversy”

Gen Z in Arizona and beyond worries that food choices are driving climate change

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Food and Climate. 930 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Samantha Bell
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Like many in Generation Z, Aria Harness worries about whether her next meal will harm the planet. Her biggest concerns: pesticides in food, water and soil.

“It is up to each individual to make these choices about their health,” she said, though she acknowledged that processed food is often more affordable than natural alternatives, “especially for college students, due to the significant increase in price and lack of options on campus.”

Continue reading “Gen Z in Arizona and beyond worries that food choices are driving climate change”

The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Lethal Restraint-Mental Health. 1,550 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lisa Patel and Mikey Galo
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Joseph William Holsopple was pronounced dead on Sept. 27, 2020, at a hospital in the city where he was born, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Cause of death: alcoholism. Marital status: divorced. Age: 48.

He graduated high school in Akron, Ohio, in 1990 and joined the Springfield Township Police Department in 2000. Over the years, Holsopple married, had two children and bought a house. But his life began to unravel, and in January 2018 he was fired from the department for showing up to work intoxicated and failing a breathalyzer test.

Continue reading “The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too”

El voto de no ciudadanos rara vez ocurre, pero ha ganado atención nacional con la Ley SAVE

by Julio Cisneros

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was translated from English to Spanish using ChatGPT. A Cronkite News editor reviewed the translation. Find the original story here. See any errors? Please let us know. Contact julio.cisneros@asu.edu.

NOTA DEL EDITOR: Este reportaje fue traducido del inglés al español usando ChatGPT. Un editor de Cronkite Noticias revisó la traducción. Encuentra el reportaje original aquí. ¿Ves algún error? Por favor, déjanoslo saber. Contacta a julio.cisneros@asu.edu.

  • NOMBRE: CN-VotoNoCi. 1255 palabras.
  • 1 foto disponible

Por Mia Osmonbekov
Cronkite Noticias

WASHINGTON – La amenaza de un cierre del gobierno puso a el voto de los no ciudadanos, un punto de controversia política en Arizona, en el centro de atención nacional después de que el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, vinculara el paquete de financiamiento gubernamental con un controvertido proyecto de ley de integridad electoral.

Continue reading “El voto de no ciudadanos rara vez ocurre, pero ha ganado atención nacional con la Ley SAVE”

As Costa Rica welcomes record-breaking number of tourists, the country is battling rising crime

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Borderlands-Costa Rica Crime. 3,000 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
  • Data visualization available here.

By Carly Stoenner
Cronkite Borderlands Project

SAN JOSÈ, Costa Rica — Dense jungles, pristine beaches, towering volcanoes, and a welcoming attitude toward visitors have caused tourists to flock to this peaceful nation for decades, but a wave of crime is now threatening paradise.

In 2023, Costa Rica welcomed 2.7 million visitors, according to the country’s Tourism Institute. Tourism has risen steadily since the end of the COVID pandemic.

Continue reading “As Costa Rica welcomes record-breaking number of tourists, the country is battling rising crime”

Funding stalled for federal program that’s reducing diabetes among Arizona Native Americans

by Julia Thompson
  • Slug: Native American Diabetes. 560 words.
  • File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Federal funding expires at the end of the year for a program that has reduced diabetes among Native Americans. Congress has yet to act, leaving providers and patients worried.

Diabetes is especially prevalent among Native Americans. In Arizona, 27% of Indigenous adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 10% of the White population, according to 2021 data from the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Continue reading “Funding stalled for federal program that’s reducing diabetes among Arizona Native Americans”

CORRECTION to Oct. 10 story about bed shortages

by Julia Thompson

EDS: Clients who used the Cronkite News story slugged SMI Patient Care that moved Thursday, Oct. 10, are asked to run the following correction. The errors occurred in grafs 6, 7 and 25 of the original. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.

An Oct. 10 Cronkite News story about bed shortages and inadequate care for severely mentally ill patients included incorrect information about the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. AHCCCS does not have responsibility for opening or licensing new facilities related to mental health treatment. Also, information about an involuntary hold for Jane Jepson’s son, Nick, was not correct. Nick was placed on a 72-hour involuntary hold at the Urgent Psychiatric Center at what was then Phoenix Memorial Hospital.