• Slug: BC-CNS-Indigenous Syphilis,1370 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Cecilia Nowell
Source New Mexico

From her base in Gallup, New Mexico, Melissa Wyaco supervises about two dozen public health nurses who crisscross the sprawling Navajo Nation searching for patients who have tested positive for or been exposed to a disease once nearly eradicated in the U.S.: syphilis.

Infection rates in this region of the Southwest — the 27,000-square-mile reservation encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah — are among the nation’s highest. And Wyaco, who is from Zuni Pueblo (about 40 miles south of Gallup) and is the nurse consultant for the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, says the numbers are far worse than anything she has seen in her 30-year nursing career. Continue reading “Rapid rise in syphilis hits Native Americans in the Southwest hardest”

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Dam Pipes,1210 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alex Hager
KUNC

Conservation groups are calling for changes to the management of Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir, after the discovery of damaged plumbing within the dam that holds it back.

The damage is to Glen Canyon Dam’s “river outlet works,” a critical set of small tubes near the bottom of the dam that were originally intended to release excess water when the reservoir is nearing full capacity.

The reservoir is currently only 32% full, beleaguered by climate change and steady demand. Water experts think the river outlet works may soon become the only way to pass water from Lake Powell, situated in far northern Arizona, to the Colorado River on the other side. But they worry that damage to those tubes could impede the ability to use them regularly. Continue reading “A plumbing issue at Lake Powell dam could mean big trouble for Western water”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Baby Drivers,510 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – It’s a “scary” trend that border county officials say is getting scarier: Mexican cartels paying teenagers from throughout the country to smuggle illegal migrants across the state as “load car” drivers.

“We’ve had them from every state in the lower 48 down here,” said Robert Watkins, commander of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office patrol and special operations division. “We have 1,500 smugglers coming into Cochise County a month to transport people.”

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot says the trend has “been going on since 2020, and it’s just increased as you’ve seen more and more people coming across (the border).” Continue reading “Border sheriffs see more ‘load car’ drivers, teens paid to smuggle migrants”

EDS: An earlier version of this story misspelled Steve Christy’s name in grafs 28, 29 and 31. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Shelter Skelter,1820 words.
• 17 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

TUCSON – A Customs and Border Protection van pulls to the side door of an industrial building. Two federal agents get out and open the van’s rear doors, revealing metal, barred gates that read “Inmate Transport.”

The first face to emerge from the van’s dark interior is a young girl wearing pink pants and a beaming smile. A man steps out next and carries her, and her juice box, toward the entrance of the shelter where asylum seekers get food, clothes, and a temporary shelter after being processed by CBP and released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

The scene is repeated daily at the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson where hundreds – sometimes thousands – of asylum seekers, many of them young children, are dropped off with little more than the clothes on their backs. Continue reading “Border shelters stave off ‘homelessness on steroids,’ but funding worries remain”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Medicaid Unwinding,850 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Annika Tourlas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – One year after restarting the pre-pandemic review process for enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System cut coverage for 611,144 recipients and approved 1,953,301 renewals, according to its eligibility dashboard. The agency is continuing to review coverage for 1,892 recipients as of April 5. The nationwide review process, referred to as “unwinding,” cut the Medicaid rolls in every state.

State agencies, like AHCCCS, go through a process every year known as “renewal and discontinuance.” During this process, recipients’ income levels are evaluated to determine if they still qualify for coverage through Medicaid or CHIP – the Children’s Health Insurance Program. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act instructed states to suspend disenrollment efforts and extend coverage through March 2023. Continue reading “Year of Medicaid ‘unwinding’ cuts 600,000, but renews nearly 2 million on state’s rolls”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Electors Indicted,940 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Eleven top Arizona Republicans were among 18 people indicted on felony fraud, forgery and conspiracy charges for their part in a plan to present themselves to Congress as the state’s presidential electors and throw the election to Donald Trump.

The 58-page indictment handed up Wednesday gives a detailed account of the plan by former state party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, current state Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, and others, to keep Trump – identified as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1” – in office “against the will of Arizona’s voters.” Continue reading “‘Fake electors’ indictment charges GOP leaders with felony fraud, forgery”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Veep,740 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

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 Tucson 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. Continue reading “Harris, Arizona Democrats seize on abortion ban to blast Trump, GOP”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Upheaval,1260 words.
• 7 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A divided Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a 19th-century, near-total ban on abortion, saying it overrides a 2022 law that allowed abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

State officials said it will be another 60 days before the ruling could take effect, but the reaction was swift and angry to what abortion-rights groups called a “dark day for Arizona.” Continue reading “Arizona Supreme Court restores near-total ban on abortions in the state”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Drone Incursions,590.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Cartels are sending as many as 1,000 unmanned drones across the border every month, sometimes smuggling drugs but more often probing the border for vulnerabilities, a Pentagon official told a Senate committee this month.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, who assumed command of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command in February, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that countering unmanned aircraft systems had “dominated … the first month” of his tenure. Senators started asking about drone flights around military bases, but the discussion then turned to incursions across the border. Continue reading “Senators told of ‘alarming’ level of drone incursions at southern border”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Scotus SanCarlos,740.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The San Carlos Apache said Monday that the federal government owes it $3 million for health care services, one of two tribes arguing before the Supreme Court for more support from the Indian Health Service.

But attorneys for the government argued that allowing tribes to claim additional overhead costs for the health care they provide their members would strap the system, and end up siphoning away money for care of Native Americans in other tribes. Continue reading “Tribes, feds spar before Supreme Court over who pays for health care”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Chips Change,690.
• 3 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – President Joe Biden announced the award of $8.5 billion to chipmaker Intel on Wednesday, along with $11 billion in loans that will help the semiconductor manufacturer expand operations in Arizona and three other states.

The grant, the largest to date under the CHIPS and Science Act, will let Intel upgrade current facilities in Chandler and construct what the company says will be two “leading edge” facilities there, making it the largest chipmaking location in the country when it opens in late 2025. The Chandler project is expected to create 3,000 manufacturing jobs along with 7,000 construction jobs. Continue reading “Feds award Intel $8.5 billion; money to expand Chandler, other chip plants”

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

• Slug: BC-CNS-GRIC Water,660.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alex Hager
KUNC

The Gila River Indian Community said it does not support a plan backed by three states for managing the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply, and is instead working instead with federal officials to develop its own proposal for water sharing.

Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said Wednesday at a meeting of policy experts and water scientists in Tucson that his tribe would not go along with the plan unveiled a week earlier by the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada. Continue reading “Gila River Indian Community rejects states’ plan for Colorado, works with feds”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Pool Fences,650.
• 5 photos, graphic available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Lauren Kobley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Brandi Stoll is an Arizona native who grew up swimming in pools and was familiar with pool safety. When she became a mother, she knew the risks and how to keep her children safe around the pool, but her world changed in July 2021 when she found her almost-2-year-old daughter face down in her family’s pool.

Drowning is a leading cause of death for children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2023, there were 133 water-related incidents reported in Maricopa and Pinal counties, 50 of which involved children 5 and under, according to data from Children’s Safety Zone, which tracks Arizona data. Of those 50 incidents, 12 resulted in fatalities. Continue reading “Pool Fence Safety Program aims to raise awareness, reduce drownings”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Kidney Disparities,1210.
• 3 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Leah Mesquita
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Angela Beatty had no idea that her high blood pressure could cause her to go into kidney failure.

As a Black American, Beatty is part of a racial group that is far more likely to experience kidney failure than other racial groups. Black Americans also experience high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease at higher rates, which can all contribute to the development of kidney disease.

“It’s a silent killer,” said Dr. Mandip Kang, a nephrologist at the Southwest Kidney Institute. “Majority of patients don’t develop any symptoms until the kidney function is in the 20-30% range.” Continue reading “Black Americans three times more likely to face kidney failure than whites”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Natural Decomposition,1040.
• 5 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — There may soon be a new option in Arizona funeral care: human composting.

The process, also called natural decomposition, converts human remains into soil and gives grieving family members the opportunity to plant trees and gardens using their loved one’s remains.

“It’s really pretty simple. It’s exactly what happens when leaves fall from the trees and become one with the ground,” Brie Smith, chief operating officer of Return Home, said. “We’re just letting nature take its course, and then (people) are able to move through their grief in this most beautiful, meaningful way.” Continue reading “Human composting? Bill would allow natural decomposition as burial option”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Wildfire Fallout,710.
• 2 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The nine wildfires that have swept through Coconino County since 2010 have led to the loss of more than 130 buildings, the issuance of more than 25,000 evacuation orders and the release of 4.1 million metric tons carbon into the atmosphere.

And that’s just the start of the problems, Coconino County Deputy Manager Lucinda Andreani told a Senate panel Thursday.

Andreani was one of several witnesses who called for improvements in the way federal agencies respond to crises like wildfires, during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing titled “A Nation on Fire.” Continue reading “Coconino official says improvements needed to federal wildfire assistance”

• Slug: BC-CNS-TikTok Knocked,730 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona lawmakers split Wednesday as the House gave overwhelming, bipartisan approval to a bill that would ban use of TikTok in the U.S. if the owners of the social media app don’t first sell it to another company.

Supporters say the measure is needed because TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, can be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans. But fans defended the popular app and said the vote just proves that “the government is so completely out of touch with reality.” Continue reading “Arizona lawmakers split as House overwhelmingly OKs bill to ban TikTok”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Schools Status,990 words.
• 3 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne told lawmakers Tuesday that the state faces a crisis in teacher retention, with low salaries and a lack of support leading to a loss of thousands of teachers every year.

Horne told the House Education Committee that the state faces a “public sector crisis,” with thousands of teachers leaving every year and not enough new teachers coming in to replace them.

“If we do nothing to reverse this trend, this could be a major catastrophe for our students and our economy that needs a skilled workforce,” Horne said. Continue reading “Horne calls for more funding for teachers, more discipline for students”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Diss Union,890 words.
• 2 photoa available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden delivered a combative State of the Union address Thursday that laid out his achievements and baited Republicans for not doing more, a tone that did not sit well with Arizona’s GOP lawmakers.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Tucson, called it a “divisive” address that sounded “more like a campaign speech than anything else,” noting that Biden repeatedly targeted former President Donald Trump while glossing over other issues.

“He (Biden) mentioned his predecessor more than anything that I heard him say. So, he was obsessed with that, making comparisons, and quite frankly, when you compare where we were as a nation … it isn’t even close,” Ciscomani said. Continue reading “Arizona lawmakers pan, praise Biden’s combative State of the Union address”

• Slug: BC-CNS-HIV Spike,1250 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Leah Mesquita
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Christopher Carrillo discovered a lump behind his ear in 2011, it never occurred to him that the cause could be from HIV.

“Testing wasn’t something that I did,” Carrillo said. “It wasn’t part of my routine.”

After Carrillo researched lymph nodes online and saw a mention of HIV, he decided to see a doctor. The results changed his life forever.

Today, Carrillo is a case manager at the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS in Phoenix, a health-care facility serving primarily “persons of color, LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer individuals, and those affected by HIV.” He sees a recent wave of new HIV cases in Arizona changing the lives of the Hispanic population around him. Continue reading “Arizona reports 20% increase in HIV cases, predominantly affecting Hispanic communities”