WASHINGTON – Buffalo are so iconic, Congress designated them as the national mammal in 2016. Native American oral histories estimate that 30 to 60 million once roamed the plains.
After nearly going extinct, the shaggy beasts are making a comeback and soon, many could find themselves on reservations where their kind hasn’t set hoof in decades.
PHOENIX – Nearly two years ago, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was set to begin her court case following her detainment in Russia. Ultimately sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, she only served 10 months before returning home to the United States in a high-profile prisoner exchange.
Today, Griner and two of her teammates, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper, are preparing to represent Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“I guess we’ve got something special here in the Valley,” Griner said during a press conference following the June 11 announcement.
GLENDALE – The recent Section 7 Basketball Tournament at State Farm Stadium showcased the top high school talent in the West, and that included the twins son of a 14-year NBA veteran. Carter and Isaiah Barnes, incoming sophomores from Crespi Carmelite High School (Encino, California), are the offspring of Matt Barnes, whose experience and mentorship have shaped their performances on the court.
“He’s preached so much to us. He’s preached mental toughness, defense, offense, consistency, body language, even playing without the ball,” Isaiah said Saturday about his father. “For this, it’s out of state. Big crowd. A lot of people trying to get in your head, but he always said, ‘Tune it out, don’t let them get in your head.’”
This advice has proved invaluable as the Barnes twins tuned out the noise to excel during the three-day competition, which features 400 boys and girls teams from the West and draws the attention of more than 500 college coaches from all levels. Carter and Isaiah scored a combined 39 points against Lincoln High School in helping Crespi storm through the 16-team Mayo Clinic Bracket, but the Celts needed a come-from-behind win against Canyon High School to cap off the weekend undefeated in their fourth and final game. Continue reading “Dynamic duo: Twin sons of NBA veteran Matt Barnes impress as Section 7 standouts with teamwork, talent”
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on Friday to uphold a ban on gun possession by domestic abusers – a ruling that came as a huge relief to victims’ advocates in Arizona and across the nation.
“When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
The near-unanimous ruling to affirm limitations on Second Amendment rights defied the court’s usual ideological split. The sole dissent came from Justice Clarence Thomas, who had authored a 2022 ruling that vastly expanded gun rights on behalf of the conservative majority.
Abusers use firearms as “an intimidation tactic,” said Cynthia Rodriguez, an associate director at A New Leaf, an Arizona group that helps people affected by domestic violence. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to use them, but it’s a tool that’s used to show power against their victim.”
PHOENIX – When Nate Tibbetts accepted his first WNBA coaching role this season, he faced a new challenge: answering questions about the Phoenix Mercury from his twin daughters, Jordyn and Londyn.
In 2018, as the Portland Trail Blazers’ assistant coach, Tibbetts was preparing for the future possibility of becoming a head coach while also welcoming the birth of his twin daughters. After his eight-year stint ended in 2021 with the Trail Blazers, the Orlando Magic hired Tibbetts as an assistant coach.
Last October, Tibbetts earned his first big break as the Mercury tapped him as the next head coach, hoping his extensive NBA experience could turn around the franchise after a tumultuous 9-31 season in 2023.
TEMPE – Darkness had always limited play on Arizona’s golf courses until Grass Clippings took on the challenge.
Tired of halting rounds early due to course rules, the founders of the clothing brand united to enable play into the night for all interested golfers.
For the past six months in Tempe, golfers have enjoyed playing under the lights until 1 a.m. at Grass Clippings Rolling Hills, the state’s first fully lit 18-hole golf course. Pete Wilson, Jake Hoselton, Jimmy Hoselton and Connor Riley saw the new venture was a natural next step after leading a successful business selling polos and hats at their retail location in Arcadia. Continue reading “Tempe’s Grass Clippings Rolling Hills shines new light on golf with nighttime play”
WASHINGTON – The Democrats’ House campaign arm plans to inject $2.8 million into two battleground districts in Arizona, targeting U.S. Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani.
Both won by narrow margins in 2022 and Democrats are hoping the presidential race and concerns about abortion rights will motivate voters to put them over the top this time.
Democrats view abortion as pivotal to success in Arizona, where the state’s high court revived an 1864 law that enforced a near-total ban The Legislature repealed that ban but the issue remains top of mind for many voters.
“House Republicans are doing everything they can to chip away at reproductive freedom towards their ultimate goal of passing a nationwide abortion ban,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), on a Thursday call with reporters. “We are holding Republicans accountable for their extreme anti-abortion stances. Come November we’ll take back the House of Representatives and defend our rights.”
WASHINGTON – Arizona’s unemployment rate fell in May to its lowest rate ever recorded, reaching a seasonally adjusted 3.4% and falling below the previous record of 3.5% recorded in August 2007, according to state data released Thursday.
The job boom has yet to translate into popularity for President Joe Biden, despite steps he’s taken to boost growth in manufacturing – a sector that’s seen some of the biggest gains. Polls show him trailing former President Donald Trump in Arizona.
Arizonans are sour on the economy, and pessimistic about their prospects if Biden wins reelection.
A CBS News/YouGov poll of likely Arizona voters last month found that only 17% expect to be better off financially in a second Biden term, compared to 45% if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
EDS: Clients who used the Cronkite News story slugged Abortion California that moved Tuesday, June 18, under a WASHINGTON dateline are asked to run the following correction. The errors occurred in graf 11 of the original. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.
WASHINGTON – A June 18 Cronkite News story about California’s offer of emergency licenses for Arizona doctors who perform abortions incorrectly stated how many of the state’s nine abortion clinics Pro-Choice Arizona and the Abortion Fund of Arizona work with. The group works with four of the five independent clinics.
WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris will mark the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade in Phoenix, at a campaign event focused on abortion rights.
Arizona has been a battleground for reproductive rights, and Democrats see it as a wedge issue to drive up turnout and lure independents and even some Republicans.
Harris stumped in Tucson days after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a near-total ban enacted in 1864 could again be enforced. Her latest visit comes nine days after the Legislature adjourned, ensuring its repeal of that Civil War-era ban cannot take effect even for a few days in the fall.
Harris will remind voters that Donald Trump named three of the six justices who overturned Roe, making him “responsible for overturning Roe and the chaos that has followed,” the Biden campaign said in announcing her visit.
WASHINGTON – Migrants and their advocates welcomed President Joe Biden’s order protecting undocumented immigrants who are married to Americans.
Under the previous rules, migrants like Karime Rodriguez – a U.S. resident for 20 years – had to leave the country to apply for a green card. Her parents brought her into the U.S. from Mexico at age 2.
The order Biden unveiled Tuesday will let such migrants complete their paperwork without leaving home, spouses, children and jobs.
That will help roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens, according to the White House. The policy change will also benefit 50,000 of their noncitizen children under age 21 who also would be granted an easier path to a green card and eventual citizenship.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Eli Crane got $900,000 worth of support from Kevin McCarthy when he won his Arizona congressional seat in 2022, according to campaign finance records. Less than a year later, he was one of eight hardline Republicans who ousted McCarthy from the speakership.
Now McCarthy is out for revenge. Using his vast war chest and web of affiliated PACs, the deposed Californian is trying to knock Crane out in the Republican primary on July 30, backing a challenger Crane’s camp has denounced as a “puppet.”
McCarthy is batting .000 so far in his quest to punish the turncoats who joined with Democrats to push him out last fall, bringing the House to a standstill for weeks until Republicans settled on a successor.
Crane, a former Navy SEAL who left college in his senior year to enlist after the Sept. 11 attacks, is seeking his second term in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. The vast district encompasses the northeastern part of the state and includes Flagstaff, Prescott and parts of the Valley. He lives just outside it in Oro Valley.
PHOENIX – Jocelyn Hu grew up in Arizona, watching basketball games with her dad. Sports was a passion, but so, too, was fashion, and by the time she was a teenager, she was attempting to make her own clothes. Although her design career didn’t begin until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Corona del Sol High School graduate soon merged her love for sports and apparel by creating sports-related streetwear.
Fast forward to this year, the sports fashion designer partnered with Mitchell & Ness to create handmade puffer jackets for the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend, which may lead to another fashion collaboration with the clothing company for the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix.
As the WNBA ramps up efforts to market its players on and off the court and women’s basketball fans propel the sport into a new stratosphere, Hu’s All-Star opportunities continue to arise. Fans are not only thrilled about the upcoming All-Star game, but they’re also eagerly anticipating the looks that will debut on the iconic orange carpet in July. Continue reading “WNBA’s soaring popularity fueling fashion frenzy ahead of All-Star weekend in Phoenix”
TEMPE – Downtown Tempe came alive with vibrant cultural celebrations as the city hosted its annual Juneteenth Block Party Saturday. Organized by Downtown Tempe Authority, the theme for this year’s block party was Freedom of Expression. It combined history and education with immersive artistic experiences to showcase how art and activism come together to reflect on social justice and racial equality.
Event manager Tamar Burch, who recently moved to Tempe from Las Vegas, organized The Doorways art installation and worked on the block party alongside three other event managers to engage the community and support local businesses.
WASHINGTON – Weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court revived a near-total abortion ban adopted decades before statehood, Democrats in California sprung into action. Through the end of November, Arizona doctors can get temporary licenses to perform abortions in California for Arizona patients.
Arizona abortion providers and abortion rights advocates voiced appreciation for the neighborly gesture.
But so far no Arizona doctors have signed up, California officials say.
PHOENIX – A cheer of “Bingo!” was quickly followed by groans of disappointment and hearty laughter as a group of older adults played Biden Bingo on Thursday morning. The event was part of a new Joe Biden campaign tactic that aims to mobilize senior voters through bingo rounds, pickleball tournaments, ice cream socials and intergenerational chats.
Attendees at Biden Bingo at a Biden campaign office in Phoenix praised the event, saying that it was a more personable approach to campaigning.
“I love the concept because just sitting at my table today, I met people I had no idea were invested in helping to reelect Joe Biden,” said Dora Vasquez, executive director of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans.
Seniors for Biden-Harris is one of the latest attempts from the Biden campaign to target specific demographics. This month, Republican Donald Trump launched Latino Americans for Trump and Black Americans for Trump. This targeted campaign strategy has blown up in the past decade or so, according to Stella Rouse, a professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University.
PHOENIX – It’s the bottom of the ninth. The Cadillac Cars are hoping to hold their lead against the Manistee Eagles, and the crowd is buzzing as the late-game drama unfolds.
That’s a slider in the dirt, 2 and 2. And the 2-2 pitch, pop fly to center field. Ortega is under it and he makes the catch for out number two.
If you’re still listening to the dulcet tones of play-by-play voice Wally McCarthy in the ninth inning, he’ll be disappointed. He wants you to be sleeping.
WASHINGTON – Arizonans nearly found themselves back in the 1800s.
A Civil War-era abortion ban repealed in May would have become enforceable on Sept. 26 – temporarily – if the Legislature didn’t adjourn in time.
New laws take effect 90 days after the legislative session. Through that quirk, unless lawmakers adjourned by June 28 the ban they had just repealed would be the law of the land, if only for a few days.
As a budget deadlock persisted, the specter grew that lawmakers would miss the deadline. Then, in a weekend push, they completed their work on Saturday night.
PHOENIX – Before Diana Taurasi walked onto the court in the 2009 WNBA Finals, she elected to wear an arm sleeve. The world saw her rally the Phoenix Mercury back from a 2-1 series deficit to beat the Indiana Fever 3-2, average 20.4 points en route to her first finals MVP, and hoist the capped trophy, looking at it with great adoration.
But the world couldn’t see what was underneath her arm sleeve. It wasn’t an additional accessory, extra support or for compression; instead, Taurasi was hiding her moderate-to-severe eczema.
PHOENIX – An 87th-minute winner sent roars into the desert sky.
It was a moment that defined a shifting direction. Dariusz Formella secured his brace and three points for Phoenix Rising against Orange County last Friday, moving his squad into fourth place in the Western Conference.
Fourteen games into the season, the Rising are back on track after a temporary hangover from last season’s USL Championship win.
“As a team, we were not consistent through the first half of the season,” said Formella, whose squad visits El Paso Locomotive Saturday. “We had a lot of good performances, but not good results. I hope this game will be a big step and we can start a winning streak.”
The post-championship season has brought a lot of turnover and change to the club in multiple areas.
Most notable was the departure of coach Juan Guerra, who is now an assistant manager for MLS side Houston Dynamo. Guerra spent two seasons at the helm with a record of 21-13-16. He left the reins to his assistant manager, Danny Stone.
Stone, born in Liverpool, England, attended Corona del Sol High School in Tempe when he was 15. He eventually returned home to England where he played professionally for Blackburn Rovers and Notts County.
Stone took over a squad that looked a little different compared to the championship side that lined-up against Charleston last November in the title game.
The biggest piece missing is Danny Trejo, who scored 19 goals and provided seven assists in Rising’s championship campaign. In the offseason, he decided to head overseas and sign with Polish club Korona Kielce.
Trejo wasn’t the only one. Midfielder Carlos Harvey departed for MLS club Minnesota United. Forward Manuel Arteaga and defender Eddie Munjoma left for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. And now defender Darnell King is an assistant manager for the club.
However, when you win a championship, more positives than negatives typically emerge. The USL champion receives $300,000, which can help the club both financially and in the transfer market.
Not to mention holding the title of defending champion adds an extra incentive for players to join the club.
One of the biggest additions this year has been Rémi Cabral, who is on loan from the Colorado Rapids. Cabral has scored a team-high seven goals, filling an important hole up top while Formella was on a break from the team due to the birth of his child. With both players healthy, the squad is finally at full strength, and in a different spot compared to a few months ago.
At that time in late March, the Rising were off to a rocky start, losing three of their first four matches. But over the last seven matches, they have only lost one game, looking to continue the success into the coming weeks.
“Every time we get three points, the following game can really compound that and make last week’s three points even better,” Stone said. “We go into the game this weekend with a target of claiming seven points out of these last three games. To be consistent, a team that gets wins is absolutely the next sort of evolution I think for this team.”
Much of their success has come at home, where they have posted a 4-3-1 record. Strong fan support is partially due to the success of last season, but also greater effort from within the club to promote the Rising.
“Having a complete offseason, where we weren’t worried about moving the stadium but we could focus on the business side of things, has certainly helped,” Rising president Bobby Dulle said. “We’re always asking for feedback, doing surveys. We are trying to see what works, getting new people out who haven’t been to a game at Phoenix Rising. And we pride ourselves in trying to be accessible and affordable.”
With all the effort made off the field, the improved play on it is sure to help fill up the stands even more as the season progresses.
The Rising sit only six points off the top of the Western Conference. This weekend, they head to Texas to face bottom of the table El Paso with a chance for back-to-back wins.
The start to the season was not what the reigning champions antcipated. But come Saturday night, the Rising can continue their run of form, and maybe convince fans that the magic of last season could fall into this one.
Phoenix Rising FC secured a victory over Orange County SC, courtesy of two goals from forward Dariusz Formella, who is seen here receiving a warm embrace from teammates. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Rising FC)
