• Slug: BC-CNS-Child Literacy. 600 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By John Sanders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Child literacy is at the forefront for many Arizona educators, as English Language Arts and reading comprehension prepare students for adulthood and future careers.

However, recent research suggests that third grade students struggle with reading comprehension. According to the Center for the Future of Arizona’s education progress meter, which collects and analyzes data from the Arizona Department of Education, just 41% of Arizona third graders scored “proficient” or “highly proficient” across state assessment tests in 2023. That was 5 percentage points lower than pre-COVID-19 numbers and far short of the goal of 72% of third graders getting a passing grade in reading by 2030 that Arizona school districts are aiming for.

Continue reading “Read On Arizona and partners provide youth reading education to support fight pandemic literacy loss”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Front-row Seat,730 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – They can be seen sitting quietly on the sidelines of legislative committee hearings in their blazers, striped ties and khakis, or bustling around the House or Senate floor delivering papers to lawmakers.

These college students are the Legislature’s pages, quiet but essential workers that one lawmaker compared to “the oil in a machine that keeps things running.”

Pages are college students hired by the Legislature to assist lawmakers and staff in running day-to-day operations. Besides working in committees and on the floor, that can include anything from answering constituent phone calls to setting up hearing rooms and giving information to visitors. Continue reading “‘No dull days’: Pages get front-row seats, help keep the Capitol running”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Cochlear Implants. 830 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Cochlear implants have been available in the U.S. since 1961. However, the deaf community is divided over whether getting a cochlear implant undermines deaf identity and culture.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic hearing device, with one part surgically implanted into the bone surrounding the ear and one part placed on the ear like a hearing aid. It allows people who are deaf or very hard of hearing to receive and process sounds and speech; it does not, however, restore normal hearing.

Continue reading “Deaf community is divided over how cochlear implants affect deaf identity and culture”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Engandered Species Scientist. 375 words.
• 6 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Mariah Temprendola
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Tara Harris’ fascination with science began in childhood, eventually forming into her passion for conserving native species. Harris believes animals play vital roles in the environment, yet recognizes some are overlooked.

“I really found a passion for them and wanted to work with our partners to help save them,” Harris said. “I feel like I can make a tangible difference for them right here at home.”

Continue reading “‘A tangible difference’: Phoenix Zoo scientists work to save native species”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sage Memorial Hospital Sidebar. 230 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video & embeddable map available.

By Mia Milinovich
Cronkite News

GANADO – Sage Memorial Hospital is tackling access to health care beyond its main facility in Ganado, with two mobile units that provide a range of outpatient services, including diabetes mellitus screenings and education, rapid HIV and syphilis tests, screenings and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, adult immunizations, harm reduction services, walk-in services and more.

Kathryn Barron, nurse practitioner and director of outpatient services and community health at Sage Memorial, said officials there are developing the mobile units to provide comprehensive care.

Continue reading “Mobile units and nutrition assistance extend Sage Memorial’s reach”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Medical Interpreters. 940 words.
• 5 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Related Spanish story available.

By Kevinjonah Paguio
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Non-English speakers can face big communication challenges in medical settings: being unable to convey personal information, understand medical jargon and follow treatment instructions. These challenges can result in misunderstandings, or worse, in misdiagnoses. Phoenix hospitals work at preventing problems like this by providing interpretation and translation services in many different languages.

About 2 million Arizonans speak a language other than English, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, although it is not clear how many would be considered non-English speakers. Over 1.3 million speak Spanish; more than 130,000 speak another Indo-European language; 150,000 speak an Asian or Pacific Island language; and 160,000 speak other languages.

Phoenix hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, Valleywise Health, Abrazo Health and Banner Health, have established services for interpretation – for speech – and translation – for written communication – that can cover dozens of different languages. When a hospital’s language department is unable to directly provide interpretation and translation services, third-party providers – vendors and contractors – will step in.

Continue reading “Medical interpreters break the language barrier in Phoenix hospitals, use interpretation and translation services to broaden accessibility”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Salton Sea. 775 words.
• 17 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jack Orleans
Cronkite News

NORTH SHORE, California – As it deteriorates, the ecosystem around the Salton Sea in Riverside County in Southern California, has been creating a toxic environment that hurts the health of children of immigrant families who live and work there, according to researchers.

A 2023 study by the University of California, Riverside, looked at the immigrant population of low-income Hispanic and Indigenous Mexican Hispanic people in communities around the Salton Sea and found that the rate of childhood asthma is 20% to 22.4%, much higher than the California average of 14.5%. The study’s researchers said that the health problems are caused by the dust from the remains of fish that ingested toxic materials from the water in the Salton Sea.

Continue reading “Salton Sea immigrant community experiences high rates of asthma from inhaling dust from the drying sea bed”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Latino Cancer Rates. 840 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Embeddable chart available.

By Annika Tourlas
Cronkite News

SAN ANTONIO – Cancer is now the leading cause of death for Latinos, accounting for 20% of all deaths, and according to a news release from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Latinos could face a 142% increase in cancer cases in coming years.

Those were among the concerning statistics discussed by researchers and health care providers at a conference focused on Latino cancer care, hosted by the Mays Cancer Center and the Institute for Health Promotion Research earlier this year at the University of Texas Health San Antonio.

Continue reading “San Antonio oncologists tackle rising rates of cancer deaths in Latinos”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Rattlesnake Awareness. 550 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail and caption below).
• Video available.

By Zoriah Cole
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As the temperatures rise and the sun casts its golden glow over the Arizona landscape, more and more people are drawn outside to embrace the beauty of the outdoors. However, amid the breathtaking scenery and rugged trails, there’s a potentially dangerous cohabitant – the rattlesnake.

Bryan Kuhn, a toxicologist from the Banner Poison & Drug Information Center, cautions adventurers about the increased encounters between humans and snakes as temperatures climb above 80 degrees.

Continue reading “As Arizona shifts into warmer weather, beware of rattlesnakes, experts say”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Virtue Signaling,870 words.
• 2 file photoa available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – They can’t say they weren’t warned.

When Republican lawmakers pushed a bill that would rewrite state law to include “only two sexes” and specifically rejected “gender identity,” Gov. Katie Hobbs told them she would veto the bill if it passed, just like she vetoed a similar measure last year.

They passed it. She vetoed it, just one of 52 bills vetoed by the governor so far this year.

Bills addressing immigration, abortion, and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI programs, are among the many that have passed with almost no chance of becoming law, part of the regular “political theater” aimed less at legislating and more at getting media attention and appealing to constituents. Continue reading “Succeeding by failing: ‘Virtue signaling’ runs high in the Legislature”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homeless Heat. 610 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With temperatures in Phoenix already hitting 100 degrees, concerns for how the homeless populations will survive the heat this summer are front and center. According to the Maricopa County 2023 Heat Related Deaths Report, the homeless population accounted for 45% of the 645 heat-related deaths in the county, which saw a 52% increase in overall heat deaths compared to 2022.

That same report showed that 71% of heat-related deaths occurred on days when the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning. Temperatures stayed high even at night; the low recorded for one night last July was 97 degrees. Excessive heat is particularly hard for the homeless population as they don’t have indoor spaces to find relief.

Continue reading “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will provide more beds to help the homeless survive extreme heat this summer”

EDS: An earlier version of this story included incorrect timing for the opening of the Culdesac community. The error appeared in the 13th graf. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Pedestrian Living. 1,015 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Crystal N. Aguilar
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Culdesac aims to offer the convenience of city living with the warm feel of the suburbs.

Located on the property is a corner market; a restaurant; several shops; a repair shop for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters; and a night market held every Thursday to help residents connect with their neighbors and community. Apartment residents can see storefronts from their balconies and easily run down for a new outfit from vintage shop Sew Used or a gift from any of the multiple small shops. Parking is for retail convenience, rather than resident use.

Continue reading “‘Mobility, community and open space’: Culdesac in Tempe aims to provide a healthy alternative to suburban living”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Parsing Politicians,1630 words.
• File photo,  4 graphics available (embed codes, thumbnail, caption below).

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When he considers who to vote for, Gilbert small business owner John Webster looks beyond campaign positions, going so far as to create a spreadsheet listing candidates’ bipartisanship, their success rate in passing bills and their opinions on the 2020 election.

Webster concedes he is probably an “anomaly.” Experts say more voters should be like him.

With 10 of Arizona’s 11 congressional seats up for election this year, experts and voters are urging Arizonans to consider the range of an incumbent’s performance, everything from how many bills they pass to how often they show up and how well they work across the aisle. Continue reading “Should you focus on lawmaker effectiveness to cast your ballot? Voters, experts say yes”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Lethal Restraint Ketamine,1890 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Caralin Nunes, Wyatt Myskow and Grace Copperthite
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic Jeremy Cooper stood above the slight 23-year-old man as he lay face down in the grass, a policeman’s knee in his back, wrists handcuffed and pulled high behind him.

For roughly six minutes, Cooper observed the man crying, gagging and calling out for help while being pinned face down by two officers. The paramedic asked no questions and performed no physical exam before deciding that the young man was suffering from “excited delirium” — a controversial term used to describe people displaying extremely agitated behavior.

“So, when the ambulance gets here,” Cooper can be heard saying on body camera footage, “we’re gonna go ahead and give him some ketamine.” Continue reading “Ketamine: An alternative to police force or a silent killer?”