Author: Adnan Alam

State officials warn of potentially ‘explosive’ wildfires this summer

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Wildfire Season,530.
  • 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Forestry officials said Arizona is on the verge of a volatile wildfire season, and they urged state residents to be prepared and to take steps now to head off the worst of it.

“The first day of any firefight starts with the actions and efforts that we do today,” said Aaron Casem, the prevention officer at the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

He was speaking at a news conference Monday where state officials said a wet winter spurred excessive growth of vegetation that has the potential to become a “heavy fuel load” for fires as the state dries out this summer. Continue reading “State officials warn of potentially ‘explosive’ wildfires this summer”

Presidential nominees already picked, but Arizona voters still have options

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-PPE Meh,710.
  • Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Joe Biden and Donald Trump have already locked up their parties’ presidential nominations, but that doesn’t mean Arizona voters won’t have a choice when they cast ballots Tuesday in the state’s presidential preference election.

The question is how many voters exercise that choice.

Democrats angry with Biden’s stance on Gaza are urging a protest vote to show their displeasure, while Trump critics can pick from eight other – former – GOP candidates whose names are still on the ballot. Continue reading “Presidential nominees already picked, but Arizona voters still have options”

Maricopa County, First Place conduct mock election for voters with disabilities ahead of presidential primary

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Disabled Voting Accommodations. 565 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jack Orleans
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A mock election to help voters with various physical or mental disabilities was held Feb. 27 by the Maricopa County Recorder’s Elections Office and Vote The Spectrum, an initiative launched by a Phoenix nonprofit to register 10,000 individuals with autism or intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“We’ve done 250 vote registrations as of today, and that means that we’ll get additional people out there voting,” said Monica Murray, a member of the Maricopa County Special Elections Board.

Those boards provide services to people whose various disabilities make voting difficult.

Continue reading “Maricopa County, First Place conduct mock election for voters with disabilities ahead of presidential primary”

Phoenix banks on wheels try to make banking more accessible, provide financial education

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Mobile Banking. 820 words.
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Naomi DuBovis
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – For some, going to the bank is a regular errand, but for others, it’s a difficult and sometimes impossible task. That’s why some programs bring the bank to the customer instead of making the customer come to the bank.

With portions of Arizona’s population having limited or nonexistent access to banking services, financial institutions are working with nonprofits to help. Bank branches on wheels is one tool they’re trying out to provide financial education and get more people signed up for bank accounts.

According to data compiled by economic justice nonprofit Prosperity Now, 17% of Phoenix households were underbanked in 2021 compared to 14% of households nationwide. Underbanked households have a bank account, but they rely primarily on cash and alternative financial services like payday loans to manage their money.

Continue reading “Phoenix banks on wheels try to make banking more accessible, provide financial education”

Pac-12 post-mortem: Coaches, players weigh in on final conference tournament

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Death of Pac-12 Tournament, 1,200 words.
  • 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Scott Sandulli
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Eleven years ago this month, Mick Cronin, then the men’s basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati, sat at a postgame presser offering his thoughts on participating in the final Big East Tournament.

After an unfathomable collapse for one of the nation’s premier basketball conferences, Cronin expressed his shock at what would be the first domino to fall in modern-day conference realignment.

“This is the greatest tradition in college athletics: this tournament,” Cronin said. “The fact that we’re sitting here and this is the last Big East Tournament is beyond ridiculous.” Continue reading “Pac-12 post-mortem: Coaches, players weigh in on final conference tournament”

Care to dance? Arizona, GCU prepare for first round of NCAA men’s basketball tournament

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-NCAA Tournament Bracket, 1,253 words.
  • 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Brett Lapinski
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – It’s that time again. The most anticipated Sunday in college basketball has passed, and roughly two and half weeks of iconic games, breakthrough performances, Cinderella stories and millions of busted brackets lie ahead. The 2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament is officially here, and Selection Sunday has left us with plenty of storylines to ensure some madness this March.

With the Valley hosting the Final Four on April 6 and the title game April 8, two teams have a shot to represent the Grand Canyon State. The University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University are the only teams from Arizona in this year’s tournament and both find themselves nestled into the West Region of the tournament.

“I feel good,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said Sunday. “ I think we’re well-rested. I know we’re definitely healthier than we were last year. I think we’re ready to be in attack mode.” Continue reading “Care to dance? Arizona, GCU prepare for first round of NCAA men’s basketball tournament”

On the hunt: Revamped Arizona Rattlers return hungry for IFL title in 2024

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Rattlers preview. 495 words.
  • 1 photo available

By Mason Byers
Cronkite News

MESA – The Arizona Rattlers are entering another season of arena football, and they are looking to earn the title once again. The last time they won a championship was in 2017, the first season they joined the Indoor Football League. They earned a trip to the big game in 2019 and 2021, yet failed to bring home another trophy.

Rattlers coach Kevin Guy, in his 15th season, has had lots of success bringing four championships to Arizona. Guy knows how to build a championship contender and is confident in the group for this season.

“We have had a great training camp,” Guy said. “Guys seem to be focused, I like this group of guys.”

Continue reading “On the hunt: Revamped Arizona Rattlers return hungry for IFL title in 2024”

Making the madness: An inside look at the NCAA’s tournament bracket-building

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-NCAA MBB Bracketology,1424 words.
  • No photos available

By Lucas Gordon and Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The busiest day of the year for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament’s media coordinator David Worlock is the Monday after Selection Sunday. Between coordinating travel plans for teams and getting media credentials prepared for journalists, Worlock does not get much sleep once a bracket is released.

In 2016, in all the craziness, Worlock received a furious call from a Maryland fan after the Terrapins were matched up with South Dakota State in the first round.

This fan left a long voicemail full of obscenities letting Worlock know that the bracket is rigged and that the committee purposefully matched the two teams together with the intention of Maryland losing. Continue reading “Making the madness: An inside look at the NCAA’s tournament bracket-building”

Oumar Ballo, Arizona Wildcats cruise past USC to Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Arizona Men,730.
  • 5 photos available

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – In college basketball, teams have to take games in March one game at a time. The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats have embraced that motto, as they swiftly put away the No. 9 USC Trojans Thursday afternoon in the Pac-12 Men’s Tournament quarterfinals.

During the regular season, Arizona (25-7; 15-5 Pac-12) and USC (15-18; 8-12 Pac-12) each won on home soil, with USC beating the Wildcats just last week 78-65, in the final game of the regular season before the Pac-12 Men’s Tournament for both teams.

But the Wildcats tend to turn it up in Las Vegas, where they are now 6-1 against the Trojans all-time with their only tournament loss to USC in their previous matchup in 2019, when the Wildcats fell 78-65 in the first round. Continue reading “Oumar Ballo, Arizona Wildcats cruise past USC to Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals”

ASU men’s basketball loses big to Utah in Pac-12 conference era finale

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-ASU Men,920.
  • 5 photos available

By Jayla French
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS — A season riddled with highs and lows came crashing down Wednesday in the 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. And with it shattered Arizona State’s chances of grabbing a shot at attending the Big Dance.

In a late night first round game, Utah, seeded sixth, cruised to a 90-57 victory, handing the 11th-seeded Sun Devils their first loss in the last three matchups against the Utes this season. Utah advanced to play No. 3 Colorado, while the Sun Devils’ mercurial season came to a depressing end. Continue reading “ASU men’s basketball loses big to Utah in Pac-12 conference era finale”

Rocky Mountain high: Colorado’s hitting soars during spring training

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Rockies Hitting,1180 words.
  • 5 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Brett Lapinski
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Colorado Rockies’ bats thus far through spring training. Outside of finishing fourth in the MLB in both doubles and triples, the Rockies finished the 2023 season on the outside looking in for every positive major hitting statistic with zero top-15 marks.

Nearly six months later, the Rockies have done a complete 180 at the plate.

Contradictory to the current weather in Denver, their home base, the Rockies’ bats have been blistering through their first 19 Cactus League games, sitting top 10 in nearly every hitting stat they struggled in last season. As a team, the Rockies are currently slashing .279/.358/.450 compared to .249/.310/.405 at the end of 2023. Continue reading “Rocky Mountain high: Colorado’s hitting soars during spring training”

Schools trying new approaches to combat absenteeism and low graduation rates among Hispanic students

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Chronic Absenteeism. 595 words.
  • File photo available.

By Donovan Growney
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Hispanic students are struggling with high rates of absenteeism and low graduation rates in Arizona, according to the most recent Datos report.

The annual report by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce tracks and analyzes the economic impact of the Hispanic community and provides data regarding issues unique to Hispanics throughout Arizona and the United States.

Data from the 2023 Datos report and the Arizona Department of Education, revealed some troubling statistics regarding Hispanic student absenteeism and graduation rates in Arizona.

Continue reading “Schools trying new approaches to combat absenteeism and low graduation rates among Hispanic students”

NCAA Men’s Basketball Bracketology: Arizona seeks Pac-12 gold in Las Vegas, top seed in NCAA tournament

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-NCAA MBB Bracketology, 1,409 words.
  • Photo, graphics available

By Scott Sandulli
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — The road to the Valley’s next big sporting event is about to get the green light as Selection Sunday for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament looms. With judgment day upon us, here is a look at  bracket projections, updated through games on Mar. 12.

On the No. 1 seed line, Houston, Purdue, and Connecticut are universally accepted as three of the four teams expected to grab the top spots. The last one, though, remains a topic of discussion and one of particular interest in the Valley.

Tennessee, as the leading team in the SEC, and the ACC’s best in North Carolina, are part of conferences that are projected to field more tournament teams than the Pac-12, which Arizona leads. In this projection, the SEC has seven teams earning bids, while the ACC claims four, in comparison to the Pac-12’s three. The odds aren’t great, it seems, for the Wildcats to hear their name called on the top line come Sunday, but what may work in their favor is a rather undefined selection process. Continue reading “NCAA Men’s Basketball Bracketology: Arizona seeks Pac-12 gold in Las Vegas, top seed in NCAA tournament”

Next man up: ASU scrambling after Jose Perez departs ahead of Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Pac-12 Tournament ASU, 840 words.
  • Photo available

By Stephen Buxton
Cronkite News

TEMPE – A three-game skid to end the regular season and a key player’s “business decision” to depart the team left Arizona State scrambling ahead of its trip to Las Vegas for the final Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Sun Devils lost their second-leading scorer this season when graduate senior guard José Perez left the team. It wasn’t due to injury or disciplinary action by ASU or the NCAA. Instead, Perez decided to accept a deal to turn professional and play – immediately – in the Dominican Republic

“Well, we have to – to a degree – reinvent ourselves. We just have to be a little bit different and, you know, we’ve had a little more time now from the UCLA game to start coming up with a better game plan,” said ASU coach Bobby Hurley, referring to the regular season finale last Saturday, a 59-47 loss to the Bruins. Continue reading “Next man up: ASU scrambling after Jose Perez departs ahead of Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament”

GCU men, women enter WAC Tournament on cusp of March Madness bids amid record-breaking seasons

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-WAC Tournament Preview, 860 words.
  • Photo available

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Heading into the Western Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the Grand Canyon University Antelopes are in prime positions to clinch March Madness bids.

But as the name suggests, the conference tournaments begin a stretch of games that can only be explained with one word: chaos.

Losing in the semifinal or championship game for either Lopes’ squad would mean their chances of making the big dance shrink to near zero, which would be a disappointing end to what has been a successful season for both teams. Continue reading “GCU men, women enter WAC Tournament on cusp of March Madness bids amid record-breaking seasons”

Actor-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz inspires Arizona youth with racing career

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Frankie Muniz NASCAR, 870 words.
  • 3 photos available

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

AVONDALE – The young children who listened with rapt attention to driver Frankie Muniz read from the picture book “Race Car Count” last Thursday at the Sam Garcia Western Avenue Library probably had no idea about his previous career as an actor, most famously as the titular character on “Malcolm in the Middle.”

And to Muniz, that was perfectly fine.

It’s the latest chapter in his life that Muniz hopes will inspire the kids. He was there as a real-life, budding NASCAR driver, not the fictional child prodigy, Malcolm. Continue reading “Actor-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz inspires Arizona youth with racing career”

A tale of two brothers: Perry products Cody and Jalen Williams making waves in college, NBA

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Cody Jalen Williams, 900 words.
  • Photos available

By Brevan Branscum
Cronkite News

GILBERT – Two years ago, Perry High School standout Cody Williams was coming off his first of two state basketball championships while his older brother, Jalen Williams was generating moderate NBA draft buzz as a potential first-round pick out of Santa Clara.

Zip ahead to today.

Cody is now a budding college star at Colorado and projected as a possible NBA lottery pick. Jalen is a blossoming NBA star with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ask their current and former coaches, trainers and even the Williams brothers, and they’ll all tell you that their successes on doesn’t come as a surprise. Continue reading “A tale of two brothers: Perry products Cody and Jalen Williams making waves in college, NBA”

GCU softball’s Kristin Fifield adds ‘leader’ to sparkling college resume

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Kristin Fifield GCU, 900 words.
  • Photos available

By Addison Kalmbach
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Kristin Fifield is adding something new to her resume during Grand Canyon University’s 2024 softball season.

Leadership.

As a graduate senior and one of the oldest players on the team, she has taken it upon herself to take the program’s freshmen under her wing and prepare them to help the 20-5 Lopes when they make their postseason run. Continue reading “GCU softball’s Kristin Fifield adds ‘leader’ to sparkling college resume”

What Arizona and Maricopa County are doing to manage smoke, air quality

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: BC-CNS-Smoke Management. 760 words.
  • Photo, graphic available.

By Huston Dunston Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Smoke management and air quality are huge issues in Maricopa County. The American Lung Association has the Phoenix-Mesa area in the top 10 most-polluted cities by ozone and by year-round particle pollution in its State of the Air 2023 report.

The Maricopa County Air Quality Department and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality are working to maintain the health and prosperity of the environment and residents as it relates to air quality through no-burn days and prescribed-burn smoke dispersion.

Continue reading “What Arizona and Maricopa County are doing to manage smoke, air quality”

Phoenix Rising FC enters new season ready to defend USL Championship title

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-Phoenix Rising Preview, 750 words.
  • Photos available

By Stephen Buxton
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A new reality begins for Phoenix Rising FC Saturday. For the first time in franchise history, the club is the defending title-holder of the USL Championship. After making the league’s playoff as a sixth place team, the Rising are ready to run it back, with targets on their backs.

“It’s something I’ve referenced a few times. Again, we’re aware of that target as reigning champions,” first-year coach Danny Stone said. “We’re aware of it. We’ve discussed this as a team and we are ready for that challenge.”

They will open at home against Birmingham Legion, a team that finished seventh in the Eastern Conference last season. To fans though, Phoenix will have a very different look from top to bottom. Continue reading “Phoenix Rising FC enters new season ready to defend USL Championship title”