• Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona Honeybees,600 words.
• 7 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Kate Duffy
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Key pollinators in Arizona faced a rough summer, but community efforts can help them thrive.

Arizona is home to the second-most diverse bee population in the country, according to pollination ecologist and bee specialist Stephen Buchmann, who said more than 1,300 native bee species reside in the state. The desert landscape also hosts a large population of honeybees, which, while not native to Arizona, are still important pollinators. Continue reading “Gardening helps protect threatened bees in Arizona”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Saavi Services,850 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Caleb Scott
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Sending an email, cooking a meal and navigating the internet are activities people might take for granted, but some people need special training in order to perform these tasks. Saavi Services for the Blind teaches people who are visually impaired or blind how to do many activities that enable them to live independently.

Garry Fowlkes, 45, a recent graduate of Saavi, said “it gave me back a life.” Fowlkes, whose vision had been deteriorating for decades. had to have cataract surgery when he was in eighth grade. He said that until Saavi, “I was throwing a very lavish pity party.” Continue reading “Saavi Services for the Blind helps build life skills, career, tech training for independent living”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Alzheimer’s,1600 words.
• 6 photos, graphic available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Angelina Steel
Cronkite News

LAREDO, Texas – In a small border community in Texas, locals attending the city’s eighth annual Walk To End Alzheimer’s carried large pinwheel-shaped flowers made of brightly colored plastic, each color representing a different designation for those affected by the disease.

The orange flowers represented people who support the cause of Alzheimer’s research, yellow flowers were held by those caring for someone battling Alzheimer’s; people who have lost someone to the disease carried purple flowers and blue flowers were carried by those currently battling it.

Texas border communities have higher rates of Alzheimer’s than anywhere else in the state. Laredo, with a population of about 256,000, is a border community located across from Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to a study released by the Alzheimer’s Association, Laredo is tied with El Paso, another border community, for the highest Alzheimer’s rate in Texas and is ninth in the nation: 15%. Continue reading “Alzheimer’s impacts border communities in Texas at a higher rate than the rest of the state”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sailing Classes,550 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Sydney Witte
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Tempe, renowned for its popular Mill Avenue and Arizona State University, has a lesser-known yet thriving spot making waves – Tempe Town Lake. This expansive water haven isn’t just a picturesque backdrop: It’s a hub for various water recreation pursuits such as outrigger canoeing, kayaking and sailing.

Audubon Arizona reports that the state’s waterways, including Tempe Town Lake, contribute $13.5 billion to Arizona’s economy, drawing 1.5 million residents annually who indulge in the diverse aquatic offerings.

Arizona’s water recreation activities run deep with families across the state. Continue reading “Arizona Sailing Foundation makes waves with sailing lessons in the Valley”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Hayden Flout Mill,650 words.
• 6 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ellie Willard
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The Hayden Flour Mill silos and building have stood vacant since the mill officially closed in 1998. But that’s about to change.

In October, the city of Tempe announced the approval of a restoration and redevelopment plan for the historic Hayden Flour Mill, which stands at the corner of Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway.

“The mill is truly a central, iconic building and very unique building to Tempe’s history,” said Jared Smith, senior curator at the Tempe History Museum. “It makes sense that that building is a focal point going forward.” Continue reading “A 120-year legacy: Tempe’s historic Hayden Flour Mill set for revitalization”

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• Slug: BC-CNS-Snow Drought,580 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alex Hager
KUNC

Winter is off to a dry start across the West, with wide swaths of the Rocky Mountains seeing lower-than-average snow totals for this time of year. But scientists say there’s still plenty of time to end the “snow drought” and close the gap.

High-altitude snowpack has big implications for the region’s water supply, which serves about 40 million people across seven Western states. Two-thirds of the Colorado River’s water starts as snow in Colorado’s mountains before melting and flowing into the watershed. Continue reading “An early-winter ‘snow drought’ is leaving the West’s mountains high and dry”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Adaptive Water Sports,300 words.
• 7 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Hunter Fore
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – On a sunny Saturday, kids and adults alike strapped on their life vests for some fun in the sun at Bartlett Lake.

At this September event and others like it, Arizona Adaptive Watersports helps people with disabilities enjoy the water through activities that include wakeboarding and water skiing. Continue reading “Arizona Adaptive Watersports provides fun-filled lake days for people with disabilities”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Gateway Tucson,990 words.
• Photo, graphic available (embed code, thumbnail, caption below)

By Adrienne Washington
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Migrant encounters in the Tucson sector of the border have steadily increased in recent years until the sector became busier than any other on the southern border, replacing the Rio Grande Valley as the busiest.

Migration experts say reasons behind the shift are not surprising: Migrants are looking to avoid other, more militarized border sectors. Continue reading “Tucson sees most border encounters, as migrants turn away from other sectors”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Native Health,670 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Caleb Scott
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Three new and upgraded health facilities recently opened in Arizona to provide Native Americans with better access to health care, and more are in the works.

Health disparities such as lower life expectancy and a disproportionate burden of diseases persist for Native American populations throughout the U.S. A 2022 review of studies about environmental health outcomes in the Navajo Nation found high rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome – a group of diseases that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Continue reading “New and upgraded health care facilities for Native Americans open in Arizona”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Uber Waymo Partner,650 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Jacob Snelgrove
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Calling an Uber doesn’t necessarily mean calling an Uber driver any more in the Valley.

Uber, the ride-hailing company, and Waymo, one of the companies seeking to popularize driverless cars, announced in late October that Uber customers will have the option of getting “a fully autonomous, all-electric Waymo ride – with no human driver behind the wheel” in those parts of metro Phoenix where Waymo operates. Continue reading “Uber partners with Waymo in Arizona to offer autonomous rides”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Veteran Homelessness,710 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Angelina Steel
Cronkite News

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced in November that it had permanently housed 38,847 homeless veterans nationwide and surpassed its calendar year goal two months early. Organizations working to decrease veteran homelessness in Texas, where veterans make up 6.7% of the adult population, said the state is seeing the effects of that progress.

In 2007, 5,527 homeless veterans resided in Texas, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. By 2020, the number dropped to 1,948, a 65% decrease. The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said the number continued dropping to 1,711 in 2022. Continue reading “Government programs are substantially decreasing veteran homelessness in Texas”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Mexico IVF,1660 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Roxanne De La Rosa
Cronkite News

YUMA – Cristina Yanez was filled with hope as she drove to Mexicali, Mexico, on a hot summer day to make her dream of having a family a reality.

Yanez and her husband, Alex, spent eight years trying to conceive a child, but they were always met with disappointment. After a series of tests were completed, they learned Alex had issues with his sperm. Cristina, a full-time registered nurse, looked into her medical plan and quickly realized that fertility treatments of any type would not be covered.

And she learned that fertility treatment in the United States could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000. “I was not about to go into debt not knowing that we were not going to be guaranteed a family or children, because it’s a scary journey,” she said. Continue reading “Americans cross the US-Mexico border for more affordable IVF treatment”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Nevada Homeless Youth,640 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Oakley Seiter
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Niraya Gregory, 19, experienced homelessness as a child with her mother and siblings, and later by herself.

“I was afraid of how I was going to eat, where I was going to go. I was afraid of what I was going to do for my future,” Gregory said.

Gregory spoke at a recent summit to end youth homelessness on behalf of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY), an organization that helps homeless youth find stable housing, complete an education and find careers. NPHY helped Gregory get off the streets three years ago and she now has her own apartment. Continue reading “Nevada summit discusses problem of – and solutions to – youth homelessness”

• Slug: BC-CNS-AANHPI Mental Health.2600 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails and captions below).

By Deanna Pistono
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – For Jessika Malic, communications director of Asian Pacific Community for Action, a Phoenix-based nonprofit focused on providing access to health care, her search for the right mental health provider for herself involved some added effort.

“I thought it would be great to see a woman of color, not even Asian,” Malic said.

“My last two therapists were white women, which is not a problem, but also some of the things that I’m dealing with I think might be more relatable to someone of color.” Continue reading “Being ‘my own role model’: Normalizing mental health care in the AANHPI community”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homeless Defiant,650 words.
• Accompanies BC-CNS-New Mexico Homeless.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Caleb Scott
Cronkite News

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – One individual who calls himself Rabbit, 50, said he has been on the streets for 26 years as an unsheltered individual. He prefers to be called a hobo. “Hobo is the only word that has dignity to it,” Rabbit said. “Wherever I lay my head is my home.” He emphasized that he is homeless by choice.

Rabbit is currently staying near the Compassion Services Center in the International District in southeast Albuquerque, which is run by Pastor Joanne Landry. “This place right here, Pastor Joanne’s place, is the only place I feel is my second home,” Rabbit said. Continue reading “Despite outreach efforts, some unhoused people prefer to stay that way”

• Slug: BC-CNS-New Mexico Homeless,920 words.
• With BC-CNS-Homeless Defiant.
• 2 photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Caleb Scott
Cronkite News

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After declining for almost a decade, New Mexico’s homeless population has increased by 48% from the previous year. According to a report released by the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, this spike is primarily due to housing shortages and rising rents.

The report said rents in New Mexico increased by 70% from 2017 to 2021 while wages increased by 15%. Zillow reports the average price for a home in New Mexico in January 2017, was $173,063; in the current market, the average New Mexico home has increased to $293,040. For the U.S. as a whole in the same period, the average price for a home went from $206,839 in January 2017 to $346,653 in 2023. Continue reading “New Mexico confronts 48% homelessness spike with housing programs, rental aid”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Latino Vote,720 words.
• File photo, video story available. (thumbnail, caption below)

By Renee Romo
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – An estimated 150,000 Latino youth in Arizona will become eligible to vote in the 2024 election, when Hispanics will account for almost one in five voters in the state, according to analysts’ projections.

But how that bloc wields its growing clout remains a question, experts say.

“They’re still not the largest demographic group, but I think they’re the one for the biggest opportunity for either political party,” said Mike Noble, CEO of Phoenix-based Noble Predictive Insights.

Latino voters still lean Democratic, but experts say they are not a monolith: Their political outlook can be affected by age, religion, country of origin and the issues involved, which are as varied as they are for any voting group. Continue reading “Number of Latino voters is growing, but experts wonder in which direction”