By Phineas Hogan
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – In a showdown between MAGA and Democrats, Arizona voters faced a choice Tuesday between Donald Trump-backed Kari Lake and Phoenix Congressman Ruben Gallego for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
The race is one of a handful of tossups nationwide that will determine control of the Senate.
By Mia Osmonbekov and Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – One of the most closely watched fights in Arizona on Election Day is over a ballot measure giving state and local police the power to arrest undocumented immigrants – the latest volley in a decades-long effort by conservatives dissatisfied with federal enforcement.
Critics have warned that Proposition 314 would lead to racial profiling and harassment of migrants and U.S. citizens alike. Many have viewed it as an attempt to revive the controversial 2010 Arizona law known as Senate Bill 1070, which was largely struck down in court.
By Amelia Monroe and Macy Markham
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – A battle over abortion rights in Arizona came to a head Tuesday. Proposition 139 would codify the right to abortion through fetal viability – roughly nine weeks beyond the state’s current 15-week ban.
Opponents call it radical. Backers say the 15-week ban endangers women with complications later in pregnancy and have demanded a return to the more expansive rights ensured for decades by the U.S. Supreme Court.
By midnight, with half of Arizona’s votes counted, the yes votes held a healthy lead.
By Grace Monos and Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Four years ago, just over 10,000 votes separated the winner and loser in Arizona’s presidential race. The state is one of seven battlegrounds destined to decide the outcome in 2024, too.
Polls remained tight until the end between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
By 12:30 a.m. MST Wednesday, Trump led Harris 267 to 214 in the electoral count on the quest to 270 with all but two of the swing states called in Trump’s favor by the Associated Press. Some major television networks called the race in favor of Trump, and he declared victory to a room full of supporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Arizona had not yet been called, and the margin between the two candidates in the state remained razor thin with about half the state’s votes counted.
By Madeline Nguyen and Miguel Ambriz
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Two of the nation’s most competitive congressional races are in Arizona, with Democrats trying to unseat seven-term Rep. David Schweikert of Fountain Hills and first-term Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Tucson.
The contests were among the Democrats’ best opportunities to pick up seats in their bid to flip control of the House, where Republicans have held a razor-thin majority.
By Brenden Paul
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As voters went to the polls on election day and early ballots continued to come in, most Americans were able to legally wager on the outcome of the presidential election for the first time.
However, not in Arizona.
By Tyler Bednar
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Adrian Del Castillo is a name Arizona Diamondbacks fans could get used to hearing in 2025. After making his MLB debut and playing 25 games last season, Del Castillo is in a prime position to play a larger role next season.
The rookie appeared in 24 of his 25 games at catcher, after Gold Glove winner Gabriel Moreno entered the injured list, and hit .313 with four home runs, five doubles and 19 RBI. Del Castillo’s .893 on-base plus slugging percentage was 46 percent better than the league average.
While Del Castillo didn’t appear in any games as the designated hitter last season, the position could be open in 2025 and he would appear to be a good fit. Continue reading “Adrian Del Castillo in line for designation to key role for Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025”
By Gabriel Garza
Cronkite News
NOGALES, AZ – Working directly at Arizona’s border, Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado believes local police should not have to deal with immigration.
“If they want to fund me for resources, might as well give it to people who do that job,” he said. “Ours are not trained to do immigration.”
In a meeting with Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication students, Maldonado expressed his opposition to Arizona Proposition 314, which would authorize local law enforcement, under “probable cause,” to detain and deport individuals entering the state outside lawful ports of entry.
Continue reading “Prop. 314: Arizonans at odds over authorizing local police to tackle immigration”
By Aaron Stigile
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – When Avery changed their name, it was a moment their life changed for the better. Their mom told them to hop on a surprise Zoom call, and Avery joined to an interesting sight.
“I saw the guy in the robes and with a gavel, and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is probably a thing that involves me,’” said Avery, who is a transgender nonbinary high school student in Arizona.
The judge proceeded to change their name.
By Connor Moreno and Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As Spanish music and vibrant accompanying lights filled Footprint Center throughout a 103-97 Phoenix Suns victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday, the Suns and their fans celebrated more than just a win.
The game was played on the Suns’ ninth annual Dia de los Muertos night, celebrating a Mexican holiday that shows respect and appreciation for the dead. The Suns Dance Team members wore face paint depicting a calavera – sugar skulls – and performed alongside folklórico dancers at halftime.
Theme nights like these are part of a larger effort by the Suns and the NBA to embrace Hispanic culture – and appeal to the league’s growing Hispanic fan base. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns, NBA amplify Hispanic culture in Dia de los Muertos celebration and Mexico City Game 2024”
By Fletcher Anderson
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – On Tuesday, voting will take place – we aren’t talking about politics.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2024 will be released, and with a new 12-team format, discussion will center around seedings and automatic qualifiers.
Since 2014, the CFP has determined the national champion using a four-team playoff, with no automatic qualifiers. Just the four best teams in the eyes of the committee. This year, they expanded to 12 and have a completely different format. Continue reading “Election Tuesday, CFP style: First college football poll of 12-team playoff season makes debut”
By Cooper Burns
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC seeks a rare feat, one that hasn’t been accomplished since 2018, when Louisville City FC won back-to-back USL titles.
Heading into this year’s playoffs, Rising’s road to gold appears all too similar to last season’s run. In the 2023 playoffs, Rising came in as the sixth seed in the Western Conference and needed road wins over San Diego Loyal SC, Orange County SC and Sacramento Republic FC to earn a shot at the title. After passing each test with victories, Rising went on to capture their first championship in franchise history against Charleston Battery.
Phoenix enters the 2024 USL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the conference and needs a similar run away from home to defend its USL championship, starting Sunday against conference foe New Mexico United.
By Jalen Weathers
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the field Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t just a comeback; it was a calculated risk highlighting the realities of professional football. After sustaining three concussions, the Miami Dolphins quarterback played without wearing a guardian cap at Hard Rock Stadium after missing six weeks of action.
With multiple concussions under his belt, the question about the NFL’s safety protocols is still relevant. Is the NFL doing enough to protect the players it showcases every week?
There is no question Tagovailoa can still play, but his return has reignited conversations about whether the NFL is equipped to prevent serious head trauma, particularly for a star quarterback who has brought entire stadiums and homes to silence after showing signs of the fencing position. Continue reading “Tua Tagovailoa’s comeback vs. Arizona Cardinals underscores NFL’s ongoing player safety challenges”
By Aaron Stigile
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Statistics say violent crime in Phoenix is not dramatically increasing, and it has actually decreased over a multiyear time span, with some monthly dips and jumps.
Nationwide trends are somewhat similar; data from the FBI released in June showed that reported violent crime decreased nationwide by 15.2% from January to March in comparison to the same time period in 2023.
By Lizeth Adriana Calderon
Special for Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Halloween is a fun, spooky holiday for many, but for those living with dementia, it can be frightening. Halloween can cause sensory overload and disrupt the routine for people with dementia, said Shannon Lindemer, senior psychometrist with public health program Nosotros Comprometidos a Su Salud.
Sensory overload happens when the brain gets overwhelmed by too much information from the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and sound.
By Doyal D’angelo
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Killings, kidnappings, violent oppression of political opposition, torture and censorship are just a few human rights abuses that officials in the Rwandan dictatorship are either credibly accused of committing or failing to investigate.
Paul Kagame, the Rwandan dictator who helped lead his country out of its horrid genocidal past, has been in power since 2000 and with no end to his reign in sight – yet the NBA is doing business with him.
As part of a widespread effort to expand his league’s global reach, Adam Silver and his team met with Kagame in Kigali in 2018 and advised him to build a new facility, BK Arena, that would host the first Basketball African League game in 2021. Continue reading “Profit vs. principles: Sports and politics collision creates controversy, opportunity”
By Dane Palmer
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As the 2024-25 Big 12 women’s basketball season tips off, a new era of college sports begins, marked by transfers, new rivalries and high expectations.
With the conference’s expansion bringing in four new programs – Arizona State, Arizona, Utah and BYU – the level of competition has never been higher. The revamped Big 12 looks to grow in more ways than from just adding schools, with improved ratings, engagement and international experiences all on the checklist for commissioner Brett Yormack.
Yormack has big aspirations for the expanding conference, which now features 18 teams spread across 10 different states. Continue reading “Arizona State women’s basketball joins improved Big 12 Conference with fresh energy, high expectations”
By Sona Gevorgyan
Special for Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Ballot initiatives allow citizens to vote on new laws. As a result, voters have a direct say in how the government operates.
In Arizona, voters will have a say on key issues like abortion access, immigration and the state minimum wage through the 13 propositions on their ballots. Research has shown ballot wording impacts voters’ decisions.
According to a 2019 study published in the journal Electoral Studies, simple ballot language can lead to an incomplete representation of initiatives.
Continue reading “Plain language for ballot initiatives: Why it matters”
By Eddie McCoven
Special for Cronkite News
PHOENIX – With more than 2.4 million registered voters in Maricopa County and the increasing number of allegations around election integrity, counting ballots for the 2024 presidential election is no easy task.
Maricopa County Deputy Elections Director Jennifer Liewer said the county goes to “extensive lengths” to make sure all legal votes are counted.
“Our systems, our personnel, our workers are all trained to ensure that we do not disenfranchise voters,” Liewer said. “We want you to know that if you are a legally registered voter in Maricopa County, that your ballot will be cast.”
Continue reading “How Maricopa County counts millions of ballots”
By Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Many oil and gas wells across Arizona with no known owners leak methane into the environment, which tribal, state and federal agencies are responsible for cleaning up.
These wells – referred to as “orphaned” – are often not properly maintained and can lead to surface and groundwater contamination causing pollution, health issues and threats to wildlife.
