EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Shondiin Mayo
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By L. M. Boyd
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Armond Sarduy
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Tori Smith
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Grace Berry
Special for Cronkite News
By Tom Forbes
Cronkite News
TUCSON – Before the Arizona Wildcats travel to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU for the first time since 2021, the No. 14 Cougars have been studying last week’s game between Arizona and Texas Tech in search of weaknesses.
At Arizona’s Big 12 home opener, quarterback Noah Fifita struggled to gain an offensive rhythm in the first half, getting sacked on the Wildcats’ first possession and throwing an interception returned for a touchdown that allowed the Red Raiders to take the lead at halftime.
Arizona eventually picked up its offense but still lost, 28-22, dropping to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Continue reading “Arizona Wildcats head to Provo eyeing upset of unbeaten, well-rested BYU after suffering setback”
By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News
SALT LAKE CITY – Rally towels, singer Shaboozey and slushie-drinking contests. All were features of the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural game at the Delta Center, marking the NHL’s first regular-season game in Salt Lake City. While the team let the local fans go home happy, winning 5-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks, reminders of where the franchise was a year ago were everywhere.
Forward Dylan Guenther got the crowd on their feet early Tuesday night, just 4:56 into the game. The young Edmonton native scored the first-ever goal in Utah franchise history and more than likely, found a spot in Utah fans’ hearts as well after scoring a second goal late in the third period.
Guenther was once in the hearts of Arizona Coyotes fans. After the team selected him ninth overall in 2021, the forward had 50 points in 78 games across two seasons. He was expected to be a pillar of success for the franchise’s future ambitions. Now, he’s the property of Utah, looking to help it make the playoffs. Continue reading “Utah Hockey Club’s debut provides exciting beginning for some fans, difficult closure for others”
By Aaron Stigile
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Rep. Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake had a polite handshake to start their first and potentially last U.S. Senate debate, but that was the friendliest moment in a border-focused and interruption-prone event.
Gallego and Lake quickly launched broadsides about their opponent’s position on the border, with Lake firing off comments about open borders and Gallego countering with her position on the failed bipartisan immigration bill.
Continue reading “Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego clash in Senate debate for Arizona’s open seat”
By Koby Braunstein
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Tyus Jones could be the missing link to unleashing the Phoenix Suns’ offensive potential and bringing an NBA championship to the Valley in 2025.
Jones will look to spearhead a high-tempo brand of basketball oriented on crisp ball movement and transition 3-pointers while serving as a security blanket that maximizes each player’s strengths.
Suns general manager James Jones emphasized the importance of acquiring both Jones and Monté Morris in free agency over the summer to hold down the point guard position. Continue reading “Tyus Jones poised to guide Phoenix Suns offense in NBA championship push”
EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Alessandra De Zubeldi
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Kayla Christenson
Special for Cronkite News
EDS: Cronkite School students profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here.
By Eve Wodarcyk
Special for Cronkite News
Continue reading “Ann O’Brien runs unopposed for Phoenix City Council District 1”
By Connor Moreno
Cronkite News
PALM DESERT, Calif. — As Devin Booker wrapped up his routine of feeling out the game ball before the Phoenix Suns tipped off last Sunday’s preseason game, Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell jokingly tried to steal the ball in front of referee Kevin Cutler to stop Booker from getting comfortable.
After exchanging a few words and laughs, the two guards embraced with a dap-up and a hug and lined up on their respective sides of the jump ball circle to open the 2024 NBA preseason – marking the start of the 10th season for the friendly foes.
From getting each other in trouble for breaking curfew at the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2014, to hitting golf balls at Booker’s mountainside driving range in the 2024 offseason as a part of Russell’s “Backyard Podcast,” their friendship has mostly been unknown to the public. Continue reading “Book & D-Lo: One of NBA’s closest friendship is hidden in plain sight”
By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood donation, according to the American Red Cross. The Southwest Arizona Chapter of the organization is running a campaign to encourage more Latinos in Arizona to donate blood.
The Southwest Arizona Chapter serves 1.4 million people across Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Yuma, La Paz, Graham and Greenlee counties. The group’s”Los Donates” campaign, timed to coincide with Hispanic Heritage seeks to inspire more Latinos in Arizona to donate blood and help meet the critical demand.
“Donating blood is one of the noblest acts a person can do,” said Edgar Olivo, CEO of the Red Cross of Arizona and New Mexico.
The initiative draws inspiration from the traditional Mexican card game lotería, similar to bingo. The donantes, or donors, featured on the Red Cross cards represent people who’ve won because they’ve donated a lifesaving necessity which is blood donations.
Around 60 percent of Latinos have Type O blood, according to the American Red Cross. Type O is vital: O-positive blood is the most common blood type, account for an estimated 37% of the world’s population. O-negative blood is a universal donor, meaning it can be donated to anyone regardless of blood type or phenotypes.
Latinos also make up 30.7% of Arizona’s population, showing a heightened need for a significant portion of people in the state.
Olivo emphasized how increasing the number of blood donors could help meet the needs of people outside urban areas.
“We know that the rural hospitals, the ones that are away from the metro Phoenix area, are the ones that need blood just as much as the metro hospitals as well,” Olivo said.
Ashley Mérida, chapter president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses in Phoenix, says that fighting misinformation is a challenge when it comes to encouraging new donors.
“I think a lot of Latinos have a lot of misinformation regarding the donation of blood,” Mérida said. “I’ve heard some people say that it can alter the DNA. It changes the DNA. I’ve heard people just say like they just really aren’t interested, or maybe it’s just the lack of time of getting to a blood drive.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs was at the Red Cross’ Hispanic Heritage Month Kick Off on Sept. 17 and encouraged all people to donate, regardless of blood type.
“Even if you don’t have Type O blood, your donation is invaluable,” Hobbs said. “So today, I’m encouraging all of you celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month to consider doing so by making a blood donation and encouraging your friends and family to do so as well.”
Hispanic heritage Month runs through Oct. 15. Anyone interested in donating blood or blood platelets can visit the American Red Cross website to find the nearest American Red Cross clinics and view available times to donate.
For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
By Tom Forbes
Cronkite News
TUCSON – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium came alive as Tucsonans flocked to the diamond for a vibrant weekend of baseball, food and lively music to celebrate Mexican culture during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Mexican Baseball Fiesta, a beloved annual Tucson tradition, hosted professional teams from the Mexican Pacific League along with a special appearance from the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.
The event started in 2011 and has called Kino Stadium home ever since. Thousands of fans come to the field to get a taste of the atmosphere of professional baseball in Mexico. The event has expanded to include events at Sloan Park in Mesa and Camelback Ranch in Glendale in recent years. Continue reading “Arizona Wildcats dominate Naranjeros de Hermosillo in Mexican Baseball Fiesta ahead of first Big 12 season”
By Tucker Sennett
Cronkite News
TEMPE – Other than their names ending in “ham” and guiding their teams to identical records through the first six weeks of the college football season, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham share few similarities.
On Friday night at Mountain America Stadium, the two coaches will lead their 4-1 teams into battle against one another in a true test of youth against experience.
The 64-year-old Whittingham has been with the Utes since 1994, becoming the head coach in 2004 after the University of Florida took a chance on an exciting new coach named Urban Meyer. Since then, Whittingham has amassed a record of 166-80, quietly becoming one of the nation’s best coaches. Continue reading “Battle of the ‘Hams’: ASU braces for No. 16 Utah under Friday night lights”
By Daniel Mendenhall
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” “College GameDay,” and the 2024 U.S. Open Tennis Championships are among the most notable television sports programs that DirecTV customers could not view in September as a result of the contract negotiations between cable provider DirecTV and entertainment giant, The Walt Disney Co.
The deal impacted viewers for 13 days, but for diehard sports fans, it felt much longer.
Suzy Emre, a college football and Kansas City Chiefs fan, was one of the many DirecTV customers who vocalized their dissatisfaction with the platform’s failure to secure a deal in time for the football season. Like Emre and other sports fans, their love for the game has a personal connection, and missing the first games of the season left them feeling empty. Continue reading “DirecTV-Disney standoff underscores ongoing media industry shift, future of sports fan viewership”
By Grace Del Pizzo
Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – Baseball in Arizona is truly a year-long love affair. It begins in February, when 15 big league teams make their spring home in the Cactus League.
It continues with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ season from March through at least September. And every October, the top prospects in baseball descend upon the Valley to make their mark in the Arizona Fall League, which began play Monday.
The Fall League gives baseball lovers a chance to watch the top prospects from every minor league level in action in a laid-back atmosphere that is reminiscent of spring training in Arizona years ago. Continue reading “‘Nothing but success’: Top MLB prospects converge on Valley for Arizona Fall League”
By Chase Beardsley
Cronkite News
SALT LAKE CITY – As the NHL drops the puck on the 2024-25 regular season Tuesday, Arizona hockey fans are facing off with the reality that their hockey club is gone.
The Arizona Coyotes are now the Utah Hockey Club, which opens the season against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center. In April, the NHL’s board of governors approved the sale of the team to tech billionaire Ryan Smith, who owns the NBA Utah Jazz, and signed off on the club’s relocation to Salt Lake City.
It ended years of ownership turmoil, arena haggling and relocation rumors that seemed to go on almost from the time the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Coyotes. Continue reading “Arizona hockey fans face first season without NHL team since 1996 as Utah Hockey Club makes season debut”
By Connor Moreno
Cronkite News
PALM DESERT, Calif. – There would be no history if there wasn’t a first.
It was a night of firsts for the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers during a 118-114 Phoenix preseason victory over at Acrisure Arena Sunday. It was the Suns’ first game under new coach Mike Budenholzer. It was the first time their new point guard, Tyus Jones, took the floor with “SUNS” stitched across his jersey.
And it was the first time in NBA history that a father-son duo graced the floor together in either a preseason or regular-season NBA game.
