• Slug: BC-CNS-FAFSA Mess. About 500 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)
• Video available.

By Athena Kehoe
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Students across the state are still in limbo as they wait to hear how much financial aid they can expect to receive for the upcoming school year.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as FAFSA, has now been delayed for months. This means that students and parents are still unsure how much financial aid they will be offered for the 2024-25 school year, which may delay college decisions. Arizona universities are hoping the information will be ready by the end of April so they can relay financial aid information to students.

The delays have caused a significant decrease in the number of people who submitted a FAFSA form.

Continue reading “Arizona students still unsure of financial aid for fall as Gov. Katie Hobbs announces FAFSA campaign”

EDS: An earlier version of this story included incorrect timing of a Free Arts Day put on by Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona. 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-M3F Philanthropy. 1,100 words. By Sam Ballesteros.
• 18 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Audio clips available here and here.

By Sam Ballesteros
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – For 20 years, the M3F music festival has been an oasis for music lovers in the Phoenix area, as well as a benefactor of local charities. Since its inception in 2004, M3F has donated 100% of its ticket sales to different charities in Arizona – accumulating about $5.2 million in total donations.

Tired of galas and auctions, John Largay of Wespac Construction wanted to give back to the community in a creative way. So, in 2004, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival was born. The festival would change over the next two decades, including its name, nonetheless, M3F has continued its mission of bringing people together through music and support of local charities that foster arts, community, education and environment.

Continue reading “M3F music festival funds art programs, other nonprofits in Arizona”

• Slug: BC-CNS-AIDS Walk. 1,300 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brenna Gauchat
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Kenyon Belyeu was handing out leaflets and condoms at the Aunt Rita’s Paint the Town Red AIDS Walk Arizona & 5K Run, when he talked candidly about his own HIV diagnosis – a discovery he made only because he was being treated for substance use disorder.

“Terros came to do HIV testing and STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing,” said Belyeu, a Terros Health program supervisor. “I found out nine years ago that I was HIV positive and if I never went to rehab or if I never got tested, I would never know my status.”

Terros Health, an Arizona-based health care company, was just one of the many partner organizations involved in the AIDS Walk Arizona & 5K Run on April 6. Aunt Rita’s Foundation, which began in 1988 with the purpose of “filling in the gaps” in community HIV care, was the organizer of this year’s event. The foundation supports HIV prevention and treatment programs with grants to groups like Terros Health that may not have the budget to cover its wide range of HIV-related services.

Continue reading “Annual 5K walk & run tackles misinformation and stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Veterans Wall Photos. 90 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Kayla Mae Jackson
Cronkite News

PEORIA – The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is on display through Sunday at Lake Pleasant in Peoria. The traveling replica has been displayed in nearly 700 communities across the U.S., according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The three-quarter-scale replica is 375 feet long and 7.5 feet tall and honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. It features the names of more than 58,000 who lost their lives in the war.

Continue reading “The Wall That Heals: Replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial travels to Lake Pleasant”

EDS: An earlier version of this story misquoted filmmaker Greg Kwedar. The error appeared in the 11th graf. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Phoenix Film Festival. 720 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Paloma Ruherford
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Film Festival is celebrating its 24th year and is dedicated to promoting independent cinema and providing a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work.

Jason Carney, executive director of the Phoenix Film Foundation and the festival, said this anniversary offers valuable insights into the growth and evolution of filmmaking in the Valley over the past two decades.

Continue reading “Phoenix Film Festival works to boost Arizona’s film scene”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Black Overdose Deaths. 950 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Graphic from Pew Research Center.

By Jack Orleans
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Black people in Arizona die from opioid overdoses more than any other race or ethnicity, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Opioid Overdoses Surveillance report revealed that Black people in Arizona experience an opioid overdose fatality rate of 32.4 deaths per 100,000 people. Nonfatal overdoses also occur at a higher rate for Black Arizonans than for other groups, at a rate of 67.7 per 100,000 people.

Continue reading “Black people have the highest opioid fatality rate among all other races and ethnicities in Arizona”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Prom Dress Shopping. 945 words.
• 20 photos available.

By Lauren Kobley
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Prom season is upon us. Some high schoolers are looking for a more affordable and sustainable option when purchasing a dress this year.

The price of a new prom dress could range from $85 to $900, but most people will spend an average of $400 to $500, said Kunal Madan, co-founder of Amarra, a dress company. According to the company’s guide to navigating prom costs, total costs could be upward of $2,000.

Continue reading “The Prom Closet and Valley Girl Dresses offer prom shoppers free or affordable options”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Rockin’ River Ranch. 660 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Marnie Jordan
Cronkite News

CAMP VERDE – After setbacks and struggles and eager anticipation and waiting, Rockin’ River Ranch State Park opened on Feb. 9.

Arizona’s newest state park sits between Phoenix and Flagstaff, at the confluence of West Clear Creek and the Verde River, where native wildlife, hiking trails and picnic areas have already attracted local and international visitors.

According to the website, the 209-acre state park was originally privately owned and operated as a guest ranch with horse riding and boarding facilities. The state acquired Rockin’ River Ranch in 2008, and master planning happened in 2017 and early in 2018.

Continue reading “‘Absolute beautiful place’: Rockin’ River Ranch State Park opens in Camp Verde”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Hobbs Affordable Housing Photos.
• Photos available by Marnie Jordan.
• Video available.
• Note: This story includes photos and video only.

Continue reading “Photos: Gov. Katie Hobbs touts affordable housing initiative”

• Slug: BC-CNS-ESA Report. 845 words.
• Video available.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News 

PHOENIX – The Common Sense Institute Arizona has released a on Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, also known as ESAs or universal school vouchers. The report contends the state-funded program “has (and hasn’t) altered Arizona’s K-12 landscape.”

Since its expansion last year, ESA program enrollment has grown from 12,000 students to 77,000, according to the report. 

Key findings from the report contend that while ESA enrollment is slowing down and public school enrollment is in decline, the ESA program may not be solely to blame. 

Continue reading “Report: ESA voucher program not fully to blame for public school enrollment decline”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sniffspot Photo Story. 555 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)
• Video available.

By Crystal Aguilar
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Technology is aiding dog owners through apps like Sniffspot, which lets pet parents who don’t have their own backyard rent other people’s property to give their pets space to run.

“I think any time we can make owning a pet more accessible for a larger amount of people is beneficial not only for pets in the area who need homes but also for people who maybe don’t have backyards or feel that they don’t have quite enough space for a dog to run around. But if they can use a neighbor’s yard for a pet, that is going to help make it easier for them to own one, and maybe open up a door to a new pet owner that maybe didn’t exist before,” said Joe Casados, Arizona Humane Society public relations and social media manager.

Continue reading “‘Sniff and have fun’: Technology like Sniffspot app gives pets space to roam”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Long Term Care Legislation. 700 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).
• Video available.

By Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The multiyear journey to get health care reform for long-term assisted living facilities signed into law has finally come to fruition. Gov. Katie Hobbs signed HB 2764 at the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower on Monday morning.

“I urged legislators to join me in addressing this issue head on, making sure that bad actors are held accountable and putting an end to the cycle of abuse against vulnerable Arizonans,” Hobbs said during opening remarks. “Today, with the signing of House Bill 2764, that is exactly what we are doing.”

According to the Arizona Adult Protective Services’ annual report on elder and nursing home abuse, the state received over 37,000 reports during fiscal 2023, approximately 2,500 of which came from caregivers and resident managers. HB 2764 requires the Arizona Department of Health Services to implement stricter standards and oversight for these facilities, particularly in memory care services, to ensure public health, safety and welfare are maintained.

Continue reading “Gov. Katie Hobbs signs law aimed at accountability for Arizona long-term care facilities”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homelessness Spending. 800 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By John Sanders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Think tank Common Sense Institute Arizona released a research study earlier this year claiming that Arizona spends as much as $1.1 billion a year on homelessness-solution services. The organization found that in 2023, approximately 14,200 people were unhoused and the number of unhoused individuals has increased by 30% since 2020.

The research estimates that the 167 nonprofit organizations providing homeless services across the state employ 9,003 people and utilize another 42,053 volunteers – a workforce that rivals the state’s mining and logging industries in terms of annual work hours.

Continue reading “Think tank estimates Arizona spends $1.1 billion annually for homelessness solutions”