• Slug: Toss the Tusk. 1,040 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Aryton Temcio
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Since 1989, the international commercial trade of ivory has been banned in an effort to rebuild the dwindling population of elephants and other species poached for their ivory. Although these animals are found primarily in Africa and Asia, many agencies think the ramifications of ivory poaching are felt around the world.

The United States only adopted a near-total ban in 2016. Despite the bans on commercial trading, ivory is still legal to possess in the U.S., and many people still do.

Continue reading “‘Toss the Tusk’ educates Phoenix Zoo guests on illegal ivory trading, allows ivory surrender”

• Slug: PFAS Water Contamination. About 1,000 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Amelia Monroe
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – An estimated 97% of Americans have detectable levels of invasive “forever chemicals” in their bloodstreams – many are unaware that they’re drinking them.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS – are man-made synthetic chemicals manufactured and commercialized since the 1940s. This class of chemicals includes roughly 14,000 variations, widely used in consumer and industrial products – nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, cosmetics and firefighter foam – due to their grease-, oil- and water-resistant properties.

Continue reading “Arizona is launching PFAS mitigation efforts ahead of the EPA deadline. But critics say it isn’t enough”

EDS: An earlier version of this story miscast what $14.9 billion in tax revenue through 2045 would fund. The error occurred in the fifth graf the original. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: Prop. 479. 800 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Hayden Larkin
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With Proposition 479, a continuation of a half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County for transportation funding, on the ballot in November, Valley Metro and other groups are advocating for the continuation, while opponents say the tax on consumer goods is unneeded for a service few people use.

Public transit has provided Maricopa County residents with access to ease of travel. Light rail expansions, short-term rental bikes and scooters and public buses have all become viable options for city-dwelling Arizonans. With these options becoming more available, voters and groups are butting heads over the taxation and costs of expanding these transit systems. Some places in Maricopa County also may not have the means to afford certain forms of public transit to be able to expand into their cities.

Continue reading “Prop. 479 seeks to continue half-cent sales tax that helps fund Maricopa County public transit, roads”

• Slug: Health Care Election. 1,160 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Madeline Nguyen
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Maria Losoya isn’t a doctor. She can’t treat patients, and she can’t do surgeries. But in southern Arizona’s border communities, she performs a special kind of life-saving health care. She’s an expert at navigating the health insurance marketplace – in English and Spanish.

It’s a strength that has made Losoya a trusted face in her home of Santa Cruz County, where nearly one in three residents were uninsured in 2022 – the highest rate in the state, according to the National Institutes of Health. Day and night, community members call Losoya from hospital rooms to see how they can afford the treatment they need, from emergency care to chemotherapy.

Continue reading “Future of ACA, health insurance coverage at stake in presidential election”

• Slug: Military Pets. 620 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sienna Monea and Nash Darragh
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Two Arizona-based organizations, Soldier’s Best Friend and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), are supporting military families by ensuring both the mental health of veterans and the well-being of their pets and service animals while they serve and beyond.

Project Active Duty is an AHS program launched in response to the 9/11 attacks. Partnered with PetSmart Charities and Credit Union West to provide foster care for the pets of deployed service members from all military branches, the initiative offers peace of mind to those on active duty who know their pets will be waiting for them when they return home.

Continue reading “Arizona Humane Society and Soldier’s Best Friend aid military families with pets, service animals”

• Slug: Food and Climate. 930 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Samantha Bell
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Like many in Generation Z, Aria Harness worries about whether her next meal will harm the planet. Her biggest concerns: pesticides in food, water and soil.

“It is up to each individual to make these choices about their health,” she said, though she acknowledged that processed food is often more affordable than natural alternatives, “especially for college students, due to the significant increase in price and lack of options on campus.”

Continue reading “Gen Z in Arizona and beyond worries that food choices are driving climate change”

• Slug: Lethal Restraint-Mental Health. 1,550 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lisa Patel and Mikey Galo
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Joseph William Holsopple was pronounced dead on Sept. 27, 2020, at a hospital in the city where he was born, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Cause of death: alcoholism. Marital status: divorced. Age: 48.

He graduated high school in Akron, Ohio, in 1990 and joined the Springfield Township Police Department in 2000. Over the years, Holsopple married, had two children and bought a house. But his life began to unravel, and in January 2018 he was fired from the department for showing up to work intoxicated and failing a breathalyzer test.

Continue reading “The cumulative stress of policing has public safety consequences for law enforcement officers, too”

• Slug: Native American Diabetes. 560 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Federal funding expires at the end of the year for a program that has reduced diabetes among Native Americans. Congress has yet to act, leaving providers and patients worried.

Diabetes is especially prevalent among Native Americans. In Arizona, 27% of Indigenous adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 10% of the White population, according to 2021 data from the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Continue reading “Funding stalled for federal program that’s reducing diabetes among Arizona Native Americans”

• Slug: Indigenous Peoples Day. 1,000 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Marshall Baker
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Indigenous Peoples Day is a day to embrace all Indigenous people everywhere,” said Deeanna Talley, who goes by Nanibaah. She is the lead singer for Earth Surface People, an Indigenous music collective in Arizona. Her group headlined the mainstage for Indigenous Peoples’ Day Phoenix Fest in downtown Phoenix, a festival celebrating Native culture and artists in and around the Phoenix area.

“For me, I love it. It means so much to me,” Talley said. “It doesn’t limit anyone to a country, to a tribe, whether you’re half Native or mixed. … It’s to embrace every single person from every walk of life, that’s still here as a result of genocide.”

Continue reading “‘We’re still here to stay’: Indigenous Peoples Day festival gives Arizona Native communities visibility”

• Slug: EV Charging Stations. 660 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Electric vehicle sales have increased in Arizona faster than installation of charging stations.

The number of EVs registered in the state has tripled in the last year and a half to 89,798, according to the Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center. California has 1.2 million EVs, the most of any state. Arizona ranks 10th.

State and federal officials are scrambling to make sure the infrastructure catches up.

Continue reading “Number of electric vehicles in Arizona has tripled, outpacing charging station installation”

EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Carlos Rene Castro
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Michael Nowakowski
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Position sought: Phoenix City Council in District 7
• Career: Vice president of communications for the Cesar Chavez Foundation

Continue reading “Former Phoenix City Council member Michael Nowakowski runs to lead constituents of District 7”

• Slug: Vance in Arizona. 810 words. By Brianna Chappie.  
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

MESA – God, conservative values, immigration and Donald Trump.

Those were the main talking points at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Mesa on Wednesday, where former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, made his second appearance in Arizona after attending a Tucson rally earlier in the day.

Continue reading “JD Vance visits Arizona’s 2 largest metro areas in bid for Hispanic voters”

EDS: Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race. You can find all the profiles here. 

By Emily Holshouser
Special for Cronkite News

• Candidate name: Jerry Sheridan
• Political affiliation: Republican
• Position sought: Maricopa County Sheriff
• Age: 66
• Career: Law enforcement

Continue reading “Jerry Sheridan wants to reinvent the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, distances self from former boss Joe Arpaio’s legacy”

Cronkite School journalists profiled candidates for Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County sheriff race.

• Phoenix City Council, District 1: Ann O’Brien
• Phoenix City Council, District 3: Ayensa Millan
• Phoenix City Council, District 3: Debra Stark
• Phoenix City Council, District 5: Betty Guardado
• Phoenix City Council, District 5: JJ Martinez
• Phoenix City Council, District 7: Martyn Bridgeman
• Phoenix City Council, District 7: Anna Hernandez
• Phoenix City Council, District 7: Michael Nowakowski
• Phoenix City Council, District 7: Marcelino Quiñonez 
• Phoenix City Mayor: Kate Gallego
• Phoenix City Mayor: Matt Evans
• Maricopa County sheriff: Jerry Sheridan
• Maricopa County sheriff: Tyler Kamp

 

EDS: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information about the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and about an involuntary hold for Jane Jepson’s son, Nick. The errors occurred in grafs 6, 7 and 25. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: SMI Patient Care. 1,480 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Shi Bradley
Cronkite News

Jane Jepson remembers when her son, Nick, first came back home in 2017. He was working as a bellman, traveling across the country, from Alaska to Virginia.

“He was so excited,” Jepson recalled fondly. “He looked so handsome and so strong and in such good shape.”

However, a few weeks later, Jepson received strange phone calls from Nick.

Continue reading “Bed shortages and inadequate care leave patients with Serious Mental Illness in metro Phoenix at risk”

• Slug: FEMA Politics. 905 words.
• Photo available.

By Amelia Monroe and Mia Osmonbekov
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – As Hurricane Milton slams into Florida, and North Carolina residents dig out from Hurricane Helene, Republicans are pushing claims – widely debunked – that federal disaster aid has been depleted because of illegal immigration.

“FEMA, among a whole bunch of other federal agencies, has been using your tax dollars that are supposed to help you as American citizens,” said U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, during a campaign stop Tuesday in Phoenix on behalf of former President Donald Trump. “They use that money helping illegals here that they brought into America.”

Continue reading “Republicans falsely link illegal immigration to federal relief funds as Hurricane Milton slams Florida”