• Slug: Sports-ASU Overwatch Esports. 950 words.
• One photo available.

Sammy Nute
Cronkite News

TEMPE — Grand Canyon University showed off its multi-million dollar esports facility in mid-March by hosting the Western Cactus League 2024, the first in-person esports competition to host all four major Arizona universities.

GCU, which has been at the forefront of investing in the Valley’s esports scene, opened its doors to Arizona State, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University at the 3,200-square-foot Esports Arena. Built in 2019, the facility houses more than 70 personal computers and multiple consoles.

However, it wasn’t the host team that dominated the event that weekend.

Arizona State Overwatch stole the show en route to a tournament victory, adding to a stellar year of rapid growth. ASU climbed the Overwatch College Rankings into the nation’s top 10 without significant financial support from the school as a club sport. The program’s potential was on display amid its rise in the rankings, despite a decision by ASU’s student government to withdraw critical financial support this spring, according to the team.

Continue reading “No funding, no problem: ASU Overwatch stuns esports elites without university’s financial backing”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Lake Denied,600 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down an appeal from Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, apparently ending their two-year bid to block the use of electronic voting tabulation in Maricopa and Pima counties.

Lake, the failed GOP nominee for governor in 2022 who is now running for U.S. Senate, and Finchem, the failed 2022 Republican nominee for secretary of state, had claimed in court filings the tabulating machines were susceptible to hacking.

But a district court judge rejected those claims as highly speculative, and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. That set up their appeal to the Supreme Court, which declined without comment to hear the case. Continue reading “Supreme Court turns down Lake, Finchem suit to ban electronic vote tallies”

• Slug: BC-CNS-New Valleywise Health Center. 850 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brenna Gauchat
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Valleywise Health refers to its health care system as a safety net for the community and prides itself on serving the Valley’s underserved.

On April 3, Valleywise Health hosted an opening ceremony for its new medical center on E. Roosevelt Street in Phoenix. This center replaces the previous building, which served the public for 53 years.

Standing 10 floors high and sprawling over 673,000 square feet, the new Valleywise medical center features upgraded facilities to provide specialized care to the community. The original hospital in that location was known as the Maricopa County Integrated Health System, renamed Valleywise in 2018.

Continue reading “Valleywise Health opens a new medical center in Phoenix to ‘serve the underserved’”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Dad Together. 790 words.
• 4 photos, video story available.

By Naomi DuBovis
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Lord Washington became a father, he looked everywhere for other dads to connect with. Nothing he found gave him what he needed.

“There wasn’t much out there at all,” he said. “You can get links, but there was nothing that was meeting face-to-face, and there was nothing that was local to me at that point in time.”

But then he found Dad Together, a program where dads of all backgrounds and stages meet up, share their experiences and support each other through their parenting journeys. It offers one-on-one mentoring, discussions and a 13-week course, called Nurturing Fathers, that teaches dads the fundamentals of parenting and nurturing.

Continue reading “‘We’re not in this alone’: How an Arizona program gives support, mentorship to dads”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sensory Job Fair. 780 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Annika Tourlas
Cronkite News

TEMPE – A Sensory Friendly Job Fair gave individuals with autism and autism spectrum disorder an opportunity to meet and be interviewed by more than a dozen potential employers on April 9 in Tempe.

The job fair was organized by the Arizona Department of Economic Security, the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix and Rio Salado College. Timothy Stump, vocational rehabilitation employer liaison at the Arizona Department of Economic Security, organized the fair.

Continue reading “Sensory Friendly Job Fair paves the way for adults with autism to meet potential employers”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Native American Suicide. 600 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Donovan Growney
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Belén Santistevan lost her brother to suicide when she was just a freshman in high school. Santistevan points to a lack of Indigenous community identity and resources as contributing factors to what happened to her brother.

“I find myself wondering, if my family didn’t struggle with historical intergenerational trauma, and if we grew up practicing our culture, my brother would still be here,” said Santistevan, who is a prevention coordinator at the Phoenix Indian Center and also helped to coordinate the 2024 Annual American Indian Suicide Prevention Convening.

Continue reading “‘Combating this epidemic’: Native Americans gather to address suicide prevention”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Singletons. 445 words.
• 11 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – What started as a tribute to a single mother of four has since grown into a support system for the many cancer warriors who have been in her shoes.

On Oct. 23, 2005, single mother Michelle Singleton lost her battle to cancer. Years later, a community exists to honor Singleton’s life. The Singletons, a nonprofit organization based in Phoenix, devotes itself to supporting single-parent families battling cancer.

Formerly known as Singleton Moms, the Singletons provide aid to many families, supplying them with groceries, household items and financial assistance. Marleah Nigro and her daughter, Marisa Nigro, found comfort in knowing they had the Singletons community to lean on.

Continue reading “The Singletons provides financial, compassionate support to single-parent families battling cancer”

• Slug: BC-CNS-American Indian Youth Disability Summit. 900 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The fourth annual American Indian Youth Disability Summit, held on April 13, awarded a Youth Tribal Leadership Award to a college student whose interest in learning disabilities and her own speech disorder led her to study speech and hearing sciences at Arizona State University.

The youth summit explored topics ranging from mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder to voting accommodations made for those with disabilities in Arizona.

Continue reading “4th annual American Indian Youth Disability Summit honors ASU student with Youth Tribal Leadership Award”

• 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”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Armies,710 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – While lawmakers inside the Capitol were jockeying over efforts to repeal a near-total abortion ban from 1864, advocates on both sides of the issue who gathered outside the Capitol Wednesday were looking forward to fights at the ballot box this fall.

Hundreds showed up over the course of the day, carrying signs, handing out literature and manning tables in hopes of recruiting people to their cause.

It came as Democrats tried – and failed – for a second week to repeal the 19th century law that was revived last week by the Arizona Supreme Court, that makes abortion a felony except to save the life of the mother. But the effort inched forward in the Senate, before both chambers adjourned until next week. Continue reading “Abortion-rights advocates, opponents continue to spar, with eye on fall ballot”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Jones Execution,670 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – State officials told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday that a lower court gave too much weight to mitigating factors when it ordered a new sentencing for Danny Lee Jones in a pair of brutal 1992 murders in Bullhead City.

But Jones’ attorney argued just the opposite. While conceding that Jones was guilty of “brutal crimes,” including the strangulation of a 7-year-old girl, the defense attorney said a lower court judge “serially nit-picked” evidence of Jones’ brain damage and abusive childhood to support the death sentence for him. Continue reading “State asks Supreme Court to reject new trial for Arizona death row inmate”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Senate Abortion,960 words.
• 3 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Reagan Priest and Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Senate took tentative steps toward a repeal of the state’s 1864 abortion ban Wednesday, just hours after House Republicans blocked efforts to do so.

Senate Democrats, with the support of Republican Sens. T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick, were able to introduce a bill to repeal the territorial-era law that bans virtually all abortions, a law that was resurrected by the Arizona Supreme Court last week.

That ruling is currently on hold, but abortion-rights activists have been scrambling to stop the ban from taking effect. Attempts last week to overturn the law, just days after the court ruling, were blocked by Republicans in both the House and Senate. Continue reading “Republicans stall, but don’t kill, effort that would repeal 1864 abortion ban”

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-Alternative Meat Labeling. 760 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In response to the surging popularity of lab-grown meat and plant-based alternatives, Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, has introduced a bill seeking to impose stricter regulations on the labeling and representation of such products.

HB 2244 aims to prevent “intentionally misrepresenting” food items not derived from traditional livestock or poultry as meat or animal products. This legislation would apply to lab-grown meat created from the cells of animals as well as plant-based meats or synthetic alternatives derived from insects or other sources.

Continue reading “Arizona bill aims to regulate labeling of meat alternatives, but opponents say it’s too broad”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Long-COVID Disparities,1180 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Leah Mesquita
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Andrew Archer has been recovering from COVID-19 for almost four years.

“My life is so different (now), and I’m slowly starting to accept that,” Archer said. “It’s like losing a part of you.”

Archer is a part of the estimated 18.1% of Arizonans to ever experience long COVID – a condition broadly defined by symptoms that continue to develop weeks, months or years after an acute COVID-19 infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading “Arizona’s long-COVID cases top nation’s; Hispanics most likely to suffer”

• Slug: BC-CNS-PPD Pill,1774 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX –  The Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill meant to help parents treat their postpartum depression, but it comes at the cost of $15,900 for a 14-day treatment cycle. Mrs. Arizona International 2023 Carolyn Larsen knew she was at risk, even though she had no history of depression or mental health issues, because her sister had suffered from postpartum depression. But she always wanted to be a mom, so she made grand plans in preparation for her first child.

Continue reading “Behind the smile: How a nonprofit organization and a new postpartum depression pill seek to help those fight their silent battle”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Biggs Stage,820 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs said he is prepared to tell the Senate, and the American public, the “historical basis” of high crimes and misdemeanors and how they apply to the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

If he gets the chance.

The Senate is expected to quickly dismiss articles of impeachment that will be sent over this week from the House, which indicted Mayorkas in February on two articles, including willful refusal to comply with the law and “breach of public trust.”

Biggs is one of 11 House managers scheduled to present the case to the Senate, which one analyst called a “reinforcement of brand on steroids” for the Gilbert Republican who is one of the leaders for the far-right Freedom Caucus in the House. Continue reading “Biggs ready for his day in impeachment spotlight, even if it’s short-lived”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Veep,740 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

TUCSON – Vice President Kamala Harris blasted former President Donald Trump Friday as “the architect” of new abortion restrictions sweeping the country, including the near-total ban that was resurrected this week in Arizona.

The hastily arranged Tucson campaign stop came just three days after a divided Arizona Supreme Court ruled that, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decision in 2022, an 1864 abortion ban that was still on the books in Arizona was back in effect. Continue reading “Harris, Arizona Democrats seize on abortion ban to blast Trump, GOP”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Early Exit,850 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Jacob Angeli-Chansley, better known as the “Qanon Shaman,” will not be going back to Washington – at least not in any official capacity.

Angeli-Chansley was one of more than 70 would-be candidates for federal office who failed to meet the April 1 deadline to turn in petition signatures to the secretary of state’s office that were needed to get their names on the ballot.

While that narrowed the field, it still left dozens of candidates who will compete in this fall’s primary and general elections – some of which are already shaping up to be bitter, high-profile bloodbaths. Continue reading “Shaman sidelined: Chansley among more than 70 to miss signature threshold”

• 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”