• Slug: BC-CNS-Artists 4 Liberation. 1,335 words.
• 13 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Kayla Mae Jackson
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – American writer Amiri Baraka once said, “The artist’s role is to raise the consciousness of the people. To make them understand life, the world and themselves more completely. That’s how I see it. Otherwise, I don’t know why you do it.”

Artists 4 Liberation is a Phoenix-based human-rights advocacy group that is using art to raise consciousness about the Palestinian people and fight for marginalized groups across the globe.

The organization holds community art events, fashion shows, movie screenings, rallies and marches throughout Phoenix in support of Palestinian liberation. At the events, local artists are invited to create posters with provided supplies, create political graphic T-shirts at screenprinting locations with designs by local artists, hang up political art flyers around the city and hear from local activists.

Continue reading “‘Power to evoke change’: Phoenix-based Artists 4 Liberation uses art to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Space Sector. 630 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Our opportunities are boundless, just like space,” Gov. Katie Hobbs told an audience at the second annual Arizona Space Summit in Tempe last month.

Arizona is the fifth-largest employer in aerospace and defense manufacturing, home to over 1,250 supply chain contributors, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. Sandra Watson, the authority’s president and CEO, said Arizona has become the “global hot spot for emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing.”

Major industry players in Arizona have a significant impact on the economy. Together, these companies employ more than 52,000 people directly, according to the authority. Its website states the numbers reflect “Arizona’s long-standing history with leading names in the industry – companies whose continued success in everything from unmanned aircraft systems to missiles, space vehicles to commercial aircraft and research into alternative fuels – drives further future growth.”
Continue reading “‘Opportunities are boundless’: Arizona pushes space sector’s growth through education, collaboration, economy”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Repeal,790 words.
• File photo, video story available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona House voted Wednesday to repeal the state’s near-total ban on abortion, with three Republicans joining all Democrats to reverse the law despite emotional rhetoric from anti-abortion lawmakers.

The 32-28 vote came just two weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated the 1864 law that criminalizes abortion except to save the life of the mother, and it was the third try by Democrats to reverse that ruling.

The measure still needs Senate approval before it goes to the governor, who has said she would sign it. Continue reading “House votes to repeal near-total abortion ban; bill still needs Senate OK”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Calentdar,910 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As state lawmakers push to repeal a near-total ban on abortion, Planned Parenthood of Arizona confirmed Wednesday that it will continue to provide abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy “until the last legal moment.”

But when that last legal moment is depends on who’s talking.

Abortion opponents argue that the ban should have taken effect this week, while Attorney General Kris Mayes said it would not take effect until June at the earliest – and she would not enforce it then. It could take weeks yet for final Senate approval of a repeal, and even then it would be months before the law took effect. Continue reading “Abortion law status remains unclear, even as lawmakers near repeal of ban”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Veterans Suicide Prevention. 850 words.
• Photos available.

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Suicide prevention was a key focus of the Arizona Coalition for Military Families’ 14th Annual Statewide Symposium held in Phoenix on April 17 and 18. The symposium brought together military, government and community resources to focus on strengthening services and support for the half-million veterans who live in Arizona and their families.

In 2021, 6,392 veterans were among the 46,412 suicides among U.S. adults, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Between the years 2015 and 2019, veteran suicides accounted for 20.6% of the suicides in Arizona.

Continue reading “Annual symposium for Arizona military members and families highlights veteran suicide prevention”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Navajo Nation Psych. 1,840 words.
• 5 photos available (thumbnails, captions available).

Mia Milinovich
Cronkite News

GANADO – As a Navajo himself, Dr. Richard Laughter understands mental health issues experienced by members of the Navajo Nation on a deeply personal level. As a Native American psychiatrist, he breaks down accessibility barriers for his people by blending Native cultural practices with Western behavioral health care.

According to Laughter, the rural nature of the Navajo Reservation greatly impacts the number of accessible behavioral health services because of the distances people have to travel to get to them. The Navajo Nation website says tribal lands cover 27,000 square miles in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

Continue reading “Navajo psychiatrist bridges gaps between Native American culture and behavioral health care”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Water Supply Solutions. 600 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Huston Dunston Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona, much like California and other states with large deserts, is having an issue with dwindling Colorado River water levels.

With so many people living in and moving to Arizona, specifically the Phoenix area, state and local agencies are working toward water solutions, including expanding the Bartlett Dam and adding new infrastructure.

The Central Arizona Project is a 336-mile aqueduct system that begins on the California-Arizona border, at Lake Havasu, and ends south of Tucson. CAP brings Colorado River water into Arizona and runs it through more than a dozen pumping plants that carry the water throughout the system.

Continue reading “How city of Phoenix, CAP are addressing water supply issues”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Farrier Education. 590 words.
• 10 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Julia Schamko
Cronkite News

TUCSON – At 83 years old, George Goode describes every day as a “blessing” as he makes the two-hour commute to Sells to teach local Native Americans farrier education.

It was 1972 when Goode started his horseshoeing school in Tucson. Over a half-century later, he retired and founded the nonprofit Native American Horse Education Foundation in hopes of bringing a new mindset to Indigenous communities.

Continue reading “Best foot forward: Tucson farrier educates Native American communities on horseshoeing”

• Slug: BC-CNS-State of the City. 550 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)
• Video available.

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – “Today, the world is looking to Phoenix as a city of the future, where possibility is found in every corner,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said Tuesday at her annual State of the City address.

Gallego focused on efforts to create a successful, sustainable and safe Phoenix to enable residents to live comfortably. Phoenix is looking to build its economy by addressing climate and housing issues along with increasing investment opportunities. She said record levels of investment are already having an extensive impact on the local economy, creating thousands of high-level jobs to support the middle class.

Continue reading “State of the City: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego highlights jobs, housing, sustainability”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Modern Libraries. 475 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)
• Video available.

By Leslie Chapman
Cronkite News

GOODYEAR – In an age dominated by digital devices, public libraries are evolving to meet the changing needs of their communities.

In 2023, the Greater Phoenix Digital Library, which includes library systems across Maricopa County, saw a staggering 6 million digital checkouts. Area libraries are transforming from spaces filled with printed books and quiet study spaces to resources that embrace technology to better serve patrons of all ages, especially younger generations.

Continue reading “From page to pixel: Valley libraries embrace digital evolution, serving tech-savvy generations with virtual offerings”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Early Child Funding. 1,800 words.
• Photos available.

By Annika Tourlas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Early childhood care and education programs struggled to recruit, retain staff and meet labor costs before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then the worldwide shutdown made matters worse, as parents turned their homes into conference rooms, classrooms and day care centers.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2023 Kids Count Data Book, 16% of children 6 and under in Arizona had a family member quit, change or refuse a job because of child care problems. In fact, the 2023 report ranked Arizona 39th overall for child well-being, noting an annual cost of $10,883 for “center-based child care.”

Continue reading “Pandemic relief funds for early childhood care set to expire June 30”

• Slug: Sports-Roadrunners Future. 626 words.
• One photo available

By Josh Jones
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Following the announcement of the Arizona Coyotes’ $1.2 billion relocation to Salt Lake City, another relocation rumor now swirls around a second professional hockey team in Arizona.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo mentioned on Thursday his plan to move the AHL Tucson Roadrunners to Arizona State’s Mullet Arena during an interview with Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.

The move would be an effort to keep professional hockey in the Valley while Meruelo attempts to win a land auction in North Phoenix that could be a first step in bringing a new NHL team to Arizona that would carry the Coyotes name. The Roadrunners remain under the ownership of Meruelo and will be an affiliate of the new team in Utah.

“We intend to make a request to the NHL board of governors and ASU to relocate the Roadrunners to Mullett Arena,” Meruelo said.

On Friday, in a press conference with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in Phoenix, Meruelo added to his comments with an explanation that the relocation could be more work.

Continue reading “With Arizona Coyotes leaving, relocation talk clouds Roadrunners’ future in Tucson”

• 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”