• Slug: BC-CNS-Kidney Disparities,1210.
• 3 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Leah Mesquita
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Angela Beatty had no idea that her high blood pressure could cause her to go into kidney failure.

As a Black American, Beatty is part of a racial group that is far more likely to experience kidney failure than other racial groups. Black Americans also experience high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease at higher rates, which can all contribute to the development of kidney disease.

“It’s a silent killer,” said Dr. Mandip Kang, a nephrologist at the Southwest Kidney Institute. “Majority of patients don’t develop any symptoms until the kidney function is in the 20-30% range.” Continue reading “Black Americans three times more likely to face kidney failure than whites”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Men,920.
• 5 photos available

By Jayla French
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS — A season riddled with highs and lows came crashing down Wednesday in the 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. And with it shattered Arizona State’s chances of grabbing a shot at attending the Big Dance.

In a late night first round game, Utah, seeded sixth, cruised to a 90-57 victory, handing the 11th-seeded Sun Devils their first loss in the last three matchups against the Utes this season. Utah advanced to play No. 3 Colorado, while the Sun Devils’ mercurial season came to a depressing end. Continue reading “ASU men’s basketball loses big to Utah in Pac-12 conference era finale”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Natural Decomposition,1040.
• 5 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — There may soon be a new option in Arizona funeral care: human composting.

The process, also called natural decomposition, converts human remains into soil and gives grieving family members the opportunity to plant trees and gardens using their loved one’s remains.

“It’s really pretty simple. It’s exactly what happens when leaves fall from the trees and become one with the ground,” Brie Smith, chief operating officer of Return Home, said. “We’re just letting nature take its course, and then (people) are able to move through their grief in this most beautiful, meaningful way.” Continue reading “Human composting? Bill would allow natural decomposition as burial option”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Wildfire Fallout,710.
• 2 photos available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The nine wildfires that have swept through Coconino County since 2010 have led to the loss of more than 130 buildings, the issuance of more than 25,000 evacuation orders and the release of 4.1 million metric tons carbon into the atmosphere.

And that’s just the start of the problems, Coconino County Deputy Manager Lucinda Andreani told a Senate panel Thursday.

Andreani was one of several witnesses who called for improvements in the way federal agencies respond to crises like wildfires, during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing titled “A Nation on Fire.” Continue reading “Coconino official says improvements needed to federal wildfire assistance”

• Slug: BC-CNS-TikTok Knocked,730 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona lawmakers split Wednesday as the House gave overwhelming, bipartisan approval to a bill that would ban use of TikTok in the U.S. if the owners of the social media app don’t first sell it to another company.

Supporters say the measure is needed because TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, can be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans. But fans defended the popular app and said the vote just proves that “the government is so completely out of touch with reality.” Continue reading “Arizona lawmakers split as House overwhelmingly OKs bill to ban TikTok”

• Slug: BC-CNS-VA Telehealth. 1,075 words.
• Photos available.

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Department of Veterans Affairs has been using telehealth since 2003, long before the larger health care community turned to it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth has been a lifeline to veterans who live too far away to access health care facilities or have physical limitations that keep them housebound.

In 2023, the VA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its telehealth office and announced that more than 2.3 million veterans had used telehealth services in fiscal 2022, which represented about a third of all vets receiving health care from the VA that year.

Continue reading “The VA pioneered the use of telehealth for veterans who can’t easily access health care facilities”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Chronic Absenteeism. 595 words.
• File photo available.

By Donovan Growney
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Hispanic students are struggling with high rates of absenteeism and low graduation rates in Arizona, according to the most recent Datos report.

The annual report by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce tracks and analyzes the economic impact of the Hispanic community and provides data regarding issues unique to Hispanics throughout Arizona and the United States.

Data from the 2023 Datos report and the Arizona Department of Education, revealed some troubling statistics regarding Hispanic student absenteeism and graduation rates in Arizona.

Continue reading “Schools trying new approaches to combat absenteeism and low graduation rates among Hispanic students”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Schools Status,990 words.
• 3 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne told lawmakers Tuesday that the state faces a crisis in teacher retention, with low salaries and a lack of support leading to a loss of thousands of teachers every year.

Horne told the House Education Committee that the state faces a “public sector crisis,” with thousands of teachers leaving every year and not enough new teachers coming in to replace them.

“If we do nothing to reverse this trend, this could be a major catastrophe for our students and our economy that needs a skilled workforce,” Horne said. Continue reading “Horne calls for more funding for teachers, more discipline for students”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Family Immigration. 965 words.
• Video, graphic available.
• Photos available (thumbnails and captions below).

By Kayla Jackson
Cronkite News

NOGALES, Sonora, Mexico – Marisol Sánchez Hernandez, 22, is stranded in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, alongside her husband and 6-year-old and 6-month-old daughters. She is awaiting the court date that would grant her family entry into the U.S.

Sánchez said she and her family have been living in the border city of Nogales for three months after fleeing from the Mexican state of Guerrero in an effort to escape cartel violence.

Continue reading “As more families seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, groups step in to help as they wait”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Barbie Fashion. 740 words.
• Photos, video available.

By Julia Schamko
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Despite the “Barbie” movie’s snubs at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, the doll franchise has continued to influence the current cultural climate.

Even prior to the movie’s release in 2023, Barbie has influenced fashion for decades since the doll’s launch in 1959.

Continue reading “Pretty in pink: Phoenix Barbie exhibit highlights cultural, fashion icon”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Therapy Dogs. 1,300 words.
• Photos available.

By Julia Schamko
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – If you’re a student at Gateway Community College you may see Dash visiting you in class, at school events and in the library and learning center. He’s also available to accompany students looking for counseling services.

Dash is a 65-pound labradoodle therapy dog owned by Gateway counseling faculty member Monica Buensuceso.

Continue reading “Schools use therapy dogs to provide mental health support for students and faculty”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Smoke Management. 760 words.
• Photo, graphic available.

By Huston Dunston Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Smoke management and air quality are huge issues in Maricopa County. The American Lung Association has the Phoenix-Mesa area in the top 10 most-polluted cities by ozone and by year-round particle pollution in its State of the Air 2023 report.

The Maricopa County Air Quality Department and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality are working to maintain the health and prosperity of the environment and residents as it relates to air quality through no-burn days and prescribed-burn smoke dispersion.

Continue reading “What Arizona and Maricopa County are doing to manage smoke, air quality”

• Slug: BC-CNS-ESA Fraud,1260 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Linda Jacobson
The 74

The indictments of five people last month on charges of conspiracy to defraud Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account initiative put a spotlight on one of the nation’s largest and least restrictive programs granting families state funds for private school or homeschooling.

The fact that three former education agency employees were among those indicted shows that the program lacks adequate fraud prevention measures, said Attorney General Kris Mayes. She said that those accused faked birth certificates and special education evaluations to bilk more than $600,000 from the program. Continue reading “As Arizona probes school choice fraud, advocates dismiss scheme as ‘inside job’”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Diss Union,890 words.
• 2 photoa available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden delivered a combative State of the Union address Thursday that laid out his achievements and baited Republicans for not doing more, a tone that did not sit well with Arizona’s GOP lawmakers.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Tucson, called it a “divisive” address that sounded “more like a campaign speech than anything else,” noting that Biden repeatedly targeted former President Donald Trump while glossing over other issues.

“He (Biden) mentioned his predecessor more than anything that I heard him say. So, he was obsessed with that, making comparisons, and quite frankly, when you compare where we were as a nation … it isn’t even close,” Ciscomani said. Continue reading “Arizona lawmakers pan, praise Biden’s combative State of the Union address”

• Slug: BC-CNS-HIV Spike,1250 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Leah Mesquita
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Christopher Carrillo discovered a lump behind his ear in 2011, it never occurred to him that the cause could be from HIV.

“Testing wasn’t something that I did,” Carrillo said. “It wasn’t part of my routine.”

After Carrillo researched lymph nodes online and saw a mention of HIV, he decided to see a doctor. The results changed his life forever.

Today, Carrillo is a case manager at the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS in Phoenix, a health-care facility serving primarily “persons of color, LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer individuals, and those affected by HIV.” He sees a recent wave of new HIV cases in Arizona changing the lives of the Hispanic population around him. Continue reading “Arizona reports 20% increase in HIV cases, predominantly affecting Hispanic communities”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Kumbaya Committee,750 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Sandy Bahr has testified before committees at the Arizona Legislature since the 1990s and says that, like all lobbyists, she is used to butting heads with lawmakers during hearings.

But Bahr, the director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter, said the disagreements have become more frequent and more heated, with what she calls disrespectful treatment from lawmakers toward lobbyists, experts and citizens on the rise.

“The Legislature has not been a particularly friendly place for environmental protection, but it has gotten much worse in the last several years,” Bahr said. Continue reading “As hearings grow more combative, one committee stands out for its civility”

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• Slug: BC-CNS-Colorado Conflict,990 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alex Hager
KUNC

The seven states that use water from the Colorado River proposed competing plans to the federal government this week on the river’s future management, with upper and lower basin states offering their own visions.

Arizona joined California and Nevada with a plan that calls for a new framework for measuring the amount of water in western reservoirs and a method for distributing water cutbacks accordingly.

The proposal from the Upper Basin states – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming – puts into writing one of their most-repeated talking points: That they bear the brunt of climate change, which is reducing the amount of snow in the mountains where the Colorado River begins, and any new rules for the river need to reflect that. Continue reading “Colorado River states offer competing proposals for managing water”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Seniors Prom,750 words.
• 9 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Kevinjonah Paguio
Cronkite News

GILBERT – Prom. It’s something that usually happens in high school, but not for the residents of Savanna House. On a Saturday afternoon in January, these senior citizens were full of excitement, anticipating the under-the-sea themed prom awaiting them.

One of those seniors, 77-year-old Carol Dudash, relished the primping and prepping of getting dressed up for the event. Step by step, she used her walker to get to the bathroom. With some help from volunteer Joya Haymon, she applied makeup – a rarity. Light strokes brushed on the foundation. A touch of lip gloss brightened her lips.

The Savanna House seniors were joined by residents of two sister communities – Sky Vista and Sky Ridge – who were also excited to break up their daily routine with something special. All three facilities are owned by MBK Senior Living. For some, it was a moment to relive memories of long-ago proms; for others, it was a chance to attend prom for the first time. For the residents of all three communities, it was a chance to meet up and enjoy a fun afternoon. Continue reading “Prom, conversation, bingo: Seniors seek socialization”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Petitions Pandemic,840 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – One expert thinks it’s evidence of voter enthusiasm. Another thinks it is more likely caused by voter unhappiness with their elected officials.

What they’re referring to is the avalanche of statewide ballot questions that Arizona voters are likely to face when they go to the polls this fall.

There are already four initiatives on the ballot and another 15 that have been filed with the Arizona Secretary of States’ office and will be added if supporters can collect enough signatures. That does not include resolutions currently working their way through the Legislature that, if passed, would land on this fall’s ballot as referendums. Continue reading “Vote ’em if you’ve got ’em: Voters could see flood of questions on ballot”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Sinema Out,680 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Tuesday that she will not run for re-election this fall, lamenting the current state of partisan politics where voters and lawmakers alike prefer to “retreat farther to their partisan corners.”

The announcement ends months of speculation over Sinema’s political future and removes the possibility of what could have been a three-way race for Senate, as Sinema left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent.

That followed a series of votes that angered progressives, who targeted Sinema over her refusal to back a higher minimum wage and to preserve the filibuster, among other actions. Continue reading “Sinema won’t run again, decries system where ‘compromise is a dirty word’”