• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Roy Scott. 2,840 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Manning, Isza Amponin Zerrudo, Sam Ellefson and Arlyssa Becenti
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

LAS VEGAS – On a chilly morning in 2019, just after 3 a.m., Roy Anthony Scott called 911 to report that a group of people – one armed with a saw – was trying to break into his apartment.

This wasn’t the first time a dispatcher had sent emergency responders to Scott’s home in Sunset Gardens, a senior living complex in Las Vegas. Seven other 911 calls had been placed from his apartment over the previous year, logs from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue show, including one just hours before the call about the attempted break-in.

Continue reading “‘My dad, he needed help’: Woman says her dead father deserved more from Nevada police”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Nevada. 3,495 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Taylor Stevens and Katie Donnelly
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

LAS VEGAS – Richard Ybanez always saw himself as his little brother’s protector.

Growing up as latchkey kids on Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, he and Glenn spent their childhood mostly outdoors, tinkering with their bicycles and riding their skateboards. If anyone tried to pick on his brother, Richard had his back.

But Richard wasn’t there the morning a Las Vegas police officer pulled over Glenn Ybanez and his girlfriend after she allegedly failed to signal before switching lanes. Glenn, a former Army combat medic, who struggled after his return from Iraq, had two outstanding drug warrants. He tried to run from the traffic stop, according to the police report, but an officer tackled him before three onlookers piled on. Paramedics transported the unresponsive Glenn to the hospital, where he was found to have a small brain bleed and abrasions covering his body, the report said.

Continue reading “How non-shooting deaths involving police slip through the cracks in Las Vegas”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-Meth. 1,060 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Manning
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Roy Anthony Scott’s death is not an anomaly.

An analysis by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism in collaboration with The Associated Press identified 11 other deaths after non-shooting police encounters in Nevada from 2012 through 2021. Like Scott, who died in 2019 after an encounter with Las Vegas police, four of the dead had a combination of histories of mental illness and meth in their systems at the time of their deaths.

Continue reading “Mental health problems and meth common in deaths in non-shooting police encounters in Nevada”

• Slug: HC-Lethal Restraint-CA Transparency. 1,860 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Tyler Dedrick
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

PHOENIX – Despite new laws intended to “pierce the secrecy” protecting California police officers, law enforcement agencies have thwarted those who seek information on cases of misconduct – in some instances battling requesters in court.

And some basic personnel records – including complaints and disciplinary action against officers – are still hidden from the public, accessible only when a California judge grants access to them.

California, considered one of the most progressive states in the nation, had at least 198 non-shooting deaths from 2012 through 2021 after police used force that isn’t supposed to be deadly — the most documented in any state in the nation, an investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, in conjunction with The Associated Press, found. The investigation identified 1,036 deaths across the country during that time frame, though suppression of information means the numbers are likely an undercount.

Continue reading “California law enforcement agencies have hindered transparency efforts in use-of-force cases”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Fillmore Bike Lanes. 545 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Downtown Phoenix is growing rapidly as more people are moving to the developing center of the city.

Concerns have been raised regarding walkable sidewalks, accessible bike lanes and connectivity that contribute to safety. The Phoenix Street Transportation Department is exploring modifications for Fillmore Street downtown for those riding bicycles or other active modes of transportation.

The department conducted an online survey, which closed on March 3, as part of a feasibility study and pre-design phase. The Fillmore Street project could add bike lanes or a two-way protected bikeway on Fillmore from Seventh to Central avenues.

Continue reading “Downtown Phoenix community speaks out for safer bike lanes along Fillmore Street”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Drone Incursions,590.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Cartels are sending as many as 1,000 unmanned drones across the border every month, sometimes smuggling drugs but more often probing the border for vulnerabilities, a Pentagon official told a Senate committee this month.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, who assumed command of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command in February, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that countering unmanned aircraft systems had “dominated … the first month” of his tenure. Senators started asking about drone flights around military bases, but the discussion then turned to incursions across the border. Continue reading “Senators told of ‘alarming’ level of drone incursions at southern border”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Dreamscape Learn. 765 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Lauren Kobley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Have you ever been inside of a cancer cell? Or 30 meters below the ocean’s surface? Elementary students at ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest Elementary & Middle School have (virtually).

The school is the first in the U.S. to offer the innovative learning experience that immerses K-12 students in places and topics they study, through a partnership with Arizona State University and Dreamscape Learn, which says it’s “a transformational education experience born from a groundbreaking entertainment platform.” ASU offers a similar Dreamscape Learn program for college students.
Continue reading “Dreamscape Learn provides virtual learning experiences for ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest students”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Menthol Cigarette Marketing. 900 words.
• Photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brooke Rindenau
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Arizona and across the U.S. Federal and state officials are now targeting flavored tobacco products, particularly menthol, for having made the problem worse.

The American Lung Association recently joined Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and attorneys general from other states urging the Biden administration to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Continue reading “Menthol cigarettes, heavily marketed to African American communities for years, face possible state and federal bans”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Kratom. 1733 words.
• 4 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Nicole Macias Garibay
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration first intended to categorize kratom, an herbal substance, as a “drug of concern” back in 2016, it was met with resistance causing it to withdraw that designation. Ever since, there has been an ongoing discussion about how kratom helps or harms people.

Continue reading “Former users and experts debate whether kratom, an herbal substance, helps or harms those who take it”

• Slug: BC-CNS-South Mountain Farmers. 1,050 words.
• Photos available.

By Analisa Valdez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Older Phoenix residents might recall memories of driving along Baseline Road in the late 1960s and the mile-long stretches of vibrant flower fields that once flourished at the base of South Mountain.

The Japanese Americans who immigrated to the area in the early 1900s started farms that quickly grew into iconic agricultural staples in the South Phoenix area. According to Kathryn Nakagawa, daughter of the original Nakagawa flower field owner, seven main Japanese American families were the driving force behind the booming, blooming businesses on Baseline. They persisted even after the families faced incarceration in internment camps during World War II, until slowly selling their farmlands off in the early 2000s.

Despite the era of the Japanese flower farms having come to an end – the hundreds of acres of floral fields having now been replaced by blocks of housing and urban development – the environment at the base of South Mountain continues to offer plentiful opportunities for the next generation of farmers.

Continue reading “Where flower fields historically grew, the next generation of farmers cultivates south Phoenix”

• Slug: BC-CNS-ACA Anniversary. 460 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video, graphic available.

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On Tuesday morning, health care advocates and others gathered at the Valle del Sol Community Health Center in central Phoenix to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act is a comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 and is sometimes known as ACA or “Obamacare.” During the 2024 open enrollment period, a record 21.3 million people across the country selected an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plan. The number of Arizonans covered by the ACA rose more than 110,000 during the year, to 348,055, also a record.

Despite its increasing adoption, the ACA continues to be a controversial topic in the political arena.

Continue reading “Affordable Care Act celebrates 14th anniversary following jump in enrollment, continuing political discord”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Reservation Connectivity,1630 words
• 10 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

TOHONO O’ODHAM NATION – In a vibrant building adorned with murals on the grounds of Tohono O’odham Community College, students gather in a classroom around a U-shaped table. Here, under the guidance of Marvin Carmen, the course instructor, they learn the fundamentals of email composition. With focused attention, they absorb Carmen’s instructions on writing recipients in the “To” section, crafting subjects for their messages and formatting mock emails for practice.

Continue reading “Tohono O’odham Nation receives grant to expand internet connectivity”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Scotus SanCarlos,740.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The San Carlos Apache said Monday that the federal government owes it $3 million for health care services, one of two tribes arguing before the Supreme Court for more support from the Indian Health Service.

But attorneys for the government argued that allowing tribes to claim additional overhead costs for the health care they provide their members would strap the system, and end up siphoning away money for care of Native Americans in other tribes. Continue reading “Tribes, feds spar before Supreme Court over who pays for health care”

EDs: An early version of this story included an incorrect photo credit. The caption below has been corrected, but clients who used the previous version are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Black Businesses. 520 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Huston Dunston Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – There is a small but growing number of Black-owned businesses in Arizona. One of the challenges that they face is getting the money to start.

Brownstone Spa in Phoenix is owned by Stacy Best-Nervis. The spa has customized services for men and women of color, who often experience skin issues that are not easily identified due to the absence of training and expertise at other facilities and esthetic schools, according to the spa’s website. It says the business offers skin consultations, body treatments, customized facials and advanced treatments such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion and dermaplane treatments.

When asked about challenges in starting her business, Best-Nervis said “gaining capital and getting your finances together” was tough. “As a Black-owned business, there are stats that show it is harder for us to get capital.” She started her business five years ago and said she’s proud she can provide services in the skin care industry for those who haven’t been able to get proper care or treatment.

According to the State of Black Business 2022 report, there were 1,019 Black-owned businesses in greater Phoenix, or 1% of employer firms. The report said it would take almost 5,000 more Black-owned businesses in the area for the number to match population representation.

Continue reading “Phoenix-area Black businesses face challenges with start-up capital”

EDS: UPDATES lede and second graf to reflect early-morning Senate vote. No other changes. Will not be led.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Budget,700.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers have approved a $1.2 trillion package of budget bills that includes funding for 42,000 new beds in migrant detention facilities and for the hiring of an additional 22,000 Border Patrol agents.

The House voted 286-134 for the bill early Friday afternoon and the Senate approved it 74-24 shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday – stopping a government shutdown that was scheduled to take effect at midnight Friday if no budget had passed. President Joe Biden has said he will sign a bill as soon as Congress gets it to him.

The bill passed the House despite substantial opposition from Republicans, who said it was rushed through and contained what they called giveaways to Democrats. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Oro Valley, called the measure “a complete disaster.” Continue reading “$1.2 trillion budget bill, racing against shutdown, funds more border security”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Downwind Downtrodden,1130.
• 3 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The $1.2 trillion budget package that Congress was working to pass Friday included everything from protection for gas stoves to restrictions on payments to the Chinese government.

What it didn’t include was an extension for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which compensates people who lived downwind from nuclear test sites and developed cancer as a result.

Family members of such “downwinders,” like Cullin Pattillo of Mohave County, said they felt “disgust” at Congress’ lack of action. Continue reading “‘Downwinder’ renewal left out of massive budget bill rushed through Congress”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Inequitable Prenatal Care. 1,420 words.
• Photos, embeddable map available.

By Mia Milinovich
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Minority communities without access to adequate prenatal care often suffer high maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates. In Arizona, approximately 1 in 6 infants in 2022 was born to a woman who didn’t get adequate prenatal care.

Mobile maternity care clinics are making a difference by bringing prenatal care into communities where it’s needed. These maternity care clinics, on wheels, connect expectant mothers to accessible and timely medical services.

Continue reading “Mobile maternity care clinics work to expand prenatal care accessibility”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Chips Change,690.
• 3 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – President Joe Biden announced the award of $8.5 billion to chipmaker Intel on Wednesday, along with $11 billion in loans that will help the semiconductor manufacturer expand operations in Arizona and three other states.

The grant, the largest to date under the CHIPS and Science Act, will let Intel upgrade current facilities in Chandler and construct what the company says will be two “leading edge” facilities there, making it the largest chipmaking location in the country when it opens in late 2025. The Chandler project is expected to create 3,000 manufacturing jobs along with 7,000 construction jobs. Continue reading “Feds award Intel $8.5 billion; money to expand Chandler, other chip plants”

• Nombre: CN-BiTrAZ. 531 palabras.
• 2 fotos disponibles

Por Maria Garcia
Cronkite Noticias

PHOENIX — El presidente Joe Biden y el expresidente Donald Trump obtuvieron la victoria en las elecciones presidenciales de preferencia este martes en Arizona. Los votantes tuvieron la primera oportunidad de seleccionar formalmente al candidato que representaría a su partido.

Continue reading “Biden y Trump logran victoria en elecciones de preferencia presidencial en Arizona “

• Slug: BC-CNS-Smokus Pocus. 565 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Donovan Growney
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With the benefits of cannabis legalization still being debated throughout the country, one traveling magician is trying to destigmatize its use.

Ben Zabin brought his “Smokus Pocus” show to Phoenix earlier this month as part of his nationwide tour.

Zabin described the show as projecting a laid back and humorous atmosphere that includes “pretty crazy stuff” with bongs, lighters and jars of weed. Though recreational cannabis was legalized in Arizona in 2020, Zabin said that his show helps to destigmatize the use of cannabis and empower cannabis users nationwide.

Continue reading “‘Smokus Pocus’ cannabis-themed magic show aims to destigmatize marijuana use”