• Slug: BC-CNS-Prager Partner,610 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Education is partnering with conservative advocacy group PragerU to provide K-12 schools with the group’s video content — content that Democratic lawmakers say is inaccurate and does not belong in public schools.

State Superintendent Tom Horne, backed by PragerU CEO Marissa Streit and GOP lawmakers, said at a Capitol news conference Wednesday that the company’s content would be promoted on the Department of Education’s website. Horne said schools will not be required to use the content, but the partnership will help give parents and schools “a choice.” Continue reading “Horne plan for conservative videos for state schools called ‘irresponsible’”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Black Breast Camcer,1080 words.
• 3 handout photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Mia Milinovich
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Cancer biology, inadequate insurance coverage and limited access to health care are a few factors influencing the consistently high breast cancer mortality rates for Black women in the United States, according to cancer experts. Black women are over 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, a percentage that has largely stayed the same for a decade, according to the American Cancer Society.

While the overall disparity in deaths from many cancers has grown smaller between Black and white communities, there is a prevailing divide in mortality rates for breast and uterine cancers. Continue reading “Local group, U.S. task force target disparity in Black breast cancer mortality rates”

The coming electric battery revolution in America will require billions upon billions of gallons of water to mine lithium – and many of the new U.S. mines will be located in the drought-prone American West. An investigative report from the Howard Center at Arizona State University. Find more stories from the project here and here. 

• Slug: Howard Center-Lithium Liabilities (Short Version). 1,772 words. By Reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.
• Extended version of 5,782 words also available.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

SILVER PEAK, N.V. — Nyle Pennington, a veteran water scientist who tracks groundwater for local governments, stopped at a monitoring station just one mile from America’s only active commercial lithium mine. For years this well in Central Nevada typically held enough fresh water to reach the height of a three-story building, or about 30 feet. Pennington said it supplied much-needed nourishment for local cattle grazing under the Nevada sun.

On this crisp fall day in October, Pennington dropped a small rock down the well. Pings and clangs rang out as the rock hit bottom. A soft thud echoed back. “Bone dry,” he said. “If that would have had water in it, you would have heard a pronounced loud splash.”

Continue reading “SHORT VERSION: Lithium Liabilities: The untold threat to water in the rush to mine American lithium”

The coming electric battery revolution in America will require billions upon billions of gallons of water to mine lithium – and many of the new U.S. mines will be located in the drought-prone American West. An investigative report from the Howard Center at Arizona State University. Find more stories from the project here and here. 

• Slug: Howard Center-Lithium Liabilities. 5,782 words. By Reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.
• Truncated version of 1,772 words also available.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

SILVER PEAK, N.V. – Nyle Pennington, a veteran water scientist who tracks groundwater for local governments, stopped at a monitoring station just one mile from America’s only active commercial lithium mine. For years this well in Central Nevada typically held enough fresh water to reach the height of a three-story building, or about 30 feet. Pennington said it supplied much-needed nourishment for local cattle grazing under the Nevada sun.

On this crisp fall day in October, Pennington dropped a small rock down the well. Pings and clangs rang out as the rock hit bottom. A soft thud echoed back. “Bone dry,” he said. “If that would have had water in it, you would have heard a pronounced, loud splash.”

Continue reading “Lithium Liabilities: The untold threat to water in the rush to mine American lithium”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Buses,1010 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Legislators on Tuesday approved an additional $8 million that will let the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs keep busing migrants away from border communities, a program that has transported more than 81,000 people since 2022.

It was just part of a $12.8 million budget transfer approved for DEMA border activities, including another $4.8 million to reimburse local police agencies and prosecutors that deal with border-related crimes.

But before approving the transfers, members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee imposed safeguards to keep future spending in check. The DEMA request came after the agency spent almost all of a $15 million budget for migrant busing and $20 million for local law enforcement reimbursement. Continue reading “Lawmakers approve $8 million to continue busing asylum seekers from border”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Brnovich Border,760 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich told a House committee Tuesday that states have a constitutional right to secure their borders if “the federal government is either unwilling or unable to do so.”

“The on-ground violence and lawlessness on our southern border that has been caused by the cartels and gangs is extensive, well-documented and persistent. Therefore, it satisfies the definition of an actual invasion as laid out by the Constitution,” Brnovich testified in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

That reasoning, echoed by several witnesses at the hearing, was belittled by Democrats on the panel as a “crackpot legal theory that would have the public believe that federal supremacy over immigration and foreign relations is an open question.” Continue reading “Brnovich says states can take border action; Democrats pan ‘crackpot’ theory”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Retail Theft. 435 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, caption below).
• Video available.

By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma hopes that HB 2435 will crack down on the increase in organized retail crime in Arizona.

At a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol, Toma, a Republican who is sponsoring the bill, emphasized “getting tough” and holding criminals accountable.

Continue reading “Arizona Republicans tout legislation aimed at cracking down on organized retail crime”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Art of the Cowgirl, photo essay.
• 5 photos, video story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Mariah Temprendola
Cronkite News

QUEEN CREEK – Welcome to Art of the Cowgirl, where the spirit of the untamed West converges with the elegance of female empowerment. The five-day event earlier this month paid homage to the remarkable women who embody the country lifestyle, weaving together tradition in a tapestry of strength, skill and creativity. At the heart of the event lies a commitment to fostering the next generation of artists and horsewomen. The event is more than a gathering: It’s a platform for women to feel connected and confident in themselves. By raising funds and channeling support, the Art of the Cowgirl propels aspiring artists toward opportunities that can transform their passion through fellowship programs. Continue reading “Women of the West: Art of the Cowgirl showcases female strength, artistry”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Disorder,1000 words.
• 2 photos, graphic available (embed code, thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Border officials said they encountered more than 300,000 migrants at the southern border in December, setting a one-month record that pushed the total for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to 785,422.

The continuing surge in migrants comes as debate on immigration is heating up in Washington. Senators this week are expected to unveil a sweeping, bipartisan immigration reform bill that is already being called “dead on arrival” in the House, where a committee is set to start impeachment proceedings Tuesday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Continue reading “As immigration debate heats up, migrant encounters in December set record”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Funding Feud,640 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Democrats formally introduced legislation Monday to expand funding for public education and teacher pay, even as Republicans insist they will continue to push their own plan.

Both measures would extend Proposition 123, the voter-approved measure that increased the amount of money taken from the state land trust for education. That measure will expire in 2025 if not renewed. Continue reading “Hobbs pushes for school funding plan, GOP stands by its own proposal”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Respiratory Rush,620 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Brenna Gauchat
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As flu season reaches its peak, Maricopa County hospital emergency rooms and urgent care clinics are filling up with people with flu and flu-like illnesses. Health professionals advise residents to take care of themselves and their community members with preventive measures.

Mercedes Morris, a nurse practitioner at Banner Urgent Care, has worked in various facilities throughout the Valley for two years. She feels this year has brought a higher volume of influenza cases than in previous years.

“Influenza can affect all age groups and the seasons are from October through May,” Morris said. “Right now, we’re basically at the peak.” Continue reading “Phoenix urgent care workers treat an influx of respiratory illnesses”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Tribal Broadband,1440 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Madyson Fitzgerald
Stateline

On the Hopi Reservation’s more than 1.5 million acres of desert landscape in northeast Arizona, most residents live in villages atop arid mesas.

Below ground, there’s a network of copper wires that provides telephone and internet service. Hopi Telecommunications in 2004 bought the company that had installed them, but has been struggling ever since to upgrade the network to broadband speeds.

Hopi Telecommunications serves both the Hopi reservation and parts of the surrounding Navajo Nation. To broaden access, the company provided free internet for students during the COVID-19 pandemic and began offering discounted prices for residents through a federal program. Continue reading “Native nations with scarce internet are building their own broadband networks”

EDS: NOTE potentially offensive language in quote in last graf.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Party Crashers,900 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – One day after its chairman was forced out over the leak of an embarrassing audio tape, the Arizona Republican Party got more bad news Thursday when former President Donald Trump backed out of a planned Friday fundraiser.

The rally, which was to have featured many of the state’s leading GOP candidates, was subsequently canceled – on the eve of the party’s annual meeting set for Saturday.

It’s been a week for the Arizona GOP. Continue reading “DeWit quits, Trump bails, rally’s cut: It’s been a week for Arizona’s GOP”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Environment Day. 470 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By John Sanders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Activist groups and legislators gathered at the state Capitol for “Environmental Day” to address nature, wildlife and water. With the “Save Water, Save Life” theme, dozens of groups advocated for legislative changes and support for the environment and general sustainability.

Among these organizations was the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization. Borderlands Program Coordinator Erick Meza expressed the importance of preserving wildlife around the U.S.-Mexico border, especially endangered species.

Continue reading “Environmental groups champion nature, wildlife and water to Arizona policymakers”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Healthy Enrollment,730 words.
• Photo, graphic available (embed code, thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Affordable Care Act enrollment surged to new highs in Arizona and the nation in 2023, as people shifted away from pandemic-era health coverage and the Biden administration continued to push for the program.

Data released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said more than 21.3 million Americans enrolled last year for 2024 coverage, up from 16.6 million the year before. The number of Arizonans covered by the ACA – also known as Obamacare – rose more than 110,000 during the year, to 348,055.

Both were records, and a sharp rebound from lows set during the Trump administration. Continue reading “Affordable Care Act enrollment hit record highs in Arizona, U.S. in 2023”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Grooming Ban,750 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Teresa, now 16, testified about the late-night texts from her softball coach, his talk of drinking and losing his virginity and, eventually, the uncomfortable touching.

And how prosecutors later told her there was nothing they could do about it.

That’s why she and her parents turned out Wednesday for an emotional hearing on a proposal to make child “grooming” a crime.

Under current law, “the actions that occurred in my situation … are legal,” Teresa told the House Judiciary Committee, choking up at points during her testimony. It was the emotional highlight of a packed 90-minute hearing in which murmurs and occasional crying could be heard from the audience.

But opponents argued that there are laws in place to punish the coach for what he did, and the bill is unneeded. Continue reading “Victim backs bill to criminalize child ‘grooming’; opponents say it oversteps”

• Slug: BC-CNS-DEI Diviude,780 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Reagan Priest
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Republican legislators are trying again to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at institutions that receive state funds, saying it “divides communities and dehumanizes human beings.”

Supporters argued just the opposite during the Senate Government Committee hearing, saying DEI promotes inclusion in agencies and that for businesses it can “actually promote their financial interests and bottom lines.”

Wednesday’s hearing marks the second attempt by Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, to ban DEI programs. A similar bill passed the Senate last year died in the House. Continue reading “GOP lawmakers renew push to ban DEI programs in state-funded institutions”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Tobacco Report. 575 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail and caption below).

By Huston Dunston Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The American Lung Association released its grades of Arizona tobacco control policies Wednesday in its annual State of Tobacco Control report. The association grades states on policies that aim to eliminate tobacco use – and Arizona received three F grades.

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of death in Arizona and across the country, taking the lives of 8,250 Arizona residents each year,” JoAnna Strother said in a statement. Strother is the senior director of advocacy at the American Lung Association in Arizona. “The tobacco industry will do anything to protect their profits at the expense of Arizona lives, so we must push forward in our efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use.”
Continue reading “American Lung Association report card gives Arizona F’s on tobacco control policies”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Mushrooms Hearing,730 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Martin Dreyfuss
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A House panel voted Monday to extend the deadline on Arizona’s first-in-the-nation program to research medical uses of psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” a hallucinogenic currently classified by the federal government as a Schedule I illegal drug.

The 11-3 vote by the Arizona House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee comes a little more than a week before the deadline to distribute $5 million in state grants for the research – research that advocates say would be impossible to complete with the current June 30 program sunset.

The bill would extend the program through July 1, 2026, if it wins final approval. Continue reading “State plan to extend psychedelic mushroom study takes step forward in House”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Airport Worker Strike. 700 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails and captions below).

By Lauren Kobley
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Workers employed by SSP America at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport walked out on strike Tuesday morning in response to alleged labor-law violations.

UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents the strikers, filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board for alleged “unilateral changes” made to the SSP America payroll system. The changes were reportedly made without negotiating with the union and resulted in paycheck delays for workers. Cynthia Reyes is one of the workers who experienced the delays.

Continue reading “‘We’re not just numbers, we’re not robots, we’re people’: Workers at Sky Harbor strike over job conditions”