• 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”

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

• 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’”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Tempe Trafficking,920 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By Sadie Buggle
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The city of Tempe is bolstering its fight against human trafficking with the introduction of two new positions: a trafficking victim advocate and a specialized detective.

These roles, made possible by a three-year federal grant, will work to strengthen the city’s efforts to combat human trafficking and provide comprehensive support to trafficking victims and survivors. Continue reading “Tempe adds advocate, detective to enhance support for trafficking survivors”

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Tree Tales,530 words.
• 2 photos, audio story available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alex Hager
KUNC

The current Western megadrought is unlike any other dry period the region has experienced over the past 500 years.

That’s according to a new study in which scientists looked at tree rings to track changing temperatures going back to 1553. Researchers found that human-fueled climate change is driving temperatures higher, which makes soil drier and droughts more frequent, intense and widespread. Continue reading “If trees could talk: Tree rings show recent decades warmest in 500 years”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Traffic Safety,920 words.
• Photo, graphic available (embed code, thumbnail, caption below)

By John Sanders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Traffic safety continues to be a complicated issue in Arizona. With streets full of cars, it can be difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate safely.

Traffic fatalities have been on the rise. A report from the Arizona Department of Transportation noted 1,294 traffic fatalities in 2022, an 8.6% increase from 2021. The report also indicated 302 pedestrian and 48 cyclist deaths – both up from the prior year.

In Phoenix, which had the most traffic deaths in the ADOT report, at 301, the city in 2022 enacted the Vision Zero Road Safety Action Plan. Vision Zero is a nationwide effort that looks to eliminate traffic fatalities. Phoenix’s plan includes the “4E approach” to make roads safer for all, which includes evaluation, engineering, enforcement and education. Continue reading “With traffic fatalities on the rise, Phoenix looks for safety solutions”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Life March,790 words.
• 10 photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By Lillie Boudreaux
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Abortion opponents packed the plaza outside the Arizona Capitol on Friday in an impassioned display of anti-abortion advocacy at what one advocate called “a crucial time in Arizona” for the abortion fight.

This year’s March for Life comes as the Arizona Supreme Court is considering whether to reinstate an abortion ban in the state, while activists are fighting to put a question on this fall’s ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Continue reading “Abortion opponents rally at Capitol during ‘crucial time in Arizona’”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Lethargic Lawmakers,940 words.
• File photo, graphic available (embed code, thumbnail, caption below)

By Ian McKinney
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers passed a last-minute budget extension Thursday to head off a looming Friday government shutdown – just the 40th law passed by this Congress, which is on pace to be the least productive in at least a half-century.

Those 40 bills – four of which were continuing resolutions to extend the budget that Congress has been unable to pass since fiscal 2024 started Oct. 1 – are about 11% of what would normally be passed at this point in a typical congressional session. Continue reading “Congress in action, or inaction? This Congress among the least productive”

EDS: UPDATES original lede, second and sixth grafs to reflect governor’s veto of SB 1231. No other changes.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Immigration Bills. 870 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By David Ulloa Jr.
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday vetoed a bill that would have made it a state crime to cross the border illegally, one of a package of bills that critics have called modern versions of SB 1070.

Other bills in the package – including a proposed ballot initiative that would expand the use of E-Verify to welfare recipients as well as workers – have been approved in the House with strong Republican support, but have not yet reached the governor.

Critics such as Lena Avalos, a senior policy adviser at Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), see the bills as “a coordinated attack on communities of color and immigrant communities.” They compare this year’s bills to SB 1070, the controversial 2010 Arizona legislation that gave local law enforcement the power to enforce immigration law.

Continue reading “Arizona GOP legislators pass immigration bills on border crossing and E-Verify”

• Slug: BC-CNS-LGBTQ+ Mental Health. 1,570 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails and captions below).

By Mia Milinovich
Cronkite News

TUCSON – LGBTQ+ youth across the country are facing an increased risk for suicide, as reported by the 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People by the Trevor Project. At the forefront of this issue are conversations about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, barriers to accessing mental health care and the importance of resources for the community.

The Trevor Project surveyed 28,000 LGBTQ young people from ages 13 to 24 across the U.S. and found that 41% of them seriously considered suicide. The report also showed that 49% of LGBTQ youth in Arizona seriously considered suicide and 16% of them attempted it in 2022.
Continue reading “LGBTQ+ youth face increased risk for suicide and barriers to accessing mental health care”