• Slug: BC-CNS-Politician Shaman,880 words.
• 3 file photos, video story available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Adrienne Washington
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Jacob Angeli-Chansley said he is not ready to give up on shamanism, but he wants voters in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District to know that he no longer wants to be known as the QAnon Shaman.

“I’ve never called myself a shaman. I call myself a shamanic practitioner. I practice shamanism,” said Angeli-Chansley, who rocketed to fame as the face-painted, horned-hat face of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“If I’m going to rebrand myself, it would be maybe ‘America’s shaman,’ because the QAnon label has been stigmatized with the number of sub-labels or subcategories, conspiracy theories, white supremists, terrorists,” he said. “I don’t want to be associated with anything that the media has already maligned.” Continue reading “Still a shaman, but not the ‘Q’ shaman: Chansley rebrands for Congress bid”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Infant Mortality,740 words.
• File photo available. (thumbnail, caption below)

By Caleb Scott
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) released a report that shows an 11% increase in infant mortality rates from 2021 to 2022. The rate of infant mortality in Arizona in 2022 was 6 for every 1,000 births. Previously it was at 5.47

Across the U.S. the rate was 5.6 for every 1,000 births in 2022, according to a National Vital Statistics System report that put Arizona’s infant mortality rate at 6.17 for the year. Other developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Iceland have infant death rates in 2023 of 3.337, 2.011 and 1.055 per 1,000 respectively. Continue reading “Infant mortality in Arizona rose 11% in 2022, again topped national rate”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Crazy Eighth,970 words.
• 2 file photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Renee Romo
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Open congressional seats typically draw a crowd of hopefuls, but the crowd lining up to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, is being described by experts with words like “all-stars,” “fascinating” and “fun.”

The 20 candidates to file paperwork for the seat with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office for the primary or general election so far include two failed statewide GOP candidates, another two who were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and the former congressman from the district, who resigned amid an ethics probe in 2017.

“Grab your popcorn, pull up your chair because you’re going to be in for a world of fun watching that race … it’s going to be a blast to watch,” said Mike Noble, CEO of Phoenix-based Noble Predictive Insights. Continue reading “Lesko’s retirement starts stampede of high-profile hopefuls in 8th District”

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 Confab,1740 words.
• 4 file photos, audio story available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alex Hager
KUNC

The annual Colorado River Water Users Association meets this week, but for the first time in several years, state water policy leaders say there’s less urgency for short-term fixes and more time to focus on long-term solutions.

A wet winter and a recent conservation deal have bought some breathing room as the biggest water policymakers in the arid West convene in Las Vegas at the Colorado River’s marquee annual event.

The event brings together hundreds of scientists, politicians, tribal members, farmers and others with a stake in the future of the water supply for roughly 40 million people across the Southwest. While they still face the daunting challenge of agreeing on water cutbacks by farms, ranches and cities from Wyoming to Mexico, many say last year’s wet winter helped clear the way for more productive talks. Continue reading “Some breathing room as water managers meet to weigh Colorado River’s future”

• Slug: BC-CNS-LGBTQ+ Teen Health,1540 words.
• 15 photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Oakley Seiter
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A 2022 survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ youths in the country, ages 13 to 24, found that 45% of them had seriously considered suicide within the past year. In Arizona alone, the survey showed 49% of this group seriously considered suicide and 16% attempted it.

According to The Trevor Project, the nonprofit organization that conducted the survey, these mental health and suicide risks are related to the harmful ways LGBTQ+ youth are treated, including discrimination, harassment, family rejection, social rejection and violence, rather than something intrinsic about being LBGTQ+.

One·n·ten is an Arizona organization responding to this serious mental health problem. The organization formed in 1993 and started as a volunteer-led meet-up group for LGBTQ+ teens. It opened a youth center in 2017 in downtown Phoenix that currently offers resources for the overall well-being of LGBTQ+ youth, ages 11 to 24. Continue reading “One·n·ten organization serves LGBTQ+ youth by providing mental, emotional and physical well-being resources”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Vintage Fashion,1170 words.
• 4 photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Kate Duffy
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – If you’ve been to a flea market or visited First Friday in downtown Phoenix, you’ve likely seen booth after booth of independent sellers offering a curated selection of vintage finds.

Vintage reselling has become a popular full-time job for fashion enthusiasts in the past few years, and vintage markets have become a destination for young shoppers hoping to lessen their environmental impact by avoiding fast fashion. Continue reading “Vintage resale: Sustainable business endeavor grows for fashion enthusiasts”

• Slug: BC-CNS-COVID Normal,670 words.
• 2 photos, video story available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Alexandria Cullen
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The U.S. has entered a “new normal” for COVID-19, with lower but consistent levels of infection. But experts fear that the new normal may include people skipping vaccines that are still needed for protection.

“So few people are getting this new booster that is specifically targeting the new circulating strains of the Omicron virus,” said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association.

The Arizona Department of Health Services no longer posts regular updates of vaccination rates, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that just 17% of Arizona residents were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as of Sept. 12, the most recent date for which numbers were available. Continue reading “COVID-19 cases down from pandemic; so are vaccinations, worrying experts”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Tribal Summit,800 words.
• 5 photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Maddy Keyes
Gaylord News

WASHINGTON – The beat of drums echoed off the walls of the Department of the Interior auditorium Wednesday as members of the Native American Women Warriors Color Guard moved toward the stage with tribal flags in hand.

Just minutes before, the room was filled with laughter and conversation as friends and family gathered. But as the traditional song filled the space, they fell quiet.

More than 100 Indigenous leaders were on hand for the first of two days of the Biden administration’s third annual Tribal Nations Summit, where President Joe Biden on Wednesday vowed to strengthen relationships with tribal nations and advance tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Continue reading “Biden kicks off Tribal Nations Summit with order streamlining funding access”

EDS: An earlier version of this story misattributed information in the seventh and eighth grafs that should have been attributed to the University of Arizona. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used earlier versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona Medical Schools. 1,375 words.
• Photos available.

By Alyssa Bickle
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With a shortage of health care professionals across the state, Arizona’s public universities are expanding their program offerings to boost health education and the number of certified professionals.

In the past year, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona have all announced major health care program additions.

The Arizona Board of Regents’ AZ Healthy Tomorrow initiative laid out a plan to rapidly grow the state’s health care workforce. The state’s three public universities are working to implement the plan with the creation of two new medical schools and an increase in graduates from the existing medical school.

Continue reading “Medical program additions at ASU, UA and NAU aim to curb Arizona’s health care worker shortage”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Immigrant Families Reunited. 580 words.
• 7 photos, video story available.

By Roxanne De La Rosa
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – After 23 years of being apart, Elena Díaz, with tears flowing down her face, finally embraced her 74-year-old mother, Catalina Díaz.

The last time the two saw each other was just before the daughter embarked on a journey from Mexico to the U.S. for a better life. The emotional toll of not being able to visit her mother weighed heavily on Elena and her family.

“It’s sad. It’s sad because there is so much distance. God’s timing is perfect,” she said of the reunion.

Díaz’s mother was part of a group of about 10 parents who were reunited with their families with the assistance of nonprofits Raíces del Sur and Esperanza en la Frontera. Raíces del Sur, which means “roots of the south,” assists Mexican parents who have adult children in the U.S. in obtaining visas to visit their families, regardless of the children’s immigration status.

Continue reading “Organizations help immigrants reunite with families from Mexico”

• Slug: BC-CNS-The Zone Next. 2,350 words. By Oakley Seiter.
• 15 photos available (thumbnails and captions below)
• Graphic available here.

By Oakley Seiter
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – This past spring, the city of Phoenix was court-ordered to clear out its largest homeless encampment, The Zone. The city’s Office of Homeless Solutions had to tackle the difficult, oftentimes painful and complicated issue of moving nearly 1,000 unhoused people, and their possessions, off the streets where some had been living for years.

The area of The Zone that the city was responsible to clear took up roughly 15 city blocks from Seventh Avenue to 15th Avenue and Van Buren Street to Grant Street in downtown Phoenix. It was filled with tents, handmade shelters, platforms and tarps. The residents there included some who were 17, as well as younger children with their families, but the majority were 25 and older.

Continue reading “Phoenix successfully clears its largest homeless encampment by deadline, shifts focus to long-term solutions”

• Slug: BC-CNS-O’Connor Mourned,940 words.
• File photo available. (thumbnail, caption below)

By Staff
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who rose from a girlhood on an eastern Arizona ranch to becoming the first female Supreme Court justice, died Friday at age 93.

O’Connor, who stepped back from public life in 2018 after worsening dementia, died in Phoenix “of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness,” the Supreme Court said in a statement announcing her death.

Tributes poured in from current and former lawmakers, lawyers, politicians and admirers on both sides of the political spectrum, who praised O’Connor as a trailblazer. Chief Justice John Roberts said she not only rose to the challenge of being the first woman on the court, but did so “with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.” Continue reading “Tributes pour in on death of Arizona icon, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Force,1020 words.
• 2 file photos available. (thumbnails, captions below)

By Adrienne Washington
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Use-of-force incidents by Customs and Border Protection officers have nearly doubled in the past five years, from 593 in fiscal 2019 to 1,090 in fiscal 2023, with the vast majority occurring at the southern border.

The rise in use of force comes at a time when migrant encounters have surged to historic highs, nearing 2.5 million in fiscal 2023. There were 1,082 use-of-force incidents reported that year, less than 0.05% of the total encounters.

A spokesperson said CBP is committed to investigating all such incidents and that “maintaining the public’s trust is vital to our mission.” Continue reading “Use of force by Customs and Border Protection rises as border encounters rise”

• Slug: BC-CNS-CN2Go Weekly Update. Runtime 13:09.
• Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download)

 [Music bed under]

CN2Go Host: This is Cronkite News 2 Go. I’m your host, Kiersten Edgett.

[Music fade in/under]

CN2Go Host: On today’s show, we talk about Governor Katie Hobbs signing a petition to put abortion rights on the 2024 ballot, how New Mexico residents are taking action to raise gun violence awareness, and more about a new project launched by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

Continue reading “CN2Go Weekly Update: Abortion rights push, gun violence awareness and tribal boarding school healing”

• Slug: Sports-The Sweet Spot. Runtime 12:46
• Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download)

[Music bed under]

TSS Host: This is The Sweet Spot where we take a closer look at the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona. I’m Brandon Tran, and thank you for joining us for our last episode of the semester.

[Music fade in/under]

TSS Host: On today’s show we go through the Arizona Wildcats’ football win in the Territorial Cup over the Arizona State Sun Devils, and reflect on ASU’s season coming to an end. Also, the start of high school basketball for the Brophy Broncos, and finally a charity event at Top Golf with the Arizona Coyotes. Continue reading “The Sweet Spot: Wildcats romp, ASU reflects, Brophy reloads and Coyotes tee off”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Rattlesnake Ecology. 400 words.
• Photos, audio story, video story available.

By Kiersten Edgett
Cronkite News

QUEEN CREEK – As more people move to the Grand Canyon State, infrastructure continues to expand outward. With more people, comes more cars and an interest in freeway expansion for projects like the Interstate 11 corridor.

The proposed project, which doesn’t have a clear timeline, would run from Wickenburg to Nogales and could potentially connect to I-11 in Nevada. However, a portion of the project cuts through desert land, which experts say could cause continuing concerns for wildlife, such as rattlesnakes. Over a dozen species live in Arizona. Continue reading “Arizona rattlesnakes could be affected by I-11 construction”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Cochise County Indictments,410 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Tabitha Bland
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Attorney General’s office on Wednesday announced the indictment of two Cochise County supervisors for their roles in delaying the certification of the county’s results in the November 2022 general election.

Peggy Judd, 61, and Terry “Tom” Crosby, 64, face felony charges of conspiracy and interference with an election officer.

“The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. “I took an oath to uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry out the duties and responsibilities of their offices.” Continue reading “Two Cochise County officials face felony charges over 2022 election”

EDS: An earlier version of this story misquoted Mary Petrich, artistic director of The Nash Jazz Club’s women’s initiative. The error appeared in the third graf. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.

• Slug: BC-CNS-Women in Jazz,530 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Sam Volante
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Nash Jazz Club in downtown Phoenix is hosting a new multiyear “Women in Jazz” initiative to address gender inequities in jazz music. The initiative includes The Nash Jazz DivAZ program, which teaches middle- and high-school girls concert jazz music.

The Nash has been a staple in downtown Phoenix since 2012 and has focused on “celebrating the rich tradition and ongoing innovation of jazz,” according to its website, but recently its efforts have shifted to getting more young women involved in the genre. Continue reading “The Nash’s women’s initiative attempts to change jazz culture”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Leaders Rejected,910 words.
• 2 file photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alexandria Cullen
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from Republican legislative leaders who argued they cannot be forced to answer questions from voting rights groups challenging the 2022 passage of two Arizona election laws.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen said legislative privilege protects them from being deposed by opponents of the laws, which would make it easier for officials to cancel the registration of voters who cannot prove their citizenship.

But lower courts said Toma and Petersen waived that right when they joined the lawsuit to defend the laws, and the Supreme Court declined to intervene late Monday. It refused, without comment, their request for an emergency stay. Continue reading “Supreme Court won’t protect legislative leaders in election law challenge”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Hobbs Abortion Rights. 300 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails and captions below).

By Kiersten Edgett
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs added her name to a petition Tuesday to put abortion rights on the 2024 ballot in an effort to make it a constitutional right in Arizona.

Abortion regulation was returned to the states on June 24, 2022, after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hobbs said at a news conference that Arizonans “need to understand exactly what’s at stake when pregnant women can’t get the health care they need.”

Continue reading “Gov. Katie Hobbs signs petition to add abortion rights to 2024 ballot”