- Slug: CN2GO
- Runtime: 6:43
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(Music)
THIS IS YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2GO BRIEFING.
(Bring up music briefly and duck below and out )
I’M EMMA VANDENEINDE.
Education Spending Cap (Faith’s story/ wrap )
Parents and educators are rallying to put pressure on lawmakers to pass the spending cap bills.
ANCHOR INTRO
ABOUT ONE POINT ONE BILLION DOLLARS IS AT STAKE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS ARIZONA. THE AGGREGATE EXPENDITURE CAP FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON ENROLLMENT AND INFLATION. THE CAP CAN’T BE EXCEEDED UNLESS APPROVED BY TWO-THIRDS OF THE LEGISLATURE. CRONKITE NEWS’ FAITH ABERCROMBIE SAYS THAT AFTER WEEKS OF UNCERTAINTY THERE MAY BE SOME MOVEMENT AT THE CAPITOL.
<nats: “We cannot sit by and let this happen”>
ARIZONA PARENTS GATHERED ON THE CAPITOL LAWN TO SEND A MESSAGE TO LEGISLATORS VOTING ON THE OVERRIDE OF THE EDUCATION SPENDING CAP. LISA HOBERG WANTs LEGISLATORS TO MAKE IT SIMPLE.
<SOT -LISA HOBERG/PARADISE VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT MOM/RUNS :00 HITS XX-XX >
“These are big dollars that our schools really need and they absolutely should be just allowed to spend them because they are budgeted, they’ve already been paid for by tax payers and we need a simple yes vote to allow us to finish the school year out.”
THE LEGISLATION WAS INTRODUCED BY SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE RUSTY BOWERS THIS WEEK.. IT PASSED THE HOUSE TUESDAY WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
“It will allow schools to spend the money they have already been allocated.”
<sot RUSTY BOWERS/(R) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE hits xx-xx >
“I’m grateful that we can be here and make it official to let this money go so that they can enjoy it and put it to good use.”
THIS SMALL VICTORY COMES AFTER WEEKS OF UNCERTAINTY AS REPUBLICANS WAITED TO LIFT THE CAP… EVEN TOUGH IN THE PAST IT WAS A ROUTINE MATTER.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION KATHY HOFFMAN SAYS THE CAP NEEDS TO BE REPEALED PERMANENTLY.
HOFFMAN:
“to me the cap is very outdated and shouldn’t be holding back the students of today.”
PARENTS LIKE CLAUDIA ARMENDARIZ SAY THEY STILL FEAR CUTS THAT COULD IMPACT TEACHERS.. EXTRACURRICULARS AND TRANSPORTATION
<sot CLAUDIA ARMENDARIZ/MESA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT MOM/runs :00 hits xx-xx >
“You’re just running around thinking, what am I going to do next? Am I going to focus on transportation, am I going to focus on changing my job hours so I can pick up my daughter in time?”
THE BILL NEEDS TO BE APPROVED BY THE SENATE BEFORE MOVING TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK. AND LISA HOBERG SAY IT’S TIME FOR THE LAWMAKERS BE AN EXAMPLE TO THE KIDS.
“They have the opportunity to show our students that they can work together and vote on things that are important to the future of our students.”
IN PHOENIX FAITH ABERCROMBIE CRONKITE NEWS.
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Arizona’s rise in wages couldn’t keep up with the rise in prices
In 2021 wages rose up to 5 percent but consumer prices rose twice as much leaving Arizonans with a consumption gap.
WAGES ROSE UP TO AN AVERAGE OF 5 PERCENT IN THE U.S. BUT FOOD AND GAS PRICES ROSE TWICE AS FAST IN 20-21. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
IN ARIZONA, CITIES LIKE PHOENIX, MESA AND SCOTTSDALE SAW A GAP BETWEEN INCOME AND THE COST OF CONSUMER GOODS WHICH WERE UP NEARLY 10 PERCENT. WAGES, HOWEVER, ROSE BY FIVE-POINT-THREE PERCENT.
GEORGE HAMMOND DIRECTS THE ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS RESEARCH CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. HE SAYS PEOPLE CAN’T BUY AS MUCH, GIVEN WHERE INCOME IS AT.
THE BIGGEST INCREASES CAME FROM FOOD, HOUSING, CLOTHING AND GASOLINE.
Megadrought in Western US is the driest in at least 1200 years
A study from the journal Nature Climate Change concluded that the drought in the West is the longest dry period since the 1500s.
THE AMERICAN WEST’S MEGADROUGHT DEEPENED SO MUCH LAST YEAR THAT IT IS NOW THE DRIEST IN AT LEAST 1,200 YEARS. IT’S ALSO A WORST-CASE CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIO PLAYING OUT LIVE, A NEW STUDY FINDS.
THE STUDY FROM THE JOURNAL “NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE” CONCLUDED THAT THE DROUGHT IS THE LONGEST DRY SPELL SINCE THE LATE 15-HUNDREDS. SCIENTISTS STUDIED SOIL MOISTURE LEVELS AND TREE RINGS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND DROUGHT.
42-PERCENT OF THE DROUGHT IS DRIVEN BY HUMAN-CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE ACCORDING TO THE STUDY.
THE LEAD AUTHOR PARK WILLIAMS WARNS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE SITUATIONS WORSE THAN THIS IN THE FUTURE.
Climate change means drought, hot temperatures and wildfires for Arizona’s future
A new NOAA summary on Arizona’s climate predicts “unprecedented warming” during this century.
HOTTER TEMPERATURES, MORE INTENSE DROUGHT DURING COOL PERIODS AND MORE WILDFIRES ARE PROJECTED FOR ARIZONA’S FUTURE. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE LATEST SUMMARY OF THE STATE’S CLIMATE FROM THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. CRONKITE NEWS’ ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA HAS MORE ON WHAT THIS MEANS.
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TEMPERATURES IN ARIZONA HAVE RISEN TWO-POINT-FIVE DEGREES SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY. AND THAT’S SHOWN UP IN INCREASING EXTREME HEAT IN METROPOLITAN AREAS LIKE PHOENIX.
“Looking at the increase in temperature in Phoenix in the last 50 or 60 years which is much larger than the signature that we see across the state for the last 100 years”
THAT’S ERINANNE SAFFELL, ARIZONA’S STATE CLIMATOLOGIST… SHE CONTRIBUTED TO NOAA’S STATE SUMMARY ON CLIMATE. THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE DAY TIME HIGHS ARE ONE HUNDRED DEGREES WHILE THE NIGHT TIME AVERAGES ARE EIGHTY DEGREES.
THE NOAA SUMMARY SHOWS THAT IF EMISSIONS REMAIN HIGH THEN ARIZONA’S TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE. SAFFELL SAYS TEMPERATURES ARE INCREASING RAPIDLY IN URBANIZED AREAS.
“Looking at what the urban heat island does, and what it produces, the urban heat island is an increase in nighttime temperatures, it’s not necessarily an increase in the daily temperatures.”
SAFFELL SAYS THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY URBAN COMMUNITIES THAT CAN’T COOL OFF AT NIGHT.
“There’s a greater risk of a heat health situation and so wanting to identify those vulnerable communities who aren’t able to cool effectively at night becomes important”
SHE SAYS THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND IS NOT SOMETHING TO ADAPT TO: .
“Most of our people in the state live in those locations and could be at a higher risk so understanding that vulnerability and means to mitigate becomes important.”
SAFFELL SAYS SHE HOPES PEOPLE WILL USE THIS LATEST CLIMATE SUMMARY AS CITIES LOOK TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
I’M ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA, CRONKITE NEWS.
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Bezos Blue Origin is hiring
Jeff Bezos, founder of spaceflight company Blue Origin is looking to hire 200 people for its new office in downtown Phoenix.
JEFF BEZOS’S SPACEFLIGHT COMPANY “BLUE ORIGIN” IS LOOKING TO EMPLOY PHOENIX RESIDENTS.
BLUE ORIGIN WANTS TO HIRE NEARLY 200 PEOPLE FROM THE REGION TO STAFF ITS NEW OFFICE IN DOWNTOWN PHOENIX.
THE COMPANY IS LOOKING TO FILL POSITIONS IN AVIONICS … SOFTWARE ENGINEERING … DATA SCIENCES … NAVIGATION AND CONTROL … AND MANY MORE.
BLUE ORIGIN IS ALSO SET TO EXPAND ITS OFFICES INTO THE DENVER AREA.
(bring up music under very last track and post up in the clear for a couple of seconds and duck below)
WE HAD HELP TODAY FROM FAITH ABERCROMBIE AND ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA.
(Bring up music and duck below)
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STORIES YOU HEARD IN TODAY’S NEWS UPDATE, BY GOING TO CRONKITENEWS-DOT-AZPBS-DOT-ORG.
THAT’S ALL FOR YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2 GO. I’M EMMA VANDENEINDE.
(Music out)