AUDIO: State Senate approves school voucher expansion

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THIS IS YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2GO BRIEFING.

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I’M ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA. (  go to story ) 

HEADLINE: Arizona school voucher system approved by the State Senate 

SUMMARY: The state senate approved an expansion of school vouchers that will be aimed at low income students.

THE REPUBLICAN LED ARIZONA SENATE APPROVED AN EXPANSION OF THE STATE’S SCHOOL VOUCHER SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY. THE MEASURE WOULD MAKE 85 PERCENT OF THE MORE THAN 1 MILLION PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDS. 

REPUBLICAN SENATOR PAUL BOYER CALLS THIS MEASURE A LIFELINE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN FAILING SCHOOLS. BOYER SAYS HE HAS HEARD FROM PARENTS ACROSS THE STATE WHO WANT TO GET THEIR KIDS IN A HEALTHY EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.

THE PROPOSAL STILL NEEDS APPROVAL IN THE FULL HOUSE. IT  WOULD COVER ANY STUDENT WHO ATTENDS A SCHOOL CATEGORIZED AS LOW-INCOME…IT WOULD ALSO ALLOW STUDENTS WHOSE FAMILY QUALIFIES FOR FEDERAL FOOD STAMPS, WELFARE OR SUBSIDIZED HOUSING.

HEADLINE: New bill proposes breaking Maricopa County into four pieces (emma)

SUMMARY: A new bill proposed by Republican lawmakers in Arizona aims to break Maricopa County into four smaller sections.

MARICOPA COUNTY HOLDS 65 PERCENT OF ARIZONA’S POPULATION. BUT SOME REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WANT TO BREAK THE COUNTY INTO FOUR SMALLER COUNTIES. 

CENTRAL PHOENIX, GUADALUPE, TEMPE, GLENDALE AND AVONDALE WOULD REMAIN MARICOPA COUNTY. NORTH PHOENIX, THE SUBURBS AND OUTLYING AREAS WOULD BE SPLIT INTO THREE NEW COUNTIES.

JAKE HOFFMAN, A REPUBLICAN REPRESENTING QUEEN CREEK, SPONSORED THE BILL– WHICH CLEARED A HOUSE COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY. HE SAYS IT WILL HELP EACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOCUS ON REGIONAL NEEDS. HOWEVER, SOME DEMOCRATS OPPOSE THE BILL, SAYING IT WAS CREATED FOLLOWING THE NARROW RESULTS IN THE 20-20 ELECTION. 

HEADLINE: Fans are back at the Waste Management Open for the first time in nearly two years

SUMMARY: With fans being absent from TPC Scottsdale for nearly two years, the loudest course in golf is back to the way it should be.

HOST INTRO: THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS KEPT THE REGULAR NUMBER OF FANS FROM WALKING ONTO THE GROUNDS OF TPC SCOTTSDALE. THAT’S THE HOME OF THE WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN. BUT THIS PAST WEEKEND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO CHEER ON THEIR FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS AND CRONKITE NEWS JUSTIN TORRES WAS THERE. 

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Driver hitting the golf ball (3 SECONDS)

THE WASTE MANAGEMENT OPEN IS KNOWN FOR BEING THE LOUDEST AND MOST ROWDY TOURNAMENT ON THE ENTIRE PGA TOUR. 

AND THAT ROWDINESS HAPPENS AT HOLE 16.

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Fans cheering (5 SECONDS)

FAN SOUND UP HERE THEN BACK DOWN 

IT’S LIKE A SCENE FROM A GLADIATOR MOVIE, AS NEARLY 17,000 FANS FILL BLEACHERS ON ALL SIDES OF THE HOLE, CHEERING WHENEVER THE PLAYERS MAKE IT ONTO THE GREEN.

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Fans cheering with suspense (5 SECONDS)

AND RAINING DOWN A TIDAL WAVE OF BOOS WHEN THE PLAYERS COME UP SHORT.

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Fans booing (5 SECONDS)

THE HOLE IS ESSENTIALLY PROFESSIONAL GOLF’S VERSION OF THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM.

IT’S HERE AT THE 16TH HOLE WHERE PRO-GOLFER SAM RYDER FROM WINTER PARK, FLORIDA, DID THE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE – SINKING A HOLE-IN-ONE. HE JOINS  ELITE COMPANY WITH NAMES LIKE TIGER WOODS AND FRANCESCO MOLINARI WHO BOTH HAVE ACED THE FAMOUS HOLE. 

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Fans cheering (5 SECONDS)

A HOLE-IN-ONE ON 16 HASN’T HAPPENED IN SEVEN YEARS. AND THIS YEAR THERE WERE ACTUALLY 2 HOLE-IN-ONES.  FOR FANS, LIKE CALLUM MENDOZA, THEY WERE HAPPY TO WATCH THE GAME IN PERSON. 

<Callum Mendoza/Fan>

“Oh, I mean, it’s awesome. Like, it’s great. Like the stadium was packed, you know, everybody’s getting loud. It’s a really great time. Like you can feel the energy.”    (9 SECONDS)

MENDOZA CHEERED WITH HIS FRIENDS AT THE OPEN AND FOR HIM, THE 16TH HOLE WAS WHERE THE ACTION WAS AT. 

<Callum Mendoza/Fan>

“That was my favorite part of the whole day. I wish I said to these guys like next time we’ll probably go there and spend the whole day there, get some seats and park up in there.” (7 SECONDS)

BUT BY HOLE 17 … 

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Driver hitting the golf ball (3 SECONDS)

….THE CALM YOU NORMALLY ASSOCIATE WITH GOLF, RETURNED…. 

BEFORE COVID-19 SHUT FANS OUT, THE 2020 ATTENDANCE FOR THE WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN WAS OVER 700,000. HOWEVER, LAST YEAR THE OPEN ONLY ALLOWED IN 5,000 FANS PER DAY

THIS YEAR, TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS PREDICTED THAT OVER 250,000 PEOPLE WOULD ATTEND ON SATURDAY ALONE. 

 

THOSE FANS MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE PLAYERS. BROOKS KOEPKA [PRONOUNCER],WAS ONE OF THE PRO GOLFERS ON THE TOUR FROM WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA HE SAYS HE LOVES HAVING THE FANS BACK. 

 

<Brooks Koepka/PGA Golfer>

“I like playing in front of a lot of people. They cheer you when you hit a good one and they boo you when you hit a bad one, which is what you deserve.” (11 SECONDS)

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN [pronouncer], ANOTHER PRO GOLFER ON THE TOUR FROM SOUTH AFRICA, AGREES WITH HIM.

<Louis Oosthuizen/PGA Golfer>

“It’s really great to have fans back and you know, that first, first six months playing without any fans felt so weird, I felt like you were back in the little junior tournament again.” (11 SECONDS)

KOEPKA AND OOSTHUIZEN FINISHED IN THIRD AND FOURTEENTH RESPECTIVELY AT THE OPEN, WITH SCOTTIE SHEFFLER WALKING AWAY WITH FIRST PLACE ON THE FINAL DAY OF PLAY.

JANETTE MICELLI DIRECTS  EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SHE HAD A ROLE  IN OVERSEEING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR THIS YEAR’S OPEN. MICELLI SAYS THE IMPACT OF FANS RETURNING STOOD OUT IN A BIG WAY THIS YEAR.

<Janette Micelli/Director of External Affairs for WM>

“I think the WM Phoenix open was hugely successful this year. I do think it is what we expected. We expected, um, great fans, great golf, great weather. We got all of that this week. Phenomenal.” (11 SECONDS)

JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL HASN’T QUITE BEEN DETERMINED. THE MONEY RAISED THROUGH THE OPEN GETS DISTRIBUTED TO CHARITIES AND THE SPONSORING ORGANIZATION – THE THUNDERBIRDS – THEY QUIT TRACKING ATTENDANCE YEARS AGO BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE. BUT MICELLI SAYS THERE’S NO QUESTION THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR’S OPEN.
<Janette Micelli/Director of External Affairs for WM>

“The WM Phoenix open is known as the greenest show on grass, but also the people’s open. And as part of that, there is a huge campaign to, you know, respect the game and respect the players. And so we wanna make sure that continues to happen.”(14 SECONDS)

JUSTIN TORRES, CRONKITE NEWS.

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WE HAD HELP TODAY FROM EMMA VANDENEINDE AND JUSTIN TORRES. OUR SHOW WAS PRODUCED BY KIRSTEN DORMAN .

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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 ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA

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