- Slug: CN2GO
- Runtime: 6:24
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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 lawmakers praise Zelensky, urge support for Ukraine – to a point
SUMMARY: Arizona lawmakers praised the “bravery” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but they balked at his demand for a no-fly zone.
THIS WEEK, UKRAINE PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY (VOE-LOE-DEH-MEER ZEH-LEHN-SKEE) SPOKE TO CONGRESS, APPEARING BY VIDEO FROM KYIV(K-IH-EEV). HE ASKED FOR MORE AID, MILITARY EQUIPMENT, AND FOR A NATO-ENFORCED NO-FLY ZONE IN UKRAINIAN AIR SPACE.
THAT’S ONE THING ARIZONA CONGRESSMAN GREG STANTON, A DEMOCRAT, DOES NOT WANT, DESPITE SAYING THE U-S SHOULD DO MORE.
GREG STANTON
“I don’t support the no fly zone. I think that that would get the United States directly involved in this conflict and could lead to results that would spin out of control”
OTHER MEMBERS OF ARIZONA’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ECHOED STANTON’S STANCE ON A NO-FLY ZONE, BUT THEY SUPPORTED INCREASED SANCTIONS.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS SCHEDULED TO TRAVEL TO BELGIUM NEXT WEEK FOR A NATO SUMMIT ABOUT UKRAINE.
HEADLINE: A year later, city officials call American Rescue Plan aid a lifesaver
SUMMARY: President Joe Biden came to the National League of Cities conference here this week to tout the success of the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package approved last March.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CAME TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON DC THIS WEEK TO TOUT THE SUCCESS OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
CITY OFFICIALS CALL THE PLAN A “LIFESAVER”. THIS COMES AFTER IT WAS APPROVED LAST MARCH. THE NEARLY TWO TRILLION DOLLAR RELIEF PACKAGE ASSISTED WITH HOMELESSNESS, FOOD INSECURITY AND MORE.
TEMPE MAYOR COREY WOODS USED SOME OF THE FUNDS ALLOCATED TO COUNTY AND CITY GOVERNMENTS TO ASSIST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESNESS. ONE OF HIS EFFORTS WAS TO PURCHASE A RODEWAY INN THAT WAS CONVERTED INTO A SHELTER. LOOKING BACK, HE SAYS BUYING THE MOTEL WAS A BIG HELP TO THE COMMUNITY.
HEADLINE: Pilot project aims to improve the environment by placing solar panels over canals in California
SUMMARY: A pilot project in California that will place solar panels over canals aims to create renewable energy while conserving water.
ANCHOR INTRO
2000 TO 2021 WAS THE DRIEST 22 YEAR PERIOD SINCE THE YEAR 800. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A STUDY FROM RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES AND COLUMBIA.
BUT THERE’S A PROMISING NEW PILOT PROJECT IN CALIFORNIA THAT AIMS TO CONSERVE WATER WHILE PRODUCING RENEWABLE ENERGY. CRONKITE NEWS’S KAREN MARROQUIN [MAH-roh-keen] EXPLAINS FROM LOS ANGELES.
PKG
CRACKED SOIL, DEAD PLANTS AND LOW WATER LEVELS ARE JUST SOME OF THE REPERCUSSIONS THAT STATES LIKE ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING FROM THE DROUGHT.
AND IN PLACES LIKE TURLOCK, CALIFORNIA, FARMERS HAVE HAD TO ADJUST TO THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.
WEIMER 1. Wav “We have a five locally elected board. Three years ago they started reducing the amount of water available to farmers to prepare for an instance like this.”
NASA SAYS DROUGHT HAPPENS FOR MANY REASONS, SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHANGES IN OCEAN TEMPERATURES OR THE JET STREAM. FOR IRRIGATION CANALS, WATER EVAPORATES AND EXACERBATES THE SITUATION.
BUT A FIRST IN THE NATION PILOT PROJECT HAS A SOLUTION. PROJECT NEXUS PLANS TO INSTALL SOLAR PANEL CANOPIES OVER SECTIONS OF THE TURLOCK IRRIGATION DISTRICT’S CANALS TO DEVELOP ENERGY AND CURB EVAPORATION.
JOSH WEIMER, WITH THE TURLOCK IRRIGATION DISTRICT SAYS THE POTENTIAL IS VAST.
WEIMER 2. Wav “If we were to cover all 4,000 miles of irrigation canals and water aqueducts in California, what could be the potential water quality and water supply savings. And also how much renewable energy can we create.”
THE IDEA CAME FROM A STUDY BY CALIFORNIA RESEARCHERS THAT ILLUSTRATED THAT PUTTING SOLAR PANELS OVER CALIFORNIA’S CANALS COULD POTENTIALLY SAVE 63 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER EVERY YEAR. THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO IRRIGATE 50 THOUSAND ACRES OF FARMLAND OR MEET THE RESIDENTIAL WATER NEEDS OF MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE.
STUDY AUTHOR BRANDI MCKUIN IS A POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ. SHE SAYS THERE MAY BE ANOTHER BENEFIT TOO.
MCKUIN 1. Wav “It can also increase the renewable energy efficiency. There’s a thermal threshold on the solar panels. If they become too hot they have a decline in performance. And so because water heats up more slowly than land, we estimate there could be an increase in efficiency in solar power electricity.”
WEIMER SAYS THAT SOLAR-CANALS MEAN THERE IS NO DEMAND ON LAND USE.
WEIMER 3. Wav “If we want to buy land to put in renewable energy, the cost of that land drives up the overall project. And we’re already a publicly owned utility and so any costs directly pass on to our ratepayers.”
MCKUIN ADDS THIS PROJECT COULD ALSO HELP PROTECT OTHER PARTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
MCKUIN 2. Wav “A lot of large scale solar developments are out in the Mojave desert, home to threatened species like the Mojave desert tortoise, so by using already disturbed land we can avoid habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.”
CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THIS FALL. IT’S ONLY BEING TESTED IN CALIFORNIA, BUT WEIMER THINKS IT COULD EXPAND TO OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
WEIMER 4. Wav “In Arizona you guys have very large irrigation companies and a great spot for solars so I think it’s something that has real world implications outside of just California
IN FACT, INDIA HAS BEEN INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS OVER CANALS FOR YEARS AND HAS SEEN SUCCESS IN REDUCING WATER EVAPORATION.
AS FOR THE PROJECT IN TURLOCK, WEIMER SAYS IT WILL TAKE ONE TO TWO YEARS TO DETERMINE HOW VIABLE SOLAR-CANALS ARE.
WEIMER 5 . Wav “… We think it’s going to be designed in a way that WILL be successful, but we’ll see in a few years.”
REPORTING FROM LOS ANGELES, KAREN MARROQUIN, CRONKITE NEWS
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HEADLINE: United States celebrates St. Patrick’s Day
SUMMARY: In-person celebrations for St. Patrick’s day resume in Arizona and at the White House.
THE NATION WAS A LITTLE GREENER YESTERDAY AS AMERICANS DRESSED UP AND CELEBRATED SAINT PATRICK’S DAY.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN MET VIRTUALLY WITH IRISH PRIME MINISTER MICHEÁL [me-HILL] MARTIN. HE PLANNED TO VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE AND ATTEND THE FRIENDS OF IRELAND LUNCH UNTIL HE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
ALTHOUGH IN-PERSON CELEBRATIONS WERE UP FROM LAST YEAR, ONLY 54 PERCENT OF THE UNITED STATES PLANNED TO PARTICIPATE. BUT IT STILL GENERATED REVENUE, AS THE NATION NEARLY SPENT SIX BILLION DOLLARS ON THE FESTIVITIES. THAT’S ACCORDING TO REPORTS FROM THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION.
IF YOU MISSED THURSDAY’S EVENTS, THERE ARE STILL SOME BAR CRAWLS PLANNED FOR THE WEEKEND IN TUCSON, TEMPE AND SCOTTSDALE.
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WE HAD HELP TODAY FROM REAGAN PRIEST, KAREN MARROQUIN [MAH-roh-keen], AND EMMA VANDENEINDE [VAN-din-ine-dee]. OUR SHOW WAS PRODUCED BY (KER-STIN) 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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