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PHOENIX – Jenaye Coleman, a former Division I lacrosse player at Marquette University, saw many teammates experience gruesome knee injuries in practice and games. During her four years playing on artificial turf, it created a dark cloud of fear about stepping onto the field. “Once we saw probably like, I don’t know, four girls tear.

PHOENIX – With grocery stores picked over by panicked shoppers and relief checks slow to arrive in mailboxes, Arizonans are coming together to distribute goods and services to those in need through grassroots “mutual aid” groups that target the most vulnerable. The idea of mutual aid is not new, and it’s not the same as.

PHOENIX – When Gov. Doug Ducey announced this week that school reopenings would be pushed back to Aug. 17 because of concerns over COVID-19 infections, it raised as many questions as it answered for parents and school administrators. While they now have a start date, school leaders are faced with the task of reopening in.

PHOENIX – In many Arizona towns, this Fourth will be a first. The first time fireworks are replaced by sparklers. The first time fireworks displays become a drive-through or an online event. The first time that holiday events are observed with masks from a socially responsible distance. But Fourth of July event organizers like Judy.

PHOENIX – As Arizona broke records Wednesday for new COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in a single day, Vice President Mike Pence flew in to assure Gov. Doug Ducey that the federal government “will spare no expense” in helping the state. Pence’s trip originally included a visit to Tucson and a rally with supporters, but.

PHOENIX – The news that gyms would be shut down as part of Gov. Doug Ducey’s latest executive order to slow the spread of COVID-19 has blindsided those who work in the fitness industry. “We had just been getting things going,” said Maddi Briguglio, a personal trainer at Jab Fitness in Tempe. “Clients had just.

PHOENIX – The number of new COVID-19 cases on the Navajo Nation is on a downward trend, but tribal leaders said Tuesday that does not mean they are ready to ease up on health restrictions. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a Facebook live town hall that the tribe will continue its 57-hour weekend.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday ordered the shutdown of Arizona’s bars, gyms, water parks, movie theaters and river tubing for 30 days. The executive order takes effect at 8 p.m. and lasts through July 27. “Our expectation is that next week our numbers will be worse, it will take several weeks for the.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks announced their 60-man roster for their upcoming summer training camp Monday, but the biggest news was which player on that list would not be joining the team. Mike Leake, a key rotation piece and pending free agent, notified the club that he will exercise his ability to opt out of.

PHOENIX – A global pandemic and then weeks of flight restrictions have left many of the 370,000 Chinese students who study in the U.S. caught in a dilemma – stay put, or pay thousands to try to get home. Yang Jiao graduated from Arizona State University in May but has been stuck in the United.

PHOENIX – Several Scottsdale bars and restaurants labeled “bad actors” by Gov. Doug Ducey have shut down temporarily, and they’re pushing back on his allegations that they disregarded safety protocols meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. Ducey labeled eight Scottsdale establishments “bad actors” at a news conference Thursday. The admonishment came after city authorities.

PHOENIX – Changes in lifestyle associated with COVID-19 have heightened concerns among health professionals about anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating and other eating disorders. But one demographic is drawing particular attention: Black women, who have long been overlooked in this specialized area of treatment. “We’re underserved. We’re poorly served. We’re served through bias and ignorance,” said Shelby.

PHOENIX – The 2020-21 school year for Maricopa County community colleges may not include sports, as administrators from the district await a decision to be made next week by Chancellor Steven Gonzales. Despite reports of the cancellation being completed Thursday morning, Matt Hasson, the chief communications officer for the Maricopa County Community Colleges District, said.

PHOENIX – A somber Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday addressed Arizona’s record surge in COVID-19 cases, urging individuals to slow down and “do the right thing” but taking no new actions. “This is Arizona’s first wave and it will not be our last wave,” he said in a teleconference. “Where we are right now and.

PHOENIX – First it was the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Coyotes. Now, just as sports were beginning to start up again, players on the Phoenix Rising and Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team have tested positive for COVID-19. Phoenix Rising FC General Manager Bobby Dulle announced Wednesday that four players on the team tested positive.

TEMPE – Arizonans will face a 14-day quarantine if they travel to New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, whose governors announced the restriction Wednesday to keep people from COVID-19 “hot spots” from bringing the infection with them. The quarantine, which took effect at midnight Wednesday, applied to nine states with positive virus test rates above.

PHOENIX – When Major League Baseball canceled the remainder of spring training games on March 12 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was with the initial hope of holding Opening Day for the 2020 season on April 9. That hope never manifested as the spread of the coronavirus forced the league and its players.

Arizona on Wednesday broke its record for the number of COVID-19 deaths reported in a single day, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported. The 79 deaths did not occur on the same day, but they represent the most reported in a single day. The record comes as federal experts are warning about a surge.

PHOENIX – Arizona set a record Tuesday for the number of new COVID-19 cases in a day, the second record in less than a week, with 3,591 new cases confirmed by the Arizona Department of Health Services. The department also reported 42 deaths since Monday, one of the highest death tolls since the first case.

PHOENIX – President Donald Trump’s scheduled rally in Phoenix on Tuesday will go ahead as planned, and Mayor Kate Gallego has pledged not to enforce local face mask requirements. The announcements came as Arizona’s COVID-19 cases surpassed 50,000 over the weekend. On Friday, Phoenix City Council approved requirements of wearing face masks but Gallego told.

PHOENIX – For many people who are deaf or hard of hearing, lip reading, facial expressions and body language are vital to communication, but protective face masks and remote work and school meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 have made it more difficult. More than 1.1 million people in Arizona are hard of hearing,.

PHOENIX – Face masks will be required in Phoenix for people who are outside the home or in restaurants and businesses starting Saturday, June 20, after a 7-2 City Council vote in favor of the policy. “We are in the midst of a pandemic,” Mayor Kate Gallego said Friday, the same day health officials reported.

PHOENIX – With COVID-19 taking an especially heavy toll on Native Americans, tribal leaders and mental health experts have stepped up efforts to address the emotional suffering brought on by ongoing lockdowns and so much loss. “Please stay connected with relatives and neighbors by phone or video chat and remind them that they have support,”.

PHOENIX – Tom Zemites hasn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop him from pursuing his hobby – fishing. “I’ve probably fished more than five times,” the Chandler resident said. “I fished at Fool Hollow up by Show Low a couple times, fished Willow Springs twice. And then, we’ve fished right over here at ASU Research Park,.

PHOENIX – Gila River Hotels & Casinos has shut down for two weeks to review safety standards and disinfect properties after the COVID-19 related death last week of a security employee. “The decision came after a careful evaluation of the growing enterprise’s current safety plan with the Gila River Indian Community Council and feedback from.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey is recommending Arizonans wear masks in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, but he stopped short of issuing a statewide mandate. Instead, Ducey on Wednesday said city and county governments can implement and enforce their own mandates. After entering the news conference wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer.

PHOENIX – With COVID-19 cases rising by more than 1,000 a day since June 10, more than 800 Arizona medical professionals have signed letters urging the state to require the use of face masks in public. Lee Ann Kelley, president of the Maricopa County Medical Society, told Cronkite News on Wednesday that wearing masks in.

PHOENIX – Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona rose by nearly 2,400 on Monday alone, breaking Friday’s record of 1,600 by almost 50%, according to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. As of Tuesday, June 16, health officials reported 39,097 cases of COVID-19 and 1,219 deaths in the state. There have been 489,286 tests.

PHOENIX – Arizona State, determined not to suffer a similar fate as the University of Houston, is testing all its athletes for COVID-19 as part of the protocol for them to return to campus. Members of ASU’s athletic administration detailed plans for resuming voluntary workouts in a Zoom call with news media on Friday. Athletes.

PHOENIX – Since the reopening of Arizona last month, several businesses have closed their doors once again, citing exposure to COVID-19 among employees. On Saturday, ABC 15 news reported that in the previous seven days, popular Phoenix area restaurants have announced closures, including Chelsea’s Kitchen, the Porch, Hash Kitchen, SanTan Brewing, Spirit House, Floridino’s Pizza.

PHOENIX – The disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on minorities underscores the longstanding failure of federal officials to respond to the needs of Native Americans, Rep. Betty McCollum said Thursday in a subcommittee meeting on the Indian Health Service. “Five tribes are experiencing more instances of coronavirus per 100,000 citizens than any states, including New.

PHOENIX – It happened in March, in the middle of the night. Jeff Zhou, a teaching assistant at Arizona State University, was asleep when he heard a kick on his apartment door and then a shouted slur: “Chinese virus!” The 30-year-old international student from China reported the incident, but it has stuck with him even.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey defended his plan to reopen the state Thursday, attributing concerns about the stark increase in the number of positive cases to misinformation and increased testing. “We put the stay-at-home order in place so that we can prepare for what we’re going through right now,” he told reporters at a news.

PHOENIX – Masks during workouts and daily health checks are among the phase 1 requirements the University of Arizona has put in place for its athletes to return to sports participation. Members of the school’s athletics administration spoke Thursday via Zoom about a re-entry plan that is scheduled to begin Monday. “Our plan as a.

LOS ANGELES – Higher rates of asthma and other health issues among LGBTQ people are adding to the unique mental and physical stresses the community faces during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary symptoms of the disease are respiratory. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those with moderate to severe asthma take extra precautions,.

PHOENIX – As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the state, there has been a spike in the number of inmates in Maricopa County jails who have tested positive. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that 203 inmates have tested positive as of Monday evening, according to jail officials. By comparison, there were 30 reported.

Surging numbers of COVID-19 cases in Arizona have pushed some hospital intensive-care units to their limits in recent weeks, but health experts around the state said hospitals still have room to adapt – for now. The Arizona Department of Health Services has recorded 8,360 new cases of the coronavirus so far this month, almost 30%.

SCOTTSDALE – Federal funding has reached the Navajo Nation, and President Jonathan Nez is urging tribal leaders to move quickly to approve the distribution of $50 million in funds from the CARES Act. The proposed legislation would help the tribe distribute services and equipment, Nez said in a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday. The legislation,.

PHOENIX – The $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package that Congress passed in March has provided medical and financial relief to millions of Americans, including allocations for low-income, rural and uninsured populations. Many immigrants, however, have been excluded from benefits under the CARES Act – leaving local advocacy groups to step in to provide economic, medical.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s state health officials urged hospitals to fully activate emergency plans to cope with a surge of COVID-19 patients in a Saturday letter, the Arizona Republic reports. Dr. Cara Christ asked hospitals to prepare for crisis care and suspend elective surgeries if they face any shortages in capacity. An executive order from Arizona.

PHOENIX – The COVID-19 pandemic means Arizona’s heat-relief programs have added hand sanitizer, gloves and masks to the mix of survival items – water, lip balm, sunscreen and more water – they provide to homeless and vulnerable populations each summer. Thursday marked the 15th day of excessive heat warnings in Arizona this year, an early.

WASHINGTON – Coronavirus-related deaths in Arizona passed 1,000 on Friday, as 16 new deaths brought the state’s total to 1,012 since the first death was reported in mid-March. The grim milestone came as the number of new COVID-19 cases continued to soar in the state, with daily increases setting four records in the past week.

PHOENIX – Navajo leaders on Wednesday canceled this year’s Fourth of July celebrations in Window Rock as the tribe continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. President Jonathan Nez announced the cancellation Wednesday during a Facebook Live town hall in which he also lifted the 57-hour weekend curfew “unless we see numbers increase once again.

Public spaces around the state may have been closed overnight by a statewide curfew this week – but the casinos have stayed open. After being closed for months by COVID-19, casinos around Arizona had just started to reopen when Gov. Doug Ducey on Sunday imposed a statewide dusk-to-dawn curfew in response to protests over George.

PHOENIX – Arizona tribal leaders told House lawmakers Tuesday that moves to reopen national parks are being made without needed health safety measures to protect tribal members or park visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comments by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Havasupai Council Member Carletta Tilousi come as the Interior Department is moving.

PHOENIX – A 65-year-old man with underlying health conditions became the first person to die of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, county health officials said Tuesday. After expressing his condolences in a statement Monday, county health director Jeff Terrell said, “COVID-19 is a dangerous disease, especially to those individuals with underlying health conditions, regardless of.

PHOENIX – Derek Stepan was ecstatic over the news that the Arizona Coyotes would be returning to the ice this season. “We got a second chance, and we get to play in the playoffs,” the forward said. “I’ve been saying it since I got down to Arizona. This type of series hockey is just so.

PHOENIX – Despite promising trends last week, the Navajo Department of Health reported a spike in COVID-19 cases Monday, with 98 new cases and five additional deaths. As of Sunday, the total number of deaths on the Navajo Nation reservation was 246. Officials said 5,348 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, and they estimated 1,840.

WASHINGTON – Mayors around the state said they welcome the $441 million in COVID-19 relief funding released by the state this week – they just wish they could have welcomed it sooner. “The fact that this has taken so long, it’s sad,” said Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans, one of several local leaders who said this.

PHOENIX – In the days since Gov. Doug Ducey announced the reopening of Arizona schools this fall and youth sports this summer, the Arizona Department of Health Services has reported 2,173 new cases of COVID-19, with Friday and Saturday setting successive single-day records of 702 and 790 cases, respectively. The state has issued guidance on.

TUCSON – For 17-year-old Fran Howard, receiving medical care has not always been easy. Howard identifies as nonbinary gender queer and uses they/them pronouns. Years ago, Howard began seeking treatment to help transition but found it difficult to find a doctor who respected the decision and Howard’s medical needs. “I felt like I had to.

PHOENIX – Arizona schools will reopen this fall, and youth sports will return this summer, Gov. Doug Ducey told reporters Thursday. The move comes despite the fact Arizona remains in phase one of federal guidelines for reopening. Although different schools will have different needs and reopen dates, Ducey said, “we can tailor guidance to meet.

PHOENIX – Eliminating high fives, coaching in groups of 10 people or less and administering regular temperature checks are among the recommendations the Arizona Interscholastic Association is endorsing for high school athletes as they begin practice for the fall sports season. The AIA, the state’s governing body for high school sports, is following guidelines produced.

PHOENIX – After weeks of grim news as the pandemic tore through the Navajo Nation, the curve of positive COVID-19 cases has begun to flatten, President Jonathan Nez said Thursday. The rate of hospitalizations peaked April 25, Nez reported during a town hall on Facebook Live, nearly a month ahead of the mid-May date projected.

As the pandemic affects communities all over the state, a look at how many new cases and deaths are reported by the Arizona Department of Health Services. This data is updated daily. Unable to see the chart? Click here.

PHOENIX – Although the Pac-12 has suggested an on-time start to the college football season is possible, the conference still must wait to see how the six states where the teams are located are handling the pandemic. The league said in a statement Tuesday that it will allow voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports.

PHOENIX – Mahleej Zara woke up worried Sunday that celebrations for the end of Ramadan would be dampened by COVID-19 restrictions – but that was before the “car parade” let the Islamic Community Center in Tempe celebrate together while remaining safely distanced. It was just one of the changes that Arizona Muslims made this year.

Memorial Day weekend crowds that one official said were “off the charts” at Arizona vacation spots have health experts worried that tourist behavior could lead to an increase of COVID-19 of cases. With the state’s stay-at-home orders largely lifted this month, tourists flocked to sites like Lake Havasu, Scottsdale and Lake Pleasant, according to news.

PHOENIX – Organizers said they worked hard to make sure Memorial Day ceremonies at Arizona veterans’ cemeteries this year stay true to tradition, with guest speakers, a moment of remembrance and the singing of the National Anthem. Except that the audience for this year’s ceremony will not be graveside but will be watching online. In.

SAN CARLOS – As she looked at the Disney characters decorating the walls of the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Dental Clinic and at the smiling, laughing children watching dental health demonstrations, Suzanne Haney thought back to what a trip to the dentist used to be. “Back then, it was so different, it was in the.

PHOENIX – About this time eight years ago, Justyce McClain, a 15-year-old softball standout at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in north Phoenix, sealed her path to higher education with a verbal commitment to attend McNeese State University in Louisiana on a full-ride athletic scholarship. Her sister, Syd Williams, who’s 12, aspires to follow in.

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon will reopen on a limited basis for Memorial Day weekend, a move critics call “premature” during the COVID-19 pandemic and “tone-deaf” in the face of startling infection rates on the neighboring Navajo Nation Reservation. The opening, from Friday to Monday, is just the second at the park, which was completely.

The travel forecast for this Memorial Day weekend is fuzzy – just another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in 20 years, AAA has canceled its Memorial Day travel forecast as COVID-19 has affected the way it collects data for its survey. Experts say the traffic is not likely to be anywhere.

PHOENIX – About half of low-income Latino households and just as many Latino-owned businesses said they have not received any support from the massive COVID-19 relief bills, according to a nationwide poll released Wednesday. The survey of 1,800 Latinos across all 50 states oversampled residents of six states, including Arizona. What it found was 48%.

WASHINGTON – The financial and health effects of COVID-19 have been well documented, but Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane said Wednesday that he is just as concerned about the impact the pandemic has had on the American psyche. “It was a gut punch to go from a strong economy to shutdown,” Lane said during a webinar.

PHOENIX – Sharing meals is generally frowned upon in the socially distanced, stay-at-home world of COVID-19, but one aid group is embracing the notion – figuratively, at least. “Share a Meal With a Refugee,” a program run by the Welcome to America Project, collects donated gift cards to share with refugee families, a group that.

PHOENIX – Jennifer Pastrana calls her mom a traditional Hispanic mother, working multiple jobs to provide for her family and save some money, and leaving little time for visits to the doctor – much less CPR training. But it’s not just Pastrana’s mom. A study last year found bystander CPR – given, as the name.

PHOENIX – At 26, Phoenix artist Amanda Adkins was diagnosed with an invisible illness that caused her excruciating abdominal and pelvic pain. During laparoscopic surgery, doctors found that the tissue lining her uterus had penetrated her bowels and bladder. She had stage one endometriosis. The menstrual disease often is thought of as “just a bad.

AUSTIN, Texas – In a charter school gymnasium on the city’s north side, dozens of families fill the bleachers as four pairs of Latina mothers and daughters talk about emotions too often considered taboo in their culture. Building strength. Having courage. Forming bonds, as parent and child, to overcome any hardships that may come their.

The “Coronavirus Chronicles” takes viewers through a timeline of stories about upended lives and the innovations Cronkite News journalists employed to tell those stories. PHOENIX – When COVID-19 began spreading around the globe, schools and universities shifted to remote learning as a safety precaution. For journalists at Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS.

PHOENIX – Graduating college is a milestone for all, but it’s an especially momentous time for those who are the first in their families to receive a diploma. Commencement is just one of the watershed events upended by COVID-19, prompting colleges and universities across the nation to cancel or postpone ceremonies or create a virtual.

WASHINGTON – It’s a familiar ritual to anyone who has donated blood – after the finger prick and before the needle stick comes a medical history form that includes a long list of factors than can exclude or defer a donation. The list is still long, but in an era of COVID-19 the deferrals are.

Cronkite News is reporting on acts of humanity, sharing the big and small ways people are helping each other in the era of coronavirus. PHOENIX – As Miss Shoshone-Bannock, Stormie Perdash has represented her people all across the United States. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, she’s representing them in a different way. Growing up on.

WASHINGTON – As many as four inmates may have died from COVID-19, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, which critics charge is not doing enough to protect prisoners and guards from infection in the tight quarters of a prison. The department reported Friday that 45 inmates had tested positive for the.

PHOENIX – Days after extending the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15, Gov. Doug Ducey is getting resistance from the state’s top prosecutor over health restrictions that allegedly infringe on religious rights. In an opinion issued Thursday, Attorney General Mark Brnovich challenged the mandatory 6-foot social distancing minimum in the context of religious services. “This.

A White House official confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump will visit the Phoenix Honeywell facility for an industry event May 5, despite Gov. Doug Ducey extending his stay-at-home order to May 15. The visit marks the first time the president has traveled outside Washington, D.C., since the end of March. The visit is meant.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led some Arizona companies to redirect their business plans in pursuit of a common goal – supporting the state’s first responders as the effects of supply shortages and other needs reverberate across the country. Providing assistance for essential workers ranges from making personal protection equipment, such as hospital gowns and masks,.

Gov. Doug Ducey has extended the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15, imploring Arizonans to continue physical distancing at a press conference Wednesday. “It’s 15 more days, I’m asking for some patience,” Ducey said. Ducey outlined reasons for the extension and limitations, such as continued travel restrictions to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. “We.

TEMPE – Native American tribes have been severely hit by the coronavirus but have received only a fraction of the help they need from the federal government, said lawmakers, who called the impact on businesses and health on reservations “particularly worrisome.” The National Congress of American Indians town hall on the congressional response to COVID-19.

PHOENIX – During an online roundtable discussion Tuesday, four Arizona mayors discussed economic challenges facing their cities as they await Gov. Doug Ducey’s decision on reopening the state. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has requested that Ducey allow mayors to be a part of the decision process on whether to extend or keep the stay-at-home order,.

PHOENIX – To increase statewide testing for COVID-19, Gov. Doug Ducey announced a plan Monday to test up to 60,000 Arizonans over the course of three weekends. Starting May 2, the state and its health partners plan to mount an Arizona Testing Blitz, with onsite and drive-thru testing. Testing sites include some Banner Health facilities.

With Arizona schools closed indefinitely, children have plenty of time on their hands – and parents are looking for teachable moments. One subject that’s not taught in most schools is money and how to earn it, spend it, share it and save it. Gregg Murset of Scottsdale, a certified financial planner and father of six,.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is expanding its criteria for COVID-19 testing beyond high-risk people and those with symptoms of the disease, according to a blog post Thursday. “Today, we issued updated standing orders, expanding the criteria for testing to anyone who thinks they have been exposed to and could be infected with COVID-19,”.

Despite health officials’ projections that Arizona won’t see its peak in cases until the middle of next month, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order Wednesday lifting restrictions on health facilities conducting elective surgeries as of May 1. Ducey signed the order after saying that hospitals have reported an increased availability of personal protective equipment,.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns broadcaster Tom Leander said he’s proud his daughter, an intensive-care nurse, stood up to demonstrators protesting stay-at-home orders at the state Capitol this week. In photos that have gone viral, Lauren Leander is seen in her scrubs silently facing down protesters who arrived at the Capitol to demand Gov. Doug Ducey.

PHOENIX – COVID-19 has swept through an assisted living facility in Chandler, where 13 residents have died due to complications from the disease and 28 others have tested positive, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday evening. “Our condolences and hearts go to the families of these residents. We are grieving each one as we have cared for.

Cronkite News is reporting on acts of humanity in Arizona communities, sharing the big and small ways people are helping each other in the era of coronavirus. PHOENIX – “Stay at home” takes on a whole new meaning when you live on the streets with no regular meals, shelter or aid. Before coronavirus, Chandler nonprofit.

PHOENIX – With Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina starting to reopen businesses, Arizona approaches next week’s end of the governor’s stay-at-home order with no clear indication of whether it will be extended. But on Monday – after protesters at the Capitol called for the state to reopen – Gov. Doug Ducey told KVOA he is.

PHOENIX – Hundreds of protesters gathered Monday in a so-called Patriots Rally, waving signs and cheering as speakers near the state Capitol demanded that Gov. Doug Ducey reopen the state despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the participants in the rally at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, which was organized by a Facebook group called Operation.

PHOENIX – Bailey Scalise said she hasn’t seen her family in about a month. Scalise, a registered nurse, first worked with COVID-19 patients in Arizona and had to self-isolate. Then late last month, she volunteered to help treat COVID-19 patients in hard-hit Greeley, Colorado. She was among 10 nurses from three Banner Health hospitals in.

PHOENIX – Arizona researchers have come together to gain insight into COVID-19, which has killed tens of thousands around the globe. The Translational Genomics Research Institute on April 8 announced the formation of the Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union, dedicated to understanding the evolution and spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease. They.

PHOENIX – The Navajo Nation has the country’s third-highest rate of COVID-19 infections, but it has had to watch as funds go to less hard-hit areas in a “very slow” federal aid process, Navajo President Jonathan Nez said Friday. Nez was one of several tribal leaders from around the country participating in a virtual House.

PHOENIX – New research from leading scientists raises questions about President Donald Trump’s assertion that summer temperatures will drive away the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. At a New Hampshire rally on Feb. 10, Trump told Americans the virus would, “go away in April, with the heat,” later saying it was Chinese President Xi Jinping.

PHOENIX – A Phoenix blood service provider is treating patients with donated plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19, KTAR reports. The first person in Arizona to have donated is Jack Schmittlein, 21, of Scottsdale, who had the disease in March but was tested negative in April. Doctors call the blood donated convalescent plasma,.

PHOENIX – Public health officials who use certain “execution drugs” to treat COVID-19 patients face competition from states that use those drugs to end lives rather than save them. The sedative and paralytic drugs are in high demand because they’re used to treat COVID-19 patients who rely on ventilators in intensive care units, a group.

PHOENIX – The CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion package of federal relief for Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, included $349 billion in loans for U.S. small-business owners to sustain payroll, pay rent and meet other obligations. But those funds already have run out. The federal Small Business Association said 10,898 small businesses in Arizona.

TEMPE – Joshua Carden had reason to be nervous as he argued his first case before the Arizona Supreme Court this week – never mind that he also had to argue that case over video from an office in his basement. Carden was one of the first attorneys to argue before the justices via video.

LOS ANGELES – For many kids, the era of COVID-19 is no walk on the playground. No school, no playing with friends and leaving the house means risking contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to family – a problem that’s tougher to control for children of divorce, who often have two houses and two families. Arizona’s.

WASHINGTON – Arizona hospitals are facing “dire financial consequences” and furloughing staff, as cutbacks meant to prepare for COVID-19 cases have instead cost them as much as $575 million a month, about 30-40% of normal revenues statewide. The cancellation of elective procedures meant to free up beds for potential coronavirus patients, combined with a drop.

PHOENIX – Arizona soon will have access to two drive-thru testing centers and the capability to test first responders and health care workers for COVID-19 antibodies, Gov. Doug Ducey said at a press conference Tuesday. The state so far has conducted more than 45,000 tests for the disease, according to the latest numbers released Wednesday,.

PHOENIX – Whether speed-dating on Zoom or making plans for a virtual movie night, couples are getting creative in making and maintaining romantic connections during these times of social distancing. Even those already in long-distance relationships and accustomed to communicating virtually are finding the forced quarantines and physical separation challenging. Mireya Treviño, a senior at.

The Navajo Nation’s 57-hour weekend curfew to combat the spread of COVID-19 on the reservation “went very well,” Police Chief Phillip Francisco said Tuesday in a town hall on Facebook. “This was the largest coordinated operation for the Navajo Police Department that has ever taken place,” he said. Authorities said 177 citations were issued on.

PHOENIX – Hundreds of thousands of Arizona schoolchildren rely on free or reduced-price lunch programs, so when schools closed last month because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many districts moved to grab-and-go offerings and drive-thru windows at schools. In the Laveen Elementary School District, leadership looked at the logistic challenges and chose to take meals to.

PHOENIX – New COVID-19 data released Sunday by the Arizona Department of Health Services breaks down cases by ZIP codes, race and ethnicity, although the data is incomplete in some areas. The state produced a map that indicated Scottsdale and Tucson are seeing many cases, as are the areas around Flagstaff and Page in northern.

Cronkite News is reporting on acts of humanity in Arizona communities, sharing the big and small ways people are helping each other in the era of coronavirus. PHOENIX – With COVID-19 keeping children at home, one Arizona business owner started cleaning playgrounds during the pandemic – free of charge. Ryan Johnson owns Thee Window Ninjas,.

PHOENIX – Arizona processed a record 82,771 background checks on would-be gun buyers in March, as fears of the coronavirus drove people to gun shops in what one shop owner called “panic time.” It was twice as high as any March in the state since FBI background checks began in 1998 and almost one-quarter of.

PHOENIX – Border agents turned away 6,306 migrants at the southern border in just 10 days after President Donald Trump authorized the immediate return of immigrants and asylum seekers under a 1944 law to check communicable diseases like COVID-19. Critics charge that the spread of coronavirus was merely a pretext to the administration’s real goal.

PHOENIX – Leaders of the Navajo Nation are self-quarantining after being exposed to a COVID-19 patient amid an outbreak that has killed more than 20 members of their tribe. President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer were in close proximity to a first responder on Tuesday who later was confirmed positive for the novel.

PHOENIX – Social distancing and self-isolation have become the primary tools to curb the continued spread of novel coronavirus, but those practices force many to remain in unsafe and abusive homes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men have experienced sexual or physical violence.

PHOENIX – Arizona food-stamp recipients may soon be able to buy their groceries online, after the federal government’s swift approval this week of the state’s request in the face of coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders. Wednesday’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture came less than a week after Arizona asked to be part of a pilot.

PHOENIX – Social distancing is starting to show signs of flattening the curve on hospitalizations in Maricopa County, and state health officials are urging the public to continue taking all necessary precautions, 12News reported. There are 1,689 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maricopa County alone, the highest number in any of Arizona’s 15 counties. The.

WASHINGTON – Migrant farmworkers are in “serious danger” of contracting coronavirus because of ongoing poor conditions, such as overcrowded housing, buses and lack of access to health care, according to a new report. The report by the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante group surveyed 100 migrant workers from Mexico with temporary H-2A visas from.

PHOENIX – Two Arizona prison inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 have been isolated and are receiving treatment, Arizona Department of Corrections officials told the Arizona Republic Tuesday. The first inmate tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes the deadly disease, despite twice testing negative in March. Where the inmate had been imprisoned and.

TEMPE – On any other Passover, Rabbi Mendy Deitsch would gather with 150 people to celebrate Seder, but that’s impossible in the face of COVID-19 social distancing. So Deitsch and his congregation came up with the next best thing – Seder in a box, to be delivered to hundreds of temple members to celebrate the.

Editor’s note: The mothers in this story agreed to speak only on condition that their last names not be used, due to the immigration status of some families served by VELA. AUSTIN, Texas – Five years ago, when her son was 4, Fabiola traveled to the United States from central Mexico to seek care for.

TEMPE – While President Donald Trump touts an anti-malarial drug as a possible coronavirus treatment, Gov. Doug Ducey is allowing its use in limited circumstances in Arizona – dividing advocates over whether he’s gone too far or not far enough. The debate comes just two weeks after an Arizona couple was hospitalized – and the.

PHOENIX – Three U.S. Customs and Border Patrol employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arizona, bringing the number of confirmed cases among CBP employees in the state to six as of Sunday, April 5. Nationwide, there have been 160 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among CBP employees, according to the agency’s website. No deaths have.

PHOENIX – Nearly half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and 4 in 10 adults cannot afford to cover an unexpected $400 expense without borrowing or selling something – and the coronavirus pandemic has added to the burden for people living on the edge. In Arizona, the COVID-19 crisis has triggered a surge of people.

PHOENIX – On the heels of dire warnings that America is entering the worst week of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona health officials Monday reported a surge in COVID-19 cases over the weekend, with 687 new cases bringing the total to 2,456 known infections and 65 deaths. On Sunday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Fox News.

PHOENIX – Doctors have stressed the importance of children remaining physically active in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to prevent kids from tumbling down a dangerous, unhealthy path due to the absence of school and structure. “The important thing that I would push is a schedule, a routine, trying to schedule a bit.

PHOENIX – More Arizona businesses face closure with a revised order from Gov. Doug Ducey, who is calling on salons, barbers, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, spas and other previously exempt businesses to cease operation by 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. Mayors in Arizona voiced criticism of the state’s list of essential services in recent.

PHOENIX – After more than a week of delays, the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute began its drive-thru testing for COVID-19 on Thursday, and it will not be open to the general public. Testing is reserved for selected essential workers, including first responders and hospital workers who face exposure more frequently, according to Joshua LaBaer,.

MESA – Bringing home a new baby is supposed to be a happy time. Parents spend months preparing the nursery, stocking up on diapers and formula, and waiting excitedly for their tiny addition. But Christina Loya-Moreno would lie awake at night while her husband and baby slept. For a while, she didn’t think much of.

PHOENIX – Arizona State University will conduct spring graduation ceremonies online rather than in person to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, upending a storied tradition where graduates stride across a stage before beaming families and friends and the ASU community to celebrate earning their diplomas. ASU President Michael Crow’s announcement on Thursday.

PHOENIX – A group of immigrant detainees have filed suit against U.S. officials, alleging federal inaction during the COVID-19 outbreak endangers those in detention and violates the Constitution. In a lawsuit filed March 30, four Cuban asylum seekers and one green-card holder facing deportation accused the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review and Immigration.

PHOENIX – The National Park Service abruptly closed Grand Canyon National Park on Wednesday, bowing to weeks of pressure after health officials expressed “extreme concern” about the potential for spread of COVID-19 in the park. The park has been open with reduced services – and no entry fee – for two weeks as the number.

PHOENIX – The state is adding $600 to the maximum weekly unemployment benefit of $240, and the first checks should go out as soon as next week, the Arizona Department of Economic Security said Wednesday. The money was added in response to the tidal wave of workers laid off because of the novel coronavirus, with.

PHOENIX – Empty store shelves symbolize the frustrations and fears of the COVID-19 pandemic, with toilet paper, rice, beans and water in scant supply and purchasing limits imposed so more customers have a chance to buy such staples. Mark Miller, president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, in an email interview, discussed how panic led.

TEMPE – Gov. Doug Ducey’s “stay home” order had not even taken effect before critics were arguing Tuesday over whether it is enforceable and if it goes far enough to protect Arizona from the spread of coronavirus. The directive, which took effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, says state residents “shall limit their time away” from.

TEMPE – Arizona lawmakers joined local and tribal officials Tuesday calling on the Interior Department to reverse its “reckless” decision to keep Grand Canyon National Park open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Park lodging and concession services were stopped two weeks ago by coronavirus fears, but the National Park Service at that time waived park entry.

PHOENIX – On March 16, the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a public alert aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. The problem: For days, it was in English only – leaving millions of non-English speakers in the U.S. without direct guidance from the federal government amid the deadly.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey’s statewide stay-at-home order doesn’t go far enough to stop Arizonans from leaving their homes, some other elected officials say. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who had called for Ducey to issue a stay-at-home order, questioned the list of what Ducey considered essential services and called it laughable. Hair salons and golf.

TEMPE – When Tucson Mayor Regina Romero ordered nonessential businesses in the city to close Saturday in an effort to halt the novel coronavirus, she could only urge barbershops and nail salons to go along. That’s because those businesses were declared “essential services” last week by Gov. Doug Ducey, a designation that will continue under.

WASHINGTON – Arizona hospitals are rationing and ordering workers to reuse protective equipment like masks, gowns and eyewear in an attempt to head off shortages expected with the surge in COVID-19 patients in the state. While some health care workers said they understand the reasoning, they worry that the shift in standard operating procedures will.

Gov. Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order on Monday to prevent further spread of deadly COVID-19, which has claimed 20 lives in Arizona to date. The “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected” initiative will go into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, and run through the end of April. “This decision was made with.

PHOENIX – The spread of COVID-19 has “deeply affected” Arizona animal shelters, which are discontinuing some services, cutting hours and trying to juggle between taking animals in and adopting them out to stretch resources while protecting pets and people. Humane Society of Southern Arizona CEO Steve Farley said shelters are essential services and that his.

Arizona public schools will not be required to make up days lost to the novel coronavirus, and statewide testing was extended to May 31 under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Doug Ducey. In addition, all school employees will be paid throughout the closure, and general education options for students and remote work for employees will.

WASHINGTON – Arizona did relatively well in a new study of social distancing, but the same could not be said of how well most counties in the state follow the practice, which is considered key to stemming the spread of novel coronavirus. Arizona was one of 21 states to earn a B in the national.

PHOENIX – Native Americans are seeking more help from the federal government to fight COVID-19, even as the Navajo Nation and other tribes take steps to combat the disease themselves – including raising money to help vulnerable citizens and issuing shelter-in-place orders. The Indian Health Service reported 83 cases of novel coronavirus, the respiratory virus.

PHOENIX – The spread of COVID-19 in Arizona communities rose from “moderate” to “widespread” on Thursday, meaning there were confirmed cases in 13 of the state’s 15 counties, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Gila and Greenlee were the two counties with no confirmed cases. Maricopa County leads the state with 299 confirmed.

PHOENIX – Cases of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation Reservation have risen to 49, up from the 29 reported Monday by the Navajo Department of Health. Forty-three cases are in the Arizona part of the reservation, according to the Navajo Epidemiology Center. Although Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has not yet ordered a shelter-in-place for the.

PHOENIX – Arizona mayors Tuesday questioned Gov. Doug Ducey’s inclusion of golf courses, pawnshops, laundries and other businesses in the definition of “essential services” that local governments would be barred from closing in response to the coronavirus. Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans, who wrote to Ducey along with mayors from Tucson, Somerton, Tolleson and Winslow, said.

TEMPE – Nearly 30,000 Arizonans filed unemployment claims last week, more than eight times the average weekly rate of 3,500 claims before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, state officials said Tuesday. The Arizona Department of Economic Security is “doing everything possible to get Arizonans benefits as soon as possible,” which includes hiring more workers, approving more.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey does not plan to order a shelter-in-place lockdown for Arizona, despite orders issued in neighboring states of California and New Mexico for residents to stay indoors, he said in a news conference Monday. “We’re following the facts related specifically to the state of Arizona,” the governor said. “The CDC isn’t.

TUCSON – Microbiologist Charles Gerba, a battle-scarred virus veteran, earned the sobriquet “Dr. Germ” based on his experience and expertise in researching and eradicating germs. He comes to the novel coronavirus crisis steeped in fighting such deadly viruses as Ebola and SARs, and he’s now using his microscope and petri dishes for a new challenge..

PHOENIX – Ella Johnston was a 13-year-old cheerleader when she suffered a concussion during practice that was so severe she needed speech, occupational and physical therapy. Months later, she returned to the mat while still working on her recovery – underlining the dangers and the joys of cheerleading. “It’s such a high leading moment. You.

PHOENIX – As testing efforts ramp up, state health officials announced the first two COVID-19-related deaths in Arizona, both in Maricopa County. State health officials Friday night confirmed the first death of a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions. Another man with underlying health conditions, this one in his 70s, was reported dead.

WASHINGTON – Border officials will start turning away all undocumented migrants and asylum seekers beginning Saturday, in what President Donald Trump called an effort to protect “our border agents, migrants and to the public at large” from COVID-19. The move, announced in tandem Friday with new restrictions on travel to and from Mexico, was defended.

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday took additional measures meant to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the state, and Arizonans took to social media to respond with praise, concerns and frustration. As of Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona had jumped to 234 – more than five times the 44 cases.

WASHINGTON – A surge in COVID-19 patients could overwhelm Arizona hospitals in the coming months if action is not taken now to expand hospital capacity and curb infections, according to a new study by the Harvard Global Health Institute. And the state is not alone. The study, published Tuesday with ProPublica and the New York.

WASHINGTON – Grand Canyon National Park is still open, but the same cannot be said for lodging and food services in the park that will be shuttered for the next two months by concerns over the novel coronavirus. Grand Canyon Lodging on Thursday announced the “difficult decision” to suspend operations beginning at noon Friday and.

The Senate gave overwhelming approval Wednesday to a multibillion-dollar coronavirus relief bill, the second such bill in two weeks, and immediately turned its attention to a third bill that could have a $1 trillion price tag. Both Arizona senators voted for the bill that passed 90-8 after the House agreed to weaken language that would.

PHOENIX – The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant, far-reaching impact on sports, including baseball. The Cincinnati Reds announced Wednesday that one of the team’s employees who worked at the spring training facility in Goodyear has tested positive for COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. The employee worked at the complex.

WASHINGTON – Business leaders pushed back Monday against a coronavirus relief bill the House passed over the weekend that calls for extended sick leave, as well as new funding for testing, school lunches, senior nutrition and more. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed the House early Saturday on a 363-40 vote, but was quickly.

TEMPE – The Democratic presidential primary will be held Tuesday as scheduled, despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has driven some other states to cancel in-person voting, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a statement Monday. The announcement comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended canceling or postponing in-person gatherings.

PHOENIX – At 19, Kristine Rhodes was diagnosed with noninvasive cervical cancer. That led to a year of uncomfortable procedures and another battle – facing the stigma that cancer can carry in Native American communities. “That was something that I didn’t talk about for many years,” said Rhodes, who is Anishinaabe and an enrolled member.

FLAGSTAFF – On the second floor of Flagstaff Medical Center, bright colors and Native American symbols burst from the walls – in murals painted in yellows, greens and blues. In one, ocean waves roll peacefully. Another shows the sun piercing through deep green pines. The murals span most of the inpatient section of the hospital’s.

LOS ANGELES – Athletes and fans alike fear that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo may be canceled or postponed because of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease that has killed more than 3,200 people around the world. Opening ceremonies are slated for July 24, and the International Olympic Committee has announced it will have.

PHOENIX – Universities in Arizona and around the U.S. are implementing new travel restrictions and requiring some students who have been out of the country to self-quarantine to minimize danger related to COVID-19. Some schools have halted all nonessential campus-related travel to countries with high watch level ratings as outlined by the U.S. Centers for.

PHOENIX – As the world continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19, a novel strain of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people and infected more than 95,000 others across the world, concerns have seeped into the Arizona sports community. The 15 Cactus League teams that hold spring training in Arizona received.

WASHINGTON – The House late Wednesday approved $8.3 billion in emergency funding to combat the coronavirus, passing the measure an overwhelming 415-2 vote – with an Arizona lawmaker counting for one of the two “nays.” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, said after the vote that the original $2.5 billion request from the Trump administration was sufficient.

PHOENIX – Here’s what you need to know about the fast-spreading respiratory virus that causes COVID-19. As of March 20, Arizona health officials have confirmed

WASHINGTON – It was 3 a.m. Saturday when Arizona State University study-abroad student Jillian Schreck got the email: Leave Italy as soon as possible due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. “Everyone here is heartbroken,” Schreck said Tuesday. “Everyone has just been packing and sobbing.” Universities across the state are scrambling to bring students home from.

WASHINGTON – Dean Seneca didn’t mince words after the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s recent “damaging news” about the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide, including nine in Washington state. “I want to make sure that I stated that tribes are not prepared for the coronavirus,” he.

TUCSON – Bandages, blood pressure machines and other medical supplies clutter a folding table as student volunteers from the University of Arizona provide patients with much needed care they might not otherwise get. Immigrants, some in the country legally and others not, came to a local resource center on this day to have their blood.

PHOENIX – Arizona health officials have the go-ahead to test at the state level for coronavirus cases and are awaiting test results for a second potential case of COVID-19, a novel disease that has sickened nearly 89,000 worldwide and killed six in the U.S., public health officials said Monday. “We are taking precautions to protect.

WASHINGTON – Arizona health care advocates are confident that President Donald Trump’s plan to slash billions from health services is “dead on arrival” in Congress – but that doesn’t mean they’re not angry at the administration’s direction. The reductions are included in Trump’s fiscal 2021 budget request released last month, which includes $94.5 billion for.

LOS ANGELES – Study-abroad student Margaret Zheng was vacationing in Taiwan when she learned she had seven days to return to the United States, abandoning her studies in China, because of safety concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Panicked, the 22-year-old Arizona State University senior in biomedicine reached out to friends and family to decide.

PHOENIX – For more than two years, advocates for transgender people have alleged mistreatment of migrant detainees at the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico. Late last month, they say, their efforts partially paid off when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement temporarily closed the facility and transferred 27 transgender women to other detention centers..

WASHINGTON – The Maricopa County individual who tested positive for novel coronavirus has been released from quarantine after receiving multiple negative tests for the virus, the Maricopa County Public Health Department said in a statement Friday. People in contact with the unidentified individual were also cleared after a 14-day monitoring period for the virus, now.

LOS ANGELES – Passenger information gets checked and re-checked at airports all over the world, but when it comes to tracking COVID-19, that data has, at times, taken days to reach health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now requires airlines operating in the United States to collect and share personal data from.

SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Mexico – Inside Casa del Migrante, the piercing screams of an 8-year-old boy echo from a room. Other children, curious and uncertain, look on as Jordan Ramírez battles two nurses trying to vaccinate him against influenza, chicken pox and measles. Jordan’s family arrived here 15 days earlier from their home in.

WASHINGTON – Arizona fared relatively well in a national report card on its level of care for people with developmental disabilities, but advocates fear those services are being threatened by low pay and high turnover rates for caregivers. And Arizona is not alone. The 2020 edition of “Case for Inclusion” said states across the country.

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of airlines have canceled flights to China in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, but at least one Asian American traveler is skipping his summer trip to the Philippines to avoid a spreading social illness: racism. University of Arizona sophomore Joseph Salvoro made his decision after his cousin was stopped.

PHOENIX – Blankets are tucked tightly on the beds. The bathroom sinks wait for faucets to be turned on. And the floors gleam in rooms, ready for patients to show up in a new mental health treatment center in west Phoenix. The center is in the old Maryvale Hospital, which shut down in 2017. Valleywise.

PHOENIX – Cynthia Aragon stands in an elementary school library in south Phoenix, facing a group of parents not so different from her own – 11 Latinas, some in the country legally and some not. One mother is talking about her third grader, who recently was diagnosed with autism. He struggles to speak and is.

PHOENIX – Elmer Ugarte, 33, copes with feelings of isolation by competing on the rough fields of rugby. Shaun Barlow, 40, escapes to the woods for hunting and camping to combat his feelings of depression and isolation. Jean-Paul Villont, 48, channels his hyper-alertness and paranoia by competing in jiu-jitsu. What they all have in common.

LOS ANGELES – Scientists in Flagstaff are working to develop a test that doctors and hospitals could use to diagnose coronavirus, which could help medical professionals respond to the global outbreak more quickly. For now, the only test available in the U.S. was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and medical professionals.

PHOENIX – The science and research to back cupping therapy, the popular recovery method, is still fuzzy, but it remains widely used. Those in the sports therapy industry are lauding its simplicity, which has allowed the method to spill into the high school scene. Cupping, sometimes referred to as vacuum therapy, suctions the skin using.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Arizona State University has canceled this summer’s study abroad programs in China, and nearly all students who were in China this spring have returned to the U.S. in light of concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, university officials say. Of the eight ASU students in China this semester, “all have left China.

LOS ANGELES – Paloma Marolf had an active childhood with no major health concerns until she went into a diabetic coma at age 15. Her diagnosis with type 1 diabetes meant Marolf’s already struggling family gained a new financial burden, a monthly cost that ranged up to $2,000. There were times the University of Arizona.

PHOENIX – Cooking equipment at the ready, Mallory Smith stands before a table loaded with fresh greens, nuts and fruit. “Has anyone used the apple slicer before?” she asks the dozen people gathered this weekday morning at Native Health. “Might take a little bit of practice.” Over the next hour, Smith chopped, mixed and scooped.

PHOENIX – Concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus continue to grow after a Tempe resident was confirmed Sunday to have contracted the respiratory illness. In China – where the virus first was detected last year – more than 170 people have died, about 50 million have been quarantined in affected cities, flights out of.

PHOENIX – A Maricopa County resident who recently returned from Wuhan, China, is one of five confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the U.S., where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it is tracking 110 potential cases across 26 states. The Arizona patient was identified as a member of the Arizona State.

PHOENIX – As suicide rates continue to rise for children and teens across the U.S., students and teachers from more than 150 Arizona schools gathered this week to put a spotlight on the issue and talk over ways to prevent self-harm, addiction and bullying. “There’s nothing embarrassing about asking for help,” said Lily Matos DeBlieux,.

KYKOTSMOVI – Vanissa Barnes-Saucedo was 21 when military recruiters stopped her in a shopping mall, waving enlistment papers in front of her. Although she says she wasn’t entirely sure what she was getting herself into, she signed the papers anyway. For the next six years, Barnes-Saucedo was stationed around the world: Virginia, Colorado, South Korea,.

PHOENIX – Hispanic children are diagnosed with autism less often than white non-Hispanic children, in part because of language barriers, cultural differences and lack of awareness in the Latino community, according to experts in behavioral health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said autism is 1.6 times less likely to be diagnosed among Hispanic.

PHOENIX – Every two minutes, a woman in the U.S. is diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, but thanks in large part to early detection, breast cancer death rates have dropped 40% since 1989. Genetic testing has emerged as an invaluable tool in the early detection of breast cancer, which.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency doles out billions annually for recovery from tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters, but the deadliest disaster goes largely unfunded – extreme heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that around 618 people in the U.S. die each year from exposure to extreme heat, and the numbers.

PHOENIX – Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Arizonans ages 15-34, according to a 2019 study that attributes the toll to such things as exposure to social media, harassment and the pressure to succeed. The study, by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said there were 1,327 deaths by suicide in Arizona last.

WASHINGTON – After decades of steady increases, life expectancy in the U.S. ticked down slightly over three recent years, a drop attributed to a rise in “cause-specific” deaths like suicides and drug overdoses among those aged 25 to 64. The same was true in Arizona where, even though life expectancy was still higher than the.

WASHINGTON – Pick up the phone and give Grandma a call – advocates say more quality time with elderly citizens could help turn around Arizona’s faltering standing in a national report on senior health. Social seclusion was cited by the experts as one of the biggest factors affecting senior health, along with poor access to.

PHOENIX – Anxiety among children continues to climb, contributing to rising rates of depression and mental and behavioral disorders. More than 7% of children 3 to 17 in the U.S. have been diagnosed with anxiety, which can greatly alter “the way children typically learn, behave and handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through.

PHOENIX – Alex Alejandre lost 75 pounds in a year. His wife, Mary, lost 40. They want to set a good example for their 17-year-old son, Nathan, and take a personal stand against obesity, which can lead to diabetes and other serious health problems, especially in Native Americans. “The health of my child is everything.

WASHINGTON – Retailers and local leaders said they were “caught with their pants down” by a Food and Drug Administration announcement last week that it had raised the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. The higher legal age was slipped in to the final version of the fiscal 2020 budget that.

WASHINGTON – Uber to meetings, Uber to parties, Uber to work. Sure. But Uber to the doctor’s office? Not only is it a thing, but for some people in Arizona, Medicaid will pick up the tab. The state is just over six months in to a first-in-the-nation program that lets some Medicaid patients use a.

LAS VEGAS – An opening prayer welcomes 75 Native American men and women from across the nation, gathered at a hotel to learn how to use tradition to heal from trauma – and to help others heal, too. “My grandmother was killed by her husband,” said Lisa Rose Sanderson, a youth prevention specialist for the.

PHOENIX – Although the maternal mortality rate in the United States has continued to rise over recent years, California is one state working to reverse the tragic trend. The state’s maternal mortality rate declined 55% from 2006 to 2013, to 7.3 deaths per 100,000 births from 16.9 deaths per 100,000 births. Efforts to address the.

PHOENIX – Too many women are dying due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth – deaths that should be preventable with the proper intervention and care. Recent investigations have put a national spotlight on the issue, especially among black women, but Native Americans often are left out of the conversation. Here are five things to.

WINDOW ROCK – As the sun begins to set on a blustery fall day, the rugged buttes of Navajoland glow red in the soft light and swift gusts spiral dust through the air. About 40 women, most draped in traditional dress, stand in a circle as Melissa Brown, an indigenous midwife, asks the group to.

CERRITOS, Calif. – On good days, Emily Jenkins’ dad walks into their La Palma home with fresh hibiscus blooms from the yard. His eyes fill with recognition. He smiles and tells her the bouquet is for her. Those moments can sustain Jenkins – through the day, sometimes for a week – as a caretaker for.

LOS ANGELES – Between the sumptuous eats and endless sweets, the holiday season can turn into one long cheat day. Motivation to hit the gym can lag when it’s the perfect season to pull on a sweater and plant roots indoors. But athletes who train hard all year have to stay trim and resist the.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Arizona’s attempt to fast-track a case against the owners of Purdue Pharma in an effort to protect assets of the company for victims of the opioid crisis. The justices without comment turned down Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s motion that the court should consider the state’s.

WASHINGTON – Maricopa County is one of dozens of state and local governments tapped Tuesday to be part of a federal initiative to combat HIV infections, one step in an ambitious plan to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030. The Department of Health and Human Services’ “Ready, Set, PrEP” initiative will provide free access.

LOS ANGELES – California authorities are addressing the problem of lead in drinking water at public schools through a statewide program to test pipes and upgrade plumbing, but experts warn the threat goes well beyond schools – and nearby homes and businesses may unknowingly be affected. “The same water systems tainted by lead that feed.

WASHINGTON – The obesity rate among young Arizona children in the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program declined from 2010 to 2016 after the program changed its rules to require healthier food, a new report says. But Arizona was hardly alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said 41 states saw childhood obesity.

PHOENIX – Food insecurity – not having regular access to affordable, nutritious food – is a national problem, but it has dropped in Arizona over the past few years and now is at the lowest level in a decade, according to a federal report. Nearly 15% of Arizona households were considered food insecure four years.

PHOENIX – Is laughter really the best medicine, or could nature be the cure for what ails you? According to a new initiative in Phoenix, a healthier lifestyle can be a walk in the park – literally. The Arizona Community Tree Council received a $124,700 grant from Vitalyst Health Foundation of Phoenix to implement a ParkRx.

MESA – On a regular school night, the Abajian family gathers to prepare dinner. Deborah Abajian cuts cucumbers while her husband, Gabriel, teaches their 6-year-old daughter how to peel carrots. “You always want to go away from your body,” he tells Delainey, tucked into a black apron, her hair pulled safely back into a ponytail..

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Shanti Group, a nonprofit that has been serving HIV+ patients with a history of drug abuse or homelessness since 1987, will close next year. Lack of funding played a major factor in the closure, even with new cases of HIV, the virus That causes AIDS, on the rise in Maricopa County..

PHOENIX – The Department of Health and Human Services has distributed $1.48 million to six clinics in Arizona that help underserved communities to improve their dental programs. Affordable oral care can be difficult to obtain, leaving many people vulnerable to tooth loss, gum disease but also more serious issues, including cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, diabetes and.

WASHINGTON – Rising rates of preterm births in 30 states – Arizona included – are a sign that health care providers are “failing our many mothers and babies,” maternal and infant health advocates said Thursday. Their comments came as the March of Dimes released its 2019 report card that showed a slight increase in the.

PHOENIX – For more than three decades, Jill Guernsey de Zapien has fought to improve public health in underserved communities across the Southwest. She helped start a program in southeastern Arizona to bring better care to rural residents, and farmworkers in particular. She was inspired by her father, a labor organizer. Guernsey de Zapien, director.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – California and Arizona make up more than 95% of all U.S. cases of valley fever – an infection caused by a fungus that lives in soil in the Southwest – largely because they share arid climates and have an abundance of outdoor workers. New research finds that as climate change alters.

PHOENIX – A new health initiative is helping Arizona companies create and promote a culture of wellness among their Hispanic employees, some of whom may not speak English. The free initiative, Por Tu Salud, is the Spanish-language version of Wellness AtoZ, a health care program launched by the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. Por Tu Salud.

PHOENIX – More medical services will be available to Native Americans in metro Phoenix, thanks to a $200,000 federal grant awarded to Native American Connections. The Indian Health Service grant will allow the organization to begin offering primary care services, such as immunizations and wellness checks. “This grant money will allow us to be able.

PHOENIX – Amid calls to end “period poverty,” dozens of activists from across Arizona convened for the first National Period Day protest to call for an end to sales taxes for menstrual products and more widespread availability of items to help those who can’t afford them. The “menstrual equity” movement has been gaining steam globally,.

PHOENIX – A new nonprofit, 100 Angels Foundation, provides medical supplies and health care to those arriving from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras – even Russia. Medical professionals volunteer their services and provide medicine and treatment for immigrants who get sick or injured during their arduous journeys to the U.S. border. Cecilia García, founder and.

WASHINGTON – The Phoenix metro area had the sixth-highest rate of firearm suicides among the nation’s urban areas, according to a new report tying the availability of guns to the prevalence of firearm suicides. The report, by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee, said there has been a steady increase in such deaths since 2000,.

PHOENIX – Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans are most at risk for diabetes, with racial and ethnic minorities reporting the highest rates of the debilitating disease in the U.S. But experts say diabetes could be slowed if people were aware of the risks of prediabetes and took action. Marcia Angulo was devastated when she.

WHITERIVER – On a cool evening, crickets chirp in tall grass. A fresh breeze carries the songs of cicadas, and as members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe come together, a murmur of voices can be heard. Several dozen men, women and children form a circle around tribal elder Lenora Ethelbah, and she begins to.

WASHINGTON – No one disputes that Nicole Weber was injured – including losing some of her eyesight – by a leaking breast implant, but a federal appeals court ruled Friday that federal law protects the manufacturer from the Arizona woman’s lawsuit. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was.

This story was updated at 12:55 p.m. MT PHOENIX – The Trump administration’s proposed changes to the so-called public charge rule have caused widespread confusion among immigrant communities across Arizona and the U.S. Under the new policy, use of such benefits as food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid would be among the considerations used to.

More than half of Americans 65 or older have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Many have multiple conditions, which can make a trip to the emergency room a struggle for both patient and provider. But Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix and a handful of other hospitals are changing the.

WILLCOX – A handful of voices softly chattering in Spanish filter into a building that’s become the heart of Winchester Heights, a Willcox neighborhood filled with farmworkers. The community center is dedicated to connecting southeastern Arizona residents – with one another and with better health care. As the clock nears 6 p.m., more men and.

WASHINGTON – The number of people who showed up at at Indian Health Service facilities with health insurance rose from 64% of patients in 2013 to 78% in 2018, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The report said growth in coverage was highest in states, like Arizona, that expanded their Medicaid.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – At least every other day, Selene Zazueta has to tell her 8-year-old daughter that she can’t play outside with her friends. As upsetting as that is, the girl has asthma, and the family lives just off Interstate 710 in Long Beach, in an area known as “Asthma Alley.” “It’s a nightmare,”.

PHOENIX – Spurred by a wet winter, cases of West Nile virus are at a record high in Arizona, with 156 cases and 16 deaths reported so far this year, state health reports show. The Arizona Department of Health Services blames the wetter winter for bigger mosquito populations this year. Mosquitoes carry West Nile, which.

PHOENIX – Native American advocates are seeking more funding and new ways to tackle the opioid crisis in Indian Country as overdose death rates continue to rise. Native Americans have the second-highest death rate related to opioid use in the nation – a number that’s been on the rise for nearly two decades. In 2017,.

WASHINGTON – The number of Arizonans without health insurance rose by about 55,000 people last year, according to new data from the Census Bureau, as a relatively strong economy was offset by hefty cost increases for coverage. The change from 2017 to 2018 raised the total number of uninsured in the state last year to.

PHOENIX – Moving boxes clutter the hallway, while family portraits rest unhung against a stark white wall. In the living room, two couches are positioned near one another; they’re some of the only furniture in the home. This little house in far west Phoenix is, in essence, a clean slate. It’s the beginning of a.

WASHINGTON – Arizona vape-store owners were alarmed by the Trump administration’s announcement Wednesday that it plans to begin enforcing rules that would drive flavored e-cigarettes out of the market, an industry official said. The surprise White House statement was in response to recent reports that vaping-related lung illnesses have been confirmed in 33 states and.

WASHINGTON – Despite repeated failures, Republican leaders rallied Tuesday in support of their latest version of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, called “the most important bill in Congress.” She was one of a score of GOP lawmakers at an hours-long hearing where lawmakers and health care providers called for.

WASHINGTON – Arizona will get more than $20 million in State Opioid Response grant funds from the federal government, part of $1.8 billion in grants the Trump administration said it was releasing to states Wednesday. The grants, now in their second year, are designed to give states the flexibility to “meet the needs of their.

MOORE, Okla. – After a natural disaster, research shows survivors can have psychological fallouts for weeks, months – even lifetimes. Xavier Delgado was 10 in May 2013 when an EF5 tornado hit Moore. He nearly was one of the town’s 24 fatalities as the storm, with its 210 mph winds, struck Plaza Towers Elementary School..

PHOENIX – Outside the Burton Barr Central Library on a sweltering summer afternoon, Yahshua McDuffie offers free water and soda from his ice chest. It’s 112 degrees, and the sun is baking the blacktop of the library parking lot. “A lot of people out here suffer from heat stroke,” McDuffie said. “I’m trying to prevent.

WASHINGTON – Officials called a $20 million grant for suicide prevention programs in state schools an important first step to deal with a growing problem, even as they said much more needs to be done. The Arizona Board of Education on Monday approved a $20 million plan to hire additional counselors, social workers or school.

WASHINGTON – As state and Flagstaff officials battle over who should bear the cost of the city’s higher minimum wage, service providers for people with disabilities say they feel caught in the crossfire. Under a law that took effect Tuesday, the state can charge Flagstaff for added costs to state contracts that result from the.

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. GOLD CANYON – Bobbi.

PHOENIX – For young people faced with poverty and unemployment, gang life can offer power and control. But the International Federation of Muaythai Associations wants Thai boxing to be the gang for disenfranchised youth. The federation, in collaboration with the Peace and Sport Organization, has conducted the “Sport Is Your Gang” initiative since 2011, focusing.

WASHINGTON – “Deaths of despair” have grown more slowly in Arizona than in the nation as a whole since 2005, but death rates in the state still exceed the nation in every category, according to a recent national survey. Deaths of despair – the catchall name for deaths from drug overdoses, alcohol and suicide –.

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. GILBERT – School’s out.

PHOENIX – Avoiding hot summer temperatures is impossible for Arizonans who make their living beneath the scorching sun. Earlier this month, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, introduced a bill that would establish a federal safety standard for workers who labor in the heat, both inside and outdoors. The bill is named after Asunción Valdivia, a California.

ARIZONA – Monsoon storms, haboobs, scorching temperatures: Let’s face it, summer in Arizona comes with some big hazards. So it could be easy to forget one of the tiniest perils. Yes, mosquitoes, those buzzing, blood-sucking little demon insects. The mere mention of the pests is enough to make your skin itch, triggering flashbacks of outings.

SCOTTSDALE – Drugs have been a part of half of Perie Prickett’s life, and she’s only 24. In addition to those 12 lost years, drugs have stolen most of the experiences and memories that come with adolescence and early adulthood. It started with peer pressure, wanting to fit in and be accepted by classmates. Drugs.

PHOENIX – While the debate around laws that would allow clean needle exchange programs to operate legally in Arizona continues, one organization continues working in a legal gray area to help stop the spread of disease. Shot in the Dark is a nonprofit that provides drug users with clean needles, educational materials, treatment referrals and.

WASHINGTON – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to stop the Sackler family from “looting” Purdue Pharma of billions of dollars being sought by victims of the opioid crisis the company is accused of helping create. Taking a case directly to the court is highly unusual, but Brnovich said it.

WASHINGTON – Five years after the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix made national headlines for falsifying records about patient wait times, agency officials told House lawmakers Wednesday that the system has seen a “tremendous transformation.” Dr. Teresa Boyd of the Veterans Health Administration said wait-times are down nationwide, in many cases better than times in.

PHOENIX – Mosquitoes, beyond irritating people with bites that itch, transmit the West Nile virus. The pests have helped lead to a rise in people infected with the deadly virus in Arizona this year. As of July 19, the Arizona Department of Health Services has reported 34 confirmed cases and 23 probable cases of West.

PHOENIX – The Police Department is training more first-responders to use a nasal spray that can counter the effects of an opioid overdose, and it hopes to have nearly half of the force’s sworn officers trained by the end of next month. Although Narcan – a nasal-spray form of naloxone – is used by other.

PHOENIX – A recent Arizona State University study has shed new light on antibiotics produced by ants, and the lead author thinks the work could be applied to improving human health. “What is really fascinating to me is that these ants might actually help save our lives one day,” said Clint Penick, lead author of.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s 7th Congressional District is the most dangerous district for pedestrians in the U.S., according to a new report by a coalition that advocates for safe streets. From 2008 to 2017, 344 pedestrians were killed in the district, which includes downtown Phoenix, south Phoenix and parts of Glendale and Tolleson, the report by.

PHOENIX – The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call to address a shortage of blood across the country. The organization, which generally keeps a five day supply of all blood types on hand, has less than a three-day supply of types A and B blood and less than a two-day supply of type.

PHOENIX – Arizona summers are brutal, especially for those facing homelessness. Every summer, a coalition of organizations known as the Heat Relief Network provides hydration stations, refuge locations and water donation sites across metro Phoenix to prevent heat-related deaths among vulnerable populations, according to MAG, the Maricopa Association of Governments, which coordinates the network. Last.

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. GILBERT – School is.

PHOENIX – David Jarmusz has been through a lot in his 55 years. Diagnosed with HIV in 2009, he suffers from neuropathy, or numbness in his peripheral nerves, and has a hernia in his lower abdomen. He is also a recovering drug addict and a widower who has been homeless off and on for more.

PHOENIX － Families and guardians of Hacienda HealthCare residents on Monday called the intermediate care facility a wonderful place, despite the rape of an incapacitated patient last year and moves by state officials last month to revoke its license for inadequate care. “Losing this facility will destroy my son’s quality of life,” said Alan Strobel,.

PHOENIX – The State of Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners has entered the fight against opioid abuse, approving chemical dependency programs for a form of acupuncture that involves the outer ear. Supporters say auricular acupuncture helps people break free of addiction, but a skeptic says there’s zero evidence acupuncture relieves any condition. “I don’t think.

PHOENIX – Marijuana-laced massage oils, vaping products and brownies and other edibles likely will emerge as the future of the multimillion-dollar medical marijuana industry in Arizona, thanks to a court decision last month, industry representatives say. Concentrates, or extracts of the active ingredients in marijuana, such as THC and CBD, are considered legal under an.

PHOENIX – A national outbreak of hepatitis A, which can cause nausea, jaundice and, in rare cases, kill, is sweeping through the state, Arizona health officials reported. Two people have died of the liver disease in Arizona. Since November, 353 cases have been reported, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Nearly 90 of.

PHOENIX – When Katrina Huynh gave birth for the first time four years ago, she chose a modern tradition – a local hospital. But she chose a Phoenix birthing center when her daughter was born in October. Huynh, an executive at a health-insurance company in Arizona, said it was an unconventional and, for her, perhaps.

PHOENIX – Black socks peek from Roman Phillips’ shiny loafers, his cherry-red polo neatly pressed and tucked as he sits in the backseat, tapping on his mother’s smartphone. The ride to school is the only time his mom, Jacquelyn Phillips, allows her 12-year-old son to play video games. The Gilbert mom heads to her regular.

PHOENIX – Health officials warn that vaccination rates are deteriorating across Arizona, risking public health as parents continue to opt out of immunizations. Immunization levels in the past year fell further below the necessary rate to guarantee community protection against the outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases. The reason: Personal exemptions from vaccinations are on the rise,.

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST – “There’s a certain element of trauma that comes when you are removed from your comfort zone and taken to a place you don’t really know or understand or want to be in,” said Dan Santovin, who works with troubled youth and their families in the Anasazi wilderness behavioral program. Teenagers and.

PHOENIX – After years of riding the school bus to and from school in south Phoenix, Angelica Beltran Cuevas noticed she was battling for breath. “It just got so bad at times that I had to go to the hospital. I couldn’t breathe anymore,” she said. Beltran Cuevas was diagnosed with asthma in the third.

PHOENIX – It was a Sunday night, about 11. Sheila Pott heard sirens wailing and then a knock on her front door. A police officer stood outside, demanding her daughter’s phone. A day earlier, Pott had spoken at the funeral for her 15-year-old daughter, Audrie, who had commited suicide that week. Pott knew little about.

GILBERT – On a sunny, warm afternoon, Ben Bonorati, 15, watches TV in a house brimming with his artwork, a few hours before it’s time to head to his beloved church youth group. His mother, Heidi Bonorati, asks whether he wants to go outside to play with his friends from across the street. Ben jumps.

TEMPE – Doctors treat minority patients differently from others, with physicians less likely to send African-Americans and Hispanics to specialists for treatment, a University of Arizona researcher says. Dr. Khadijah Breathett, a clinical scientist who also is a Tucson cardiologist, said unconscious bias, inconsistent training and a lack of racial and ethnic diversity among doctors.

PHOENIX – First, the needle’s sting. Then the blood, flowing from the vein into a plastic testing card, the membrane unit. The waiting begins. This morning, inside the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS in downtown Phoenix, the client’s heart beats faster than the steady tick of the clock. The deep-blue rubber tourniquet that had snapped into.

  CHOOSE YOUR NEWS Migrant medical costs, Arcosanti experiment and day care inspections PHOENIX – Cronkite News wants to bring you the stories you want to see. We first asked audiences to vote on stories in three topic areas: health, sustainability and borderlands. Our reporters put together news stories exploring various aspects within those areas,.

PHOENIX – Arizona law requires doctors to check a state database before they write a new prescription for a controlled substance, such as opioids. Yet less than 40% do. Sheila Sjolander, an assistant director at the Arizona Department of Health Services, said department officials know that’s a problem they’re “all struggling” to address in the.

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Department is the largest law enforcement agency in Arizona whose officers don’t carry the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan, a nasal spray form of naloxone. Officers at other area police departments, including Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Scottsdale and Surprise, have access to Narcan and are allowed to administer the drug. In.

PHOENIX – Baltimore and Phoenix are two completely different cities culturally and geographically, but they’re both experiencing the same problem: increased deaths due to opioid overdoses, specifically those involving fentanyl. From June 2017 to April 2019, there were a little more than 2,800 suspected opioid deaths and just more than 20,500 opioid overdoses in Arizona,.

PHOENIX – Health care professionals are urging the public to make some of the toughest decisions they’ll ever face for themselves or loved ones: filling out advance directives on whether they want doctors to take extreme measures to keep them alive after a catastrophic illness or accident. The directives tell health care professionals what patients.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Health Services issued a report on Friday warning that higher exemptions from vaccines are putting the state at risk this year for an outbreak of such preventable diseases as measles and mumps. Immunization information is reported for three grade levels of children, but the health department uses the kindergarten.

WASHINGTON — Scott and Mark Kelly were identical twins when Scott went into space, but would they be identical when he came back to Earth 340 days later? NASA says yes – eventually. Long space travel does bring “significant changes” to the human body, but most are reversed a few months after returning to Earth,.

PHOENIX – Planned Parenthood Arizona filed suit in federal court Thursday challenging the legality of a number of Arizona abortion restrictions. “These intrusive measures, based on zero medical evidence, make it unduly difficult for patients to access the health care they need,” said Bryan Howard, president and CEO of the organization. Howard said they are.

PHOENIX – Virulent Newcastle disease has been found in an Arizona chicken flock for the first time since the outbreak began last year in California. It’s been found in Arizona near Flagstaff in a backyard flock of eight birds, and tests show the strain is part of the Southern California outbreak. Arizona state veterinarian Peter.

PHOENIX – A joint cancer screening program for Valley police and firefighters that began in November has detected two cases of prostate cancer, two cases of skin cancer and a thymus tumor, but all were caught early enough to successfully treat, officials said at a news conference Thursday. The partnership between the city and Vincere.

MORENCI – It’s just before sunrise as Maggie Phillips wakes her three children in the darkness. The oldest, Jaxon, a second-grader, is headed to school. For the two youngest, Phillips packs clothes, snacks and toys for the hourlong trip to the methadone clinic. Jesse, 3, runs around the small room he shares with his brother,.

PHOENIX – The case of two Phoenix police officers who were hospitalized this week after accidentally being exposed to a white powder comes as police departments are training officers and changing their policies on how to handle suspicious substances. The unidentified officers were hospitalized Tuesday for a suspected fentanyl exposure, according to media reports. One.

PHOENIX — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first treatment designed to tackle postpartum depression, a potentially life-threatening condition that affects nearly 1 in 7 new mothers in America. However, the 60-hour intravenous drip will cost $20,000 to $35,000 and require a stay in a medical facility, and it’s unclear whether insurance.

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS – Green vegetation dots the mountain range from Quarter Circle U Ranch headquarters to the edge of the Superstition Mountains, where genetically selected black Angus cattle roam rocky trails, eating cacti and dry hay. Chuck Backus is a ranch owner cloaked in science, his background in engineering leading him to choose the right.

PHOENIX – Jan Vesely, superintendent of the Kyrene School District, asked middle school students in a focus group last year what their biggest concern was. Their answer surprised her. It wasn’t their friends, course work or teachers. The students told her how they go all day without using the restroom, fearful they’d encounter other students.

PHOENIX – Virtual doctors visits connecting patients and physicians who are miles apart are increasing, but insurance coverage hasn’t caught up with the move toward telemedicine, Arizona doctors and lawmakers say. A proposed law would expand insurance beyond the sliver of conditions that are covered now. Private insurers are required to cover telemedicine care in.

NOGALES – Despite record seizures of fentanyl at U.S. ports of entry on the southern border, a rise in overdoses is forcing law enforcement officials in some border communities to change their tactics, emphasizing information and public engagement, as well as drugs to reverse opioid overdoses. Customs and Border Protection officers on Jan. 26 found.

PHOENIX – Arianna Dodde gave birth to her third child, Adrian, in August. Three days later, bleeding internally from a torn uterus, she had a heart attack and died. She was 23. Dodde had a healthy pregnancy, nothing out of the routine. As her stepmother, Leticia Garcia, said, “I don’t think people think anything is.

WASHINGTON – Tayler Tucker said a Trump administration plan to prohibit funding of family planning clinics that provide abortions will have a “huge impact” on the ability of Planned Parenthood Arizona to continue its work. But she’s just as certain when asked if the organization plans to back down in the face of the funding.

TUCSON – Researchers have forged a path toward mosquito birth control, manipulating DNA to fight such mosquito-transmitted diseases as Zika, malaria and West Nile virus. The 10-year battle involved raising swarms of lab-born female mosquitoes to test, figuring out how to get rid of mosquitoes that continuously build resistance to insecticides and finding a scientific.

PHOENIX – Alzheimer’s advocates are asking lawmakers to require dementia training for health care professionals, first responders, caregivers and others involved with people diagnosed with dementia. Senate Bill 1357 would create a coalition of Arizona lawmakers, representatives of nonprofits dealing with dementia and state government officials to recommend training policy and standards, the bill says..

TUCSON – A transgender University of Arizona professor has sued the state over financial access to surgery his doctor said is medically necessary. Russell Toomey last month filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tucson on behalf of state employees and their dependents. The suit, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

WASHINGTON – It was almost a throw-away line in a State of the Union address focused largely on border security and partisanship, but President Donald Trump’s call last week for a ban on late-term abortions got plenty of notice from pro-life groups. “I think we were really encouraged to see the president raise the profile.

PHOENIX – Arm injuries among high school baseball players have been on the rise in recent years due to overuse while playing the game. This has caused not only pitchers to take care of their bodies better, but also a change in how pitch counts are managed in game. Approximately 30 percent of 203 youth.

WASHINGTON – Arizona was one of seven states that met with federal officials and veterans groups in Washington this week to map out a strategy for reversing the complex problem of suicides among vets. The problem is real in Arizona, which had the sixth-highest veteran suicide rate in the nation in 2016, due in part.

PHOENIX – Arizona teachers, parents and legislators teamed up last year for the sake of children’s health, pushing for legislation that would require more recess or unstructured playtime for elementary school children. The early results of that effort are promising, educators say. In April, Gov. Doug Ducey signed SB 1083 requiring schools to provide two.

PHOENIX – Debra Hickey, who has lived with chronic pain for two decades, recently went to her medical specialist for her regular dose of 30 milligrams of oxycodone. The doctor told her she had to reduce the dosage because of state regulations to decrease the number and dosage in patients’ opioid prescriptions. Hickey, 63, of.

PHOENIX – Supporters of “hands-free” driving hope this legislative session will finally lead to a statewide ban on distracted driving, with a Republican-led bill perhaps gaining momentum after the recent death of a police officer. Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-central Phoenix, introduced the proposal at a news conference Thursday, standing with the family of Salt.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s drug overdose crisis shows no sign of slowing. Yet like much of the country, there aren’t enough doctors in the state who are trained to treat addiction. That’s beginning to change, though. For the first time, Arizona will have a path for aspiring addiction doctors to become specialists in their field through.

WASHINGTON – Arizona’s schoolkids are doing better than their peers nationally when it comes to physical activity, according to a national report card. But that’s nothing to brag about: The report card said kids nationwide are not even close to being active enough. The 2018 U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

LAVEEN – It’s nearing 7 p.m., into the evening hours of a long day of caregiving for the daughters of Santiago González – a life that has become routine in the decade since their father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Maury González asks her father if he’s ready for dinner. She spoon-feeds him applesauce while.

PHOENIX – An estimated 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and a great deal of research and support focuses on them. But their caregivers, who are often family and friends, also face devastating financial and lifestyle challenges. People with moderate and late-stage Alzheimer’s rely heavily on the supervision and care of loved ones. Generations of.

LOW MOUNTAIN – On a late-September morning deep within the Navajo Nation, Larron Badoni practiced his golf swing. Sun blanketed the plateaus and mesas surrounding the Lowerville Stingers Golf Club – nine holes scattered over a rocky, hilly, shrubby landscape dotted with blue shade structures, weathered carpets and pins flying red and white flags. It.

PHOENIX – Expect people who are living on the streets to be exhausted from carrying around everything they own, all the time, Bonnie Ervin told her volunteer trainees. Also expect them to be hypervigilant, she added, so don’t walk up on them without warning. Ervin, a social work instructor at Arizona State University, knows how.

PHOENIX – He holds out his forearm, pointing to an area right below a bandage near the crook of his elbow. One of his veins is much thicker – it looks like a caterpillar under his skin. It’s a fistula serving as the entry port for his hemodialysis treatment. “It’s like they stitch two of.

PHOENIX – The pink bollworm has destroyed cotton crops in the United States for a century, but it now has been eradicated from cotton-producing areas in the Lower 48. An undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture was in Arizona last month to celebrate the demise of the pink bollworm, which first invaded Texas from.

PHOENIX – State health officials have declared a statewide outbreak of syphilis after a spike in reported cases, mainly affecting women and infants. They’re trying to get out the word on this sexually transmitted bacterial disease, whose symptoms can easily be overlooked. And that can lead to problems with the skin, eyes and brain –.

WASHINGTON – Jennifer Wethe knows the importance of getting treatment for a concussion as soon as possible. She also knows how often concussions can be overlooked in those critical first few moments. “What we find instead is a lot of times people making excuses: ‘Oh well they’re just dehydrated,’ or ‘They got the wind knocked.

PHOENIX – Federal research funds that could prevent or lead to the cure for Alzheimer’s disease have reached $1.9 billion annually but still lag far behind research money for cancer and HIV/AIDS, experts said. Funds from the National Institutes of Health, the federal research agency that funds grant proposals, tripled from 2015 to 2018. By.

WASHINGTON – Open enrollment began Thursday for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, with most Arizonans seeing more choices and better prices, a sharp change from recent years when the state was the poster child for Obamacare problems. The Department of Health and Human Services said five companies will offer 18 qualified health insurance.

PHOENIX – Researchers are turning to tech to help figure out why some people live long lives without brain problems while Alzheimer’s and similar forms of dementia rob others of their ability to form memories and perform daily tasks that once were routine. The Translational Genomics Research Institute, known as TGen, founded and conducts MindCrowd,.

WASHINGTON – Three weeks into this flu season, the Arizona Department of Health Services already had confirmed 96 cases, slightly above last year’s numbers but close to three times the number of confirmed cases at this point in a typical year. “We are seeing some similar case numbers, maybe even a little bit of an.

Name: Joe Hart Political party: Republican Position sought: State Mine Inspector City of residence: Kingman Occupation: State Mine Inspector What is the greatest issue Arizona residents face? If re-elected, how would you address this issue? Hart, who has been in office for 12 years, said in an email interview he wants to continue working to.

Name: Bill Pierce Political party: Democrat Position sought: State mine inspector City of residence: Mesa Occupation: Retired engineer What is the greatest issue Arizona faces? If elected, how would you address this issue? “One of the main issues is the small budget and lack of field inspectors,” Pierce said. “There’s over 400 mines in Arizona.

WASHINGTON – Talen Spitzer was a healthy 10-year-old from Queen Creek a little more than two years ago when, in a matter of minutes, he lost control of his muscles and his hands were paralyzed. His mother, Rochelle Spitzer, said doctors didn’t know what was wrong with him at first because everything else seemed normal..

PHOENIX – Arizona’s Medicaid agency has blended its health-care programs for mental and physical health for 1.5 million people in a move to increase efficiency and improve patient health. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, known as AHCCCS, now contracts with organizations to manage coverage of such physical ailments as diabetes and heart disease,.

PAGE – Years into a record-breaking drought across the Southwest, officials of the seven states along the Colorado River finally forged an agreement in 2007 on how to deal with future water shortages. Then they quietly hoped that wet weather would return. It didn’t. Those states now are back at the negotiating table to hammer.

PHOENIX – Physical destruction from hurricanes is easy to see, but such disasters also bring psychological and emotional damage to victims. Lillian Ortiz was in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria struck just one year ago. “This is what was traumatic to me, leaving and knowing the conditions, wondering if I couldn’t survive a night, wondering.

TEMPE – Scientists intend to make Arizona a national hub for research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other degenerative brain diseases. Experts say the state has the second-highest growth rate in the nation for Alzheimer’s disease. The ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, part of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, officially opened its doors Monday with plans.

WASHINGTON – After several years of double- and triple-digit increases in health insurance premiums, Arizona could see premiums fall more than 4 percent in 2019, one of only 11 states looking at a drop, according to a new analysis. It’s a sharp turnaround for Arizona, a state where a premium increase of 116 percent in.

WASHINGTON – Health care advocates Wednesday urged Attorney General Mark Brnovich to pull Arizona out of a multistate lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, saying the court case could deny coverage to vulnerable state residents. Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign and Protect our Care delivered a July 9 letter from.

PHOENIX – Friday night, under the lights. Basha and Cesar Chavez high schools were battling it out in the third game of the 2014 football season. As the clock ticked down toward the end of the first quarter, Cesar Chavez threatened to score. On fourth and goal, the only thing stopping Cesar Chavez was one.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain has discontinued treatment for the deadly brain cancer he has been living with since last summer, his family announced Friday. The six-term Republican announced his diagnosis of glioblastoma in July 2017 and has already beaten the odds against the very aggressive form of cancer. It can be particularly hard on.

LOS ANGELES – Jazmarie Mader, an Arizona State women’s soccer player, was on a flight back home to Phoenix in 2016 when she felt nauseated. She headed toward the restroom and tried to push the door open. The next thing she said she remembered was waking up on the restroom floor, surrounded by flight attendants..

LOS ANGELES – Can’t leave the house without getting bitten? Legs swollen from scratching? Welcome to the crowd. Because yes, the mosquitoes are worse this year. Why? There’s a new type of mosquito hunting across the southern United States. You might have heard of it – the Aedes mosquito – which first showed up in.

CHANDLER – Every night, about two dozen men and women gather on a street corner and go through the same routine: A monitor searches their backpacks, suitcases and toiletry bags. They go over the rules, then board a bus to where they’ll “camp out,” eat dinner, say a prayer and bunk down for the night..

NOGALES – Some residents in Santa Cruz County are warning that the pipeline carrying raw sewage from Mexico into the United States could rupture as it did during last year’s monsoon, spewing millions of gallons of waste into the Nogales Wash over seven days. The wash is a main tributary of the Santa Cruz River,.

PHOENIX — Back when he played for Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Danny Coulombe dominated on the diamond. A talented left-hander with a devastating curveball, Coulombe averaged more than two strikeouts per inning during his junior and senior seasons. But as his baseball career continued to unfold, setbacks abounded. The southpaw — who is now.

PHOENIX – In today’s sports environment, high school athletes are thrust into the limelight sooner and face higher expectations. Becoming an elite-level prep athlete can require a year-round commitment. From ESPN’s non-stop coverage of college football’s National Signing Day to high school freshmen deciding to commit to collegiate athletic programs, athletes with dreams of playing.

GILBERT – Vilma Bose places headphones over her ears and is greeted by the sounds of droning conversation, a fire engine and a door slamming. Next, she’s escorted to a dimly lit room and given a list of tasks to complete within five minutes. Find the white shirt, and put it on. Organize the pills.

WASHINGTON – A Navy widow whose husband died from kidney disease cannot sue the Veterans Affairs medical center that delayed his treatment, only to send a letter two weeks after his death urging him to seek immediate care. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Felisa Tunac waited.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s wettest month is upon us, but rain won’t be the only thing that arrives with these August monsoon storms. Standing rainwater provides optimum breeding conditions for mosquitoes, which have the potential to cause serious illnesses, including the West Nile virus. “It’s really important that after a rainstorm comes through that you clean.

TEMPE – Tempe Meals on Wheels depends on volunteers to make deliveries and run the organization, but Arizona’s summer heat creates challenges – mainly, a shortage of hands. That can have dangerous consequences to elderly clients, many of whom live alone. “Everybody heads for the hills in the summer,” said Gwen Hanna, president of the.

LOS ANGELES – Mountains. Forests. Starry nights. Smog. Smog? Sadly, yes. The air in two popular national parks in California is as dirty as it is in Los Angeles – the smoggiest city in the country. “When you think of national parks, you think of these as being really pristine areas, almost areas you want.

PHOENIX – Grey Ruegamer described himself as a “tall, skinny fat kid” his freshman year at Arizona State University. At 6-foot-4, the center weighed 245 pounds. But by the end of his senior season, the scale read close to 290. On NFL Draft day in 1999, however, Ruegamer learned those extra 45 pounds wouldn’t be.

PHOENIX – Three years after the suicide of a decorated Army Ranger, friends and family of the victim are calling on state legislators to mandate the collection of data on suicide rates for military veterans in Arizona. At a news conference on Monday, State Rep. Jay Lawrence, Republican chairman the Arizona House’s Military, Veterans and.

WASHINGTON – The White House’s decision to suspend billions in Obamacare “risk adjustment” payments to insurance companies could hit tens of thousands of Arizonans in the pocketbook, as insurance companies grapple with new market uncertainty. That was the assessment of advocates and insurers both after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service this month stopped.

PHOENIX – Despite significant seizures of fentanyl over the past year, the lethal synthetic opioid keeps pouring into the country across Arizona’s border with Mexico, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Arizona Department of Public Safety say. “We are the tip of the spear for drug trafficking,” said Doug Coleman, the DEA’s special agent in.

PHOENIX – Another football game hadn’t gone Joe Schiller’s way, and the thousands of dollars of debt he had accumulated from betting was about to bury him. With his life spinning out of control, he hopped in his car with his then-pregnant wife’s paycheck in his pocket and went into hiding for two months. Mo.

MESA – Mesa police have adopted their first therapy dog, primarily to provide smiles and comfort to those who have been traumatized by crime. Macy, a 16-week-old English Labrador puppy, will be trained to work in the special victims unit as a therapy dog for children and adults. “What we’re hoping is that down the.

PEORIA — Every year, football players around the country succumb to injuries that put their seasons in peril. For Zach Hunzinger, a pain revealed a far more serious issue. The Liberty High School football standout was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, in his knee and started chemotherapy soon after. The diagnosis came after Hunzinger.

PHOENIX – A dozen people waited at Phoenix Walgreens on a Wednesday in late June to get tested for HIV. One by one, they were called into a small room, asked a few general questions and had a finger pricked to draw blood. The results followed quickly – the entire process took about five minutes..

WASHINGTON – Rabies cases in Arizona have risen sharply this year compared with the same time last year, and state health officials said the problem is only likely to get worse as the temperatures rise. There were 81 confirmed rabies cases in animals reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services through May, up from.

PHOENIX – Metro Phoenix was among the Top 5 largest metro areas with the most days of smog in 2016, according to a national study released Wednesday by an Arizona research group. Experts say that’s a serious health concern for the 4.6 million people who live in the area because breathing contaminated air increases the.

PHOENIX – Arizona anti-abortion activists hailed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling supporting pregnancy centers as a win for free speech and religious rights. “The ruling means that Arizona city government will not be able to compel a pro-life pregnancy center to communicate a message that violates their deeply held convictions,” said Cathi Herrod, president of.

TEMPE – As Jordan Woodruff sits in his black and red gaming chair, he issues directives into his headset to an online crew playing the popular game “Overwatch.” “All right, push up with me, guys.” Woodruff, 28, who lives in Tempe, said he plays and livestreams video games on the popular streaming website Twitch approximately.

PHOENIX – Arizona is expanding drop-off services for unused and old medications to 13 pharmacies and additional police stations in a continuing battle against opioid abuse. “We know that so many times it’s friends, family, grandparents, kids that end up getting access to these dangerous opioids,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said, announcing the program.

PHOENIX – A recent study identified Phoenix as a “hotspot” for potential disease outbreak because of the high rate of parents who opt out of vaccinating their children. Arizona is one of 18 states that allow exemptions from vaccination because of personal beliefs, according to the study published in the Public Library of Science. Many.

PHOENIX – LGBTQ teens are at risk of high rates of depression, sexual assault and discrimination, according to a national survey released Wednesday by a human rights group. The survey of 12,000 youths – including 330 in Arizona – show many LGBTQ youths still suffer compared to those who are cisgender, leaders of the Human.

PHOENIX – When Mary Jo Fasani was pregnant, she needed 100 units of blood for her daughter to survive. “Being O negative is such a rare type,” she said. “I was having to get blood transferred from New Mexico, Kentucky, Ohio, all across the nation because we didn’t have enough in our own supply.” Fasani,.

PHOENIX – Mark Maddox is left with fragments of what should be his fondest memories: He’s lost the details of a family trip to Disney World, and forgotten most of what happened in the three Super Bowls he played in. Sometimes, he watches video of his games to help jog a memory impaired by too.

WASHINGTON – Methamphetamines were the drug of choice 10 years ago when Arizona began working on a coordinated program to keep drug-addicted parents and their newborn children together. The concept was not new, said Suzanne Schunk, vice president of family support services at Southwest Human Development, which helped the Arizona Department of Child Safety develop.

PHOENIX – High suicide rates have largely been associated with younger populations, but middle-age suicides are beginning to rise throughout the country, a new report says. In 2016, the population group at the highest risk for suicide was 45 to 54, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. recorded 8,437 suicides.

PEORIA – On a scorching summer day, children run and laugh as they pelt each other with dodgeballs in the gym of Sundance Elementary School. OK, guys, pipe down, a volunteer counselor tells them. Lunch is about to be served. They scramble over to rows of long tables, demolishing hamburgers and yogurt parfaits swirled with.

SCOTTSDALE – One-third of recreational waterborne disease outbreaks occur at hotel pools or hot tubs, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that urges people to take precautions regardless of where they swim over the summer. More than half of the outbreaks occur during the summer, but they also spike in March..

PHOENIX – Temperatures have soared above average for early June, and the National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for parts of central Arizona. Local nonprofits are helping to combat the scorching conditions by providing water and air-conditioning to those in need. The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Survival Squad has set up hydrations stations.

PHOENIX – Sexually transmitted diseases reported in Arizona from January through April have increased 19 percent over the same period last year, possibly because of increased awareness and improved treatment, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Nicole Capone, spokeswoman for DHS, said 15,710 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported from January.

SCOTTSDALE – As Robert “Bob” Lane wrapped his hand, boxing trainer Marty Barrett landed a verbal jab: “Let’s go, fat boy!” Lane, 71, looked over his shoulder to see Barrett smirking. “I guess that’s me. I say all these nice things about you,” Lane replied, prompting laughter. Barrett, who towers over Lane’s 5-foot frame, playfully.

PHOENIX – Rep. Martha McSally on Wednesday blamed the country’s lack of border security as one reason for Arizona’s opioid epidemic. “The overwhelming majority of drugs, up to maybe 90 percent, come through the nation’s ports of entry,” she told the House Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee. “In order to mitigate these illicit paths ….

PHOENIX – Meika Lively has her own language, understood by family members and others close to her. As a 33-year-old with Down syndrome and the speech and hearing problems common for those with the condition, she’s found a way to communicate, sometimes using hand signals or props. She expresses disgust, a universal “Eeckk,” as her.

TEMPE – Arizona State University scientists will work with Tempe to detect opioids and other drugs in city wastewater, an exploration that could serve as an early-warning system in the ongoing opioid crisis. The city and the ASU Biodesign Institute each will contribute $35,000 to study wastewater for opioids, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs as.

WASHINGTON – When Brophy College Preparatory student Diego Morris needed a life-saving experimental treatment that was not available in the United States, he and his family did the only thing they could do. They moved to London for a year where the drug regimen had already been approved. “It was time-sensitive,” said a cancer-free Morris,.

PHOENIX – When 7-year-old Monibelle Townsend heard her family’s smoke alarm go off and smelled smoke, she said she knew what to do, thanks to training she had received at school just days before. She woke up her grandmother and 6-year-old brother and escorted them to safety. Her home was destroyed by the fire, but.

FOUNTAIN HILLS – As the sun started to set beyond the red, rocky backdrop of McDowell Mountain Regional Park, hundreds of runners lined up to battle the 50-kilometer trail run that lies ahead. The Adrenaline Night Run is part of Aravaipa Running’s Insomniac Night Series, consisting of nine nighttime trail races orchestrated throughout Arizona’s hot.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. has only about a quarter of the beds that the Treatment Advocacy Center considers a safe minimum for mental health care. And Arizona has only about a third of the national rate. But despite the numbers – Arizona ranked 49th on Mental Health America’s 2018 report on the State of Mental.

PHOENIX – The Ultimate Fighting Championship first came into the public consciousness late in 1993. Few rules existed. Fighters were matched up against each other regardless of weight. A 400-pound man could, and did, fight a 220-pound competitor. Weight didn’t matter as much as knowing what your opponent didn’t know. A relatively unassuming 180-pound man.

Health and consumer reporters bring stories on the health and well-being of Arizona communities