Search result for Samantha Witherwax

DIY filtration boxes from ASU help prevent spread of COVID-19 in Phoenix cooling centers

PHOENIX – The ASU AIDE lab makes and distributes free filtration boxes to cooling centers across metro Phoenix, helping prevent the spread of COVID in the homeless community. These boxes are a cheap and effective way to improve air quality.

Student volunteers at the end of a "box-a-thon" build day in 2022 outside ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change on the Tempe campus. (Photo by Steve Filmer/ASU News)

Finding Grandma Joyce: What happens when someone dies alone?

TUCSON – A two-year search for Joyce Maryanna Williams led to Maricopa County’s final resting place for the unclaimed, unidentified and indigent. Between September 2021 and August 2022, 718 people in Maricopa County died alone, meaning next of kin were unable to be located or refused to handle arrangements.


Cactus High students build a road-worthy electric vehicle

GLENDALE – As the world moves slowly away from fossil fuels, Cactus High School in Glendale is teaching automotive students how to build an electric vehicle from scratch.

Junior Ethan Lucas, left, and sophomore Aiden Bratton push an electric vehicle they’ve been building at Cactus High School in Glendale on Oct. 31, 2022. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Gilbert Fire and Rescue’s best arson investigator is a 4-year-old Lab named Zeta

GILBERT – Gilbert Fire and Rescue’s arson dog, Zeta, is their best investigator of suspicious fires. The 4-year-old Labrador can quickly and precisely locate accelerants, saving the fire department time and money.

Gilbert fire investigator David Zehring poses with Zeta, an accelerant-detection canine for the ATF. Zehring is the only person who's allowed to handle Zeta during arson investigations. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Vertical farm in Avondale promotes sustainability, technology, water conservation

AVONDALE – The vertical farm OnePointOne has opened in Avondale and is growing a variety of leafy greens and strawberries. Among its benefits, vertical farming uses 99% less water than a traditional farm – which could significantly affect Arizona’s water supply.

Cameras monitor the growth of savanna brassica, a spinach and mustard hybrid, at OnePointOne in Avondale on Sept. 28, 2022. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

For Arizona athletes, competing at Gallaudet means one less challenge

WASHINGTON - Challenge is a part of sports, but the challenges don't usually include being able to freely communicate with teammates and coaches. For deaf Arizona athletes on hearing teams back home, all that changed when they started competing for Gallaudet University.


After overwhelming voter OK, political ‘dark money’ law hailed as model

WASHINGTON - It could be months before the impact of Proposition 211 is seen in Arizona, but experts are already hailing the new law aimed at exposing "dark money" in politics as a model for the rest of the nation.


Valley homeowners take advantage of xeriscape incentives

MESA – Mesa and Chandler offer xeriscape incentives for homeowners to convert their grass lawns to more desert-friendly landscaping.

This yard in Mesa was converted to desert landscaping under the city’s Grass-to-Xeriscape incentive program. Photo taken Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Indigent and unclaimed: 494 people memorialized in André House candlelight vigil

LITCHFIELD PARK – André House of Arizona held its annual Thanksgiving Eve candlelight vigil for the indigent and unclaimed buried at White Tanks Cemetery in Litchfield Park, which is Maricopa County’s potter’s field.

Maria Ornelas, 14, looks at a program during an annual Thanksgiving Eve vigil at White Tanks Cemetery in Litchfield Park on Nov. 23, 2022, organized by André House of Arizona. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

‘Somebody special for our 500th ride’: 100-year-old WWII veteran flies with Grounded No More

MESA – Grounded No More, a Mesa nonprofit that takes veterans on “honor flights,” took its 500th flight with 100-year-old WWII veteran Ted Giannone, who joined the Navy at 19.


Propositions: Measures to limit ‘dark money’ and medical debt pass

PHOENIX – Proposition 211, the ballot measure requiring disclosure for political spending, has passed, according to the Associated Press.


See updates from Arizona voters and polling locations on Election Day

PHOENIX – Voters across Arizona headed to the polls to make their voices heard this midterm election. Their votes on candidate races and propositions will determine the future of Arizona. This year, tensions are high as Arizonans decide on a new governor as well as a U.S. senator, among other races.