Desert duel: Michigan, TCU set for battle in CFP semifinal at Fiesta Bowl

SCOTTSDALE – Michigan and TCU, two programs with vastly different preseason expectations, prepare to compete on college football’s biggest stage at the College Football Playoff at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was a junior quarterback for the Wolverines when he last participated in the Fiesta Bowl, in 1986. (Photo by Nicholas Hodell/Cronkite News)

Vietnamese EV survives Arizona’s heat, but navigating a tight U.S. market will be tougher

LOS ANGELES – Although it performed well in Arizona’s heat, the Vietnamese EV VinFast won’t have it easy competing against a cascade of new electric models on the way from established automakers, experts say.

The VinFast VF8 is coming to the U.S. in early 2023, company officials say, along with the VF9. Photo taken Nov. 17, 2022, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. (Photo by /Cronkite News)

Horse slaughter in Apache-Sitgreaves forest highlights friction between animal and environmental concerns

SPRINGERVILLE – Dozens of feral horses were killed in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest near Springerville in October. The presence of feral horses on federal land has angered scientists, hunters, government agencies and horse advocates, but all for different reasons.

Authorities are investigating the slaughter of dozens of horses in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in October. The Forest Service makes a distinction between wild horses, which are protected by law, and feral horses, which are not. (File photo by Megan Newsham/Cronkite News)

Derrick Michael Xzavierro’s history-making odyssey lands him at GCU

PHOENIX – Derrick Michael Xzavierro’s journey to GCU has led him across the world from his home of Indonesia. Though he is taking a redshirt year this season, Xzavierro has already made an impact and history as Indonesia’s first Division I basketball scholarship player.

A long way from home, Derrick Michael Xzavierro has represented the country of Indonesia honorably on the basketball court and inside the Grand Canyon University locker room. (Photo courtesy of GCU athletics)

Arizona’s falling vaccination rates could lead to serious health issues in the future

PHOENIX – Arizona’s vaccination rates, which have been declining for years, dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and haven’t rebounded since. Experts fear that could result in serious health consequences for Arizonans in the future.

A health care worker prepares a vial of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in New York City last summer. Arizona’s vaccination rates, which have been declining for years, dropped sharply during the pandemic and haven’t rebounded since. (File photo by Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock)

Friendship goals: GCU trio fulfills childhood dreams of playing together

GLENDALE – Blake Reilly, Vince Reilly and Jacob Wilson lived the dream that many childhood friends only wish. The longtime teammates played travel, high school and college ball play college baseball together.

Vince Reilly signed with the Oakland Athletics in July, setting the bar for his twin brother, Blake, and childhood friend, Jacob Wilson, for 2023 season at Grand Canyon University. (Photo courtesy of Grand Canyon University athletics)

It’s electric: ADOT planning a statewide network of EV chargers along interstates

PHOENIX – Thanks to federal funding, the Arizona Department of Transportation will receive millions to upgrade existing electric vehicle chargers and install new ones along interstate highways.

More electric-vehicle charging ports will be installed along interstate highways in Arizona as early as 2024. ChargePoint already has some charging stations, similar to this one in downtown Phoenix, along several interstates. Each station will have four or more fast chargers capable of charging most vehicles in about 30 minutes. Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022. (Photo by Jennifer Sawhney/Cronkite News)

Already struggling, farmers face another challenge with diesel shortage

As if this year hasn’t been rough enough on the agriculture community, with droughts and inflation, farmers can now add "global diesel shortage" to their hardship bingo card for 2022.


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.


‘It’s changing’: As police officers quit the profession in droves, an opportunity for change emerges

PHOENIX – Police departments across the country are in a workforce crisis. Some leaders see this as an opportunity, and they’re trying harder to attract candidates who reflect the communities they serve, with a focus on women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Officer Ashten Hayes of the Iowa City Police Department checks her patrol car's computer before her shift begins on April 18, 2022. After going to school for nursing, Hayes switched career paths to law enforcement "because I saw law enforcement as a noble job.” (Photo by Kate Heston/News21)

Pitchman: Suns marketing exec Harvey Shank recalls single major league mound appearance

PHOENIX – Harvey Shank worked for the Phoenix Suns for 42 years, playing a pivotal role in securing some of the club’s most iconic sponsorships. But in 1970, he pitched a single game in the major leagues against one of baseball’s most feared lineups – and survived to tell about it.

Harvey Shank, left, Seth Sulka, Mandie Colangelo, Robert Schiller, Sydney Asmus, Tom Hecht, Felisa Israel and Rob Harris pose with the Suns' gorilla mascot for Schiller's last game in the Suns front office. Schiller went on to work with the Golden State Warriors. In 1979, Shank played an integral role in making the gorilla the official Suns mascot. (Photo courtesy of Harvey Shank)

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.