‘We’re going to bounce back’: ASU baseball optimistic despite dropping Pac-12 tournament opener

SCOTTSDALE – More than a month after losing 20-0 to the University of Arizona, the Sun Devils walked a season-high 10 batters in a 12-3 loss in the first game of the Pac-12 tournament at Scottsdale Stadium.

ASU baseball took a thumping Tuesday in a 12-3 loss to UArizona in the Pac-12 tournament opener at Scottsdale Stadium. (Photo by Joey Plishka/Cronkite News)

A slice of home: Sydney Seigel’s backyard dream plays out at 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship

SCOTTSDALE – Phoenix native and Pinnacle High alum Sydney Seigel competed as a member of the University of Tulsa golf team last weekend at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club, and she brought a crowd to watch her fulfill a dream of playing close to home.

Sydney Seigel's golf journey came full circle last weekend at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club – a course she played while growing up in Arizona. (Photo by Taylyn Hadley/Cronkite News)

Watchdog fights to protect consumers, keeps tabs on utility companies and the commission that regulates them

PHOENIX – Since 2018, Abhay Padgaonkar has worked as a fierce consumer advocate, fighting for the rights of those who struggle to pay their electricity bills. Padgaonker believes that his background in engineering and financial modeling makes him uniquely suited for data analysis as he keeps tabs on utilities and the commission that regulates them.

Protesters march around the Arizona Corporation Commission building in Phoenix before a September 2019 meeting about Arizona Public Service’s electricity shut-off policy. (File photo by Jake Eldridge/Cronkite News)

Balancing highs and lows: ASU baseball hopes to find rhythm in Pac-12 tournament

TEMPE – Arizona State baseball is focused on Pac-12 tournament play this week at Scottsdale Stadium. The Sun Devils will face Arizona and Oregon State in pool play on Tuesday and Thursday.


Arizona, California, Nevada agree on cuts to Colorado River water use

WASHINGTON - Arizona, California and Nevada unveiled a plan Monday to save 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water between now and 2026, a stopgap measure to buy time while authorities figure out a long-term plan for the river.


Home free: Brittney Griner’s emotional embrace completes long return to Footprint Center

PHOENIX – Brittney Griner’s first home game since 2021 didn’t disappoint, exhibiting a dominant performance in front of a record crowd. The Mercury fell to the Chicago Sky 75-69 to drop to 0-2 this season.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner said she was nearly brought to tears Sunday at Footprint Center in her first regular-season home game since being released from a Russian prison. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

From stilettos to sneakers, center offers LGBTQ youth gender-affirming clothes

PHOENIX - One-n-Ten, a Phoenix nonprofit collects and gives away gender-affirming clothes for free. Hundreds of items, including underwear, socks, binders, drag and job-interview clothes are among the offerings.


Supreme Court dismisses Arizona’s last-ditch attempt to preserve Title 42

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has formally dismissed an Arizona-led effort to preserve Title 42, the pandemic-era immigration restriction that the Biden administration officially ended last week, saying Arizona v. Mayorkas was now moot.


NASCAR’s Next Gen era raises questions of credibility, transparency and the future following Phoenix Raceway fallout

PHOENIX – After NASCAR penalized six different teams after the Phoenix race, the appeals sent shockwaves through the sport, leaving some to call out NASCAR’s inconsistencies in punishment and wonder how the sport will evolve.

In the second year of the NextGen car, NASCAR has dealt with a fair share of controversy during the 2023 Cup Series season. The fallout from Phoenix Raceway's race in March led to one of the largest combined team penalties in the sport’s history. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Honor your ‘mother’: Working to keep traditional ways, types of Hopi corn

MAYER – Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a farmer from the Hopi Tribe, is focusing on bringing Hopi corn back to the dining table – not only for the health benefits but also to connect his people to their culture.

Michael Kotutwa Johnson says Hopi corn "has 10 to 15 times more mineral content" than supermarket corn. He hopes to share it with the Hopi people and believes they will see an improvement in health. (Photo by Sierra Alvarez/Cronkite News)

As sports world starts to talk about mental health, stigmas remain, especially among high school athletes

PHOENIX – High schoolers are at great risk for dealing with mental health struggles, and while sports can help in this regard, the stigmas against mental health in the sporting world can exacerbate problems.

Reports of sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, decreased self-confidence and an inability to concentrate continue to climb for young athletes. The demands of high school sports and the social media age are two factors contributing to the rise of mental illness. (Photo by Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images)

Arizona film tax credit expected to spur new production companies

PHOENIX – The Arizona film tax credit passed in 2022, and the Arizona Commerce Authority is in the process of reviewing comments to finalize the rules for the credit. The credit is encouraging the launch of new production companies in Arizona, such as Camelback Productions.

Anita Verma-Lallian works at her desk on April 13, 2023, in Paradise Valley. Verma-Lallian is the owner of Camelback Productions, which she says is Arizona’s first woman- and South Asian-owned film production and entertainment company. (Photo by Gianna Abdallah/Cronkite News)