Kids Online Safety Act could pass the Senate soon amid calls to protect minors online

WASHINGTON – The Kids Online Safety Act aims to protect minors on social media. The U.S. Surgeon General is among many advocates who want to tackle the youth mental health crisis. But, some opponents worry about censorship.

The Kids Online Safety Act, which aims to protect minors online from harm, is pending in the U.S. Senate. (File photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

‘Commodification of life:’ Some religious leaders oppose IVF, causing tension among churchgoers struggling with infertility

PHOENIX – Reproductive technologies have increasingly been scrutinized by religious leaders, causing tension among churchgoers struggling with infertility.

E-Beth Marshall has been involved in fertility advocacy and care since after her third miscarriage. She is now the executive director of Advanced Fertility Care, a fertility clinic based in Arizona, and a board member of Resolve, a fertility care group. (Photo by Lauren De Young/Cronkite News)

Arizona poised to provide MDMA therapy to first responders with PTSD if the FDA approves the psychedelic

WASHINGTON – Arizona may allow PTSD therapy using ecstasy or molly under workers' comp. FDA approval pending, advocates hope for faster access to this promising treatment.

The FDA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. (Photo courtesy of FDA)

Arizona’s monsoon season means danger for those with asthma. Here’s how to cope.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s monsoon season is here, and it’s not all good news. Those with asthma have to be even more diligent to not get caught in the storm.

A dust storm clouds downtown Phoenix on July 14, 2024. Alerts from the National Weather Service urge those with respiratory conditions to take precautions. (Photo by Lauren De Young/Cronkite News)

Calls to 988 suicide hotline go to a crisis center in the caller’s area code, but may soon get routed to the closest counselor

WASHINGTON – The FCC has proposed a change in how 988 calls are routed, to end delays when callers end up speaking to a crisis center based on their own area code rather than where they actually are.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline signs at the William Howard Taft Bridge in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024. The city installed anti-suicide barriers and 988 signs along the bridge in 2023. (Photo by Morgan Kubasko/Cronkite News)

Arizona schools combat phone use in the classroom, see effect on youth mental health

PHOENIX – Across Arizona, classrooms and school districts have started limiting or banning cell phone use to combat student phone addiction. Educators have seen encouraging results.

Lowell Elementary School is a K-8 school in Phoenix that has adopted guidelines restricting the use of wireless communication devices in the classroom. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)

Feds want to rush aid to public housing residents to stay cool during extreme summer heat, but Tucson and Phoenix are in no hurry

WASHINGTON – Arizona public housing authorities can expand utility assistance for cooling costs during extreme heat, but the Tucson authority won’t be participating this year. Residents face challenges accessing cooling, creating health risks as triple-digit temperatures hit the state.

Richard Monocchio, the top official for Public and Indian Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, spoke at the Martin Luther King Apartments in Tucson on June 13, 2024, to announce emergency aid to help public housing residents pay utility bills. (Photo courtesy of Tucson Housing and Community Development)

Navajo uranium miners, people downwind of atom bomb tests demand justice as Congress lets aid program lapse

WASHINGTON – Congress let the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expire June 10, leaving Navajo uranium workers and people downwind of nuclear weapons tests furious.

The BADGER explosion on April 18, 1953, at the Nevada Test site (Photo courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office)

Nature’s therapy: How Jillian Stannard found healing in rock climbing

PHOENIX – Jillian Stannard has battled depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. Rock climbing helped her dig out of depression.

A determined Jillian Stannard reaches for her next hold, demonstrating the physical and mental strength she has gained through rock climbing. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Stannard)

Common Sense Institute Arizona report estimates fentanyl, opioid crisis cost Arizona $58 billion in 2023

PHOENIX – Common Sense Institute Arizona published a report on the growing fentanyl crisis in Arizona, estimating a cost of $58 billion in 2023. The nonpartisan think tank’s report included the costs of fatalities, opioid use disorder, hospitalizations and border security.

Fentanyl-related overdose deaths have increased drastically in the U.S. since 2014. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported almost 74,000 deaths in 2022. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in Phoenix on Dobbs anniversary, putting abortion rights in spotlight

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Phoenix on Monday to mark the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that ended a constitutional right to abortion. Abortion access is a key campaign issue and will likely be on the Arizona ballot.

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Phoenix Monday to campaign for reproductive rights on the two-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson. (File photo by Lydia Curry/Cronkite News)

With 1864 abortion ban repealed, Arizona doctors don’t need emergency licenses in California and none have signed up

WASHINGTON – California lawmakers rushed to offer emergency licenses to let Arizona doctors provide abortion care after an Arizona court reinstated an abortion ban from 1864. But Arizona’s Legislature quickly repealed the near-total ban, leaving no need for that option.

Arizona’s near-total abortion ban from 1864 will not be enforceable in the fall, leaving a California law intended to help Arizona doctors provide care on an emergency basis unnecessary. (File photo by Troy Hill/Cronkite News)