Arizona traffic fatalities reached 15-year high in 2021, U.S. data shows
WASHINGTON - Arizona traffic fatalities hit their highest level in 15 years in 2021, when the state saw a 6.5% increase in highway deaths that experts blame in part on bad driving habits made worse during the pandemic.
Arizona housing authorities’ strict criminal background checks often bar people who need a second chance
PHOENIX – As they look for a place to live in the state’s tight rental market, applicants with criminal backgrounds seeking government-supported housing face hurdles that go far beyond what the federal guidelines require.
Surge in congenital syphilis gives Arizona second-worst rate in U.S.
WASHINGTON - Congenital syphilis cases in Arizona rose more than sevenfold from 2016 to 2020, pushing the state from the sixth- to second-worst state in the nation in that time, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts fear state is not prepared to handle surge in Alzheimer’s cases
WASHINGTON - Arizona is in the midst of a surge in Alzheimer's patients that is rising at the fastest rate in the nation, a crisis that advocates fear the state is not prepared to cope with.
Care and comfort: From horses to micro-mini cows, animals can help with human ailments
PHOENIX – From mini-micro cows to horses, Cronkite News journalists take a look at how different animals around the Valley are helping people with a variety of ailments.
As death rates rise, medical examiners struggle to keep pace with caseload
WASHINGTON - As the nation enters a third year under the threat of COVID-19, Arizona medical examiners say they are struggling to keep up with rising caseloads driven largely by rising deaths from the virus at a time when there is a shortage in forensic pathologists.
With travel mandate lifted, ‘one-way maskers’ and the chronically ill worry about their safety
LOS ANGELES – With a federal mask mandate for travelers now lifted, health professionals are advising “one-way maskers” – those who always mask up in public – to take additional precautions.
Growers turn to innovative solutions to curb rising beehive thefts
KINGSBURG, Calif. – Over a third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts are grown in California, and many crops depend on bees to produce food. Honeybees routinely are transported farm-to-farm to do their job of pollination. But this year alone, 1,169 beehives have been reported stolen or vandalized in California.
Yuma mother documents 4-year-old’s struggle with rare Moebius syndrome
YUMA – Moebius syndrome is a congenital condition that prevents some or all facial and eye movement and comes with other health complications. One Yuma mother has documented the journey of her 4-year-old son’s struggle with the rare disorder.
‘Only the beginning’: Brandon Act meant to reduce barriers, stigma for military members seeking mental health help
PEORIA – The legacy of Brandon Caserta of Arizona lives on in the Brandon Act, which allows service men and women to seek mental health help outside the military to reduce barriers and the stigma of self-reporting.
Women’s group works to eliminate food insecurities in south Phoenix
PHOENIX – A group of women helped develop the Phoenix Food Action Plan, which works to eliminate food deserts in Phoenix and improve accessibility to healthful, affordable food.
‘I just like being able to breathe’: Phoenix travelers react to halt of travel mask mandate
PHOENIX – Many travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were relieved to fly without masks after a federal judge halted a mandate that has been in effect and extended several times since January 2021.
