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With 1864 abortion ban repealed, Arizona doctors don’t need emergency licenses in California and none have signed up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 But Arizona’s Legislature quickly repealed the near-total ban, leaving no need for that option.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)

Arizona Legislature adjourns just in time to prevent repealed 1864 abortion ban from taking effect

WASHINGTON – The Arizona Legislature adjourned just in time to prevent a legal quirk that would have briefly resurrected an 1864 near-total abortion ban that lawmakers had repealed.

The Arizona Legislature finalized the state budget and adjourned June 15, just in time to prevent the 1864 abortion ban, which it repealed, from taking effect again for a few days in September. (File photo by Ellen O’Brien/Cronkite News)

Widely used abortion drug remains legal on 9-0 vote, as Supreme Court says anti-abortion doctors lack standing to challenge mifepristone

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld access to a widely used abortion drug, tossing out a challenge to the way FDA approved mifepristone. A federal judge in Texas had blocked use of mifepristone, questioning the FDA approval process, but the Supreme Court said the anti-abortion doctors who brought the case lack legal standing to sue.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld access to a widely used abortion drug, tossing out a challenge to the way FDA approved mifepristone. (File photo by Haley Smilow/Cronkite News)

Breaking barriers and improving access: Providers hopeful that cervical cancer self-test will increase screening rates

PHOENIX – The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a cervical cancer self-test to be administered in a clinical setting. Cronkite News spoke to providers and advocates about what this could mean for Arizonans.

An exam room at Central Phoenix Obstetrics & Gynecology. The practice offers comprehensive women's health care from nutritional counseling to surgery and sexual health. (Photo by Lauren De Young/Cronkite News)

Supreme Court rules in favor of two Native American tribes in dispute with federal government over insurance billing fees

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American tribes in Arizona and Wyoming that sought millions in federal reimbursement for health care insurance billing fees.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American tribes in Arizona and Wyoming that sought millions in federal reimbursement for health care insurance billing fees. (File photo by Stephanie Snyder/Cronkite News)

Boosting mental health through haircuts: ClipDart recreates barbershop, salon experience for Glendale older adults

GLENDALE – ClipDart is working to boost mental health for vulnerable community members through the power of quality haircuts. The nonprofit recreates an authentic barbershop and hair salon experience by bringing skilled barbers and hair stylists to people who can’t access these kinds of services.

David Rodriguez cuts Daniel Holguin’s hair, left, while Moraima Robledo gives Maria Castillo, right, a haircut at the Glendale Community Center on April 8, 2024. (Photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

Debbie Lesko presses Fauci on gain of function, alleged suppression of lab-leak COVID-19 theory

WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, faced heated questions from Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and denied allegations from Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko that he suppressed the lab-leak theory.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, questions former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci about the “lab-leak theory” and the origins of COVID-19 at a House select subcommittee meeting June 3, 2024 in Washington D.C. (Screen shot from U.S. House hearing)

Experts, beekeepers weigh in on local honey for seasonal allergies

SCOTTSDALE – The evidence that eating local honey can help with allergies is largely anecdotal; what's not in dispute is that local honey is both tastier and healthier than honey at the supermarket, beekeepers and experts agree.

Bees settle on a frame in their hive that has open larvae cells and capped worker brood comb. Photo taken in Scottsdale on March 20, 2024. (Photo by Emily Mai/Cronkite News)

Rapid rise in syphilis hits Native Americans in the Southwest hardest

Syphilis infections nationwide reached a 70-year high in 2022, and no group has been hit harder than Native Americans, CDC data shows. Rates of congenital syphilis were three times higher for Indigenous than for Black babies, and 12 times higher than for whites.