‘Soundies’ showcase Black history on film, racism and all

LOS ANGELES — For Black History Month, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures highlighted its exhibit "Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971." It features rarely-seen film excerpts restored by the Academy Film Archive.

Museum guests point and admire the photos of iconic Black stars like Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel. It was part of an exhibit on early Black films at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in a photo taken Feb. 4, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo By Ayana Hamilton/Cronkite News)

Federal grant could extend broadband to 127,000 Arizona homes, businesses

WASHINGTON - The Treasury released $99.4 million in broadband funding to Arizona Tuesday, money that officials said could bring broadband internet service to an estimated 127,807 households and businesses around the state.


California banned fur sales. Will Arizona and other states follow?

LOS ANGELES – California bans the sales and manufacturing of fur, targeting a new market driven by a Gen Z consumer market that overwhelmingly prefers anti-fur products.

A new California law prohibits the sale and manufacture of fur in the Golden State. Here, PETA activists dressed as Grim Reapers hold a “Fur is Dead” rally along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, in 2018. (File photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Arizona House considers making schools offer firearms safety training in grades 6-12

PHOENIX – Arizona’s House of Representatives is continuing to advance a bill mandating that Arizona’s public middle and high schools offer training on properly handling firearms. A bill similar to HB 2332 failed last year in the state Senate, with opponents concerned the bill creates a gun culture in schools.

Gun, bullets and magazine on a table.

Astronaut and artist Sian Proctor headlines ASU’s Space2Inspire events this weekend

Astronaut and artist Sian Proctor is headlining Space2Inspire this weekend at Arizona State University as part of ASU’s Black History Month celebration.

Astronaut and artist Sian Proctor is headlining Space2Inspire this weekend at Arizona State University as part of ASU’s Black History Month celebration. (Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU)

Native hoop dance coaches preserve history, tradition with new generation

PHOENIX – Indigenous intertribal hoop dance combines tradition and history with individuality and creativity. We tell the story of three dancers who are sharing their passion for the dance with the next generation.

Gianna Begay, who is Navajo and Anishinaabe, is an intermediate student in the Native American Hoop Dance Class at Ballet Arizona in Phoenix. Photo taken Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo by Izabella Hernandez/Cronkite News)

Arizona advocates win national recognition for work on Proposition 308

WASHINGTON - An Arizona nonprofit was honored here Tuesday for its push to win in-state tuition for undocumented students, a change that organizers said has moved the state from an "epicenter of hate toward immigrants into an epicenter of hope."


Blind skateboarder is a ‘sports junkie’ who inspires others

LOS ANGELES - Learning how to ride a skateboard takes dedication and confidence, sighted or not. You can’t be afraid to fall and crash. Blind skateboarder Coco Atama isn’t afraid of falling and certainly staying true to self.

Coco Atama, who is blind, uses his cane to alert him to a dropoff as he flip his skateboard back in this photo taken Jan. 26, 2023 in a skate park in the Encino section of Los Angeles. (Photo by Ayana Hamilton/Cronkite News)

First lady Jill Biden visits Mesa Community College to talk college, jobs

MESA - First lady Jill Biden was met with nothing but praise and happy students Monday morning during her visit to Mesa Community College, where she applauded the city for its successful college scholarship program.


Peacocks are pretty, but getting the boot when they invade neighborhoods

ARCADIA, Calif. – Southern California has been divided over peacocks for decades. Peacock lovers want them to stay even if neighbors are fed up.

A peacock stands in leaves.

Legislature votes to lift cap on school spending for second year in a row

PHOENIX – The Arizona Senate and House have overridden the aggregate expenditure limit for the second year in a row, which will allow school districts to spend their Legislature-appropriated funds. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the action was “long overdue” and called the limit from 1980 an “​​archaic cap on school funding.”

The Arizona House and Senate both voted this week to override the aggregate expenditure limit, a constitutional amendment that limits public school spending based on a formula from 1980. (File photo by Alex Gould/Cronkite News)

NFL Green brings Arizona community together for ‘Green Week’

PHOENIX – NFL “Green Week” continued on Thursday with an event that aimed to make a larger impact on the community than only the environment. Students led the way to donate over 25,000 items to underserved communities.

Dane Spratley, a Jack Barnes Elementary School student, helps organize donated picture books with his classmates. (Photo by Brooklyn Hall/Cronkite News)