As cartels turn to social media to push fentanyl, experts teach parents how to keep kids safe

GLENDALE – Opioid use, particularly the use of powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl, remains a pressing problem. As cartels do more to target young people on Snapchat and other social media, Arizona drug prevention groups are letting parents, kids and educators know what to look out for to stay safe.


High school students learn about artificial intelligence and related career paths

TEMPE – DriveTime, an online used-car dealership and finance company based in Tempe, partnered with the Mark Cuban Foundation to host an AI boot camp for high school students in the Phoenix metro.

Alec Evans, assistant director of data science for DriveTime, guides Miguel Fernandez, 16, left and Zyron Hilsee, 16, as they work to create a chatbot through Microsoft Azure during the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Boot Camp at the DriveTime corporate office in Tempe. Photo taken Oct. 22, 2022. (Photo by Justin Spangenthal/Cronkite News)

‘We see value in you’: Arizona organization helps bridge gaps between foster kids and families

PHOENIX – An estimated 80% of the more than 400,000 children in foster care across the U.S. struggle with significant mental health issues. In Arizona, one nonprofit is working to help children persevere – by offering services for foster youth and parents alike.

Russ Funk, left, is director of community engagement for Aid to Adoption of Special Kids in Phoenix. Funk and his wife have been foster parents, and two of their four children are adopted and biracial. “They integrated into our home at a very early age, and so it was just a natural thing,” he said, adding that those experiences are what drove him to work with other foster families. (Photo courtesy of AASK)

‘Sentimental thing:’ Neon signs still cast an eerie glow, but mostly in museums

GLENDALE, Calif. – The warm glow of neon is being preserved in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Casa Grande, Arizona. Some find it soothing reminders of yesteryear. Others just get a laugh out of some of it.

This iconic sign belonged to Paramount Pest Control in the Frogtown section of Los Angeles. Photo taken Sept. 16, 2022, at the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, California. (Photo by Emeril Gordon/Cronkite News)

First in the nation law requires tech companies to take steps to improve kids’ well-being

PHOENIX – Research shows that more young Americans are facing mental health struggles, and technology is partly to blame. A new California law requires tech companies to do more to protect the privacy and data of children online. The measure could pave the way for similar laws elsewhere.

Research shows that more young Americans are facing mental health struggles, and technology is partly to blame. A new California law requires tech companies to do more to protect the privacy and data of children online. The measure could pave the way for similar laws elsewhere. (Photo illustration by Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

‘Somebody special for our 500th ride’: 100-year-old WWII veteran flies with Grounded No More

MESA – Grounded No More, a Mesa nonprofit that takes veterans on “honor flights,” took its 500th flight with 100-year-old WWII veteran Ted Giannone, who joined the Navy at 19.


Symptoms of COVID ‘long haulers’ baffle doctors looking for treatment options

LOS ANGELES – With COVID-19 restrictions having faded away, doctors are seeing an influx of patients with long-term symptoms that are similar to the severe symptoms shown at the peak of the pandemic but are not as lethal. Doctors and other health care providers in Southern California are working with patients to correctly diagnose them and provide proper care to ease their suffering.


Voters with disabilities have many ways to cast ballots in Maricopa County

PHOENIX – An estimated 38 million eligible voters in the U.S. have a disability, but they tend to have a lower turnout rate than voters without disabilities. A Phoenix nonprofit works with disabled residents on what to expect on Election Day.


Ride to the polls: Grassroots effort gets people out to vote on the Navajo Nation

KAYENTA – Protect the Sacred is a grassroots effort to find new and creative ways to engage with young Indigenous voters. Earlier this year, the group skateboarded to the polls for the primary election, and recently they gathered in Kayenta to ride horses to the polls ahead of Nov. 8.


Observations vary by culture, but remembrance remains the heart of Día de los Muertos

PHOENIX – Although Día de los Muertos has been commercialized and thought to be the “Mexican Halloween,” it remains a day of remembrance. Those who celebrate also remember the origins of the holiday, which reach back to the Aztecs.

José Cárdenas of Chandler lights candles on Oct. 30, 2022, on one of the altars he built for his wife, Virginia, who died 10 years ago. (Photo by Scianna Garcia/Cronkite News)

Valley animal shelters struggle to ease overcrowding amid economic instability

PHOENIX – Metro Phoenix is experiencing an animal housing crisis of overcrowded animal shelters. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control and the Arizona Humane Society are offering resources to pet owners and rolling out initiatives to get pets out of shelters and into permanent or foster homes.


Day of the Dead, Hollywood style, comes to movie star cemetery

LOS ANGELES – Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, attracts thousands every year to Hollywood Forever. Families created altars for loved ones who have died, adorning them with photographs, decorations and some of the departed’s favorite things. The hope was, even in death, their family members might return and enjoy the tributes for one day of the year.