Bye, Bee: Prescott girl’s run through national spelling bee ends in finals

WASHINGTON - Aliyah Alpert predicted the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee would be harder than the first two days of competition. Turns out she was right. The Prescott 11-year-old bowed out of the finals in ninth place, but said she was thankful for the experience.


After Uvalde, Arizona schools balance hard and soft deterrents to attacks

WASHINGTON - With little hope that state lawmakers will pass gun-control measures in the wake of the latest school shooting, Arizona educators find themselves balancing the competing goals of hardening schools while making them welcoming places.


College debt relief plan could mean $111.9 million for 10,000 in Arizona

WASHINGTON - More than 10,000 Arizonans could see $111.9 million in federal student loan debt erased as part of a $5.8 billion loan discharge announced this week for former students of the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges.


To bee, or not to bee: Prescott girl makes National Spelling Bee finals

WASHINGTON - A Prescott 11-year-old will compete in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night, spelling words like nuciform and dyspathy over two days of competition to be one of just 12 finalists from the field of 229 that started Tuesday.


Arizona cities continued booming growth last year, Census Bureau says

WASHINGTON - Arizona had five of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. last year while Phoenix continued to add residents, bucking the trend of major cities that lost population during the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau.


Flagging devotion: ‘Flags-In’ event prepares Arlington for Memorial Day

ARLINGTON, Va. - As an honor guard member, Airman 1st Class Connor Zierse spends his days at Arlington National Cemetery, but Thursday was different, The former Buckeye resident was there for the “Flags-In” ceremony, helping decorate the 260,000 graves ahead of Memorial Day.


Charity in virtual reality: Habitat for Humanity, law firm raise money in the metaverse

PHOENIX – Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona and Rose Law Group came together to raise money for the nonprofit in the metaverse, which they say is a first-of-its-kind collaboration.


Exoskeleton suit designed to reduce strain on manual laborers

PHOENIX – The WearTech Center, GoX Labs and Arizona State University collaborated to develop an exoskeleton suit called the PhenEx. The suit is designed to reduce the strain on workers as they lift heavy objects.


Arizona again near bottom of states for per pupil spending, Census says

WASHINGTON - Arizona was again among the worst states in the nation for per pupil spending on K-12 education in 2020, according to a recent Census Bureau report, a ranking that advocates said was embarrassing but not surprising.


‘Documented Dreamers’ fear deportation after aging out of visa protection

WASHINGTON - BASIS Peoria senior Ayaan Siddiqui, whose visa-holding parents brought him here at age 1, does not face deportation to India - yet. But like 200,000 other "documented Dreamers," he could when he turns 21, which is why he rallied for a bill to change that.


NAU’s smart bike technology can detect damaged pathways

FLAGSTAFF – A Northern Arizona University engineering team has created a prototype sensor and network that can detect damage along bike paths and alert city officials to needed repairs.


Bloom where you’re planted: How a south Phoenix farm harnesses Mother Earth

PHOENIX – Spaces of Opportunity – a partnership that includes Unlimited Potential, the Desert Botanical Garden and the Roosevelt Elementary School District – consists of small family gardens and a 10-acre incubator farm, as well as a farmers market. Its mission is to provide all south Phoenix families access to healthful, affordable food, promote active living and create strong bonds to individual cultures.