Spellbound: Eight Arizona schoolkids compete in National Spelling Bee

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., - Eight Arizona elementary and middle school students went to Washington to compete against almost 600 other students in the 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee, but only one, from Fort Defiance, still had a shot at the finals after the first three rounds of competition.


‘They choose not to know’: Victims, advocates combat sex trafficking in Arizona

PHOENIX – Cronkite News reporters Jake Goodrick and Alicia Longo produced three supplemental videos to accompany a Frontline on PBS documentary about sex trafficking in Arizona.


Census: Arizona continued to lag far behind U.S. on school spending

WASHINGTON - New Census Bureau figures show that per-pupil spending in Arizona's public schools was fourth-lowest in the nation in 2017, still mired at the back of the pack even though spending rose faster that year in the state than it did in the rest of the country.


Buckeye had nation’s fastest growth, Phoenix added most people in 2018

WASHINGTON - Buckeye saw its population grow by 8.5% from 2017 to 2018 and Phoenix added 25,288 new residents in the same period, claiming the top spots among U.S. cities for growth that year, the Census Bureau said, as Arizona continued its steady population rise.


For homeless young adults, HomeBase offers structure, shelter and a way out

PHOENIX - They are called unaccompanied homeless youth, the 18- to 25-year-olds who face their own set of challenges and needs as they try to get back on their feet. The U.S. has as many as 36,000 of them on a given night, but a transitional housing facility in Phoenix is designed to help them out.


Kitchen-inspection reports for day cares and schools are available – if you look

PHOENIX – Maricopa County restaurant inspectors include day care services and school kitchens in their assessments, but schools are not required to notify parents of violations


In Indian Country, potholes can be a bump in the road to an education

WASHINGTON - Of all the problems facing tribal schools, impassable roads are not the biggest problem, "but it is the most annoying one." With three-fourths of Bureau of Indian Affairs roads unpaved, students are often stranded and districts are forced to spend precious resources on bus repairs.


New law changes how English Language learners are taught. But what comes next?

MESA – A new law aims to help students who don’t speak English natively succeed, but how will educators implement it?


Smartphones, Snapchat, Instagram transform how today’s teens bully each other

PHOENIX – Increased accessibility to Wi-Fi, cellphones and social media platforms continues to transform how teens bully one another.


Thin on broadband: Tribal areas still struggle with lagging technology

WASHINGTON - To some Hopi, "just Google it," is an inside joke - only about 29% of Hopi households have broadband internet access, compared to 79% in Arizona and 78% nationwide. On tribal lands across Arizona, fewer than half the homes have broadband access, stifling business, health and schooling.


Battling tariffs, drought and milk substitutes, Arizona dairy farmers expand their global reach

PHOENIX – Arizona dairy farmers are forming partnerships and seeking larger foreign markets in the wake of tariffs and persistent drought.


Low and slow: Car clubs celebrate unique lowrider culture of the Southwest

SAN DIEGO – San Diego’s Day at the Bay showcase wows audiences with lowriders from car clubs across the Southwest.