With pay lagging, school districts try other enticements to get teachers
WASHINGTON - Chino Valley Unified School District is building tiny houses in hopes of attracting teachers, just one of the ways school districts around Arizona are scrambling to attract and retain teachers in a state that offers some of the lowest salaries in the nation.
‘Very personal project’: Repurposed shipping containers provide alternative shelter for those experiencing homelessness
PHOENIX – The city of Phoenix has teamed up with nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul and metal fabrication company Steel + Spark to provide another shelter option using shipping containers.
Valleywise Health expands access for young adults experiencing serious mental issues
PHOENIX – Valleywise Health is opening a second First Episode Center, an outpatient behavioral health center for young adults experiencing their first serious mental health episode. It can’t come soon enough. There is a dire need for programs that address mental health in young adults not just in Maricopa County but across the country, said Dr. Aris Mosley, a psychiatrist and medical director of the Valleywise Health First Episode Center in Avondale.
Some back-to-school events go beyond backpacks and pencils and offer health care, groceries for entire families
PHOENIX – Some back-to-school events have moved beyond notebooks and backpacks and try to help the whole family with health care, groceries and haircuts. “If parents or grandparents aren’t happy and healthy, they can’t help their kids,” one partner said.
Latest student debt-relief plan could mean $1 billion for 20,000 in Arizona
WASHINGTON – More than 20,000 Arizona residents would see $1 billion in student debt erased under a Biden administration plan unveiled just two weeks after the Supreme Court struck down a previous debt-forgiveness plan.
Weaving a culture: Navajo artists at Folklife Festival mix art, history
WASHINGTON - For some, a rug is something to step on and art is something to hang on the wall. For Diné weaver Kevin Aspaas, his creations are part of the culture. Aspaas was one of two Navajo artists sharing that culture at the Smithsonian Institution's annual Folklife Festival.
Another summer, another lifeguard shortage, as pools cut hours, openings
A $3,000 incentive program brought a boom in lifeguard applications to the city of Phoenix this year, but not enough lifeguards and pool managers to open more than 18 of the city's 29 pools this summer.
Supreme Court nixes Biden plan for $430 billion in student-loan relief
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Biden administration student-debt relief plan that would have aided more than 40 million people, 916,000 of whom live in Arizona and currently hold a total of $32.6 billion in loans.
Supreme Court rules race-based college admissions unconstitutional
WASHNGTON - A divided Supreme Court said that race-based college admissions policies are unconstitutional violations of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. Arizona universities do not believe it will affect them, but advocates called it "a shameful day."
National scorecard on electric-vehicle policies gives Arizona low marks
WASHINGTON - Arizona fared poorly across the board for policies aimed at encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles, according to a new national ranking of state policies. Arizona was 26th of the 33 states ranked, slipping from 25th place in the last report.
What’s next in art? Da Vinci digital exhibit in Scottsdale example of growing trend
SCOTTSDALE – The Lighthouse Artspace Phoenix in Scottsdale has extended its run of “Leonardo: The Universal Man exhibit,” a 360-degree immersive art experience that uses music, narration and video. But the show is just the latest in a string of similar experiences. An ASU art history professor says this kind of projection mapping is art's next big trend.
Animals at Phoenix Zoo stay cool with frozen treats, baths, misters and air conditioning
PHOENIX – As summer temperatures soar, Phoenix Zoo officials try to keep the animals cool by providing frozen treats – from Gatorade to blood and fish popsicles – to cool baths, misters and fans.
