Older adults face homelessness at high rates. Here’s how governments, organizations are responding

PHOENIX – With the help of federal funding, the Justa Center and city of Phoenix are working to help older adults experiencing homelessness, including helping people find long-term housing solutions.

The Justa Center in downtown Phoenix has worked for years to assist unhoused older adults in the community. (Photo by Crystal N. Aguilar/Cronkite News)

Ketamine: An alternative to police force or a silent killer?

Paramedics use ketamine to subdue agitated people during law enforcement encounters. But in Aurora, Colorado, investigators found “a pattern and practice of using ketamine in violation of the law,” including in the death of Elijah McClain.

An ambulance in Denver, Colorado photographed on March 14, 2013. (Photo by Mark Mauno)

Myth of ‘superhuman strength’ in Black people persists in deadly encounters with police

The term “superhuman strength” is a post-Civil War relic applied to Black men, often to justify racist violence. But a new investigation into police force shows that it still appears in officers’ accounts of deadly, non-shooting encounters.


‘Power to evoke change’: Phoenix-based Artists 4 Liberation uses art to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

PHOENIX – based Artists 4 Liberation holds community events and rallies in support of Palestinians. The human-rights advocacy group uses art as a means to raise awareness and fight for marginalized groups across the globe.

Bianey Luna, Christina Valles and E Rizo, members of Artists 4 Liberation pose for the camera with the name of the human-rights advocacy organization written on their hands on March 21, 2024. (Photo illustration by Kayla Mae Jackson/Cronkite News)

State asks Supreme Court to reject new trial for Arizona death row inmate

WASHINGTON - State officials told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday that a lower court gave too much weight to mitigating factors when it ordered a new sentencing for Danny Lee Jones in a pair of brutal 1992 murders in Bullhead City.


Behind the smile: How a nonprofit organization and a postpartum depression pill seek to help fight a silent battle

PHOENIX — A nonprofit organization, a Mrs. Arizona International, and a new $16,000 pill seek to help those suffering with postpartum depression.

Carolyn Larsen plays with her two kids on Feb. 15. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)

Black people have the highest opioid fatality rate among all other races and ethnicities in Arizona

PHOENIX – African Americans have the highest opioid fatality rate among all other races and ethnicities in Arizona. As recently as 2015, Blacks were less likely to overdose than other races or ethnicities. Now, due to a steep rise in overdose deaths, Black people have the highest overdose fatality rate, followed closely by Native Americans.

Scottsdale Recovery Center, where Justin Bronson is a peer support specialist, on April 11. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)

Clinics vow to continue providing abortions, but unsure for how much longer

PHOENIX - One day after the Arizona Supreme Court resurrected a law that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, clinics around the state said they will continue offering care even as they scramble to figure out how long they can do so.


Gov. Katie Hobbs signs law aimed at accountability for Arizona long-term care facilities

PHOENIX – HB 2764, which Gov. Katie Hobbs signed into law Monday, requires the Arizona Department of Health Services to establish stricter standards and oversight for assisted living facilities, particularly those that provide memory care.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, backed by supporters of HB 2764, signs the bill into law on April 8, 2024, in the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower in Phoenix. (Photo by Analisa Valdez/Cronkite News)

Think tank estimates Arizona spends $1.1 billion annually for homelessness solutions

Think tank organization Common Sense Institute Arizona presented research, which estimates that Arizona spends $1.1 billion annually on homelessness solutions.

A Common Sense Institute report suggests that though most of the funding for homelessness solutions is dedicated to housing, there may be other areas to invest in as the unhoused population continues to grow. (Photo courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul)

Arizona advocates aim to break cycle of homelessness through ID accessibility

PHOENIX – The Homeless ID Project works to assist unhoused individuals in obtaining lost or stolen identification documents, making it possible for individuals to gain employment, secure housing or access essential services.

The Homeless ID Project aims to end homelessness through providing ID replacement services to eliminate barriers many unhoused individuals face to accessing housing, jobs and essential services. (Photo courtesy of the Homeless ID Project)

Governor’s office partners with RIP Medical Debt to forgive billions in medical debt for some Arizonans

PHOENIX — Katie Hobbs announced that federal American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used to pay off medical debt of Arizonans who meet special criteria.

The governor’s office is partnering with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit geared toward clearing personal medical debt. (Photo by Marnie Jordan/Cronkite News)