Arizona poverty rate continued fall in 2019, still topped national rate
WASHINGTON - The poverty rate in Arizona fell for the eighth straight year in 2019, to 13.5%, but while advocates welcomed that as "great news" they also cautioned that the state's economic gains were not shared equally by all Arizonans.
Heat, smoke, pandemic: Dangers multiply for farmworkers in 2020
LOS ANGELES – The race to deliver fresh foods during peak harvest season means farmworkers are facing the threats of climate change acceleration and COVID-19.
‘It’s about humanity’: Vigil honors Dion Johnson, other Black victims of police violence
PHOENIX – More than a hundred people gathered outside Phoenix City Hall for a peaceful candlelight vigil to honor the lost lives of Breonna Taylor, Dion Johnson and all Black lives lost to police violence. The vigil was also held to protest the lack of charges filed against the officers responsible for the deaths.
Action on missing, murdered women legislation caps years of advocacy
WASHINGTON - Native American advocates and families have worked for years to draw attention to Indian Country's epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The federal government finally passed legislation that could help do something about it.
California will allow former inmates to have records expunged so they can fight fires
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law legislation that will give inmates who worked in fire camps the chance to apply to have their records expunged immediately after they are released from custody.
‘Baby-Friendly’ hospitals tackle health disparities by encouraging Native mothers to breastfeed
A hospital on the Fort Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona is one of several overseen by the Indian Health Service that aims to encourage more Native American women to breastfeed.
This is how voting by mail will look in Arizona in November
PHOENIX – Secretary of State Katie Hobbs explains how voting will look this November and the steps Arizonans must take to vote by mail.
Movement to defund police gains urgency in Arizona
Community members, activists and police experts discuss the movement of defunding the police departments as cities across the nation begin to reform their law enforcement.
State trooper who killed Dion Johnson will not face charges, county attorney says
PHOENIX – Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel said Trooper George Cervantes will not face criminal charges for shooting and killing Dion Johnson in late May. She said it was self-defense.
‘We get more followers in times of crisis’: As pandemic limits in-person action, activism goes digital
Online activism is on the rise as organizers find creative ways to replace in-person protests and still show their support for movements like Black Lives Matter.
As schools reopen, Arizona confronts high rates of COVID-19 in youth
PHOENIX – Across the U.S., the number of COVID-19 cases in young people has passed 500,000. More than 26,000 cases are in Arizona, and experts say that’s partly because of the state’s large population of youth of color who are more vulnerable to the virus.
Arizona officials work to boost census responses with time running out
WASHINGTON - Arizona continues to have one of the nation's lowest Census response rates with as little as two weeks left for the count. With congressional seats and potentially billions of dollars at stake, state officials renewed appeals for Arizonans to respond.
