House panel advances bill for a Holocaust center, but holds back funds for now

PHOENIX - A House panel gave tentative approval Wednesday to a Holocaust education center, but not before stripping out funding for the project that supporters said will provide an "immersive experience for the next generation on hate and genocide."


Flight attendants demand better pay and working conditions during Sky Harbor Airport walkout

PHOENIX – Flight attendants at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport joined others across the country in an educational demonstration to shine a light on their struggle to make a deal with their airline employers.

Flight attendants walk out at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to advocate for better pay and working conditions on Feb. 13, 2024. (Photo by Mariah Temprendola/Cronkite News)

As summers get hotter, St. Vincent de Paul works to assist unhoused individuals

PHOENIX – St. Vincent de Paul provides housing and heat relief to people experiencing homelessness. In the summer, the organization offers bottled water, indoor air conditioning and outdoor heat relief stations, which are necessary interventions as the Valley is overwhelmed with heat.

People who are experiencing homelessness are provided with beds at St. Vincent de Paul’s Washington Street Shelter. (Photo courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul)

As Arizona Supreme Court weighs abortion law, both sides brace for ruling

WASHINGTON - It’s been nearly two months since the Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments over the state's abortion law, and its ruling could all but ban abortions in the state or allow them to continue up to 15 weeks. Both sides said they are bracing for that ruling - and waiting.


Family lawyer says Phoenix Union’s revised travel policies show guilt in student death

PHOENIX – The attorney for a family that lost their 15-year-old son and Cesar Chavez high school student believes that newly released policies from the school board imply guilt.


Bill to ban satanic displays advances, after heated debate on religion

PHOENIX - A Senate committee gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that would ban satanic displays on public grounds, following an often-testy debate over whether Satanism is a religion to be respected or a "desecration of public property."


GOP bill would strike ‘gender’ from state law, limit sex to male, female

PHOENIX - GOP senators want to rewrite state law to define sex as only male and female and not a "subjective sense of self," a move they said will protect women and girls from "unwanted intrusions" by transgender women. Opponents call it another "LGBTQ+ Erasure Act."


Our Ode to You nonprofit offers older adults in memory-care communities free therapeutic music, art programs

PHOENIX – Two Arizona high school seniors are using their talents to give back to older adult memory-care communities. Through free therapeutic music and art programs, Aani Nagaiah and Gage Samaddar are helping them evoke memories and de-stress.


Native nations with scarce internet are building their own broadband networks

Native nations have historically lagged in high-speed internet access, which became even more apparent in the COVID-19 pandemic. So some tribes, such as the Hopi, have taken the matter into their own hands by building their own high-speed networks.


GOP lawmakers renew push to ban DEI programs in state-funded institutions

PHOENIX - GOP legislators are trying again to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at state-funded institutions, saying it "divides communities and dehumanizes human beings." Democrats argued just the opposite, saying DEI promotes inclusion and can be an asset,


Supreme Court considers right to face accusers in Yuma drug case

WASHNGTON - Supreme Court justices grappled Wednesday to decide when testimony from an expert crosses the line into evidence that a defendant should have the right to challenge in court, a question that arose in a Yuma County drug case from 2019.


‘We are survivors:’ National, Arizona projects aim to uncover, preserve histories of Native American boarding schools

PHOENIX – The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative launched an oral history project documenting the traumatic experiences of Indigenous children in the federal boarding school system. Local preservation efforts have already delved into Arizona’s history of boarding schools and resulting generational trauma.

Trophies, a letterman jacket and images of early Native American history in the visitor center of Phoenix Indian School at what is now Steele Indian School Park. (Photo by Ellie Willard/Cronkite News)