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Student gumshoes at GCU collaborate with Phoenix police to create shoeprint database

PHOENIX – Grand Canyon University forensic science students and the Phoenix Police Crime Lab are building a local shoeprint database to assist investigators in identifying shoe impressions left at crime scenes.

Measuring shoes and cataloging their treads are tasks Grand Canyon University students do as they add shoes to a shoeprint database they’re working on with the Phoenix Police Department. Photo taken at GCU in Phoenix on Nov. 3, 2022. (Photo by Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

Cactus High students build a road-worthy electric vehicle

GLENDALE – As the world moves slowly away from fossil fuels, Cactus High School in Glendale is teaching automotive students how to build an electric vehicle from scratch.

Junior Ethan Lucas, left, and sophomore Aiden Bratton push an electric vehicle they’ve been building at Cactus High School in Glendale on Oct. 31, 2022. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Gilbert Fire and Rescue’s best arson investigator is a 4-year-old Lab named Zeta

GILBERT – Gilbert Fire and Rescue’s arson dog, Zeta, is their best investigator of suspicious fires. The 4-year-old Labrador can quickly and precisely locate accelerants, saving the fire department time and money.

Gilbert fire investigator David Zehring poses with Zeta, an accelerant-detection canine for the ATF. Zehring is the only person who's allowed to handle Zeta during arson investigations. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Arizona led nation for rise in homeless youth last year, HUD report says

WASHINGTON - Arizona saw the largest increase in the number of homeless youth in the nation last year, at a time when other large states were seeing those numbers decline, according to a recent federal report.


Lack of players forces ASU women’s basketball team to forfeit 2 Pac-12 games

PHOENIX – Arizona State announced Wednesday that the ASU women’s basketball games against Colorado and Utah had been canceled due to student-athlete availability. The games will not be made up, and will not affect the overall records of the schools.

The 2022-23 season has been a challenging one for ASU women’s basketball coach Natasha Adair and her staff. The team has to forfeit two Pac-12 games this weekend because of injuries and health issues. (Photo by Susan Wong/Cronkite News)

Forest Service resumes cleanup of abandoned mines near Prescott after pause

PRESCOTT – The U.S. Forest Service this week resumed its abandoned mine cleanup project in the Cherry Creek Mining District near Prescott to protect the environment and human health.


As more LGBTQ+ people face eating disorders, providers work to create appropriate care

PHOENIX – With research showing that LGBTQ+ individuals face a higher risk of developing eating disorders, more and more providers are creating specialized treatment to address these disparities and ensure people get the care they need.


Maricopa County’s ozone pollution is high and getting worse

PHOENIX – The EPA recently moved Phoenix up in ozone non-attainment levels, from marginal to moderate. City officials are worried they won’t meet attainment by 2024, when the restrictions get tight and some businesses may not be able to operate.

Maricopa County is failing the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest ozone standards. The EPA has has reclassified the county from marginal to moderate for non-attainment of ozone limits. (File photo by Kasey Brammell/Cronkite News)

Vertical farm in Avondale promotes sustainability, technology, water conservation

AVONDALE – The vertical farm OnePointOne has opened in Avondale and is growing a variety of leafy greens and strawberries. Among its benefits, vertical farming uses 99% less water than a traditional farm – which could significantly affect Arizona’s water supply.

Cameras monitor the growth of savanna brassica, a spinach and mustard hybrid, at OnePointOne in Avondale on Sept. 28, 2022. (Photo by Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

Biden honors Bowers, others, on second anniversary of Jan. 6 insurrection

WASHINGTON - Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers was honored with 11 others by President Joe Biden for their "contributions to democracy" during and after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in a White House ceremony on the second anniversary of that attack.


Empathy and humanity are at the center of Holocaust education in Arizona

PHOENIX – Arizona teachers, including some who have visited Holocaust sites, are looking for ways to teach middle and high school students about the Holocaust and other genocides. Experts say teaching it builds empathy and warns of “the dangers of staying silent in the face of evil.”

When Amanda Johnson was visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, she didn’t take photos of the heart-wrenching scenes at the memorial. Instead, she bought books to share with her students and help them learn about the millions of Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust. Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2022, at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. (Photo by Sophie Oppfelt/Cronkite News)

Former Ithaca swimmer Jack Wadsworth makes waves in first season with ASU

TEMPE – New ASU swimmer Jack Wadsworth, who transferred from Ithaca College in the offseason, quickly adjusted to the Sun Devils team after a cross-country move. As the season gets set to resume in two weeks, the junior is flourishing.

Arizona State swimmer Jack Wadsworth, a transfer from Ithica College, has found success in Tempe and has been a standout in backstroke competition. (Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)