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From backyard batting cages to college champions, Queen Creek’s Berry siblings carry legacy of sports excellence

PHOENIX – The Berry family has demonstrated exceptional athletic talent across multiple sports and generations, continuing a legacy of athletic excellence that began with their parents, Perry and Lana.

Stanford’s Jade Berry runs toward home after hitting a home run against LSU during the NCAA super regionals. Berry fine-tuned her skills at Queen Creek High School. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Without more oversight on doping, Olympics ‘might not even be there’ in future, gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps warns

WASHINGTON – Michael Phelps testified before lawmakers to discuss anti-doping measures ahead of the start of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The hearing comes after reports that Chinese Olympic athletes tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Games.

Michael Phelps testifies before a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee to warn lawmakers about the lack of oversight of anti-doping agencies on June 25, 2024. (Screenshot from U.S. House hearing)

Nature’s therapy: How Jillian Stannard found healing in rock climbing

PHOENIX – Jillian Stannard has battled depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. Rock climbing helped her dig out of depression.

A determined Jillian Stannard reaches for her next hold, demonstrating the physical and mental strength she has gained through rock climbing. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Stannard)

‘Is Mat Ishbia available?’ Coyotes fans seek silver lining in possible NHL expansion, new ownership

PHOENIX – While the Florida Panthers celebrated their first Stanley Cup victory, hockey fans in Arizona wonder what’s next for the sport in their state.

The NHL can thrive in a Sun Belt state, as symbolized by sun beams breaking through the Florida Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers won their first Stanley Cup Monday. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Does Arizona have enough water? Phoenix-area cities are spending big to make sure it does

Phoenix, Peoria and cities across the Valley are focused on adding new water supplies, rather than just using less of the water they already have.

Brett Fleck shows where Colorado River water enters Peoria’s water treatment facility on March 18, 2024. The city has plans to build new water purification technology that will turn sewage into usable water, decreasing the strain on the Colorado River and groundwater. (Photo by Alex Hager/KUNC)

Miracle on wheels: GCU roller hockey makes national championship strides in two seasons against all odds

PEORIA – After feeling underutilized at Lindenwood University, Aydin Schwetz founded a roller hockey program at Grand Canyon University, which quickly became one of the top teams in the nation.

GCU roller hockey celebrates its shocking 2-1 triple overtime victory against Lindenwood in the 2024 NCRHA Division I national championship game. (Photo courtesy of NCRHA)

Where the buffalo roamed: Bill would return herds to ancestral Native American lands

WASHINGTON – A bill pending in the Senate would help tribal governments in Arizona and around the U.S. reintroduce buffalo onto reservations where millions of their ancestors once roamed.

Buffalo in Custer State Park, SD, Sept. 2020. (Photo by Brianna Chappie)

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In Phoenix, VP Kamala Harris puts focus on abortion rights as advocates mark two years post-Roe v. Wade

As the 2024 election creeps closer, Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Phoenix to spotlight reproductive freedoms on the second anniversary of the fall of Roe v. Wade while protests erupted on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Monday.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a Biden-Harris reproductive freedom campaign event in Phoenix on June 24, 2024, the second anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. “Our work right now is absolutely directly going to affect the people of Arizona, the people of our country, but will have an impact on people around the world. That's what's in our hands right now,” Harris said at the event. (Photo by Stella Subasic/Cronkite News)

Common Sense Institute Arizona report estimates fentanyl, opioid crisis cost Arizona $58 billion in 2023

PHOENIX – Common Sense Institute Arizona published a report on the growing fentanyl crisis in Arizona, estimating a cost of $58 billion in 2023. The nonpartisan think tank’s report included the costs of fatalities, opioid use disorder, hospitalizations and border security.

Fentanyl-related overdose deaths have increased drastically in the U.S. since 2014. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported almost 74,000 deaths in 2022. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

Report: Alex Meruelo is stepping away from Arizona Coyotes’ ownership

PHOENIX – Alex Meruelo and the Coyotes were set to bid on and secure a 110-acre plot of land to build an arena and an entertainment district in north Phoenix. However, the auction was canceled and now Meruelo has told Coyotes staff he is walking away from ownership, according to a report.

The Arizona Coyotes had an arena and entertainment district planned in north Phoenix before an auction was canceled by the Arizona State Land Department. (Rendering courtesy of Arizona Coyotes)

From Russian detention to Team USA: Brittney Griner’s third Olympic selection marks return to international stage

PHOENIX – Brittney Griner’s journey over the past two years, marked by her Russian detainment and subsequent return to the WNBA, culminates in her third Olympic Games.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner speaks at a press conference after the announcement of her third Olympic Games selection. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)