Search result for Erica L. Lang

Tribe seeks burial for mountain lion P-22 in LA park

LOS ANGELES - Indigenous communities view wildlife as relatives and honor their memory by welcoming them back to nature. Even a deceased mountain lion.

Celebrity deejay Diplo speaks onstage during Celebration Of Life For Beloved Mountain Lion P-22 at The Greek Theatre on Feb. 4, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for the National Wildlife Federation)

Despite a busy preseason, ASU softball eyes WCWS run as 2023 season begins

PHOENIX – Jazmine Hill and Yannira Acuña earned plenty of preseason awards, including Softball America’s Preseason Top 100 Rankings and All-American recognition, but their focus is on the upcoming season and the team’s quest to Oklahoma City.

ASU outfielder Jazmine Hill takes batting practice in preparation for Thursday's start to the season at the San Diego State Season Kickoff. Hill earned Softball America preseason third team All-American honors. (Photo by Kade Cameron/Cronkite News)

Super Bowl 2023 halftime performer Rihanna discusses preparation for Sunday

PHOENIX – Fans have heard from Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs players every day this week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. Today, another big game performer will speak ahead of Sunday.

Rihanna speaks during Thursday's press conference for the Apple Music Super Bowl 57 halftime show at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Arizona lawmakers agree to disagree on Biden’s border, fentanyl plans

WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers agreed with President Joe Biden’s State of the Union call to secure the border and fight fentanyl trafficking, but they disagreed on how to get there - one of many areas where they split on party lines over the sometimes raucous address.


Arizona freshman Ciscomani tapped for Spanish rebuttal to Biden

WASHINGTON - House Republicans tapped freshman Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Tucson, to deliver the Spanish rebuttal to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday, a move that some analysts say could boost his status as a rising GOP star.


Ice breakers: Arizona High School Hockey Association brings new community, awareness to hockey in Valley

TEMPE – The AHSHA was started to allow high school athletes to participate in high level hockey competition across the state. However, the AIA has not sanctioned it due to equipment costs and limitations with how many schools have participated. With the league gaining traction, hockey in the desert is thriving more than ever.

Notre Dame Preparatory School's hockey team defeated Basha High School in the semifinal of the ASHA playoffs to secure a place in Saturday's championship against Desert Vista High School at Mullett Arena. (Photo by Grace Edwards/Cronkite News)

Camp Freedom collaboration car sells for $350,000 at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE – Camp Freedom collaborated with Count’s Kustoms and Shelby America on a custom 2021 Shelby Super Snake. The funds from the auction at Barrett-Jackson will fund Camp Freedom’s work providing outdoor experiences to veterans & first responders in need.

Scottsdale’s Barrett-Jackson auction featured a custom 2021 Shelby Super Snake Count’s Kustoms edition car, which sold last weekend for $350,000. (Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson)

Cochise sheriff comes to ‘share the reality’ of border in House testimony

WASHINGTON - Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told a sharply divided House committee Wednesday that drug trafficking and illegal immigration is getting worse and that it's affecting the safety of residents in his border county.


With owners including Larry Fitzgerald, Major League Pickleball launches season in Mesa

MESA – Major League Pickleball kicked off its first event of 2023 in Mesa, Arizona this past weekend. The sport is the fastest growing sport across the U.S. and the tournament was televised on the tennis channel from Jan. 26 - Jan. 29.

Major League Pickleball opened the 2023 season last weekend at Legacy Sports Complex in Mesa, Arizona. Players competed in a high-stakes four-day tournament. (Photo by Nikash Nath/Cronkite News)

‘We were always sovereign’: Hia-Ced O’odham seek federal recognition as a tribe

PHOENIX – In Arizona, 22 federally recognized tribes inhabit nearly every region of the state, but the Hia-Ced O’odham community isn’t one of them. Some members are working to change that, and others believe it may be too difficult to achieve.

Lourdes “Lulu” Pereira is a student worker at the Labriola Center and the official archivist for the Hia-Ced Hemajkam LLC, which was established in 2015 to work toward federal recognition and reclamation of ancestral lands. Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022, at Hayden Library in Tempe. (Photo by Campbell Wilmot/Cronkite News)

Representation on police force builds trust with LGBTQ people

Greg Miraglia, founder of Out to Protect, said training, recruitment and officer representation on a police force are among the ways to build trust with LGBTQ community people.


Derrick Michael Xzavierro’s history-making odyssey lands him at GCU

PHOENIX – Derrick Michael Xzavierro’s journey to GCU has led him across the world from his home of Indonesia. Though he is taking a redshirt year this season, Xzavierro has already made an impact and history as Indonesia’s first Division I basketball scholarship player.

A long way from home, Derrick Michael Xzavierro has represented the country of Indonesia honorably on the basketball court and inside the Grand Canyon University locker room. (Photo courtesy of GCU athletics)