June 25, 2021 Newscast
Fire evacuations near Flagstaff, Vice President Kamala Harris at the border, autism center in Tucson
‘An unlikely friendship’: Biden taps McCain for UN ambassador-rank role
WASHINGTON - Presidents typically pick ambassadors for technical skills or their political connections, but in the case of President Joe Biden tapping Cindy McCain to a United Nations post, it is probably a little bit of both, experts say.
Officials ‘devastated’ as feds extend nonessential border travel ban
WASHINGTON - Border officials said they were "devastated" this week to find that the federal government has extended a COVID-19 ban on nonessential border crossings for another month, potentially crippling businesses there.
Arizona baseball team confident as it prepares for Vanderbilt in College World Series
OMAHA - The University of Arizona baseball team feels confident as it takes on defending national champion Vanderbilt in the College World Series.
Tribal leaders bring litany of needs to hearing on federal funding
WASHINGTON - To the Tohono O'odham, it's schools and health care. To the Hopi, it's a badly needed jail improvements. Those were among the laundry list of needs outlined at a hearing on federal facilities in Indian Country, a situation that one lawmaker called a "travesty."
From doughnuts to cash to … pot? Incentives rise as vaccination rates slide
MESA – With vaccination rates declining, public and private entities are trying to reverse the trend. From free doughnuts to cold, hard cash, individuals stepping up to get pricked can be rewarded in many ways.
ASU students react to Ducey’s order blocking mask and vaccination policies
TEMPE – Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order banning Arizona universities and community colleges from requiring unvaccinated students to wear masks and to get tested regularly. Students weigh in on the order.
Border officials eye Monday reopening to nonessential travel with hope
WASHINGTON - Border officials urged lawmakers to stick to a plan to reopen the border to nonessential travel Monday, even as they said more needs to be done to prepare for the expected surge in traffic.
Red tape and the ‘mask god’: Group looks back on successful PPE drive
PHOENIX - Sam Wang's "anti-epidemic diary” shows photos of grateful medical personnel, police and firefighters around stacks of boxes that hold some of the 158,000 masks secured for them at the pandemic's start by a volunteer group of Chinese Americans in Arizona.
Mike Magpayo, Jackson He helping to combat Asian American stereotypes in college athletics
PHOENIX – Mike Magpayo found out he made history while watching “SportsCenter” on the couch with his wife Caroline and his 6-day-old son Luka.
Concert, theater owners call pandemic relief fund efforts a ‘disaster’
WASHINGTON - Arizona business owners said a federal program aimed at helping theaters and concert venues shuttered by COVID-19 "has been a disaster," taking until this month to deliver the first grants from a fund that was approved last year.
‘Boots on the ground’: How Phoenix plans to help small businesses
PHOENIX – During Tuesday’s Phoenix City Council meeting, members approved a variety of ways to spend $193 million the city received last month from the American Rescue Plan Act.
