Emily Mai expects to graduate in May 2024 with a master’s degree in mass communication. Mai graduated from Arizona State University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. Mai is part of the marketing and public relations team for ASU Gammage.
SEDONA – Sedona has been looking for solutions to its homelessness problem, and city leaders think the Safe Place to Park Program could be a step in the right direction. However, residents against the program stalled the measure by pushing it to a public vote in November.
SCOTTSDALE – The evidence that eating local honey can help with allergies is largely anecdotal; what's not in dispute is that local honey is both tastier and healthier than honey at the supermarket, beekeepers and experts agree.
PHOENIX – With rattlesnake season reaching its peak in Arizona, professionals warn hikers and pet owners to proceed with caution outdoors. One business in Cave Creek is taking a proactive step to train dogs to avoid the venomous reptiles.
PHOENIX – With advancements in technology speeding up how humans communicate with each other, slower methods of communication, like letter writing, have been losing popularity. But two Arizona-based projects have created new approaches to the personalization of letter writing. One uses robots while another encourages individuals to write through monthly prompts.
PHOENIX – Dad Together is a program where dads of all backgrounds and stages meet up, share their experiences and support each other through their parenting journeys.
PHOENIX – Despite the “Barbie” movie’s snubs at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, the doll franchise has continued to influence the current cultural climate. Even prior to the movie’s release in 2023, Barbie has influenced fashion for decades since the doll’s launch in 1959. Phoenix Art Museum has an exhibit representing Barbie’s impressive collection and history.
PHOENIX – As Maricopa County animal shelters work to handle more dogs than they can handle, local organizations seek to remind current and future pet owners of resources to help them keep their pets.
TUCSON – The National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service drafted policy in November that could prohibit climbing anchors in wilderness areas around the country. The Climbing Association of Southern Arizona is one of several climbing organizations speaking out against the proposals, saying that they would discourage and endanger climbers.
PHOENIX – Luminate's 2023 Year-End Report has found that physical album sales grew 8.9% over 2022, with records seeing the largest growth. As audio streaming popularity skyrockets, vinyl, CD and cassette tape popularity are holding strong in sales up from 79.9 million in 2022 to 87 million in 2023. Arizona record stores have noticed the trend, and Arizona artists hope to record physical copies of their music.
PHOENIX – The average price of a Thanksgiving feast for 10 people this year is down 28%, according to the Arizona Farm Bureau. Arizona consumers faced “historically high” prices for their Thanksgiving meal ingredients in 2022.
SCOTTSDALE – Renowned pumpkin artist Ray Villafane hosted a pumpkin-carving class, and his work is featured at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa – along with a 1,700-pound pumpkin – through October. Villafane shares carving tips, and artist Emily Mai created Arizona pumpkin stencils for download.
FLAGSTAFF — The annular solar eclipse on Saturday drew large crowds to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.
SCOTTSDALE – Arizona experienced extreme heat this summer, which may affect butterfly migratory patterns. The prolonged heat means less food for butterflies and caterpillars.
PHOENIX – Mental health experts are finding it harder to diagnose eating disorders in men because of the lack of clinical research.
Insomnia can happen to anyone, especially as life stressors like studying for exams, going through menopause or caring for a family member occur. The graphic comic, “Eve’s Insomnia,” shows the struggle toward solutions.
PHOENIX – Deaths related to heat have soared in recent years in Arizona. Several cities, businesses and environmental groups believe that planting trees should be part of the solution.
GLENDALE – The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the skateboard Forever Stamps to celebrate the community and culture the sport creates. It brought on Indigenous artists to design the stamps, one of whom was Arizona native and Navajo artist Di’Orr Greenwood.
PHOENIX – For over three decades, Pat McMahon brought joy to children across the greater Phoenix area on KPHO’s hit TV kid’s program, “The Wallace and Ladmo Show.”
PHOENIX - A recent poll suggests Arizona residents are in favor of protecting the unique ways they speak, and the country of Wales provides an example to do so.
PHOENIX – Parents, children and educators on Wednesday marched to the state Capitol to support an education voucher program that Gov. Katie Hobbs has said she wants to dismantle. Empowerment Scholarship Accounts provide up to $7,000 annually in state funds.
Poison control centers and marijuana dispensaries are sending messages to parents as the number of children who accidentally eat their edibles is on the rise.
PHOENIX – High egg prices in grocery stores due to the uptick in bird flu have led people to start purchasing chicks for their own backyard hatcheries.
PHOENIX – Cronkite News photographers are capturing Super Bowl events, from the Super Bowl LVII Experience to Super Bowl LVII Music Fest and more.
PHOENIX - Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed her sixth executive order Wednesday, establishing an independent prison oversight commission to improve the transparency and accountability of Arizona’s corrections system.
PHOENIX – Trade labor jobs are in high demand across the U.S., with many companies desperate for skilled laborers. TradeUp! and West-MEC are handing middle and high school students hard hats and teaching them such crucial skills as electricians, welders and mechanics.
PHOENIX – SRP is researching cloud seeding along the Mogollon Rim as Arizona continues to struggle with its worst drought in 1,200 years. The partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe could bring Arizona its first cloud seeding operation.
PHOENIX – Voters across Arizona headed to the polls to make their voices heard this midterm election. Their votes on candidate races and propositions will determine the future of Arizona. This year, tensions are high as Arizonans decide on a new governor as well as a U.S. senator, among other races.
Within the past decade, behavioral and mental health providers have adopted yoga as a supplemental treatment tool for addiction recovery. With overdose deaths up by 30% in 2020, people are turning to less traditional methods, like practicing yoga, to get and stay clean.
SCOTTSDALE – The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy wants to learn more about how the Sonoran desert tortoise interacts with urban development and how they move through the desert. It's using telemetry and GPS to track 22 tortoises in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
PHOENIX – Cholla Trail on Camelback Mountain’s eastern slope, which closed in March 2020, reopened in September with safety improvements and new amenities. The landmark is Phoenix’s highest peak and carries with it decades of history.
LOS ANGELES – Algunos diseñadores reemplazan el cuero tradicional con materiales como la piña, el cactus y el corcho. Se ven muy bien y son mejores para el medio ambiente.
PHOENIX – A state law banning any materials in public schools that contain sexual content takes effect this week, and critics worry self-censoring will put more stress on already overburdened teachers.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Pickleball is experiencing growing pains as courts are becoming harder to find. Cities are responding by building more courts and converting tennis courts, but not everyone is on board with those efforts.
PHOENIX – The British community in Arizona is small but closely connected, according to David Wimberley, owner of George & Dragon. Wimberley, a British migrant, was at home when a friend called with the news: Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday. She was 96.
LOS ANGELES – Some designers are becoming more sustainable by replacing traditional leather with such materials as pineapple, cactus and cork. They look great and are better for the environment.