Haleigh Kochanski
News Reporter, Washington, D.C.Haleigh Kochanski expects to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in political science. She is a digital reporter for Cronkite News in Washington this spring.
Latest from Haleigh Kochanski
Wildfire prevention gets boost from behind bars with expanded program
WASHINGTON - It's important to have boots on the ground when battling wildfires, and state officials will soon be able to put 1,400 more boots on the ground - in the form of up to 700 prison inmates, who will be used to do forest maintenance under a new law.
Cities push residents to save their little piece of Earth on Earth Day
WASHINGTON - Think globally, act locally, as the saying goes, and 10 Arizona cities are taking the message to heart Thursday to mark the 51st annual Earth Day, planning everything from tree plantings to community cleanups.
Analysts say ‘America First’ flap not likely to hurt Gosar in long run
WASHINGTON - Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has tried to distance himself from reports he was backing a caucus that would defend “Anglo-Saxon political traditions,” but political analysts say the flap is unlikely to harm the conservative Republican’s re-election prospects.
Biden cites infrastructure needs in Arizona, other states, to push plan
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal spelled out constructions needs in all states, including Arizona.
Despite push to schedule executions, attorneys plan to continue fight
WASHINGTON - While Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is pushing to schedule executions for two death-row inmates who he said have exhausted their appeals, advocates for the men said they still intend to fight.
Feds extend eviction moratorium for 90 days to slow COVID-19 spread
WASHINGTON - A federal eviction moratorium that was scheduled to end Wednesday has been extended through June 30, good news for the close to 114,000 Arizona renters who think they are at risk of eviction.
Arizona highway deaths rose during pandemic, as driving was declining
WASHINGTON - Traffic deaths in Arizona surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the number of miles driven in the state appeared to be decreasing, according to preliminary statistics from 2020.
Mohave County, Navajo officials push to broaden ‘downwinder’ coverage
WASHINGTON - Federal law compensates people who lived downwind of nuclear test sites, including many residents of northern Arizona - but not in most of Mohave County. Arizona officials told a House panel its time to change the boundaries and right that wrong.
Judge: Tape shows Chansley’s ‘detachment from reality’ in riot defense
WASHINGTON - An attorney for Arizona native Jacob Chansley, the face-painted "Q-Anon Shaman" charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, downplayed government video showing his client as part of the mob that broke into the building and confronted police.
Court rejects death-row inmate’s appeal in 1991 Tucson rapes, murder
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court Friday upheld the convictions of an Arizona death-row inmate for the rapes of three Tucson women, one of whom was murdered, over the course of several weeks in 1991.
House gives final OK to relief bill that will send billions to Arizona
WASHINGTON - The House gave final approval Wednesday to the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, a sweeping measure that will directly touch almost every Arizonan and will send billions in aid to the state.
Officials grill water utility over response to earlier Luke AFB spill
WASHINGTON - The Arizona Corporation Commission grilled a West Valley water company Wednesday, asking why it did not respond more aggressively after chemical agents were discovered in water from its wells five years ago.
House OKs bill to ban mining on 1 million acres around Grand Canyon
WASHINGTON - The House voted Friday to permanently ban new mining claims on more than 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park, with supporters calling protection of the landmark canyon a "moral issue."
Arizona efforts to boost electric cars get so-so grades in new reports
WASHINGTON - Arizona got middling scores in two new national reports on states' efforts to boost the number of electric vehicles on the road, which advocates say is proof that the state has a long way to go.
Debating grading: Bill, executive order will not affect student grades
WASHINGTON - The Arizona Department of Education wants to make sure parents understand their kids will be getting letter grades this year - and to drive home the point, the department sent the message in capital letters.
EPA awards $220 million for uranium mine cleanup on Navajo Nation
WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will award contracts worth up to $220 million to three companies for the cleanup of some of the hundreds of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.
Arizona gets grades from failing to ‘OK-ish’ for anti-tobacco efforts
WASHINGTON - Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. but two recent national reports say Arizona - like most states - needs to do more to help people break free from using tobacco products.
Arizona mayors join plea for $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill with city aid
WASHINGTON - Six Arizona mayors were among hundreds who urged Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief bill that includes $350 billion for state and local governments who say they are on the front lines of the crisis.
Border wall foes hail order halting project, but say it’s only first step
WASHINGTON - Border wall opponents said President Joe Biden's order to pause construction of the wall is "a huge win." But they also said it's not the end of the fight, noting that they want to make sure no more is built - or that it's taken down.
Health officials ramp up COVID-19 vaccines with new sites, eligibility
WASHINGTON - The Arizona Department of Health Services said Friday it is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination programs, adding distribution at pharmacies and at a second state-run site in the East Valley and broadening the number of people eligible for the vaccine.
Arizona lawmakers split as Trump impeached by House for a second time
WASHINGTON - No Arizona lawmakers broke party ranks as the House Wednesday impeached President Donald Trump on a mostly party-line vote, just one week after a deadly mob attack on the Capitol that critics said was incited by the president.
