Luke Simmons of Georgia is pursuing a master’s degree in mass communication with a focus in health reporting. After earning a degree in international affairs from the University of Georgia in 2015, he joined the Peace Corps and served as an agroforestry volunteer in Guinea.
AJO – When COVID-19 crashed the food systems in Ajo and the nearby Tohono O’odham Nation, locals stepped in to fill the gap. After the shelves of the town’s lone grocery store were picked bare in April, one nonprofit transformed a cafe into a de facto food pantry.
Ajo, Arizona, is an unincorporated community 110 miles south of Phoenix. It borders the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation, serving as a hub for supplies for some of the 7,500 people who live on the reservation. The Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture is a nonprofit working in agricultural education, culturally appropriate food and economic development. When the coronavirus pandemic hit Ajo, the shelves of its one grocery story were cleaned out. The organization's all Native American board stepped up to feed its community.
PHOENIX – Some 38 million people with disabilities were eligible to vote in this year’s election, but they face unique challenges in ensuring their ballots get cast and counted.
Millions of Arizona residents have already voted in this swing state but people are showing up in person at polls around Arizona to vote for President Trump or Joe Biden for president, for or against Proposition 207 to legalize recreational marijuana and Prop 208 to fund education.
Across the U.S., Black advocates are working to combat food allergy disparities in children of color and push for action to help.
GLENDALE – A Glendale HOA sent a violation notice to a homeowner for displaying a Black Lives Matter flag on her home, raising questions about the power of HOAs to dictate political expression.
The Navajo Nation is holding relief drives across the reservation to gather COVID relief supplies and signing residents up for the census.
PHOENIX – In a matter of days, both the Trump and Biden campaigns have sought to win over a key demographic that could make or break the November election: Hispanic voters.
PANAMA CITY, Panama – Nicaraguans fleeing political and economic conditions in their country are moving south to Panama, against the normal tide of immigration in the hemisphere.
PHOENIX – Advocates continue struggling to keep qualified Hispanic families enrolled in public programs like food stamps and cash assistance amid changes to the so-called public charge rule. The U.S. Supreme Court last month decided to let the rule take effect, and that happens on Feb. 24. It allows immigration officers to consider applicants’ use of public benefits, including Medicaid, in deciding to grant green cards, visas and changes in residency.
