Latest from Lux Butler
Holiday travelers expected to hit the road, skies in near-record numbers
WASHINGTON - Experts say this holiday season will be one of the busiest in the last 20 years, with travel surging to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, and they remind travelers to make sure they are prepared before getting to the airport.
Arizonans join thousands at rally to support Israel, decry antisemitism
WASHINGTON - Several Arizonans were among the thousands who turned out Tuesday for the Americans March for Israel rally on the National Mall in Washington, where rally-goers showed their support for Israel in its war against Hamas and protested rising antisemitism.
Arizona teens share passions with others at White House Tribal Youth Forum
WASHINGTON - Gabriella Nakai has tackled challenges facing Indigenous communities on her own, but said being surrounded by others who share her passion helps lighten the load. Nakai was one of two Arizona youths at the third annual White House Tribal Youth Forum.
Fontes, other officials tell Senate panel of ongoing threats to elections
WASHINGTON - Death threats, poisoned pets, disinformation campaigns and family members with "go bags" handy in case they have to flee on a moment's notice. Those were just some of the threats elections officials told senators they face as they prepare for upcoming elections.
Hopi leader tells panel that red tape, financial hurdles put aid out of reach
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Hopi tribe told a Senate panel Wednesday that promises of federal funding remain just that - promises - for smaller tribes for whom the money is inaccessible because of bureaucratic and financial hurdles.
Arizona expert marvels at ‘scientific treasure’ from 7-year asteroid mission
WASHINGTON - A University of Arizona scientist joined NASA officials Wednesday to unveil the results of a successful multiyear mission to a near-Earth asteroid that returned last month bearing what they called "scientific treasure."
Arizona agrees to pay for gender-affirming surgery for state employees
WASHINGTON - Arizona legislators said they are "disappointed" that the state has agreed to pay for gender-affirming surgeries for state employees in a consent decree that settles years of class action litigation by a University of Arizona professor.
Senators urged to step up after Supreme Court ruling on Navajo water rights
WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a Senate hearing the federal government has both a a legal and an ethical obligation to ensure water access for tribes. The Supreme Court this summer rejected a Navajo claim that the government needed to take steps to protect its water rights.
Experts: Slight 2022 Arizona health insurance gains likely to vanish in 2023
WASHINGTON - The number of Arizonans with health insurance rose in 2022, a post-pandemic bump that experts say has likely turned sharply south in the year since, as COVID-19 benefits have been phased out.
Tribal water infrastructure needs more than a one-time fix, senators told
The infusion of federal money for infrastructure projects is a welcome first step toward fixing deep problems with water systems on tribal lands, but it's only a first step, an Arizona official testified Wednesday.
GAO: Rush to build border wall caused harm, damages continued after pause
WASHINGTON - A new Government Accountability Office report confirms what critics have long said, that the Trump administration's rush to build a border wall caused significant environmental damage, depleted water sources and devastated sacred tribal sites.
Jobless rate is down, wages up, but not all is worth celebrating this Labor Day
WASHNGTON - Arizona's jobless rate is the lowest in decades, job openings are plentiful and salaries are inching up, all good news for workers on this Labor Day. While those gains are offset by nagging inflation, economists say the outlook for workers in Arizona is "relatively rosy,"
State Supreme Court to hear abortion case; providers vow business as usual
WASHINGTON - Arizona abortion providers said Thursday they will conduct business as usual while the state Supreme Court considers a challenge to state law that could lead to the restoration of a 19th-century ban on abortion.
The March of Dimes Mom and Baby Unit brings care to southern Tucson
TUCSON – The March of DImes Mom and Baby Unit isn’t a standard health care clinic, it’s a bright purple recreational vehicle. Inside are two small exam rooms, and a friendly staff prepared to help the city’s vulnerable residents with free maternity and basic health care.
Text ‘join’ to get COVID-19, health updates in rural Arizona
PHOENIX – The Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona sent texts about COVID-19 to 3,000 subscribers living in rural areas during the pandemic. Since then, the texts evolved to include other health-care issues for POC and other underserved communities.
Report places Arizona first in U.S. for rate of COVID-19 deaths
PHOENIX – An analysis by medical-science journal The Lancet shows Arizona had the highest death rate per 100,000 people in the U.S. Researchers examined three years of data that found correlations between race, education and poverty levels and the number of deaths in the state.
Cyclists raise more than $580,000 to battle diabetes in Tour de Cure
GOODYEAR – The American Diabetes Association hosted its annual Tour de Cure to raise money to work toward a cure.
