Maria Staubs
Maria Staubs muh-REE-uh stobbs (she/her/hers)
News Broadcast Reporter, Phoenix

Maria Staubs expects to graduate in May 2024 with a master’s degree in mass communication. Staubs has interned as a video editor for Hart Talent Management, a features reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal, a producing intern for PBS NewsHour West and a producing intern for ABC15 Arizona. She also does social media for ASU News.

Latest from Maria Staubs

‘Time has a beginning, middle and end:’ Expert says telling time provides life skills

PHOENIX – As the world continues to move further into a digital era, some might ask: Is reading an analog clock even a necessary skill anymore? Education and time-management experts say it is. Here’s why.

Students at Lowell Elementary School sit in class in Phoenix on Feb. 8, 2024. Principal Dana Ramos says teaching students to tell time is still important and part of the state curriculum. (Photo by RipLey-Simone Kennebrew/Cronkite News)

Arizona bill aims to regulate labeling of meat alternatives, but opponents say it’s too broad

PHOENIX – Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, introduced a bill aimed at regulating the labeling of lab-grown meat and plant-based alternatives, sparking debate on transparency and consumer choice in the food industry.

Lisa Khan, owner of Moon River Beef, holds up a package of broth bones on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

Tohono O’odham Nation receives grant to expand internet connectivity

TOHONO O’ODHAM NATION – The Tohono O'odham Nation received $10 million in grants to expand its internet connectivity to regions that previously had no internet.

June Starr, left, helps Francine Jose operate her computer and guides her through Gmail on Feb. 13. Jose was part of a group of residents from Chukut Kut, a Tohono O'odham district on the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Crystal Aguilar/Cronkite News)

Maricopa County residents eligible for free pool fences through Pool Fence Safety Program

PHOENIX – Child Crisis Arizona, the Salt River Project and the 493 Firefighter Foundation aim to decrease childhood drownings through the 2024 Pool Fence Safety Program that provides free pool fences to eligible Maricopa County residents.

A "Watch your children!" sign hangs on Sam Aguilar and Brandi Stoll’s pool fence on Feb. 21, 2024, in Phoenix. (Photo by Harris Hicks/Cronkite News)

Arizona public schools struggle to fill teaching positions as leaders brainstorm school staffing solutions

PHOENIX – From legislative proposals to extend Proposition 123 to the two-day Arizona State University Fulton Teachers College Summit on Strategic School Staffing Structures, educators, politicians and researchers weigh in on strategies to help alleviate staffing shortages in Arizona schools.

The annual Strategic School Staffing Summit, run by Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College earlier this month, highlighted a collection of potential solutions to teacher staffing issues across the state. In this 2022 file photo, students work with a teacher at Encanto Elementary School in Phoenix. (File photo by Sophie Oppfelt/Cronkite News)

Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture teaches next generation farmers sustainable practices

AJO – Sterling Johnson from the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture is teaching the next generation of Indigenous farmers how to connect with the land and the culture through sustainable growing techniques.


Arizona Heart Association lobbies for bill mandating cardiac arrest emergency plans in schools

PHOENIX – Supporters from the American Heart Association lobbied at the Arizona Capitol in support of requiring emergency cardiac response plans in schools. Pyper Midkiff, a child who experienced cardiac arrest at age 12, spoke about her experience.

Jennifer Stingley, middle, is a member of the American Heart Association’s southern Arizona board of directors. Stingley practices CPR at the Arizona Heart Association’s annual lobby day at the Arizona Capitol on Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

After 51 years of fighting, abortion in Arizona comes down to next 10 months

PHOENIX - In the 51 years since the Supreme Court recognized - then reversed - federal abortion protections, advocates and opponents have fought over the boundaries of that right. That fight continues today, with Arizona now at the forefront of the national battle.


Blacks more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, less likely to be treated

PHOENIX - Black Americans are twice as likely as whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease and live with missed diagnoses and treatment gaps, studies reveal. While 10% of white adults have the disease, 19% of U.S. Black adults do, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.


Arizona Senate bill could expand cochlear implant state Medicaid coverage

PHOENIX – The Arizona Senate has passed SB 1017, which aims to expand coverage of cochlear implants for adults through AHCCCS. Advocates say it would have a positive impact on people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The bill is now being read in the House.

Melanie O’Rourke, 73, lost her hearing 20 years ago. Now, she relies on cochlear implants to hear. (Video screengrab by Maria Staubs/Cronkite News)

‘I thought he was going to be with us forever’: Housing programs aim to close the gap for people with autism

PHOENIX – A report from the Greater Phoenix Housing Market Analysis shows the lack of attention given to people with autism or who are neurodivergent makes it difficult for them to get out of poverty.

First Place opened a residential building in 2018 for adults with autism and Down syndrome or who are neurodivergent as a response to the lack of housing for neurodiverse populations. (Photo by Hayden Cilley/Cronkite News)