‘The sport needs it’: Fans, golfers embrace return to normalcy during Phoenix Open’s first round
SCOTTSDALE – Fans flocked to the WM Phoenix Open Thursday for the first round of the popular tournament at TPC Scottsdale. With all pandemic restrictions lifted, players and fans said they were thrilled to see the return to normalcy.
ASU offensive coordinator Zak Hill resigns; report says 3 other assistants out amid NCAA investigation
PHOENIX – ASU Offensive coordinator Zak Hill resigns amid NCAA investigation. Three other assistants reportedly out.
On second anniversary, COVID-19 still racks up grim milestones in Arizona
WASHINGTON - Two years after Arizona's first confirmed case of COVID-19, the state has racked up close to 1.8 million infections and the virus has killed almost 26,000 - one of the highest death rates in the country - part of what one expert called the pandemic's "really long journey."
To Russia with love and (hopefully) money: Shadow Ridge unified floorball team lands Olympics spot
SURPRISE – Athletes from Shadow Ridge High School have qualified for the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia, in 2023, but still need to raise money for the trip.
DHS tightens vaccination requirements for travelers at border crossings
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security began requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination over the weekend for essential as well as nonessential travel across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ducey defends use of school funding in face of feds’ threat to reclaim it
WASHINGTON - Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday that the state's use of money to support schools that reject mask mandates is "well within" federal guidelines for the funds, despite a Treasury threat to take the money back.
Phoenix saw 9.7% inflation in 2021, outstripping national rate of 7%
WASHINGTON – Consumer prices rose by an average of 7% in U.S. cities last year, the steepest rise in decades, and they grew even faster in the Phoenix metro area, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pandemic adds pressure on doctors, who already had one of the highest rates of suicide
PHOENIX – Physicians have one of the highest rates of death by suicide, and the pandemic has excerbated the stress on health care workers. Doctors often are hesitant to seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Free Wi-Fi headed to Phoenix school districts to help end digital divide
PHOENIX – A project called the Digital Education Connection Canopy will provide free Wi-Fi to some Phoenix schools. The technology behind it could be the blueprint for a permanent solution to the digital divide.
Vaccine hesitancy, new variants kept COVID-19 infections from falling
WASHINGTON – Almost two years after the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in Arizona, new infections in the state have reached a "bizarre plateau," rising from summertime lows in the hundreds to more than 3,000 new cases a day through the fall.
Asians, other minorities fear attacks because of race, survey finds
PHOENIX – An NPR report found that one in four Asian households in the U.S. fear physical and verbal attacks because of their race. Studies show mental health issues related to economic inequalities increased across the country during the surge in COVID-19 cases tied to the delta variant.
Hungry holidays: Break from school means break from meals for some kids
WASHINGTON - Holidays bring a break from schoolwork for students, but for more than a half-million Arizona children they can also mean a break from their only reliable source of a nutritious meal - the subsidized school meal.
