Fully driverless cars available in Chandler, Mesa, Tempe
Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. This season we are focusing on science and technology stories that explore everything from driverless cars to innovating a vaccine during the pandemic. PHOENIX – The roadways of metro Phoenix may not look much different 10 years from now, but…
‘My story is not done’: Eddie Johnson begins 20th season as voice of Phoenix Suns
PHOENIX – His story is full of chapters. Some are complete, defined by adversity and accomplishments, and others remain unwritten, blank pages waiting to be filled with more life experiences. Former NBA standout Eddie Johnson is beginning his 20th year as the color analyst for the Phoenix Suns, who open their season tonight against the…
Tribal leaders optimistic about Biden; Haaland nomination a good start
WASHINGTON – The federal government may not have a stellar track record when it comes to keeping promises with Native Americans, but tribal leaders in Arizona said they think President-elect Joe Biden could be the exception. Their hopes were reinforced last week when Biden nominated a Native woman, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., to be secretary…
How the pandemic is affecting our sleep habits
Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. This season we are focusing on science and technology stories that explore everything from driverless cars to innovating a vaccine during the pandemic. PHOENIX – Paulina Ochoa never had a problem sleeping until the COVID-19 pandemic began in March and…
Movie Roundup: Hilary Swank Gets Crazy-Eyed, Milla Jovovich Battles CGI Creations and Dolly Mails Some Books
In this week leading up to Christmas, some of the bigger Netflix films will be showing up on your home screen, as will Wonder Woman 84 on Christmas Day (a simultaneous theatrical and streaming release). Theater offerings include Hilary Swank going batshit crazy, and Milla Jovovich fighting some impressive looking monsters. Here’s this week’s movie…
After four years of tumult, businesses hopeful for Biden trade policy
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump entered office pledging to blow up trade deals, and he later imposed tariffs on trading partners around the world – but the biggest threat to Arizona-Mexico trade over the past four years appears to have been COVID-19. Despite four years of tumult, trade between Arizona and Mexico has been remarkably…
COVID-19 Patients Overwhelm Banner Hospitals; Bodies Stored in Refrigerated Trucks
Arizona’s largest hospital system continues to experience record occupancy levels and overflowing morgues, resulting in bodies being stored in refrigerated trucks. Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel shared in a press conference this morning that 58% of the hospitals’ adult ICU beds and 74% of its ventilators are being used by COVID-19 patients.…
Record heat proves to be a queen palm’s worst enemy
PHOENIX – Hot summers are nothing new in Arizona, but humans aren’t the only ones who have suffered from record-breaking heat: queen palm trees across the Valley have been burning up. 2020 was the hottest year on record in Phoenix, with 48 days of excessive heat warnings and a heat peak in July and August,…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Wednesday, Dec. 23: 6,000+ new cases, 54 new deaths; Hospitals facing overload; Pima County under curfew; The vaccine is here
With more than 6,058 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases now stands higher than 473,000 as of Wednesday, Dec. 23, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 815 new cases today, has seen 62,159 of the state’s 473,273 confirmed cases. A total of 54…
ACA enrollment uptick a ‘pleasant surprise’ after years of declines
WASHINGTON – After years of steady declines, enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage ticked up in Arizona and held steady in the U.S. this year in what one advocate called a “pleasant surprise” after a challenging year. The six-week open enrollment period that ended last Tuesday showed enrollment going from 153,020 in Arizona for coverage…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Tuesday, Dec. 22: 5800+ new cases, 153 new deaths; Death toll tops 8K; Hospitals weeks from being ‘overwhelmed’; Pima County under curfew; The vaccine is here
With more than 5,800 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases now stands higher than 467,000 as of Tuesday, Dec. 22, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 984 new cases today, has seen 61,344 of the state’s 467,215 confirmed cases. A total of 8,125…
Biden’s work cut out for him in plan to undo Trump immigration policy
WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has promised to roll back many of the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies when he takes office next month. He’s got his work cut out for him. While President Donald Trump’s signature – and likely most enduring – immigration policy is the still-in-progress southern border wall, he has touched virtually…
Pima County Issues New Advisory: Healthcare System Could Become ‘Overwhelmed’ in Two Weeks
In a new public health advisory, the Pima County Health Department warns the healthcare system is in danger of becoming overwhelmed within the next two to three weeks if the spread of COVID-19 continues at its current pace. According to County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen, the county is on track to see more coronavirus…
Colorado River Basin winter forecast signals dry times ahead
All signs are pointing to a dry start to 2021 across much of the Colorado River watershed, which provides water to about 40 million people in the Western U.S. A lack of precipitation from April to October made this spring, summer and fall one of the region’s driest six-month periods on record. And with a…
They shoot, they score: Coyotes’ goal to increase youth hockey participation a success
PHOENIX – From “Rookie of the Year” to “Little Giants,” sports movies captivated kids growing up in the 1990s. One of those was a young girl from Chandler, who fell in love with an unlikely sport. Hockey. For a native of the Valley, hockey seemed as out of place as a cactus in Buffalo. As…
Arizona Breaks COVID-19 Records as TMC Cancels Elective Surgeries
As COVID-19 continues to spread substantially throughout the state, Arizona is breaking records for its weekly case count, hospitals are having to cancel elective surgeries to care for an exceeding number of coronavirus patients and the first COVID-19 vaccine may already face shortages among healthcare workers. The week ending Dec. 13 saw at least 44,390…
6 Arizonans discuss the impact Ruth Bader Ginsburg had on their lives
PHOENIX – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a towering figure in the fight against discrimination based on gender, and her death Sept. 18 was a blow to many women who reverently refer to her as the Notorious RBG. On the three-month anniversary of Ginsburg’s death, women across the state continue to remember her legacy. Cronkite…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Monday, Dec. 21: 7700+ new cases; Hospitals at or near capacity; TMC cancels elective surgeries; Pima County under curfew; The vaccine is here
With more than 7,600 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases jumped by nearly 19,000 over the weekend and now stands higher than 461,000 as of Monday, Dec. 21, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,244 new cases today, has seen 60,360 of the…
Gun sales hit record in 2020, driven by pandemic, protests, politics
WASHINGTON – Background checks for gun purchases in Arizona hit their highest level ever in 2020, driven by an unprecedented convergence of a pandemic, a summer of national unrest and a presidential election, experts said. With a month left to go in the year, 610,911 background checks had been performed in the state through November,…
Beware of Scams this Holiday Season
The FBI’s Phoenix field office is warning buyers of common scams during the holiday shopping season. In 2019, 7,795 Arizona consumers claimed a total loss of more than $47 million, according to a press release from the FBI. The three main scams the FBI warns shoppers of include online shopping, gift card and charity scams.…
Banner Chief: “Exponential Growth” of COVID Outbreak Putting Healthcare System at Risk
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel shared alarming news of the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state at a press conference today despite the hopeful news of the vaccine’s arrival in Arizona. Bessel remains concerned as the state continues to experience an “exponential growth” of coronavirus with case counts, positivity rates and hospitalizations…
Vaccinating Black Americans is essential; key states aren’t doing the work to combat hesitancy
Though African Americans are being hospitalized for COVID-19 at more than triple the rate of white Americans, wariness of the new vaccine is higher in the Black population than in most communities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted communities of color as a “critical population” to vaccinate. But ProPublica found little in the way of…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Friday, Dec. 18: 7600+ New Cases, 142 New Deaths Reported Today; Hospitals at or Near Capacity; Pima County Under Curfew; The Vaccine Is Here
With more than 7,600 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 442,000 as of Friday, Dec. 18, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 1,449 new cases today, has seen 57,250 of the state’s 442,671 confirmed cases. With 142 new deaths reported today, a…
With focus on COVID-19, experts fear opioid crisis may worsen unseen
WASHINGTON – A deadly epidemic has been on the rise this year in Arizona – but this one has drawn scant media attention. With the world focused on COVID-19, local and national experts say a growing number of opioid overdoses and deaths is being overlooked. “COVID-19 has taken up a lot of our space, but…
Celebrate DJ Scott Kerr’s Life on KMKR 99.9 FM This Friday
If you hung out anywhere around Fourth Avenue or downtown Tucson in the past decade, you’re most certainly familiar with multi-instrumentalist and KMKR DJ Scott Kerr, a.k.a The Vinyl Wizard. Kerr, 51, passed away in November. His friends at KMKR 99.9 FM are celebrating Kerr’s beautiful and musical life with a Facebook Live event, featuring DJ…
First COVID Vaccines Administered in Pima County
On Thursday, Dec. 17, Banner University Medical Center and Tucson Medical Center began the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations in Pima County. While a small number of test vaccinations were injected earlier this week, today marks the official beginning of the Pima County Health Department’s three-phase plan, beginning with frontline workers. At Banner University’s northside…
As Lake Powell recedes, river guides race to document long-hidden rapids
MOAB, Utah – Climate change and increased demand for water across the Southwest are shrinking the Colorado River’s second-biggest reservoir, Lake Powell. Although water managers worry about scarcity issues, two local river guides are documenting the changes that come as the enormous reservoir hits historic lows. For the past three years, Mike DeHoff and Pete…
Southern AZ COVID-19 AM Roundup for Thursday, Dec. 17: 5800+ New Cases, 147 New Deaths Reported Today; Hospitals Nearing Capacity; Pima County Under Curfew; Pima Health Department Director Tests Positive; First Vaccine Shots Scheduled for Today
With more than 5,800 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 435,000 as of Thursday, Dec. 17, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County, which reported 711 new cases today, has seen 55,801 of the state’s 435,036 confirmed cases. With 147 new deaths reported today, a…
Local bar and restaurant owners urge the public to wear a mask to end further COVID restrictions
Bar and restaurant owners in Tucson are speaking up about the city and county’s new curfew and mask mandates and speaking out about who they hold responsible—the public. The City of Tucson voted on Dec. 2 to enact a mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew through Dec. 23 with fines up to $300 in…
What You Need To Know About Recreational Weed in Arizona
In November, 60% of Arizona residents of all political stripes voted in favor of legalizing, taxing and regulating recreational cannabis. Since then, the election results have been verified—congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden!—so it is now legal for adults over the age of 21 to possess, grow and consume the plant and its derivatives, although details…
The Skinny: Arizona Republican Party remains stuck in the denial stage of grieving Trump’s loss
The Arizona Republican Party has lost its marbles following President-Elect Joe Biden’s win in the state. Biden’s win wasn’t even that big of a surprise. Sure, Bill Clinton was the only Democrat to win Arizona since the days of Harry Truman, but Biden led narrowly in almost every poll leading up to Election Day. Donald…
Hospital officials: Cancel big holiday celebrations to slow COVID spread
As COVID cases soar beyond the records set this summer, local healthcare experts are asking Pima County residents to cancel big holiday celebrations to slow the spread of the deadly virus. In a Dec. 11 letter warning of disastrous consequences if the spread of the novel coronavirus continues at its current rate, 26 representatives from…
Danehy: Surprising No One, UA Fires Kevin Sumlin After Brutal 70-7 Loss to ASU
Some might say that they knew immediately, when, in Kevin Sumlin’s first game as Arizona football coach, his Wildcats played like dookie. Sloppy and listless, unable to take advantage of late-game opportunities, and having to deal with a suddenly mercurial quarterback who quite obviously had seen his own picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated,…
Editor’s note: It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like COVID…
Tucson, we have a problem. The novel coronavirus is widespread and our local hospitals are overrun with patients. We are experiencing the worst stage of the pandemic as we break the records set during the summer. It’s so bad that local health officials are asking us to cancel big holiday parties for Christmas, New Year’s…
Salvage: A mall, a giant X-Mas tree, and future lives of pets
A young mother glances up from her phone screen for her child, moved by some internal awareness and a too-quiet pall, and leans to scan around the kiosk of body lotions and Christmas bows and its bored, stool-perched employee, for her kid. But the dark-haired boy is around, in his Spider-Man pandemic mask, hiding behind…
City Week: Weekly Picks
Editor’s Note: With COVID-19 widespread and the holiday season up on us, City Week is looking at safe ways to shop local rather than guiding you to live, in-person events this week. Chicago Music Store. Do you know someone who’s used all of their stay-at-home order time to pick up a new musical instrument? Or…
Chow: Alpers’ New Recipe Book Gives a Taste of Tucson for the Holidays
For nearly a decade, Food Network writer Jackie Alpers has yearned to treat the world to the Old Pueblo’s flavors with her new cookbook, Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona. However, the publishing community wasn’t biting—until Tucson became designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, that is. “The Food…
Even amid a pandemic, ‘The Nutcracker’ must go on
Hey, dance fans, how are you going to get your annual Nutcracker fix in year when theaters are dark? How about watching a Nut movie in the comfort of your car at a drive-in? Or would you prefer watching the Sugar Plum Fairy and pals on your trusty computer at home? In this crazy COVID…
