A Selection of My Writing
Arizona Town Teams Up To Fight COVID-19 Food Insecurity
January 2021
On an early autumn morning, the whitewashed churches of Ajo are quiet, and the town square is still. The only sounds are dump trucks rumbling by, headed for border wall construction sites to the south. But inside the Ajo Farmers Market & Cafe, the atmosphere is buzzing.
WATER IN CRISIS: DESPITE CONSERVATION EFFORTS, ARIZONA’S GROUNDWATER SUPPLY STILL AT RISK
July 2021
One important source of water are aquifers—underground bodies of porous rock that hold water— and some are in trouble. Across the country, aquifers face the risk of pollution, being inundated with salt water and being depleted altogether.
THE UNUNITED STATE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE IN AMERICA
August 2020
For children in the United States, justice often depends on where you live, the color of your skin, which police officer arrests you, or which judge, prosecutor or probation officer happens to be involved in your case.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AND SYRINGES
With the help of his church community, a disabled Valley man finds hope in the form of a cutting-edge – and unproven – stem cell treatment in Mexico. And he’s not alone.
‘This is trauma’: Some Latino children face mental health struggles during pandemic
November 2020
The halls at Manzanita Elementary School are emptier than they were a year ago. But school social worker Anthony Guillen says he’s far busier, as students struggle to deal with the increased stress and psychological toll brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ELECTION UPDATES: VOTERS DEFY COVID, MISGIVINGS TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD
Nov. 3, 2020
Millions of people voted early in Arizona, but millions more took on an Election Day tradition despite the shadow of COVID-19 and worries about the outcome of a contentious presidential race. Arizonans cast their votes in person at places of worship, community centers, schools, nonprofit headquarters, government buildings and other locations marked with a directional arrow on a familiar “Vote Here/Aqui” sign.
April 2020
AS SCHOOLS REOPEN, ARIZONA CONFRONTS HIGH RATES OF COVID-19 IN YOUTH
September 2020
Arizona has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 in young people in the nation – driven in part, experts say, by a large population of children of color, who are more likely to have underlying health conditions that make them susceptible to the disease.
ICELAND INSPIRES VERMONT TOWNS COMBATING YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE
July 2020
Six rural towns in Vermont are combating youth substance use thanks to inspiration from the small Nordic country of Iceland.
WHY RECIDIVISM STATISTICS DON’T TELL THE FULL STORY
July 2020
Recidivism, or a relapse into criminal behavior, is often used as an indicator of a juvenile system’s success. But for Will Lewis and Zyion Houston-Sconiers, that statistic doesn’t tell the full story.
PATAGONIA RESIDENTS DISAGREE ON TOWN’S ECONOMIC FUTURE
December 2019
Hidden amid rolling hills and grassy golden valleys nearly 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border is the town of Patagonia, where small business is the only business and stoplights are nonexistent.
RIGHT TO ATTORNEYS FOR CHILDREN GREW OUT OF AN ARIZONA CASE
June 2020
The Supreme Court case In re Gault recognized that kids have the same legal rights as adults. But kids in the U.S. still don’t have adequate access to lawyers.
‘CATALYST’ SEASON 3 EXPLORES CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE
Spring 2020
Researchers are studying the effect of drought and climate change on desert tortoises.
Lost on the Frontline: Katherine Hughart
February 2021
When Katherine Hughart was about five, her brother John remembered her holding a bird with a broken wing, attempting to mend it with a stick.
“That’s when I named her Florence Nightingale,” John Gibbons said in an interview weeks ago. Within months, both brother and sister had died of Covid.
ALL-GIRLS MUSIC GROUP GIVES LESSONS IN JAZZ AND SELF-CONFIDENCE
November 2019
One important source of water are aquifers—underground bodies of porous rock that hold water— and some are in trouble. Across the country, aquifers face the risk of pollution, being inundated with salt water and being depleted altogether. This is troubling because water in these aquifers is largely considered a nonrenewable resource—once they are empty or contaminated, they can be extremely difficult or impossible to restore.
ARIZONA'S COVID-19 SURGE BEGAN RIGHT AFTER REOPENING, SAYS EX-DHS CHIEF
June 2020
Humble said the new jump in coronavirus cases in Arizona arrived right on schedule after the governor's reopening order.
SOUTHERN U.S. INCLUDES SOME OF THE NATION’S BEST AND WORST COVID-19 VACCINATION RATES: HERE’S WHY
May 2021
Since distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines began in December 2020, states have persistently worked to vaccinate as many of their residents as possible. But in the past few weeks, vaccination progress in the United States has slowed, putting into question the country’s ability to reach herd immunity.
