KTAR News 92.3 Reporter Stories

Teen violence is up across the Valley. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell held a forum in Chandler Wednesday night to look at some alarming trends. She says youth violence has been on the rise since a 2020 dip due to the pandemic. Mitchell adds juvenile crimes are becoming more violent and increasingly involve a weapon. 

Families of inmates in Arizona prisons are terrified for their safety. That's what Executive Director of Middle Ground Prison Reform Donna Hamm said at Tuesday's joint legislative committee on correctional practices and facility safety. Hamm told elected leaders staffing shortages at Arizona prisons make corrections officers and inmates less safe. 

A statewide essay contest will result in 20 Arizona kids receiving $529 dollars for their college savings plan.

According to a new study from Harvard, kids participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters' mentorship program are 20% more likely to attend college.

A WWII hero and Valley legend is being recognized for her role in breaking gender, race, and even logistical barriers.

Sukhjeet Singh is a 7th grade teacher and a member of Gen Z, something he says helps him relate to his students. 

Real estate tech firm, Bonus Homes, is opening its headquarters in Phoenix to expand their Home Appreciation Partnership. Founder Kyle Kamrooz explains they'll pay you all the equity you've built on your property so you can move out, while you stay on as the owner. Bonus Homes manages the property as a long-term rental until you're ready to sell and collect 1/3 of the profits. 

The Arizona Supreme Court has issued a warrant of execution for convicted killer Richard Djerf. He's set to be executed by lethal injection in October after killing a Phoenix family in 1993. Following a review of death penalty procedures, former federal judge David Duncan found there are transparency issues with drug procurement and unqualified staff carrying out lethal injection. 

There were not major issues reported when the state resumed executions in March. 

West MEC, a trade school in Glendale, is training the next generation of aircraft mechanic, filling in an industry shortage. 

On the first floor of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital is 1 Darn Cool School, a classroom that serves kids in the hospital while they are missing school.

Jim Sharpe from Arizona's Morning News and the business center. 

 A new Arizona-based virtual school uses AI to personalize classes for students, teaching 25 minute long classes in the morning and offering clubs in the afternoon. 

Two years ago, Adina and her younger sister, Andrea, were told they both needed heart transplants as soon as possible. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disease, runs in their family, and they’d had their hearts monitored since birth. One day, after routine testing, the doctors said that Adina’s heart was beginning to fail, and she needed to be placed on the heart transplant list, along with Andrea. This is Adina's story.

After Marcus’ parents discovered that Marcus couldn’t read the whiteboard at school, they took him for a routine eye exam. Marcus couldn’t read the letters on the eye chart, and the technician saw something unusual about his left eye. His parents took Marcus to see an ophthalmologist, who diagnosed him with keratoconus and referred them to Phoenix Children’s. Keratoconus is a rare genetic eye condition where the corneas become thin and bulge outward. It’s a progressive disease that will affect Marcus for the rest of his life.

Makayla had always been a healthy kid and rarely got sick, but in October 2020, she started to feel super irritable, fatigued, hungry and thirsty, losing 10 ½ lbs. over two months. Her mom felt like something just wasn’t right and took Makayla to her primary care doctor. When they pricked her finger to test her blood, Makayla’s blood glucose levels were almost four times what they should have been. Her doctor told them to head to Phoenix Children’s immediately. She didn’t realize it at the time, but Makayla was in diabetic ketoacidosis, which if left untreated could lead to a coma or even death. This is her story.

Cassidy‘s mom, Sandy, had a normal pregnancy until 26 weeks, when Cassidy measured a lot smaller than is typical for fetuses at that stage. After an anatomy scan, they discovered that Cassidy had broken her femur in utero, and she was diagnosed with type 2 osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as brittle bone disease. This is her story.

Axel and his twin brother Haydn were healthy at birth, but when Axel was 2, he suddenly couldn’t walk and had unexplainable fevers. He was rushed to Phoenix Children's, where he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that had developed on his adrenal gland. His care team immediately started treatment, beginning chemotherapy the next day. This is his story.

Two years ago, Andrea and her older sister, Adina, were told they both needed heart transplants as soon as possible. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disease, runs in their family, and they'd had their hearts monitored since birth. One day, after routine testing, the doctors told Andrea that her heart was failing, and she needed to be put on the heart transplant list, along with Adina. This is her story.

Abel had been playing football since he was 9 years old and his dream was to play for the NFL. After having extreme knee pain following his football season last year, he was told to go to Phoenix Children’s right away. At 14 years old, he was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer.
This is his story.

In the Fall of 2020 Stella’s parents noticed she was having frequent headaches, losing her balance, and could no longer ride her bike. Her home doctors didn’t think much of it, but her parents didn’t feel right about the situation. They took Stella to a neurologist who ordered an MRI to give everyone peace of mind. The MRI discovered a tumor on her brain stem which turned the family’s whole world upside down. This is her story.

When Amanda was 11, she was hit by a car while walking home from school, suffering a traumatic brain injury, internal damage, and multiple fractures. Her mother arrived at the chaotic scene to find Amanda unconscious but alive—thanks to the quick actions of a nurse who performed CPR. She spent 91 days at Phoenix Children’s, undergoing multiple surgeries, including a craniotomy, and receiving intensive rehab. This is her story. 

A jaguar has been spotted on a University of Arizona trail cam in the mountains south of Tucson. Susan Malusa with the Wildcat Research and Conservation Center says it's the fourth jaguar they've spotted since the Jaguar and Ocelot monitoring program started in 2011. She says the jaguars come up from Mexico and adapt to the snow and extreme heat. 

Phoenix Police dispatchers will use AI robots to triage non-emergency calls starting Wednesday. Vice Mayor Ann O'Brien says she heard from residents who had to wait two hours to speak to a non-emergency operator. O'Brien explains the 911 dispatchers are also responsible for the non-emergency line. The AI system is expected to alleviate some of their workload.