KTAR News 92.3 Reporter Stories

Nearly half a million Arizona students will receive free vision screenings during the 2024-25 school year.

Karen Woodhouse, the director of Eyes on Learning, says many behavioral problems and learning struggles stem from vision problems that this new law will help schools catch early.

KTAR Eyes on the Economy: Retail analyst Kristin Bentz says despite gross domestic product and inflation remaining steady, it's important to look at other indicators. She says the consumer price index and producer price index are both rising, which measure how much things cost. 

Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin has a proposal to speed up ballot tabulation. The Republican tells Outspoken he wants to move up the deadline for when you can drop off an early ballot. Current law allows voters to drop off ballots on Election Day, which is why Galvin says it takes so long to process and tabulate results. 

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs traveled to the border in Nogales to give an update on the state's border security plan. She touted the SAFE initiative and the work of National Guard members helping Customs and Border Protection interdict drugs coming across. Hobbs says she plans to work with the Trump administration on border security. 

Aerospace and other technologies company Honeywell has partnered with the Arizona Cardinals.

The goal is to promote STEM education toward AZ youth, and they're also working with the team to fund scholarships for women in STEM.

President-elect Donald Trump says he is committed to his goal of closing the U.S. Department of Education.

Adding to that today AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says he supports that and believes the closure would not impact federal education funding for Arizona schools.

The flow on the Verde River has been drastically reduced due to the pumping of groundwater and drought. A report by the Sierra Club's Arizona Water Sentinels shows it's down to half its flow rate from the 1990's. A USGS gage on the river shows it's decreasing by about .36 cubic feet every year. 

Dream Org hosts its first Justice Next Cohort in Phoenix teaching young people of color personal and professional development. Senior Campaign Organizer Jessica Johnson says they just finished their second weekend where mentees learn about advocacy, organizing around a shared purpose and how to start a campaign. 

Air taxis—on-demand transportation services like Uber or Waymo that take you from point A to point B, but in the sky—might be closer than you think.

The opioid reversal drug Narcan is being distributed to Arizona Schools. State Schools Chief Tom Horne says the Narcan is provided for free by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Horne says it's a result of the School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce, also known as STOP IT. 

To fight the growing homelessness crisis, the city of Phoenix is adding 96 new shelter beds to support women and families in need. They'll be available to the community next week.

Former ICE Director Tom Homan has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be the administration's Border Czar. Homan will be responsible for securing maritime, aviation, as well as our Northern and Southern borders. He intends to make good on Trump's campaign promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in our nation's history. 

Did historic support from the Hispanic community get Donald Trump elected?

We hear more from Arizona State Director of Unidos US Enrique Davis-Mazlum on the topic. 

Local non-profit Education Forward Arizona released a new poll in part of an ongoing look into the quality of post-secondary education and career training.

Founder and CEO Rich Nickel says it shows Arizonans support giving students more options to learn.

Yassamin Ansari joins Jeff Munn on KTAR's Special Election Coverage show to discuss her win in District 3.

Stan Barnes with Copper State Consulting says Arizona Democrats are hoping to flip at least two seats in each state legislative chamber to take the majority. He explains incumbent State Senator Shawnna Bolick is at risk of losing her seat in a close race. However, Barnes says there are other close races where Republicans could also pick up a seat and maintain their majority. 

The American Bar Association is debunking election misinformation. Bob Bauer with the Presidential Commission on Election Administration says don't expect quick results in Arizona on Election night. He explains Maricopa County has a two-page ballot for the first time in recent history, which means double the amount to tabulate. 

The Arizona State Board of Education has released the letter grades for public and charter schools for 2024.

Executive Director of the board Sean Ross says it shows some great progress for the direction schools are heading.

The Arizona State Board of Education has released the letter grades for public and charter schools for 2024.

Executive Director of the board Sean Ross says it shows some great progress for the direction schools are heading.

A recently released Consumer Affairs study found that Arizona ranks 51st in the nation for the amount of funding and resources provided to public schools.

We learn more about the research itself.

Bipartisan business leaders would like to see open primaries in Arizona, which Prop 140 seeks to do. Kimber Lanning with Local First Arizona says open primaries force candidates to speak to voters on both sides of the aisle, which she says leads to more moderate options. 

Competing ballot measure, Prop 133, would keep closed primaries in Arizona. 

After replacing Yassamin Ansari on the Phoenix City Council, Carlos Galindo-Elvira decided to revitalize a rainbow crosswalk in downtown Phoenix.

The Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association has released their teacher retention survey, which shows districts are still leaning on "alternative" teachers to fill roles.

We learn more from data analyst Justin Wing and Patty Christie with Mesa Public Schools.

Arizona voters will decide if the Governor is limited to a 30 day emergency declaration or if it will remain 120 days