Category: Cronkite News

Staff Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 Arizona Horizonte: Feb. 17, 2016 This edition of Arizona Horizonte focuses on the passing of Antonin Scalia and what’s next for the Supreme Court..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;...

Ben Margiott Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 Growing Arizona wild burro population threatening native wildlife YUMA — The thousands of wild burros that roam the vast Arizona landscape, more than any other state , are beloved by out of state visitors and locals alike. But the state’s booming population of non-native donkeys is degrading the natural habitat and making life more difficult for native species, according to wildlife officials. Latest estimates have the burro population over 4,000, but the appropriate management level, the suggested amount of burros needed to maintain a “thriving, natural ecological balance,” is just 1,316. The large discrepancy between the recommended and actual amount of burros in Arizona is causing wildlife officials to ramp up efforts to rein in the burros and prevent them from overrunning the state. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Pat Barber, Arizona Game and Fish’s appointed lead for the burro overpopulation issue, has worked for the agency for 20 years and said the numbers are unprecedented. “This is the first time that I’m aware that every herd management area in the state was over AML (appropriate management level) and in many cases, grossly over AML,” Barber said. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 made...

Ziyi Zeng Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 Phoenix spends $2 million a year to wipe out graffiti, reduce blight The city of Phoenix spends about $2 million a year to clean up graffiti. As part of Graffiti Free Awareness month, the city is encouraging residents to spread the word about the problems of graffiti and how to fight it. The goal is to “get neighborhoods, the community more involved, recognizing the blight in our neighborhood, which is graffiti,” said Lee Staten, volunteer coordinator with the city’s Neighborhood Services Department. The city has a MyPhxAz app residents can use to report the location of graffiti. City officials regularly hold workshops to teach residents how to battle graffiti. And the department also will provide free paint and supplies to groups organizing community cleanups this month, according to the city. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The city has a team of “graffiti busters” that coordinates graffiti removal. “Graffiti lowers property value, it discourages businesses and homeowners from coming to the Valley,” Staten said. Painting graffiti is a class one misdemeanor than can lead to jail time, fees of $575 or more and community service. Stefon White, who’s been working as graffiti buster for years, said the areas...

James Ulrich Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 Website: ASU ranks second in nation for ‘sugar babies’ seeking financial help TEMPE – Arizona State University student Ashlie Stella said she has racked up more than $4,000 in debt. So she turned to a dating website – Seeking Arrangement – to find a “sugar daddy” to pay for her expenses. The site connects what it calls “wealthy benefactors” with the students to help pay for college. The “sugar baby” and “sugar daddy” determine the scope of relationship, including how much money is exchanged. Stella is among more than 1,100 ASU students seeking such a partnership, making the university second in the nation in terms of students enrolled on the site, according to Seeking Arrangement. Only New York University has more. Company spokeswoman Brook Urick said there are several reasons why they’ve seen a spike in recruits from Arizona – the rise in the cost of living, jumps in tuition, increased social acceptance and additional media attention to the site. The sheer numbers aren’t necessarily surprising. ASU has more than 83,000 students, making it the nation’s largest public university by enrollment. Stella, 24, joined the site about two months ago and hasn’t found a partner yet. But she said many people just want companionship. “The gentlemen, the ‘sugar daddies,’ are seeking people to take out on vacation or go out on dates with...

Sydney Glenn Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 El Niño: Is winter over for Arizona? On Arizona State University’s Tempe campus Wednesday, people laid in the sun and others took a nap on the grass. It’s the middle of winter, but it doesn’t seem that way in Phoenix. Many people have heard of El Niño but are confused as to what exactly it is. “El Niño is the positive phase of something called El Niño southern oscillation and it is featured by anomalously warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern pacific, where you normally find cooler sea surface temperatures. And this can cause global atmospheric circulation changes” said Renee Elder, a PhD. Geography student with an emphasis in Climatology at Arizona State University. This is not because of global warming and in fact happens every 2-8 years according to Elder. This is an intense El Niño and therefore is creating major weather impact. The question remains, should we expect to get our winter back here in Arizona? “For the rest of the winter, there’s an equal chance of it being warmer than normal and cooler than normal so it’s kind of able to go either way at this point,” explained Elder. Next week is expected to have higher than normal temperatures again in...