Category: Cronkite News

Jennifer Soules Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 An Arizona family’s cross-country pilgrimage to see Pope Francis This trip was not off to a smooth start for the Hanning family. Ryan and Becky Hanning and their eight children were still stuck in the car rental section of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport two hours after they were supposed to be on the road. The 12-passenger van they had reserved was nowhere to be found. Finally, after a few hours of working with two rental companies, the family of 10 loaded the car with luggage and 65 quarts of pre-made meals and hit the road. Pope Francis was 35 hours and 2,300 miles away. They made it six days later, when they drove up to the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday morning. Posters, placards and portable bathrooms lined the streets miles away from where the pope was scheduled to be. “It’s beautiful to see” Hanning said. “It’s probably about the most religious thing you’ve ever seen.” Ryan Hanning is the assistant vice president for strategic partnerships and director of cultural advancement at University of Mary-Tempe. He and his family drove from Phoenix to Philadelphia to see the pope at the Festival of Families on Sept. 26 and 27. The Festival of Families combines music, entertainment and education to create a celebration of family, community and faith. The event closes with Sunday Mass...

Stefan Modrich and Rebecca Winn Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, ASU players’ jersey sales on low end nationally CHANDLER – While the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State University football have gained traction locally in recent years in terms of wins and popularity, the teams lag behind the competition in national jersey sales. The Cardinals are one of seven NFL teams without a player on the NFL Players Association’s most recent Top 50 player jersey sales list, which measured sales from the league’s licensees from March 1 to May 31. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady rounded out the Top 3. As a team, the Seahawks had the most representatives on that list with six players. Larry Fitzgerald, one of the Cardinals’ most recognizable stars, has been on such lists before. His jersey is the best selling among active players on the Cardinals online team shop, but he didn’t make the cut on the national list for this first quarter. In Chandler with @beccawinning at Just Sports reporting on Arizona Cardinals and #ASU jersey sales: @cronkitenews pic.twitter.com/yKvm8RdIcA — Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) September 17, 2015 Because most stores don’t distribute Cardinals merchandise nationally, the team’s overall numbers don’t compare favorably to teams in larger markets, said Mark Rolandson, general manager of Just Sports, an Arizona-based retail sports apparel and...

James Anderson Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 Douglas recall campaign faces critics, sheer numbers GLENDALE – Lisa Marsh and Diane Gordon spent this morning sitting outside a recreational center here and asking registered voters to help recall Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas. Marsh and Gordon have been gathering signatures three to four days a week since the recall petition launched Sept. 1. If they and other volunteers succeed in getting 366,128 signatures by Dec. 30, there will be a statewide recall election in which candidates who gather the necessary number of signatures will take on Douglas. The volunteers say Douglas lacks leadership qualities and chooses party lines over education. “We’re hoping that through our efforts we’re going to be able to put forth some more qualified candidates to actually focus on a plan for a better education for our children in Arizona,” Marsh said. Gordon, a former Peoria Unified School District teacher who retired this spring, said an average day of volunteering lasts four to six hours and yields around 60 signatures. She said they obtained about 45 signatures by the two-hour mark of this morning. While many petition drives to force elections, almost always involving ballot measures, have involved paid circulators, the Coalition to Recall Diane Douglas is a grass-roots effort relying on volunteers. Max Goshert, the group’s chairman, said the movement is growing, with the number...

Bailey Netsch Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 Mexican Consulate offers free flu shots to those in need The Mexican Consulate in Phoenix offers free flu shots and a growing number of health services to immigrants and others in need. “When we are talking about health there are no borders,” said Rodrigo Navarro García, director of Ventanilla de Salud, or Window to Health, at the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix. The Mexican government created Ventanilla de Salud 10 years ago to address the health needs of immigrants in the United States. Each of the 50 Mexican consulates gets funding through this program. Of all the health services, the free flu shots are the most popular offered at the Phoenix Consulate. “I came for passport services but also got a vaccine because one, it is very important, and two, because it was free,” said Neveida Nuñez. She has been to this consulate many times and said last year she received the flu shot here as well. Flu season in Phoenix normally runs from September to December. In colder years and regions, the virus can remain extremely active until February. “It’s very important for the community that we protect against the flu. We want to vaccinate as many individuals as we can,” said Paul Stoneburg, a pharmacist. Stoneburg is one of the pharmacists giving flu vaccines at the consulate. This is his third time....

Chris Caraveo Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 Suns help ready ‘Madhouse’ for team’s return to its former home Sporting a brace on his left knee, former Suns center Alvan Adams arrived at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday in a white T-shirt, a grey long-sleeved shirt underneath, a tan fisherman’s hat, black sunglasses and khaki shorts running just above his kneecaps. The man went 60 years without knee problems. Now he’s 61. “It’s finally getting a little sore,” Adams said. “That’s what happens to guys who jump high and land hard. But it’s OK, I’m ready to plant.” That is what Adams and more than 20 other people did Wednesday at the Coliseum, also known as the “Madhouse on McDowell,” as the team works to rejuvenate the outside of its former home in anticipation of the Suns scrimmage there on Oct. 3 to end training camp. Adams, Suns centers Alex Len and Henry Sims, and Suns ambassador to the community Steven Hunter joined other volunteers in potting and placing flowers and plants around the Coliseum, part of the “Suns Week of Service” that has players, executives, staff and volunteers participating in community events across the Valley. They also spray-painted logos with the team’s new marketing slogan, “We are PHX,” and spray-painted signs reading “50th Anniversary Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum” to commemorate the building’s opening on Nov. 3, 1965. The Suns...