Arizona In Focus

In the first episode of In Focus DACA Special Report, the Cronkite News Washington D.C. bureau looks at the status of immigration policy as the clock ticks on a deadline for Congress. The future of 800,000 immigrants rests in the hands of a divided Congress. Lawmakers face deadlines to take action.

Our theme song is "Zoo Bells" and we also used "Zoo Jungle," both by Roddy Nikpour.

On our first episode of In Focus Season 2, we interview local Arizona rap group Odd Squad Family which is made up of N.U.B.S., who has no limbs, Snowman, who has albinism, and A-Factor. The Odd Squad Family tells their story of how the group got started, how they manage the business side of the music, and entertained us with a little freestyle rap.

On this episode of In Focus, we discuss wrong-way driving and the new technology that the Arizona Department of Transportation is installing on the Interstate 17. Digital Producer Alexis Kuhbander speaks to someone who barely avoided a wrong-way collision, along with a public safety official and vehicle-detection system expert, who highlight the importance of the thermal enhancements.

What happens to social media accounts when you die? Producer Roddy Nikpour speaks to someone who had to deal with his sister's death. He saw strange results when his family memorialized her Facebook profile, but modern research says they're normal. Plus, an anthropologist sheds light on the importance of physical objects in remembering the dead.

Many people lose sight as they grow older, but there are more than 15,000 visually impaired Arizonans between the ages of 18 and 34. In this episode, we hear the stories of two of them. Hiris Vela, 20, and Elijah Harris, 19, are both community college students who grew up legally blind in Arizona. They share what it was like to try to get by in high school and how they learned to thrive without sight.

And we wrap up the In Focus season with a roundtable of producers, who share their behind-the-scenes insights from their reporting across the state.

On this episode of In Focus, we look at the foster care system in Arizona, specifically for those in the system over the age of 18. Although foster children can leave the foster care system when they turn 18, they can sign a voluntary agreement to continue until they turn 21. Why might some teens decide stay? We talk with one young woman who explains her choice.

There are nearly 10,000 homeless people in the state of Arizona, including veterans, the elderly, individuals, youth and families. In this episode of In Focus, we explore issues that especially affect two populations of homeless young adults: pregnant women and those in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Ten percent of homeless women are pregnant, according to an article published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal, and the Williams Institute estimates that 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth come from the LGBT community. We hear from one mother who found herself struggling with an addiction, homeless and pregnant with her fifth child, and why LGBT youth are disproportionately represented in homeless communities.

Raising a child with autism can be incredibly challenging under the best of circumstances. For families who live in small towns, far from big-city resources, it can be even harder. In this episode of In Focus, we talk with Elizabeth Gullikson, a 30-year-old mother, and resident of Yuma. Her four-year-old son, Gavin Cunningham, has autism. Elizabeth and her family try to acquire the best help for Gavin, but it can take some serious digging to excavate the right resources.

The In Focus theme song is called “Wounds (Remix)” by Ketsa, used under Creative Commons.

Young adults — especially those ages 18 to 25 — are at a higher risk for depression than people in any other age group. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this episode of In Focus, we explore why mental illness is especially common in young adults and why exercise – in addition to counseling and medication therapy – may help address or even prevent the onset of depression. We hear the story of one student who found relief from depression through triathlon training and talk with experts about the effects of physical exertion on the brain.

The In Focus theme song is called “Wounds (Remix)” by Ketsa, used under Creative Commons.

Getting a goodnight’s rest isn’t always easy, especially when you're a young adult balancing school, work, clubs and social pressures. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2010, more 60 percent of the 1,125 university students studied reported poor quality sleep. That can have a deep impact on health, learning and job performance. On this episode of In Focus, we explore the consequences of sleep deprivation among young adults. We hear from one college student who had a frightening experience with sleep paralysis he attributes to stress, and we speak with a sleep specialist about how to get better sleep – even during your college years.

The In Focus theme song is called “Wounds (Remix)” by Ketsa, used under Creative Commons.