Helena Wegner

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — In two rooms in separate cities, people say their names. Around a circle of chairs and tables, they gather weekly to strategize leaving the streets behind. All have been homeless before or are living on the brink. The conversation is more urgent, as a pandemic winter sets in. And frustration is building with public leaders who they feel have not done enough to help. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, though similar in many ways, have taken opposite approaches to

Penny Bankhead says a prayer and spends a few minutes centering herself. She sits at her desk in her spare bedroom in northeast Phoenix, powers on her laptop and logs on to Zoom, where she is greeted by a screen full of familiar faces: volunteers in a grief support group. It’s 6:45 p.m. on a Monday; Bankhead is early and prepared. In 15 minutes, the volunteers will leave her screen and their faces will be replaced with the faces of parents mourning the loss of a child.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a behavioral health crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Additional resources can be found at the bottom of this article. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizonans have turned to call lines for help more often and for new reasons. The virus has caused many to endure financial hardship, job loss, academic stress and some harmful impacts of isolation, which health officials

Dutch Bros. shut down five coffee shop locations across the Phoenix area for deep cleaning in the past month after several employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to the company's news releases. Positive cases have been reported at Phoenix, Goodyear, Peoria, Tempe and Mesa locations. Arizona has more than 50 Dutch Bros. locations. The state, and Maricopa County in particular, have seen confirmed COVID-19 cases skyrocket in the past month after the state reopened. After every confirm

As temperatures skyrocket, many people experiencing homelessness seek relief from Phoenix's seemingly inescapable heat. Sweltering temperatures are only the latest challenge facing those living on the streets, following the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic as many existing resources have been stripped due to concerns about the spread of the virus. Temperatures were forecasted to reach triple digits of around 115 or higher both Saturday and Sunday. Rocky Farrington and his wife, Juleen Lacrosse

Four Phoenix fitness facilities received notices from the Arizona Department of Health Services on Wednesday for refusing to shut down operations despite state orders. The letters order the exercise facilities to close until the department grants them permission to reopen. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order on June 29 closing gyms and other businesses for the second time. Some gyms remained open in defiance, while others initially shut down but reopened after the state released

Several fitness centers around metro Phoenix are open, despite orders from the state to remain closed until COVID-19 rates decline. Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order weeks ago closing gyms, among other businesses, to prevent spreading the virus. Monday, he released detailed reopening guidelines that make it clear it will be weeks before gyms are allowed to reopen in many Arizona counties. The governor's order states that "indoor gyms or fitness clubs or centers" shall pause operations.

Arizona elected 2 black lawmakers to the Legislature 70 years ago. Today, there are 3 In 1950, the first African American politicians were elected to the Arizona House of Representatives. Combating school segregation laws sparked Hayzel B. Daniels and Carl Sims' victories in their campaigns for the Legislature in 1950. Daniels and Sims, both Democrats from south Phoenix, were prominent civil rights figures who worked to end racism and discrimination in Arizona. During the 1950s, Jim Crow law

Options for working parents amid shuttered schools: some preschools and day cares remain open Day cares, preschools and nonprofit groups are stepping up to provide childcare options for working parents as schools statewide remain closed. Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced Friday that all Arizona schools, including private schools, will stay closed until April 10. They had originally announced school closures until March 27 but state leaders

Painting flowers came naturally to Elizabeth Butler, a Phoenix-based artist who has been creating for more than 10 years. Butler learned most of her technical skills at Mesa Community College and then earned a bachelor’s degree in figure painting at Arizona State University. “I started realizing [that] the only time I felt like myself, or that I felt good or OK, was when I was making art,” Butler says. She gravitated toward florals because she says flowers and human beings share the same complex

Essence Bakery Café started Arizona’s first baking apprenticeship program in June for graduating high school students. Students who are still in high school can apply for the pre-apprenticeship program. The two-year program allows students to gain valuable culinary skills without accruing student debt because there is no program fee. The program was started by Essence Bakery Café chef and owner Eugenia Theodosopoulos who partnered with Arizona’s Careers through Culinary Arts Program. C-CAP par

The 1920s were marked by dramatic economic growth, prosperity, jazz music and the Prohibition – a period between the ’20s and ’30s when alcohol was outlawed in the United States. Underground speakeasies popped up across cities and the ‘20s roared on. Will 2020 be as remarkable as the Roaring ‘20s? Rick Bronson hopes so. The comedian will open a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge and coffee bar this November. The unique concept will be located on High Street in northern Phoenix, an alluring area ho