Arizona Capitol Times

I interned at the Capitol Times in the fall of 2017, when the legislature was out of session. That meant getting inventive with story ideas and keeping a close eye on off-season political developments. 

Art therapy

The legislature used a little known procedure, through which they change rules in the health care profession, to increase regulation of art therapy in the previous session. Yet, I found that little had changed.

Veterans homes

I found this story while working at the Arizona Capitol Times after looking at the yearly budget requests. The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services asked for 13 million dollars in their proposed 2018 budget for a new state home, although construction of two homes previously funded by the state was stalled after failing to receive matching federal funds.

Wastewater beer 

This contest was a fun way to cover a change in regulations for reclaimed water.  I produced this video to run with the digital version.

Rise in ozone levels

After year of a decease in ozone, Phoenix experienced an uptick in the number of days with a dangerous level of ozone in the air in the summer of 2017. I wanted to inform the public, without alarming them about what is still considered a natural variation in ozone level.

EPA funding cuts

This story was another find from the 2018 budget requests. While looking through the documents, I saw surprisingly candid language from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality about the lack of clarity regarding federal funding.