Arizona
Helios aims to accelerate progress in early literacy across Arizona
PHOENIX – March is National Reading Month, and this month KTAR’s community spotlight shines on Helios Education Foundation and its mission to accelerate progress in early literacy across Arizona.
Just 41% of third graders in Arizona are reading at grade level. The rate is even lower for Arizona students from low-income backgrounds (27%) and Latino students (30%). That’s according to the latest Arizona Education Progress Meter, which tracks key areas to improve Arizona’s education system.
“Reading is the foundational skill for all future learning,” Helios President and CEO Paul J. Luna told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News. “Students learn to read by third grade and then, following third grade, they read to learn. That’s why I think it’s foundationally important for our students to be able to really fully embrace the science of reading.”
Luna added “research shows that students who are not proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade are more likely to fall behind in all subject areas. They’re also more likely to drop out of high school and not go on to college.”
Ensuring students can read proficiently by the end of third grade is a focus area for Helios Education Foundation.
Since 2006, Helios has invested nearly $350 million in education initiatives in Arizona and Florida, the two states it serves. Its mission is to improve education outcomes and increase postsecondary education attainment for all students, especially from low-income and underrepresented communities.
Luna noted there’s a statewide goal to get 72% of third graders reading proficiently by the year 2030. Progress toward reaching that goal was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, just 35% of third graders were reading proficiently, compared with 46% right before the pandemic began in 2019.
“We have seen reading scores rebound, but they’re still not where we’d like them to be,” Luna stressed.
That is why Helios has partnered with organizations that are working to improve early literacy outcomes. This includes Read on Arizona, which is the state’s early literacy initiative that’s focused on Arizona children from birth to age 8.
Read on Arizona has identified chronic absenteeism, which is defined as students who miss 10% or more of the school year, as a barrier to reading proficiency. Last May, it formed a taskforce to develop recommendations and resources that’ll help prevent chronic absenteeism and reengage students who’ve missed too many school days.
In September, Helios teamed up with the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee to launch Read to the Final Four. It’s a reading competition that’s using the excitement surrounding the 2024 Men’s Final Four, which is taking place at State Farm Stadium in April, to inspire Arizona third graders to accelerate their reading skills.
Helios also supports Read Better Be Better, a local nonprofit that’s hoping to inspire a love of literacy and learning through a unique reading intervention program that matches kinder through third graders with middle, high school and college students. The program is now available in more than 100 schools across Maricopa County.
“Together with our partners, we are working to improve early literacy so that all children learn to read and can be successful in school and later in life,” Luna said.
PAGE, AZ (AZFamily) — A person accused of making terroristic threats toward a northern Arizona medical facility was arrested Friday morning.
Just after 10:30 p.m., police received a report of a person calling the facility and threatening to kill staff and Native Americans, according to the Page Police Department.
Authorities said staff placed the facility on lockdown until officers identified the suspect and arrested them outside their home.
The suspect was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, threatening and intimidating, and making terroristic threats. Police have not publicly identified the person.
“The Page Police Department is grateful for and supports the medical staff’s decision to put the medical facility into lockdown until the suspect was arrested and the situation was rendered safe,” the department said in a Facebook post.
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In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
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