Arizona baseball had won five of its last seven games, which included three road wins, entering Friday evening’s matchup with Kansas State.
Arizona
This is what bus safety looks like in southern Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The focus on safety on school buses is reaching new heights following a crash on Interstate 10 Tuesday that injured dozens of kids and staff.
However, local safety administrators are pumping the brakes on concerns over school bus safety in southern Arizona.
“A school bus is the safest means of transportation for our students and passengers,” said Teresa Ramirez, the southern Arizona board member for the Transportation Administrators of Arizona.
Previous Coverage
Man arrested after school bus crash in Marana leaves victim with amputated hand
TMC talks about response, preparedness following serious school bus crash in Marana
Statistically, it is safer for children to travel on a bus than a car, with an average of six student deaths per year to 2,000 in a car, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
However, to analyze what safety standards are in place for buses in southern Arizona, administrators have to look at each district individually.
“Every district has the opportunity to design a fleet that is specifically for the needs of that district,” Ramirez said.
A district like the Tucson Unified, which has the largest number of bus users in southern Arizona, requires larger buses.
It can be limiting for safety features like seatbelts compared to smaller districts in rural communities that can use smaller buses or caravans with seatbelts to transport students.
But one common thread between all these buses is the design of the seats which do protect the children.
“We have the panels that are extremely high where it protects our students from lunging forward. We have the anti-air brakes in most of our busses,” Ramirez said.
The large seat cushions or panels are familiar to anyone who rode a bus growing up as the length of the seat provides a cushion to brace any impact from a potential crash.
“In the event of having to stop quickly, really what they do is prevent a student to going over a seat,” Ramirez said.
While Arizona saw more than a 50% decrease in bus crashes from 2012 to 2022, according to data from the ADOT, many still question if the cushions are enough in a high-speed crash.
“Seat belts are independently different due to what district you’re at and what your necessity is,” Ramirez said.
In 2018, the NTSB recommended that every state require seatbelts on buses, but Arizona has not implemented it.
That means it’s up to the individual districts to implement what they see fit.
“Typically, districts get together and talk about what is needed or necessary in their own district and what they have come across,” Ramirez said.
TUSD just received a new fleet of buses, and 13 News reached out to see if there are different safety features like seatbelts on those buses but we have not received a response yet.
Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold
Copyright 2025 13 News. All rights reserved.
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
In the first game of the series, Arizona (14-23, 5-11 Big 12) battled in a low-scoring affair but fell short in a 2-1 loss to Kansas State (24-12, 8-8 Big 12). The Wildcats from Tucson held the Wildcats from Manhattan at bay for a good majority of the night.
Given that Kansas State leads the Big 12 in conference play in batting, on-base percentage, and slugging, Arizona had a rather good performance, but it was not enough.
Owen Kramkowski pitched seven scoreless innings before allowing the first Kansas State run in the top of the eight. He finished with six strikeouts and kept the high octane Wildcats at bay.
“I thought the defense played well behind him too,” said head coach Chip Hale. “There’s a lot of ground balls, and we made plays where we were positioned in good places, and he was pitching in the eighth inning. That’s unbelievable.”
Garrett Hicks (3-1) came in to try and stop the bleeding for the Wildcats and did so by not allowing Kansas State to take the lead in the eighth. It was in the ninth when the lead was surrendered.
It took until the sixth inning but the first run was scored by Arizona. Andrew Cain singled to left field and after Maddox Mihalakis flew out, it was Beau Sylvester bringing Cain home with a triple through right center field.
Sylvester extended his hitting streak to eight games and it proved to be not enough to get Arizona to the finish line.
Kansas State tied the game at the top of the eight when back to back singles got runners on at first and third. Then a passed ball allowed the third base runner to come home.
Arizona had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the ninth after Cain singled to deep right field. With Sylvester back at the plate, it seemed like it was a perfect set up.
A wild pitch nearly got past Kansas State and Cain tried to take advantage of it and steal home. However, Kansas State was able to corral the pitch and get Cain out at home.
AJ Evasco started the ninth inning with a double for Kansas State and back to back fly outs eventually got him home to give Kansas State the lead and the win.
With eight players being left on base, Arizona will need to bring those runners in more often than not if they want to tie the series Saturday afternoon.
As a young team, the Wildcats have had to walk a very tight line between disappointment and dejection and will need to continue handling these losses with grace if it wants to turn a corner.
“It’s the way it goes, it’s baseball,” said Hale. “If we don’t handle it, we will come out tomorrow and won’t be ready to go, so hopefully they handle it.”
-
California59 seconds agoCalifornia regulators kill charity fireworks for America’s 250th, sparking outrage
-
Colorado7 minutes agoOutgoing Colorado Buffaloes Sebastian Rancik, Bangot Dak Make Transfer Portal Moves
-
Connecticut13 minutes agoOne arrested after a multi-car crash in Naugatuck Saturday
-
Delaware19 minutes ago9 Most Scenic Drives in New Jersey
-
Florida25 minutes agoSouth Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open
-
Georgia31 minutes ago
Georgia receiver and draft prospect Zachariah Branch arrested for misdemeanor obstruction
-
Hawaii37 minutes agoKanakaʻole, Zane ʻohana transform Hawaiian cultural practices into captivating visual arts | Maui Now
-
Idaho43 minutes ago‘Unrelenting’: Statehouse reporters recap 2026 legislative session in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News
