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Arizona Congress members want Native American war hero stories restored on DOD website

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Arizona Congress members want Native American war hero stories restored on DOD website


PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation are calling on the Department of Defense to bring back website articles describing two Native American heroes from Arizona.

Reps. Greg Stanton and Yassamin Nasari, both Democrats, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reinstate stories surrounding Pima/Akimel O’odham Marine Pfc. Ira Hayes and Hopi Army Specialist Lori Piestewa. The pair say references to Native American veterans, like the Navajo Code Talkers, have been restored but information on the two military members is still missing.

“We must never forget the sacrifices made by Native American veterans and service members throughout our nation’s history,” said Stanton and Nasari in the letter. They say the stories of Hayes and Piesetwa were removed because of the Trump administration’s ban of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Efforts by the DOD to recognize any veteran’s selfless service to our nation have nothing to do with any type of DEI Initiative,” said Stanton and Nasari.

Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, also Democrats, sent a similar letter on Monday to Hegseth about the webpages. “To erase Pfc. Hayes’s and Specialist Piestewa’s contributions to our history is to erase American history,” they said. “DoD appears to be taking a slash and burn approach, removing web pages and only restoring them when the public holds the Department accountable. This approach is wasteful and creates unnecessary distractions from the Department’s important missions.”

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Hayes was one of six Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima in 1945 during WWII. The event was immortalized in one of the most recognized photos in history that won a Pulitzer Prize. A simple search of his name returns zero results on the Defense Department website. However, he’s the focus of this article on the Iowa Jima victory.

Piestewa was the first female Native American soldier to be killed in action on foreign soil when her convoy was ambushed on March 23, 2003. Former Gov. Janet Napolitano renamed the mountain formerly known as Squaw Peak, near 24th Street and Glendale, as Piestewa Peak a month after she died.

Her name is only mentioned in one article about Native American women serving in the military. There was a Piestewa painting photo on the Defense Department website but the link now gives a 404 error. A photo is still up of Piestewa’s mother.

The controversy comes during the same month at least 10 articles mentioning the Navajo Code Talkers were pulled from U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites. They were reportedly replaced with several broken URLs labeled “DEI.” The Code Talkers were an indigenous group that helped the United States during World War II.

Some of the webpages were restored hours later. Defense Department officials say the Navajo Code Talker material was mistakenly erased.

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Arizona

Keep an Eye on This Cardinals Roster Battle

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Keep an Eye on This Cardinals Roster Battle


The Arizona Cardinals have managed to answer most of the pressing questions surrounding their roster ahead of the 2025 NFL season. With regard to the defensive side of the football, GM Monti Ossenfort was in the answer business this offseason.

Of course, a few questions still persist.

According to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, the Cardinals have an area to address up front. Ballentine noted one roster battle from each NFL team, and cited the Cardinals as having an interior OL that has yet to be solidifed, particularly at the right guard position.

“The Cardinals didn’t do too much on the offensive side of the football. The vast majority of their moves were spent fixing a defense that struggled last season. Signing Royce Newman to compete with Isaiah Adams at right guard is one of the few moves they made.

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“Newman hasn’t been a full-time starter since his rookie season in 2021. It’s probably not a great sign for Adams’ development if he loses his job to the former Buccaneer. The hope here should be that Adams is ready to take a step forward in his second season and the Cardinals will have a solid offensive line,” Ballentine wrote.

Arizona certainly did not emphasize the offensive side of the football, and that much is understandable when the defense was in such a talent deficit.

The signing of Newman did not appear to be a long-term solution, and Adams has a bevy of question marks surrounding his ability to perform at the NFL level.

In a best-case scenario, it’s likely Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon would prefer to see a draft-and-develop project like Adams become their eventual starter, but it’s been a rough start for the Illinois product.

The Cardinals could use some veteran guidance at that position, even with Evan Brown holding down the left side of the interior.

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There’s no guarantee that it will pan out, but Adams and Newman’s usage in training camp may be quite telling about the state of the Cardinals’ OL.



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Arizona woman goes viral on TikTok for selling baked goods in honor of her dad

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Arizona woman goes viral on TikTok for selling baked goods in honor of her dad


PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A woman in San Tan Valley is going viral on TikTok for selling baked goods in honor of her father, who recently passed away.

Kaley Petersen recently lost her dad back in December unexpectedly due to undiagnosed diabetes. “He struggled with health medical issues very silently and kind of related them to different things, maybe getting older. He didn’t know that he was sick,” Petersen said.

Since then, Petersen said that she found out that her dad was nearly $200,000 in debt. She said her childhood is at risk of foreclosure, so last week, she posted on social media that she was selling homemade baked goods to help collect money to save her father’s home.

The response has been overwhelming. “Since everyone’s coming and supporting me, I feel so happy, and I haven’t felt happy in a long time,” Petersen said.

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Every week, Petersen puts her pop-up shop on the corner of Pecos and Sossaman in Mesa. She’s already raised $5,000 between her GoFundMe and baked goods sales. “I picked up some cookies yesterday, and we liked them so much that he decided to come back out here today,” said one customer.

Petersen said she plans to continue selling her baked goods in honor of her dad and hopes one day she can save the home and raise her family there. “It’s just really just to help fundraise towards keeping his legacy alive,” she said.

If you’d like to show your support, Petersen will sell her baked goods on the corner of Sossaman and Pecos roads on Thursday, June 5, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can also donate to her GoFundMe.

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What do you do if you get bit by a rattlesnake in Arizona? Here’s what to know

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What do you do if you get bit by a rattlesnake in Arizona? Here’s what to know


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  • Although rattlesnakes are present in Arizona, they generally avoid humans. But 182 rattlesnake bites were reported statewide in 2024.
  • Most bites occur at residences. Recommended treatment includes removing tight items, immobilizing and elevating the bite area, and seeking immediate medical attention.
  • Avoid tourniquets or attempting to suck out venom, and refrain from eating or drinking much water if bitten.
  • Rattlesnake bite fatalities are uncommon, with no reported deaths in Arizona in 2024.

A Florence toddler’s unfortunate encounter with a rattlesnake is a stark reminder that the rapidly warming Arizona weather signals rattlesnake season.

Cara Reed has been in and out of the hospital as doctors work to remove damaged tissue from her left foot, where the snake bit her twice on May 16.

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Cara was playing in the carport at the family’s home on the outskirts of Florence when a snake slithered out from some propane tanks and struck the top of her foot.

The long-term prognosis for her foot is still unclear at this early stage, but dead skin and damaged tissue is being removed.

As the 15-month-old deals with surgery and its aftereffects, medical and wildlife officials offer tips on how to deal with these desert dwellers.

Here’s what to know.

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How likely is it to encounter a rattlesnake in Arizona?

The rattlesnakes are out there, but they really don’t want to tangle with humans.

“For the most part, they want nothing to do with us,” said Tom Jones, the amphibians and reptiles program manager for the Arizona Game & Fish Department. “If you are an avid hiker, most likely you have walked right by one and not noticed it.”

But if you hear a rattle, Jones said, take care. Don’t confront the snake, just give it a wide berth and walk around it.

How common are rattlesnake bites?

The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center reported 182 bites in the state in 2024, a 4% increase from the previous year.

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The vast majority of bites happened in Pima County, which reported 107 incidents. Cochise County was next with 20 and 12 in Mohave County. There were no reports from Maricopa County, despite being the most populous in the state.

Although often associated with wildlands, the center reported most of the bites occurred at a residence.

What is the protocol for treating a rattlesnake bite?

Dr. Frank LoVecchio, a medical toxicologist at Valleywise Health, offered these key steps:

Remove any close-fitting items, such as clothing, jewelry and watches. The bite area will swell almost immediately, LoVecchio said, as the digestive enzymes in the snake’s venom start to try and digest blood, tissue and muscles.

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“Your forearm might get as big as your thigh,” he said.

Immobilize the bite area. “The more you move it, the more it hurts,” LoVecchio said.

He also recommends elevating the affected limb or body part, a practice that the poison center also emphasizes. That prevents the venom from pooling in one part of the body, where the enzymes can do damage.

Head for a hospital immediately, and call ahead to ensure the facility has antivenom on hand. Calling the poison center at 1-800-221-1222 is also helpful for expert guidance.

Are there things I shouldn’t do?

LoVecchio has a no-go list.

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“We don’t do anything crazy; we don’t suck out the venom, we don’t do a tourniquet,” he said.

He also advises that bite victims should refrain from drinking much water or eating anything, in case their treatment leads to surgery.

How fatal are rattlesnake bites?

They’re not common, LoVecchio said.

The poison center did not record any deaths due to rattlesnake bites in 2024. But it’s important to get to prompt medical treatment at a hospital, the center advises.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl. 

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