Arizona

Efforts to boost FAFSA application rates in Arizona

Published

1 year ago

January 17, 2025

Efforts to boost FAFSA application rates in Arizona

PHOENIX (AZFamily)—Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Board of Regents are partnering to declare January ‘FAFSA Action Month’ in an effort to boost application rates.

After last week’s technical difficulties and delayed rollout, the Arizona Board of Regents said it prevented many students from applying for financial aid and impacted FAFSA completion rates.

From October 2024 to now, the national FAFSA completion rate sits at 54.4%, according to the National College Attainment Network’s FAFSA Tracker. During the same measured timeframe, Arizona’s FAFSA completion rate was 41.4%, about 13% lower than the national average.

Knowing that last year’s issues created a negative experience for many families, Arizona Board of Regents Director of FAFSA Julia Sainz and the Board of Regents will continue to assure parents that it won’t happen again.

”We’re trying to really elevate the message of FASFA and just letting families and students know that there is support available to help with the application also in support with the governor’s office and we also have an Arizona FASFA coalition that we partner with in order to help eleveate this message,” said Sainz.

After the U.S. Department of Education made multiple improvements and updates to the FAFSA software, Sainz said it has already created a smoother and easier application process for students.

“As of December we’ve already seen a little over 15% of high school seniors have completed the FASFA application. Knowing that there were a lot of technical glitches with the form if we look at that data back in April of last year we were at 18% so knowing that a month of data we’re at 15% is showing really great progress.”

Another way the Board of Regents is trying to boost completion rates is by partnering with the Cactus League to provide complimentary tickets to students who complete their FAFSA application.

The Arizona Board of Regents encourages families to complete FAFSA Applications sooner rather than later to ensure they meet all deadlines.

The federal deadline for FAFSA applications is June 30. However, the board said it’s important to check if the school your student applies to has its own FAFSA deadlines.

All Arizona universities don’t have specific FAFSA deadlines. However, in-state scholarships like the Arizona Promise Program have a priority deadline of April 30.

To learn more about the FAFSA application, click here.

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Arizona

Where to watch New York Mets vs Arizona Diamondbacks: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 10

Published

11 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch New York Mets vs Arizona Diamondbacks: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 10

Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.

We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Sunday as the New York Mets visit the Arizona Diamondbacks.

See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.

What time is New York Mets vs Arizona Diamondbacks?

First pitch between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 10.

How to watch New York Mets vs Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.

Matchup: NYM at ARI
Date: Sunday, May 10
Time: 4:10 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Chase Field
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
TV: DBACKS.TV and SportsNet New York
Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo

Watch MLB all season long with Fubo

MLB regional blackout restrictions apply

MLB scores, results

MLB scores for May 10 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:

See scores, results for all of today’s games.

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Arizona

Drowning happens in seconds, Arizona safety experts warn as triple-digit temperatures arrive this week

Published

23 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Drowning happens in seconds, Arizona safety experts warn as triple-digit temperatures arrive this week

GILBERT, AZ — As temperatures climb across Arizona, safety experts and parents say so does the risk around water.

“You brought them here for a reason, and you want them to keep safe at all times, and it’s the most precious things you have. Why, why would you not pay attention to them?” Ernesto Agüero said.

Agüero’s warning comes as families across the Valley head to pools and splash pads to beat the heat.

Experts say drowning can happen silently and within seconds.

“Drowning is silent. A lot of times it goes unnoticed, but it just takes seconds,” Jay Arthur, president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, said.

The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona says while child drowning deaths are down compared to recent years, the danger is far from over as summer begins. It comes as the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona (DPCA) hosted its annual “Tapping Into Water Safety” event. The event brought together organizations like the Salt River Project (SRP) and the Phoenix Fire Department.

“You have to watch the kids with your eyes. Eye-to-eye contact is critical. You can’t be on your phone. You can’t be talking to your friend,” Arthur said.

Advocates say one of the biggest misconceptions is thinking you’ll hear someone struggling in the water. Instead, they say prevention starts before a child even gets near the pool.

“Always appoint a water watcher when you have a group of people around water, and that would be an adult that’s responsible for watching the water and they’re not on their phone,” Tanya Hughes, SRP Community Activation Strategist, said.

Families say the reminders are especially important heading into another Arizona summer.

“You want them to be safe. You want them to know how to behave when they’re in the water,” Agüero said.

Experts say designated water watchers, pool barriers and swim lessons can make the difference. They also warn that distractions like phones or conversations can quickly become dangerous.

“Seconds matter; it is really important because a child can drown in just a matter of seconds,” Arthur said.

With more families potentially spending time in the water this weekend, advocates say now is the time to prepare.

“We’re telling you, we’re trying to stop this from happening,” Arthur said.

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