Arizona
Free lockable pool fences offered to qualifying Arizona homeowners
MESA, AZ — Swimming pools are a common way Arizona families beat the heat, and a leading safety concern for parents. Public health officials in Arizona say drowning is the leading cause of death for children 4 and under, and a local nonprofit is stepping in to help reduce the risk.
Child Crisis Arizona is offering free, lockable mesh-and-metal pool fences to qualifying homeowners. This group even sends a crew to install the barriers for recipients. The fences surround an entire pool and include locking mechanisms designed to keep unsupervised children out of the water.
“You need some kind of protection around the pool,” said Dustin George, owner of Octopus Pool Service and Repair. “I have children of my own. We put a fence around our pool to make sure they stay safe.”
Caitlyn Sageng, a spokesperson for Child Crisis Arizona, said the fences provide crucial seconds for caregivers. “That pool fence gives you that extra time to say — where did the two-year-old go? — and you’re able to get there before they get to the water,” she said.
To qualify, applicants must be homeowners (renters are not eligible) and have a child age 6 or younger living in the household. Child Crisis Arizona is accepting applications through April 5. Familes interested can apply through the nonprofit’s website.
Pool safety experts stress that barriers are one layer of protection and should be used alongside active supervision, swim lessons and other safeguards.
Arizona
Arizona Senate committee passes three bills aimed at reforming the Department of Child Safety
A state Senate committee passed three bills Wednesday morning aimed at reforming the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The bills are part of a search for solutions following the murders of three girls known to Arizona’s child welfare system in 2025.
One of the bills strengthens the rules to place children with relatives or other adults they know. HB2035 would make kinship care presumptive and require a written explanation if a different placement were made.
Another bill, HB4004, encourages DCS to investigate new reports of child abuse, even if caseworkers had designated a “protective parent” who would shield the child from harm.
The third bill, HB2611, aims to improve the conditions of group homes. This includes improved building security, allowing foster children to participate in enrichment activities and live free from bullying, and randomly drug testing group home workers.
Hayden L’Heureux, who lived in foster group homes, spoke about the conditions youth face.
“For many foster youth group homes are not experienced as places of healing but as places of punishment or setback,” L’Heureux said.
Angelina Trammell also lived in foster group homes and shared her experience.
“I’ve been through things no child should ever have to go through in the hardest part. A lot of it could’ve been prevented,” Trammell said.
All three bills have already passed the state House and will move forward for consideration by the full Senate.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cardinals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Happy Wednesday one and all.
The Arizona Cardinals have added a number of players and positions in free agency, so now, the question becomes what is the biggest need heading into the 2026 NFL Draft?
Now, if you choose quarterback, that does not mean it is a priority at the third overall pick, it is just acknowledging that they don’t have one to count on heading into the 2026 season.
So, it is a need, but maybe not one you can address in the 2026 NFL Draft.
For me, quarterback is the obvious need, but they also need an edge, in a class where maybe three of the five best players in the draft are edges.
This should be a slam dunk, right?
Will Arizona residents be able to see the SpaceX rocket launch planned today at the Vandenberg Space Force Base?
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launching today, March 24, from Southern California. Will it be visible from Arizona?
The two-stage rocket will be blasting off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base to help deploy to Earth orbit another batch of the commercial spaceflight company’s Starlink broadband internet satellites.
While a planned southern trajectory may make the rocket a little harder to spot for Arizonans, SpaceX will offer a livestream of the mission on its website.
Keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. If you’re going to try to spot the rocket launch, check back with azcentral.com for any updates on the mission.
In the meantime, here’s what to know about the launch from neighboring California, as well as when and where to potentially see the rocket in Arizona.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California
SpaceX is working toward a Tuesday, March 24, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 4:03 p.m. PT, according to a launch alert.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Will SpaceX rocket launch be visible in Arizona? What to know about trajectory
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
Because the rocket is due to fly at a southern trajectory, it may not be easily visible from Arizona.
How to watch SpaceX launch livestream
Fortunately for those in Arizona interested in watching the launch, SpaceX also provides a live webcast of its missions.
The launch will be available to stream on the company’s website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about five minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X.
What is the Vandenberg rocket launch? Falcon 9 to deploy Starlink satellites
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth’s atmosphere where they’re able to circle the planet quickly.
Where to watch SpaceX Falcon 9 in Arizona
Because of Arizona’s proximity to the launch site, there’s a good chance people there can see the spacecraft streak across the sky, especially at night or very early morning.
Here’s a list of some possible viewing locations compiled by The Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication.
- Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona
- Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona
- Fountain Hills, a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, which in 2018 was designated a Dark Sky Community with little light pollution
- Superstition Mountains, located 40 miles from metro Phoenix in Arizona
- Cave Creek, a town in Maricopa County about 30 miles north of Fountain Hills, Arizona
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 Sky Harbor Blvd., Arizona, which has a parking garage that is popular for plane-watching
- Black Canyon City, an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona
- Any mountain park in Arizona
- Estrella Mountain Regional Park, 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear, Arizona
- Skyline Regional Park, 2600 N. Watson Road, Buckeye, Arizona
- White Tank Mountains, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, Arizona
- San Tan Mountain Regional Park, 6533 W. Phillips Road, Queen Creek, Arizona
- Monument Hill, a 150-foot slope on 115th Avenue, in Arizona
- Casa Grande, a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson
- Avondale, a city in Maricopa County bordering Phoenix to the west
- Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix
Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company
SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO.
SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city.
As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military.
For the Department of Defense, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule – the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is SpaceX’s internet satellite business.
With nearly 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk’s business empire, serving millions of customers around the world.
SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California.
Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth’s atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
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