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Suicide Prevention: Arizona breweries team up to raise awareness with ‘988’ beer

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Suicide Prevention: Arizona breweries team up to raise awareness with ‘988’ beer


September is National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, and in a powerful display of solidarity, breweries nationwide are joining forces for a good cause.

Those taking part, including some in Arizona, will name a special beer ‘988’ in honor of the new number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which was launched in 2022.

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The goal is to spark conversations and promote awareness of the ‘988’ number, and it comes as calls to the hotline are higher than ever.

“Design what represents your brewery, and the only thing that matters to us is spreading awareness of the number, so put the number on it, and that’s all we ask,” said Josh Goodstein with O.H.S.O. Brewery.

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Folks at O.H.S.O. Brewery decided to make a change, so they launched the idea of naming a beer ‘988’ in honor of the three-digit National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone number. Their idea has now spread to 29 states.

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“Literally coast to coast, and every time we get an email update with somebody else signing up for the project, it’s something that I like. My heart melts for a second every time,” said Goodstein.

For a limited time, breweries nationwide will sell their own versions of the ‘988’ beer to help raise awareness.

“Everyone gets to put their own beer in it, which is exciting,” said Adam Wojcik, Brewery Director with the PHX Beer Co. “Makes it very simple for the breweries to participate.”

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With PHX Beer Co., a portion of all the proceeds will go towards 988.

“So, we are launching it actually on Monday, which is exciting, and when it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Wojcik. “A lot of mango, peach. Very light and delicious.”

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What is 988?

The Federal government launched 988 as an easy way to remember the crisis line.

“People should call if they are having thoughts of suicide, absolutely. They should call if there is a mental health crisis, like, maybe a bipolar episode, or just a family member doesn’t know who to turn to get somebody help,” said Eric Lee with Solari, a Tempe-based organizartion that operates 988 for Arizona.

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Lee says the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as inflation, have taken a toll on people’s mental health. In addition, the growing knowledge of 988 has also increased calls.

In the last year, Solari has received around 65,000 calls, averaging 5,500 calls a month.

“They are definitely the highest ever,” said Lee. “As soon as somebody knows the number is out there, and they feel less anxious about calling or less judged about calling, then they are more likely to pick up the phone and make that call, and when they do so, we’re more likely to save lives.”

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Read our explainer on 988

Help is available. If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call or text 988. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Support in Spanish is also available. You can also chat with crisis counselors via online chat.

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CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide.



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Arizona

Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC

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Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC


Gary Farmer is an actor, musician, and activist whose made a career in indigenous media. His performances in television and film have received rave reviews. The1989 film “Powwow Highway”, in which he stars, was just inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.



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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress

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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress


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Arizona’s two newest U.S. House members are set to get sworn into their posts as the 119th Congress gets underway.

Republican Abe Hamadeh, a lawyer, and Democrat Yassamin Ansari, a former Phoenix vice mayor, are expected to take their oaths of office on Friday, shortly after the House resumes session.

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Hamadeh will replace Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., who is retiring from Congress to serve on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 

He will represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly Republican area that covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River.

Propelled by an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, Hamadeh defeated a crowded field of other Republicans in Arizona’s July 30 primary election and sailed to an easy victory in the Nov. 5 general election.

Hamadeh, a self-described “America First warrior,” largely echoed Trump’s positions on the campaign trail. He will serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee.

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Ansari will represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, a stretch of Maricopa County that includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale. She is replacing Democrat Ruben Gallego, who has swapped his House seat for a U.S. Senate seat. Her House committee assignments have not been announced.

During the primary election, Ansari hewed closer to the political center than her opponent, former state Sen. Raquel Terán of Phoenix. Ansari ran on a progressive platform but staked out more centrist turf on issues like policing and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.

She beat out Terán by just 39 votes, and, like Hamadeh, won her November election in a landslide.

Ansari plans to join the House’s Progressive Caucus, the Democrats’ most left-leaning faction on Capitol Hill.

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona


Three people were arrested this week in connection with the death of a good Samaritan in Arizona last month, officials said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department identified two of the three people arrested Monday as Jack Upchurch, 40, and Elmer Smith, 19. The third person is 16 years old. NBC News does not typically identify minors accused of crimes.

The trio were arrested in connection with the death of Paul Clifford, 53, whose body was found near a smoldering car northeast of Tucson last month.

Sabrina Vining, a woman who identified herself as Clifford’s daughter in an online fundraiser, said her father disappeared after he left his house at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 23 to help a “stranger with a stranded vehicle.”

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NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported that Clifford’s family reported him missing after, they said, a strange man knocked on Clifford’s door and asked for help with his car.

He was later found dead, the sheriff’s department said. It did not provide a cause or manner of death.

Officials said they received information Monday about a possible location for the three suspects.

Detectives searched the area and obtained a search warrant for a property, which the Pima Regional SWAT team carried out.

The suspects barricaded themselves inside a home and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, the sheriff’s department said. They left the residence and were taken into custody.

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The sheriff’s department did not release any information about a motive or how it connected the suspects to Clifford’s killing.

The three suspects were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on felony arrest warrants, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether they have legal representation. Jail records do not list attorneys for any of the three.

Upchurch was being held on a $1 million bond, Smith on $1.025 million bail and the minor on a half-million-dollar bond, according to jail records.



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