Arizona

Tom Horne’s attack on DEI is a stunt, just like the Luigi Mangione musical | Letters

Published

1 year ago

May 11, 2025

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Tom Horne’s attack on DEI is a stunt, just like the Luigi Mangione musical | Letters

Before the Arizona schools chief cracks down on DEI, he should show us examples of where it went wrong. He can’t.

Arizona schools chief Tom Horne wants schools to sign a “No DEI” statement or else lose federal funding.
A readers goes nuts over early political ads by Karrin Taylor Robson, 18 months before the election.

Arizona schools chief Tom Horne has warned public schools they could lose federal funding if they don’t sign his “No DEI here” statement, even though the executive order that is the basis for this is neither enforceable nor clear.

Its language provides no specifics on what constitutes the dreaded DEI, yet Horne demands public schools sign to confirm they have nothing approaching it.

Of course, Horne should have plenty of examples, given that one of his first acts was to initiate a “Empower Hotline,” to allow parents to report objectionable material taught to their kids.

And, of course, this turned out to be at best a nothing burger and at worst a fiasco.

If Horne had examples, you would think he would trot them out. But he doesn’t, which suggests that Horne’s “No DEI Here” is just another performative stunt, trying to ingratiate himself with the Trumper crowd.

Mike McClellan, Gilbert

An open letter to Karrin Taylor Robson

I believe I speak for hundreds of thousands of Arizona voters when I say I am absolutely sick of politics and empty-suit double-talking politicians.

Why on earth would you start up with political ads a full 18 months before the election? I could not hit the mute button fast enough when I started seeing yours.

You may have very well just caused me, out of pure frustration, to vote for someone else.

Antonio Morales Jr., Glendale

Book bans put parents, not students, in the dark

When libraries put parental controls on books, students will find a way to access the books they want to read through friends, bookstores and Kindle.

Wouldn’t the parents rather know what their kids are reading?

Then perhaps they could open a dialogue about “sensitive” subjects.

Bekke Hess, Bullhead City

Ungrateful choice advocates would bankrupt public schools

I’m amazed that the homeschooling community is complaining about caps to their spending.

I am sure public-school students would love to bake with high-end equipment, design clothing with the best fabrics and buy the best tools.

Do you even realize that Arizona is spending nearly a billion dollars yearly on empowerment scholarship accounts? The budget isn’t going to be able to sustain that without raising taxes.

Public school districts are struggling to provide competitive salaries for teachers, resources to maintain buildings and programs that don’t charge students. They, too, would love a piece of the education dollars’ pie.

Wake up state leaders and Arizonans, we are bankrupting the public education system.

Alexis Reed, Anthem

They can’t be serious. A musical for Luigi Mangione?

Art imitates art?

Several years ago, Mel Brooks created a play called “The Producers” about a Broadway impresario and his accountant who scheme to get rich by fraudulently overselling investment interests in a Broadway musical they know will flop. Their scheme depends on the play going belly up on opening night so they can walk away with all the invested dollars.

To ensure its failure, they set about writing and casting the worst, most tasteless production they can imagine — “Springtime for Hitler.”

The play, however, turns out to be a comedy hit. Audiences love it. It goes on extended run and they lose their shirts and go to prison.

Today, producers in San Francisco are staging a musical called “Luigi” about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering a health-care CEO in New York City.

Apparently, these real-life producers are serious.

Charles Lopresto, Phoenix

We are waging a fight against fascism

Thank you so much for featuring the Phoenix demonstration for May Day on the front page. Of course, there were other demonstrations in Arizona, including in Gilbert, Tucson, Tempe and Sedona.

It is important that mainstream media recognize the popular resistance to the current administration and its policies.

The 47th president and his followers are gleefully destroying the government, including essential programs for families, veterans, seniors and health care.

The separation of powers is dying. The administration’s lack of empathy and authoritarian impulses should be alarming to all citizens.

My father fought in World War II to defeat fascism. We may be called upon to do the same.

Gerri Chizeck, Chandler

Here’s my idea to reduce heat deaths

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Phil Boas wrote a brilliant column. His analysis of the tragic death of an elderly woman whose power was shut off by APS was thoughtful and inquisitive.

While he acknowledged that her death shouldn’t have happened, he also suggested that APS is not a social service agency and shouldn’t bear sole responsibility for what happened. He closed with an important question: “So, what’s our next step?”

I remember first hearing about the woman’s death and blaming APS. It was a sudden and visceral reaction. But Phil’s piece made me sit back and think it through. By the time I got to his final question, I had come to a possible answer.

Before someone’s power is disconnected for nonpayment, APS or SRP must notify the city of residence. They must have a plan to conduct a wellness (physical and/or financial) check.

It could be through the police or other agency. The city would already know if the person is paying his or her utility bills. The process then needs to include a plan on how to help the person involved.

And the power companies can only stop service when authorized by the city. It would involve coordination, but it’s worth it.

Thanks, Phil.

Dan Peel, Scottsdale

What’s on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.

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Arizona

How Arizona’s beavers could be a secret weapon in fire prevention

Published

8 hours ago

July 18, 2026

Press Room

How Arizona’s beavers could be a secret weapon in fire prevention

Beavers are incredible engineers, building dams so they can deter land predators. Their construction helps the land retain water and attract biodiversity around their ponds.
Beavers help reduce wildfire risk and spread, as the wetlands they manage act as fire breaks and is less flammable.
Beavers used to populate the North American continent, but trapping in the 1800s drastically curbed their numbers. Today, beavers are often considered pests for tampering with human infrastructure.

Laura Roche understands the imperative of curbing carbon emissions to prevent climate change from supercharging wildfires to “megafire” status. But she’s also aware that such steps won’t solve the problem right away, even if the entire world got their act together on addressing climate change this instant.

“People get tired” just talking about reducing emissions, she said. Even as smoke lingers in the air from the Pocket Megafire that was burning less than 10 miles away, she knows it won’t be a helpful conversation. “But there are other things that can definitely improve the situation,” she added.

Roche, a Cottonwood resident who works in Sedona, has one suggestion in mind: reintroducing beavers.

Beavers are North America’s largest rodents, with a flair for dam building. Their structures create strings of ponds and vital belts of lush vegetation, which can help prevent and mitigate fires in the region, simply because beavers help wetlands stay wet.

Community interest in beavers is stirring among Sedona residents and workers, who have watched warily in recent weeks as the Pocket Fire raged. They’re circulating YouTube videos about the power of these humble animals to terraform landscapes and reduce fire risk in a fire-prone region.

As of July 15, the Pocket Fire has burned 27,400 acres and is 83% contained.

Roche herself has been sharing the science of beavers with government officials in forest planning meetings, customers, customers and friends across the political spectrum.

“I’ve had nothing but positive support for the idea,” she said.

The science seems to check out. Emily Fairfax is a beaver scientist at the University of Minnesota, and also a beaver evangelist.

“You cannot restore streams that were originally made by beavers and shaped by beavers —without also bringing back the beavers,” she said.

How beavers help mitigate wildfires

Beavers are slow creatures that sorely lack in the physical department — but make up for it with their brilliant minds. They build dams to create deep pools, and there they build island dens to deter land predators. They also construct a network of canals along rivers to facilitate forage without leaving the safety of the water. A single beaver family can service a mile-long strip of wetland.

“It’s incredible how large scale their engineering is,” Fairfax said. There’s a joke among her peers about these crafty animals: “If you have a problem, there’s a beaver for that.”

With a dam in the way, surface water, such as storm runoff, has time to seep into the ground, recharging groundwater in the process. The retained moisture encourages plant growth, especially crucial in times of drought. Studies have shown that beaver-managed streams have more abundant vegetation than a landscape without.

Beavers can thrive in all kinds of riparian ecosystems, including drylands. There, the rodents seek out groundwater springs and excavate their ponds to expand storage capacity.

Beaver families have been observed to frolic in the concrete hearts of California’s San Jose, Portland, Denver and even in metro Phoenix. As long as reeds and trees are present as a food source, beavers can make it work, using rocks, trash and whatever they can find as construction material.

Fairfax has found that beaver wetlands are more fire- and drought-resilient than any other kind of riparian zone bereft of beavers. That’s because beavers work incessantly to maintain their dams and ponds.

“It’s life or death for the beaver to have that wetland,” she said. “So every moment of the beaver’s day, it’s like, how do I make sure this place stays wet?”

During a wildfire, the footprint of beavers makes a difference. It’s harder for lightning struck fires to spread on beaver-managed wetlands, as green vegetation is much less fire-prone. The network of rivers and beaver-made canals can act as a fire break to slow the progression of wildfire.

The wet pockets of beaver habitat also provide refuge for animals fleeing from fires. In 2021, the Beckwourth megafire scorched more than 105,000 acres north of California’s Lake Tahoe but spared a web of lush riparian corridors on the floodplain — sites where beavers had dammed and dug and developed before the blaze hit.

Will beaver reintroduction work?

Beavers ruled North America for 7.5 million years, in numbers up to 200 million strong. Up to a billion beaver dams peppered the landscape. Pretty much every river on the continent had resident beavers, except for predator-plied places such as the Everglades, where there are alligators.

Fur trapping in the 1820s nearly caused beavers to go extinct. Today, only 10% of their historic population are found in waterways.

In Arizona, beavers are still widely distributed across the state, but in scant numbers. Reintroduction programs have helped sustain their populations, though their abundance is still far from their heyday.

Along the San Pedro River, also historically called Beaver River, reside an estimated 38 beavers. Arizona Game and Fish Department experts have been relocating beavers here since 1999. But the San Pedro’s beaver count is still declining, likely due to drought that has strained water levels, drying up their moated homes and suppressing cottonwood regeneration.

In the age of drought and megafires, Fairfax thinks beavers should be part of government agencies’ tools for managing fires. One rainy season is all it takes for reintroduced beavers to bring fire suppression and mitigation effects into their new home.

Can beavers make a dent on Arizona’s fire-prone landscape? Potentially, said Northern Arizona University community ecologist Stefan Sommer, especially along the riparian corridors where they den. But these strips make up just 0.5% of Arizona’s diverse landscapes. Moreover, 90% of the state’s surface waters have been wrangled into pipes and concrete canals, which are far from the ideal habitat of beavers.

But Sommer says beavers have the greatest promise for reducing flood risk in burn scars. Beaver dams and the riparian vegetation around them can act as sponges to hold back runoff after heavy rains.

Post-fire or no, other flood-frequent areas have already benefited from beavers. The Greenford Tube station in West London used to flood after every storm. But since beavers built a dam upstream three years ago, flooding no longer occurs.

Beavers’ dam-building bent isn’t broadly beloved. The industrious architects often plug up culverts, which can flood human infrastructure nearby.

As nature’s engineers, beavers bend rivers to their will, not unlike humans. For this reason, beavers are still considered nuisance animals. Beaver presence can interfere with the well-laid plans and long-term goals of human engineers who too want to work rivers to their own vision.

For all the benefits of bringing back beavers, reintroduction isn’t straightforward either. Beavers need to be moved with their entire family, as estranged individuals can die from depression.

The antics of beavers have garnered them fans — they’re known to be playful and prone to getting the zoomies. But their personalities need to be managed to prevent human habituation, Fairfax said. Beavers easily form bonds with humans, which complicates reintroduction success.

Ideally, work must be done in advance to make sure reintroduced beavers have all the resources they need to thrive. The process of planting willow and cottonwoods, the favorite snacks of beavers, can take years before denuded rivers become conducive enough for beavers to move in. Constructing analog dams helps beavers settle in, too, as it tricks them into thinking that other beavers have been there before.

Arizona’s translocation programs are geared toward removal from areas of human-animal conflict. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, none of these projects and any future ones are specifically intended for fire mitigation, which the agency considers a secondary benefit.

“We do not utilize beavers … as our federal and state foresters have more effective tools in their toolbelt for management of the forested woodlands of Arizona,” wrote Shawn Lowery, the agency’s supervisor of habitat restoration and mitigation, in an email.

With the double whammy of wildfires and drought around the West, the movement to reinstate the beaver onto rivers is growing. In the southern Sierras in California, the Tule River Tribe has been leading the efforts of returning beavers to their reservation to help retain water. In Nevada and Utah, restored beavers have fashioned lush oases in the middle of the desert.

Beavers aren’t a silver bullet to the West’s fire and water woes, and it’s possible their vast impact of the landscape might not be enough to turn the tide against climate-change-fueled disasters, Sommer said.

Nevertheless, beaver reintroduction is pretty low-risk compared to the destructive scale of natural hazards that humans contend with.

“Let (beavers) do their thing, and if it works, great,” Fairfax said. “If it doesn’t, oh well, now you have biodiversity, carbon sequestration and all the other benefits.”

Back in Sedona, Rowe has been a long-time advocate for repopulating beavers in the watershed, though it still hasn’t translated into concrete action from government officials. Rowe hopes that the recent Pocket Fire will finally persuade land managers to reconsider, before the next wildfire arrives.

Shi En Kim covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to shien.kim@arizonarepublic.com.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.

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Arizona

Arizona lacrosse leaders believe sport is poised to grow

Published

20 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Arizona lacrosse leaders believe sport is poised to grow

by Tyler Piester, Cronkite News
July 17, 2026

Cronkite News offers an audio version of this story using an automated voice created by AI. Errors in pronunciation, pacing and intonation may occur. If you notice an error please contact cronkitenews@asu.edu.

IRVINE, Calif. – Every field at Great Park in Irvine, California, was filled.

Dozens of games unfolded as whistles echoed across the sports complex. Players carrying netted sticks hurried from one field to another while parents searched for shade underneath their pop-up tents.

Lacrosse, long viewed as an East Coast sport, has quietly and quickly established itself across the western United States.

Colorado and California lead the way with deeply entrenched high school programs and the highest concentration of NCAA and club talent in the region. Utah has experienced some of the fastest growth in the country over the last several years, driven largely by the Utah High School Activities Association officially sanctioning the sport.

The Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington have strong, dedicated high school leagues that have traditionally operated as club-varsity hybrids outside the main state athletic associations.

In Arizona, participation is heavily concentrated in the major Phoenix metro area, but organizers hope the sport can take another step via strong grassroots efforts, potential sanctioning by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and the return of the sport to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.

Arizona Lacrosse League commissioner Bryan Petillo believes that the issue isn’t convincing kids to play lacrosse. It’s making sure they know it exists.

“One of our biggest challenges is introducing the sport to communities where there currently aren’t any programs,” Petillo said. “If you’re a student in Buckeye, Queen Creek or another rapidly growing area without a lacrosse program, it’s difficult to even discover the sport.”

California leading the charge

The Pacific Lacrosse Festival, held June 20-21, was organized by Buku Events, a lacrosse event company dedicated to growing the sport.

“We’ve seen the growth of lacrosse on the West Coast firsthand, especially in Southern California,” said Austen Lison, sales and field operations manager for Buku. “When I first started, the company hosted around 10 events. Now we’re up to about 17 events throughout Northern and Southern California, along with an event in Las Vegas.”

In the 2024-25 school year, 20,016 high school students participated in lacrosse according to the California Interscholastic Federation. By comparison, 15,259 students participated during the 2014-15 school year.

Parents who have watched the game evolve say the difference is hard to miss.

“I grew up on the East Coast, and obviously it’s more popular over there,” said Chris Pretto, whose kid plays for the Huntsmen Lacrosse club program in Irvine. “But out here it’s really grown a lot. The skill level has improved, the kids are getting better and the sport is getting more recognition here in California.”

For coaches, the growth has been just as dramatic.

“I feel like over the last five years, the sport has really boomed,” said Leann Rosales, a girls coach with Harlem Lacrosse at Compton High School. “Growing up, I didn’t even know what lacrosse was until I got to high school, which is when I started playing.”

Now children are beginning to play at a younger age.

“I’m seeing kids start as young as third grade and continue playing year-round,” Rosales said. “We’ve seen so much talent come through our programs.”

The scene in Irvine shows just how far the sport has come in California.

Arizona is still trying to reach that point.

Arizona’s ambitions

The Arizona Lacrosse League has overseen high school competition since 2000, while operating independently through a partnership with USA Lacrosse.

Petillo, originally from Long Island, New York, played lacrosse at Tufts University outside of Boston before moving to Arizona in 2019.

“Coming from New York, where lacrosse is such a major sport, I saw what I thought was tremendous potential for growth here in Arizona,” Petillo said.

That growth hasn’t come as quickly as he initially thought.

“Unfortunately, I think the sport’s growth has stalled a little over the last several years out here,” Petillo said. “There is still a lot of enthusiasm in communities where lacrosse has traditionally been established and where schools have strong support systems around their programs.

“However, overall we haven’t seen the growth in terms of new teams and player participation that I would like to see.”

Last season, the Arizona Lacrosse League featured 28 varsity and junior varsity teams, with more than 550 players participating, but the sport still is not sanctioned by the AIA.

Petillo believes that supporters need to rebuild the connection between youth and high school programs.

“If your youth leagues aren’t thriving, your high school programs won’t thrive either,” Petillo said. “At some point, I think those two levels became disconnected.”

There are other independent lacrosse leagues in Arizona such as the Ahwatukee Lightning, Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association and Youth Lacrosse of Arizona, but the most recent statistics show that in 2023, about 1,000 high school students were registered with USA Lacrosse in Arizona.

When it comes to collegiate lacrosse, Arizona has just one NCAA Division I program: Arizona State’s women’s lacrosse team.

ASU, the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University and Northern Arizona University all field men’s and women’s club lacrosse teams.

Relatability

Supporters say the appeal of lacrosse comes from it having similar elements to other sports.

“I think lacrosse takes the best parts of several different sports and combines them into one,” Petillo said. “You mix elements of football, basketball, soccer and hockey together, and I think you end up with a really exciting game.”

Huntsman coach Nick Henry sees the same appeal.

“It’s easy for families to find a commonality between the sports that they already play,” Henry said.

The climate out west also helps. Blake Wozniak, a California native, left home to play lacrosse at Southern New Hampshire University. He believes the weather may create an advantage for West Coast teams over those on the East Coast.

“With the sunshine, you’ll always be able to play,” Wozniak said. “You can keep the stick in your hand and continue to work and get better over time.

“Soon we’ll be miles ahead of them.”

Sanctioning

Seth Polansky, the AIA Director of Sports Information, said that the sport was close to being sanctioned more than a decade ago.

“About 11 years ago, one of the executive board members planned to bring forward an action item to have lacrosse added under the AIA umbrella,” Polansky said.

The proposal never reached a vote however, as the board member passed away the week of the meeting.

“As a result, what was supposed to be an action item became a discussion item, and eventually the entire issue was tabled and never came back before the board again,” Polansky said.

Despite this, interest remains.

“Has there been discussion about lacrosse? Yes,” Polansky said. “Has the AIA been approached about adding lacrosse since that effort 11 years ago? Also yes.”

Still, getting a sport sanctioned is a lengthy process.

“We don’t just decide to add a sport,” Polansky said, “It has to go through the proper channels, which is either an athletic director at a member school proposes it through their conference rep on the board or a board member decides to do it on their own.

“Basically it has to come about when a majority of schools are on board with it all together.”

Looking ahead

Petillo believes that lacrosse in Arizona is poised for a period of growth, especially with the return of the sport to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after a 120-year absence.

“Our partners at USA Lacrosse have a lot of plans to take advantage of the Olympics and the exposure it will bring,” Petillo said. “Any time people get to watch something that’s exciting and compelling on that big of a stage, they’re naturally going to ask, ‘How can I do that?’”

The issue will be making sure interested kids have somewhere to play.

“That’s where we come in,” Petillo said. “We need to make sure those kids have opportunities to play on a team in their neighborhood and with their friends.”

In the short term, Petillo said organizers will focus on creating a more competitive environment while helping new programs develop.

“We’re continuing to evaluate our conference structure to make sure competition is as balanced as possible,” Petillo said. “We also want newer programs to have opportunities to grow without immediately facing the strongest teams and getting blown out.”

Long term, Petillo said his goal is simple.

“We want to introduce lacrosse to new communities and continue growing in areas that don’t currently have many opportunities,” Petillo said. “Right now, we have three teams in Tucson. I’d love to see even more teams develop there so we can create a stronger regional schedule instead of requiring schools to travel long distances.

“I’d also like to see lacrosse expand into other parts of Arizona where there currently aren’t any programs. If we accomplish this, I think that the sport will continue to grow throughout the state.”

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As California becomes lacrosse powerhouse, Arizona hopes to be next <p>Tyler Piester, Cronkite News<br /> July 17, 2026 <p>Cronkite News offers an audio version of this story using an automated voice created by AI. Errors in pronunciation, pacing and intonation may occur. If you notice an error please contact cronkitenews@asu.edu.IRVINE, Calif. – Every field at Great Park in Irvine, California, was filled. <p>Dozens of games unfolded as whistles echoed across the sports complex. Players carrying netted sticks hurried from one field to another while parents searched for shade underneath their pop-up tents.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Lacrosse, long viewed as an East Coast sport, has quietly and quickly established itself across the western United States. <p>Colorado and California lead the way with deeply entrenched high school programs and the highest concentration of NCAA and club talent in the region. Utah has experienced some of the fastest growth in the country over the last several years, driven largely by the Utah High School Activities Association officially sanctioning the sport. <p>The Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington have strong, dedicated high school leagues that have traditionally operated as club-varsity hybrids outside the main state athletic associations. <p>In Arizona, participation is heavily concentrated in the major Phoenix metro area, but organizers hope the sport can take another step via strong grassroots efforts, potential sanctioning by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and the return of the sport to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. <p>Arizona Lacrosse League commissioner Bryan Petillo believes that the issue isn’t convincing kids to play lacrosse. It’s making sure they know it exists.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“One of our biggest challenges is introducing the sport to communities where there currently aren’t any programs,” Petillo said. “If you’re a student in Buckeye, Queen Creek or another rapidly growing area without a lacrosse program, it’s difficult to even discover the sport.” <p>California leading the charge <p>The Pacific Lacrosse Festival, held June 20-21, was organized by Buku Events, a lacrosse event company dedicated to growing the sport. <p>“We’ve seen the growth of lacrosse on the West Coast firsthand, especially in Southern California,” said Austen Lison, sales and field operations manager for Buku. “When I first started, the company hosted around 10 events. Now we’re up to about 17 events throughout Northern and Southern California, along with an event in Las Vegas.” <p>In the 2024-25 school year, 20,016 high school students participated in lacrosse according to the California Interscholastic Federation. By comparison, 15,259 students participated during the 2014-15 school year. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Parents who have watched the game evolve say the difference is hard to miss. <p>“I grew up on the East Coast, and obviously it’s more popular over there,” said Chris Pretto, whose kid plays for the Huntsmen Lacrosse club program in Irvine. “But out here it’s really grown a lot. The skill level has improved, the kids are getting better and the sport is getting more recognition here in California.” <p>For coaches, the growth has been just as dramatic. <p>“I feel like over the last five years, the sport has really boomed,” said Leann Rosales, a girls coach with Harlem Lacrosse at Compton High School. “Growing up, I didn’t even know what lacrosse was until I got to high school, which is when I started playing.” <p>Now children are beginning to play at a younger age.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“I’m seeing kids start as young as third grade and continue playing year-round,” Rosales said. “We’ve seen so much talent come through our programs.” <p>The scene in Irvine shows just how far the sport has come in California. <p>Arizona is still trying to reach that point. <p>Arizona’s ambitions <p>The Arizona Lacrosse League has overseen high school competition since 2000, while operating independently through a partnership with USA Lacrosse. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Petillo, originally from Long Island, New York, played lacrosse at Tufts University outside of Boston before moving to Arizona in 2019. <p>“Coming from New York, where lacrosse is such a major sport, I saw what I thought was tremendous potential for growth here in Arizona,” Petillo said. <p>That growth hasn’t come as quickly as he initially thought. <p>“Unfortunately, I think the sport’s growth has stalled a little over the last several years out here,” Petillo said. “There is still a lot of enthusiasm in communities where lacrosse has traditionally been established and where schools have strong support systems around their programs. <p>“However, overall we haven’t seen the growth in terms of new teams and player participation that I would like to see.”<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Last season, the Arizona Lacrosse League featured 28 varsity and junior varsity teams, with more than 550 players participating, but the sport still is not sanctioned by the AIA. <p>Petillo believes that supporters need to rebuild the connection between youth and high school programs. <p>“If your youth leagues aren’t thriving, your high school programs won’t thrive either,” Petillo said. “At some point, I think those two levels became disconnected.” <p>There are other independent lacrosse leagues in Arizona such as the Ahwatukee Lightning, Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association and Youth Lacrosse of Arizona, but the most recent statistics show that in 2023, about 1,000 high school students were registered with USA Lacrosse in Arizona. <p>When it comes to collegiate lacrosse, Arizona has just one NCAA Division I program: Arizona State’s women’s lacrosse team. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>ASU, the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University and Northern Arizona University all field men’s and women’s club lacrosse teams. <p>Relatability <p>Supporters say the appeal of lacrosse comes from it having similar elements to other sports. <p>“I think lacrosse takes the best parts of several different sports and combines them into one,” Petillo said. “You mix elements of football, basketball, soccer and hockey together, and I think you end up with a really exciting game.” <p>Huntsman coach Nick Henry sees the same appeal.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“It’s easy for families to find a commonality between the sports that they already play,” Henry said. <p>The climate out west also helps. Blake Wozniak, a California native, left home to play lacrosse at Southern New Hampshire University. He believes the weather may create an advantage for West Coast teams over those on the East Coast. <p>“With the sunshine, you’ll always be able to play,” Wozniak said. “You can keep the stick in your hand and continue to work and get better over time. <p>“Soon we’ll be miles ahead of them.” <p>Sanctioning<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Seth Polansky, the AIA Director of Sports Information, said that the sport was close to being sanctioned more than a decade ago. <p>“About 11 years ago, one of the executive board members planned to bring forward an action item to have lacrosse added under the AIA umbrella,” Polansky said. <p>The proposal never reached a vote however, as the board member passed away the week of the meeting. <p>“As a result, what was supposed to be an action item became a discussion item, and eventually the entire issue was tabled and never came back before the board again,” Polansky said. <p>Despite this, interest remains.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“Has there been discussion about lacrosse? Yes,” Polansky said. “Has the AIA been approached about adding lacrosse since that effort 11 years ago? Also yes.” <p>Still, getting a sport sanctioned is a lengthy process. <p>“We don’t just decide to add a sport,” Polansky said, “It has to go through the proper channels, which is either an athletic director at a member school proposes it through their conference rep on the board or a board member decides to do it on their own. <p>“Basically it has to come about when a majority of schools are on board with it all together.” <p>Looking ahead<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Petillo believes that lacrosse in Arizona is poised for a period of growth, especially with the return of the sport to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after a 120-year absence. <p>“Our partners at USA Lacrosse have a lot of plans to take advantage of the Olympics and the exposure it will bring,” Petillo said. “Any time people get to watch something that’s exciting and compelling on that big of a stage, they’re naturally going to ask, ‘How can I do that?’” <p>The issue will be making sure interested kids have somewhere to play. <p>“That’s where we come in,” Petillo said. “We need to make sure those kids have opportunities to play on a team in their neighborhood and with their friends.” <p>In the short term, Petillo said organizers will focus on creating a more competitive environment while helping new programs develop.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“We’re continuing to evaluate our conference structure to make sure competition is as balanced as possible,” Petillo said. “We also want newer programs to have opportunities to grow without immediately facing the strongest teams and getting blown out.” <p>Long term, Petillo said his goal is simple. <p>“We want to introduce lacrosse to new communities and continue growing in areas that don’t currently have many opportunities,” Petillo said. “Right now, we have three teams in Tucson. I’d love to see even more teams develop there so we can create a stronger regional schedule instead of requiring schools to travel long distances. <p>“I’d also like to see lacrosse expand into other parts of Arizona where there currently aren’t any programs. If we accomplish this, I think that the sport will continue to grow throughout the state.” <p>This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Arizona

This Arizona city named among top 23 small US towns to visit

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1 day ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

This Arizona city named among top 23 small US towns to visit

Sedona, Arizona, has been named one of the best small towns in the USA by Y Travel Blog.
The city ranked No. 14 on the list of 23 small towns, celebrated for its unique travel experiences.
The publication also noted the area’s natural vortices and over 300 miles of hiking and biking trails.

Arizona is always making headlines for its breathtaking scenery, top travel destinations and highly ranked cities. Now, another Arizona gem is earning national recognition, with this famous city ranking No. 14 on Y Travel’s list of the 23 small towns in the USA to visit.

Y Travel, also known as Y Travel Blog, is an independent travel publication. The site has built a reputation for publishing firsthand destination guides, road-trip itineraries and family travel advice based on places the couple behind it has personally visited.

The ranking celebrates small towns that offer memorable travel experiences. According to Y Travel, the towns were selected based on their unique character, scenic beauty, walkable downtowns, local culture, history, outdoor recreation, food and the authentic experiences they provide to visitors rather than simply their popularity.

Here’s which city ranked top in Arizona.

Sedona named a small town to visit by Y Travel

Coming in at No. 14, Sedona stood out for its colorful blend of desert landscape, luxury resorts and spas, red rock formations, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock

The website mentioned how the city has natural vortices and 300+ miles of hiking and biking trails nearby, with lots of outdoor activities to explore.

Got a story you want to share? Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.

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