Arizona
Where abused children in Southern Arizona begin path to healing
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – It’s a grim reality, but children across southern Arizona are abused or neglected every day.
Just this month, 13 News reported on two separate cases in Tucson where children with disabilities died, allegedly at the hands of their caregivers.
One local organization’s mission is to get these children out of harm’s way before it’s too late.
When law enforcement or the Department of Child Safety believe a child may be experiencing abuse, they are brought to the Children’s Advocacy Center in Tucson. Here, a child can share their story, get medically evaluated, and begin a path to healing.
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“Every day we meet about six new children who need our help,” said Executive Director Marie Fordney.
Of the thousands of child abuse cases investigated in Pima County every year, the Children’s Advocacy Center deals with the most severe.
“People ask me how I can do this work because we are seeing the worst of the worst. It is truly awful the things that we see and hear,” Fordney said. “I leave this building full of hope every day because every child that came here is better off now.”
Fordney said they work with children who have suffered either sexual or physical abuse and neglect. They also serve those who might be a potential victim of human trafficking, child porn, and more.
“Children are brought here if they are witnesses to a violent crime,” Fordney said. “We help children who have witnessed homicide or domestic violence just as much as we help children who have themselves been the victim.”
Fordney also says 35% of the children they serve have a disability.
“Children with disabilities may be less able to speak up or make a report when something is happening to them,” she said.
The center works with authorities at the onset of an investigation and helps collect evidence through a recorded forensic interview and medical exam.
“We collect the evidence in a way that supports the healing for the child, and keeps it from being such a difficult situation for them,” Fordney said. “Before we had a Children’s Advocacy Center, a child might have been interviewed up to seven times and they would have had to get their medical services in an emergency room.”
Fordney showed 13 News the exam room they have on site.
“Not only is this space more comforting, but also the team providing the exams is really well trained and knows what they’re doing,” Fordney said showcasing the exam room.
Fordney said investigators will leave the center to make an arrest, but most of the time support can be put in place for the family.
“More frequently the kids are able to go back home because they have a supportive home environment, and it was a stranger, or it was somebody who lives in the home that has been kicked out of the home who was abusing them,” she said.
She said a lot of these cases are reported to them by neighbors and community members who saw something that concerned them.
“Our children really rely on all of us to be watching for signs that they are in trouble and to make that call.”
To make a report, call 911 or call the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline at 1-888-SOS-CHILD.
For more information on resources provided at the Children’s Advocacy Center, visit their website.
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Copyright 2024 13 News. All rights reserved.
Another week, another loss for the Arizona Cardinals, as they took a brutal defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners won 41-22, with Arizona dominated in all phases for the second straight week against a divisional opponent.
With the 19-point loss to San Francisco, the Cardinals drop to 3-7, and their playoff hopes are almost completely gone. It was another extremely frustrating performance, and another example of Arizona getting overmatched by a team it was supposed to contend with for the division.
While losses are becoming commonplace for the Cardinals, each game presents its own set of takeaways, and the defeat to San Francisco is no different. Even if most of them are negative, we still learned a lot about the Cardinals on Sunday.
With that, here are three takeaways from the latest Arizona loss.
Just like last week’s matchup with the Seahawks, the Cardinals found themselves down early. They didn’t appear ready once 2:05 p.m. rolled around at State Farm Stadium.
On the opening kickoff, Skyy Moore returned Chad Ryland’s kick 98 yards to the 1-yard line, and one play later, Christian McCaffrey punched it in to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead.
Arizona’s offense didn’t respond, and the Niners scored a touchdown on their next drive, making it 13-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter. Barely five minutes in, the Cardinals were down two scores — marking the second straight game they trailed by two touchdowns before the first quarter was halfway through.
The Cardinals did get on the board on the ensuing series, but they never truly made a game out of it after falling behind 13-0 so early. At halftime, San Francisco led 25-10, and by the end of the third quarter, it was 35-10.
That’s the second straight week an opponent scored 35-plus before the fourth quarter began, as Arizona’s defense simply couldn’t keep up. From the very beginning, the Cardinals were outplayed. The Niners were ready for action, while Arizona looked like it was sleepwalking through the first three quarters.
RECAP: 49ers Dominate Week 11 as Cardinals Exposed Again
The Cardinals set a new franchise record for penalties and penalty yards, making it painfully clear that they hurt themselves throughout Sunday’s contest.
Jonathan Gannon’s team committed 17 penalties for 130 yards, while the 49ers were called for just one flag for 15 yards — an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Arizona, meanwhile, was flagged for those all afternoon.
And that’s all about discipline. The Cardinals showed almost no composure once the 49ers took a big lead, and the penalties reflected that. It wasn’t just late in the game either — 11 of their 17 penalties came in the first half.
When Arizona was trying to stay competitive, it killed its own momentum with drive-stalling mistakes. While the scoreboard shows that San Francisco beat the Cardinals, you could argue they beat themselves just as badly.
Sunday marked the sixth time Arizona has totaled double-digit penalties during Gannon’s tenure, as coaching issues have continued to surface. While change is a hotly debated topic, the facts are the facts — and 17 penalties, a franchise record, says plenty about how this coaching staff is performing.
READ: Key Stats Expose How Cardinals Lost to the 49ers
This is a big-picture takeaway, but still an important one: Arizona’s divisional record is now 0-4, with sweeps by both Seattle and San Francisco.
This was supposed to be a team in the thick of the divisional race, but after Week 11, the Cardinals have been left behind while the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers fight for the NFC West crown.
And this is nothing new. If the standings hold, 2025 will be the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Arizona finishes either third or fourth in the division. The Cardinals haven’t won the NFC West since 2015, while all three of their rivals have made a Super Bowl in the last 12 years.
A win Sunday wouldn’t have vaulted them back into the race, but it would’ve shown they can at least compete within the division. Instead, they’re 0-4 — and there’s not much optimism they’ll avoid a sweep by the Rams. In a league where divisional games matter so much, Gannon’s team has repeatedly failed in the most important moments.
There’s plenty of frustration stemming from Arizona’s loss to San Francisco, but their continued inability to compete within the division might be the biggest takeaway of all.
Gannon is now 3-13 against the NFC West in his career, and if you include the 2021 playoff game against the Rams, he’s 3-14. That’s unacceptable for an NFL head coach, and if you take nothing else away from Sunday, that’s the statistic that should stick with you as the Cardinals decide whether to make changes moving forward.
PHOENIX — While the government shutdown has officially ended, many services are only now beginning to return to normal. Some 670,000 furloughed federal workers received back pay Friday, with payments continuing into next week. The FAA has also reduced flight restrictions at Sky Harbor and nearly 40 other airports as staffing stabilizes.
But for thousands of Arizonans relying on SNAP benefits, the disruption has already caused significant hardship. The USDA now says full benefits should be distributed by Monday at the latest, but for those still waiting, the delay has been devastating — including Phoenix mother Marzia Munari, known to ABC15 viewers from the Smart Shopper series.
From utilizing the food bank to learning new ways to save at the grocery store, Munari works hard to stretch every dollar.
“There’s no money, there’s no SNAP benefits. So what am I going to do to keep my family fed and safe?” Marzia Munari, of Phoenix, said.
Munari is the full-time caregiver for her 85-year-old mother and her 21-year-old daughter with Down syndrome. For her family, she says, SNAP is essential.
“Obviously, at that point you have to take money from where you already have budgeted out for other things, like utilities, car payment,” Munari said.
Now, she faces another challenge — she says she can’t afford to pay her power bill.
“Monday morning, they will shut it down, because I have to give them $250 by this weekend, Sunday night. And I don’t know what I’m going to do, you know? And the power is necessary because my daughter, Jessica, she has to have a CPAP machine at night to breathe. And I don’t know, without power, what’s going to happen, you know,” Munari said.
She describes the missing SNAP funds as the first domino to fall in her tightly controlled monthly budget.
“It’s been stressful and upsetting. And sometimes I think it’s shameful that this is happening,” Munari said.
ABC15 has spoken with Arizonans who have already received their November SNAP funds.
The Department of Economic Security provided the following statement to ABC15 this week:
“On November 12, 2025, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also referred to as Nutrition Assistance (NA), was made available through September 30, 2026. The Department of Economic Security (DES) is taking immediate action to issue any outstanding benefits and resume normal SNAP benefit operations.”
ABC15 continues to push DES for the number of Arizonans still waiting and a timeline for when all benefits will be restored.
“It is an emergency,” Munari said. “Kids in America, they’re going to go to bed hungry.”
Munari says the financial uncertainty has shaken her faith in what lies ahead.
“It makes me lose confidence in our future. You know, what is it going to be like if this is acceptable?” Munari said. “Future generation? That makes me very… I think about it a lot.”
For anyone struggling due to the SNAP benefit disruptions, ABC15 has compiled a list off resources and local businesses stepping up to help.
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.
GREELEY, CO (AZFamily) — Mantiqueira USA announced Friday it has entered an agreement to acquire Hickman’s Egg Ranch, an egg producer headquartered in Arizona.
Hickman’s has over five locations across Arizona. The company also has locations in California, Colorado, and Nevada.
The Arizona egg farm took a huge hit after losing most of its chickens to bird flu earlier this year. About six million birds were lost. Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman’s Egg Ranch, says it was the first time in 81 years that the company had been unable to fulfill 100% of customer demands.
Hickman said this new transition will bring opportunities to customers, employees and partners.
The acquisition marks MTQ USA’s formal entry into the U.S. market. The company is a spin-off from Mantiqueira Brasil.
“Expanding into the United States has long been a vision for our family, and taking this step through the acquisition of Hickman’s makes this moment especially meaningful,” said Leandro Pinto, founder of Mantiqueira. “Hickman’s is a respected leader with a legacy of quality and service.”
The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.
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