Rocio Hernandez
KJZZ 91.5
Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Past articles by Rocio:
5 Arizona Schools Among 325 National Blue Ribbon Award Winners
Five Arizona K-12 schools are among the 325 National Blue Ribbon Schools for this year. The Arizona award winners include Desert View Academy, a Yuma charter school; Franklin East Elementary School in the Mesa Public Schools district; Jacob C. Fruchthendler Elementary School in the Tucson Unified School District; Mesquite Elementary School in the Vail Unified School District; → Read More
El Mirage Turning Old Firehouse Into New, Larger Library
The city of El Mirage in the West Valley has broken ground on a new, larger library space for its residents.The city is repurposing an old firehouse so it can serve as its new state-of-the-art library. This project comes as the city of more than 35,000 residents is growing, and the West Valley is projected to continue growing, said El Mirage Mayor Alexis Hermosillo."Hopefully → Read More
Maricopa County Seeing Increase In West Nile Virus Cases
Maricopa County officials are seeing a significant increase in West Nile virus cases. Last year, three human cases of West Nile virus and one death were recorded in the county, said Department of Public Health epidemiologist Melissa Kretschmer. This year, the county has seen 36 cases and one death attributed to the virus.The increase may be attributed to rainfall during this → Read More
List: Arizona School Districts Requiring Masks For 2021-2022 School Year
As the 2021-2022 school year begins in Arizona, some school districts will require all students, staff and visitors wear face coverings despite a new state law that bans public schools from doing this. → Read More
2022 Arizona Governor's Race: The Candidates
Here are the candidates who have declared their candidacy for Arizona governor in the 2022 race so far. Gov. Doug Ducey's second term ends in 2023, and Arizona state law bars him from serving more than two consecutive terms. Katie HobbsParty: DemocratWebsite: katiehobbs.orgArizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, announced June 2, 2021, she is running for governor in 2022. → Read More
Republican Rep. Shawnna Bolick Running For Secretary Of State
Republican State Rep. Shawnna Bolick is running for Secretary of State, she announced Tuesday. Bolick wants to focus on election issues, restoring voters’ trust and de-politicizing the office, she said in a statement announcing her candidacy. → Read More
Karrin Taylor Robson Enters 2022 Arizona Governor Race
Arizona Board of Regents member Karrin Taylor Robson has announced she’s running for governor.Robson identities herself on her campaign website as a conservative leader and successful business leader.She’s committed to protecting Arizona from the “radical left,” she said on her website. Taylor Robson also plans to focus on building and sustaining a dynamic and diverse economy, → Read More
Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee Running For Governor
Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee has announced that she’s running for governor.“I’m running for Governor to put Arizona first, to ensure our children have the same opportunities and freedoms my family found here, and that starts with securing our southern border.” Yee said in a Monday statement announcing her candidacy. → Read More
New State-Run COVID-19 Vaccination Site Opening Up At WestWorld In Scottsdale
A new state-run COVID-19 vaccination site is opening later this month in the north Valley, Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services announced Monday. The new site at the WestWorld exhibition center in Scottsdale will open on April 22. The site will offer up to 4,000 appointments per day initially, but has capacity for up to 10,000 daily. It will operate → Read More
ASU, NAU and UA Release Tuition Proposals For Next School Year
New in-state public university students may not face any tuition increases next school year. Arizona State University is proposing no tuition increase for all its students for a second year in a row. The university recognizes the significant financial impact the pandemic has had on many individuals, including students and their families, ASU president Michael Crow said in a statement. → Read More
University Of Arizona COVID-19 Expert Hopeful About Fight Against Virus In 2021
As we enter 2021, a Phoenix coronavirus expert foresees advances in the fight against COVID-19.Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine is hopeful that the new COVID-19 vaccines will be widely available to the public by late spring to early summer. That means more people will be protected against the virus which has resulted in about 9,000 deaths → Read More
513 Homeless Individuals Have Died In Maricopa County So Far This Year
More than 500 homeless people have died in the county during the first nine months of 2020. That’s double the total number of deaths recorded in the county for all of last year, said Central Arizona Shelter Services CEO Lisa Glow.Thirty percent of this year’s deaths were heat-related, she added. → Read More
Chandler Teachers Stage Sickout, Ask District To Shift To Virtual Instruction
About 350 teachers in the Chandler Unified School District staged a sickout on Friday. The teachers are asking the district to shift to virtual instruction in January and stay in that mode until the metrics show its safe to resume in-person classes, they said in a letter to district officials and board members. "The current plan, considering current COVID illness and → Read More
Even North Pole Not Immune To Pandemic: Arizona Santa Company Working Fever Events
The coronavirus pandemic has hurt many industries, and the North Pole was not immune. Mark Brenneman, the owner of Santa Claus and Company, estimates that business is down by about 70% due to cancellations of corporate events and family parties. In addition, a third to half of the 30-35 Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and elf actors that work for Brenneman have told him they’re → Read More
ASU Shares Details On What Students Can Expect For Spring Semester
During a Friday webinar, Arizona Student University shared with students what they can expect for the spring semester. Students asked if ASU would keep spring break or cancel it like other universities. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Fred Corey didn’t have an immediate answer, but said the university would communicate any changes to students. → Read More
University Of Arizona Cancels Spring Break Citing COVID-19 Concerns
The University of Arizona has canceled its spring break 2021. This adjustment is necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Tucson community and the nation by reducing travel by faculty, staff and students, said Liesl Folks, the university's senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, in an email.UA is scheduling five Reading Days throughout the semester → Read More
J.O. Combs Teacher Union President Reacts To New Plans To Start In-Person Classes
The J.O. Combs Unified School District in San Tan Valley is set to offer in-person classes in less than two weeks. The district’s first attempt to resume these classes was thwarted by an employee sick-out earlier this month.Employees called out sick because they felt the district was previously moving too fast, said David Nelson, president of the Combs Education → Read More
Maricopa County Releases Dashboard For School Reopening Metrics
The Maricopa County Public Health Department released on Friday its own dashboard on school reopening metrics. The county’s dashboard is similar to the one released earlier this month by the Arizona Department of Health Services. It contains two weeks’ worth of data on the three metrics set by the department: COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, percent positivity and COVID-like illness. → Read More
Chandler Unified School District Receiving $250K To Purchase Hotspots For Students
The Chandler Unified School District is getting $250,000 from its City Council to buy 1,000 hotspots.A number of families have told the district that their students aren’t able to participate in online instruction or communicate with their teachers because they don’t Wi-Fi, said Terry Locke, the district's spokesperson. → Read More
Parent Group Rallying On Monday To Advocate For Reopening Arizona Schools
A group of parents are holding a rally on Monday in support of in-person learning in Arizona. This comes after the state released public health benchmarks that finds that the state is not ready to fully reopen school buildings. Becca Clarkson, a mother of four and a co-organizer of the AZ Open Our Schools rally, said she and other parents want school governing boards to allow → Read More