AP Arizona

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharp drop in illegal border crossings along the Southwest border that started in January after the Biden administration announced stricter immigration measures continued into February, the administration announced Wednesday. The data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection paints a picture of who is attempting

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala, (AP) — Alabama has the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed, one of the best players in college basketball and likely a couple of games in its own backyard. For a Crimson Tide team that’s been an easy target for opposing fans over the past two months,

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton handed Mitch Keller the opening day assignment — and a celebratory bottle of bubbly. Shelton broke the news to the 26-year-old right-hander on Wednesday that he’ll get the nod when Pittsburgh begins the season at Cincinnati on March 30. In a video posted on

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is being criticized by a victim’s sister and a powerful county prosecutor for her plans to defy a court order to execute a prisoner next month for his conviction in a 2002 killing. The newly elected Democratic governor vowed nearly two weeks ago

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Women’s basketball practice at Miami had been over for 30 minutes. Most of the coaches were gone. Almost all the players were gone. The scoreboard had long been turned off. The Cavinder twins were still working. Haley and Hanna Cavinder made their way around

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — One man is dead and another is still missing after floodwaters poured into a slot canyon in southern Utah, endangering three groups of hikers who had to be hoisted out via helicopter Tuesday. Kane County Sheriff’s Lt. Allen Alldredge said the man who was found

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer Penn State is favored to claim another team title and Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis and Iowa’s Spencer Lee will seek their fourth national titles at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, which start Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Penn State has won nine national championship in the past 11 years, and

WINSLOW, Ariz. (AP) — A former Winslow High School wrestling coach has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes involving underage children, according to authorities. Navajo County prosecutors said 40-year-old Daniel Scott Larsen also was sentenced last week to 15 years of supervised probation with sex offender terms. They

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — A $208 million multi-year repair is planned for the Transcanyon Waterline that supplies water for the local community and millions of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park. National Park Service officials said the repairs and upgrades on the waterline within the inner canyon and the South Rim will

TOKYO (AP) — Cuba earned a 7,500-mile flight to Miami for a trip to the World Baseball Classic semifinals for the first time since 2006. “Cuban baseball fans are so emotional right now. They have been waiting for a long time at the moment,” manager Armando Johnson said after a 4-3 win over Australia on

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks walked into one of the toughest places to play in the NBA, snatched the lead from the Phoenix Suns midway through the fourth quarter and then closed with a flourish to earn a 116-104 victory. That’s not easy to do. But the Bucks

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego slammed independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on Tuesday for backing a bank deregulation bill he says contributed to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, highlighting Sinema’s Wall Street ties as he campaigns for her seat. The contrast over the 2018

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The deaths of two teenage girls in January have been ruled accidental with both drowning in a water retention basin, Mesa police said Tuesday. They announced that the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office determined 17-year-old Sitlalli Avelar and 15-year-old Kamryn Meyers drowned “in the setting of acute alcohol intoxication” with Meyers

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer Left-hander José Quintana won’t make his New York Mets debut until at least July because of a stress fracture in his rib. The Mets are relieved that the prognosis wasn’t even more severe. Mets general manager Billy Eppler told reporters Tuesday a scan revealed a lesion on the impacted

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Damon Stoudamire managed to get one word out — “Wow!” — before he was overcome with emotion. The longtime NBA guard is thrilled to be back in the college game, heading a men’s basketball program that he thinks can once again be a national powerhouse. Then

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Azuolas Tubelis’ face doesn’t betray much emotion. A slight eyebrow raise, a barely noticeable smirk at the corner of the mouth, a quick side eye — that’s about all you’re going to get from Arizona’s big man. The outward stoicism belies a wry sense of

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (AP) — A prison inmate who walked off during work duty in San Luis was taken into custody Tuesday at a hotel in south Phoenix. Officials with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry said Jonathan Perryman will now be housed in a high custody unit at a state prison. They