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Articles by Franco LaTona
Yes, it’s concrete and it floats
Every year, students from the University of Miami College of Engineering’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter take on a rather unusual challenge: building a canoe out of concrete and racing it in what is known as the “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering,” a competition showcasing engineering excellence, hydrodynamic design, and racing technique.
Assistant Professor Shares His Acting, Directing Experience
Rafal Sokolowski, assistant professor of film directing for the Department of Cinematic Arts in the School of Communication, brings his acting and directing skills to teaching the art.
Assistant professor shares his acting, directing experience
Arts and Humanities People and Community
Athletics’ history endures at the Tom Kearns Sports Hall of Fame
John Routh, who spent years as a mascot for the University of Miami, first as the Miami Maniac and then as Sebastian the Ibis, is now the executive director of the Tom Kearns Sports Hall of Fame. Covering all sports, the hall of fame features countless artifacts that date back to the founding of the university. "We enshrine the best of the best that have worn the orange, green, and white," Routh said.
Cronkite Professor to Teach at Poynter Institute’s Power of Diverse Voices Workshop
By Franco LaTona Fernanda Santos, a Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Practice at the Cronkite School, will join a team of six instructors at one of the Poynter Institute’s most competitive programs aimed at helping journalists of color find their voices in opinion writing. This year's Power of Diverse Voices workshop will be held virtually over a four-day period starting April 8.
Pandemic, Trump and racism drive voter turnout in some tribal communities
Posted Dec 10, 2020, 11:21 pm Anthony Wallace, Franco LaTona Cronkite News Enthusiasm across Arizona was higher this election than in the 2016 presidential contest, and final results show the contrast was even more stark in Indian Country, where voters said they were especially motivated because of the COVID-19 pandemic and issues of race. A census analysis of 2018 data found American Indians were at least 4.4% of eligible voters in Arizona, or more than 220,000 people.
How one Arizona woman navigated domestic violence amid a pandemic
(Video by Franco LaTona/Cronkite News) Experts around the world are reporting increasing domestic violence during the pandemic. But in Arizona, some advocates say victims may not be in a position to seek help or move into a shelter. This is the story of one woman who found the courage to do just that and, along with her children, come out on the other side. Connect with us on Facebook.
COVID-19, Trump and racism drive voter turnout in tribal communities
Priscilla Coronado Madrid, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, cast her vote for Democrat Joe Biden on Election Day. She was a cashier at a Shell gas station before the pandemic cost her her job. “We’re still trying to get back on our feet,” she said. (Photo by Franco LaTona/Cronkite News) Final election results in Arizona show enthusiasm was high among voters in Indian Country, where some said they were especially motivated because of the pandemic and issues of race.
Assistant Dean B. William Silcock Retiring After Nearly 20 Years at Cronkite
Bill Silcock served as assistant dean for International Programs, the U.S. State Department’s Hubert H. Humphrey Fulbright Fellowship program curator and director of Cronkite Global Initiatives. By Franco LaTona It’s hour 10 of a 16-hour flight that will eventually land in Abu Dhabi. Jason Manning, a professor of practice at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, awakes from a restless sleep.
Community health centers struggle to serve and survive during pandemic
Financial aid from last spring's federal CARES Act allowed Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health and other community health centers to retain employees amid declining patient visits and other threats to funding streams. Franco LaTona/Cronkite News
Community health centers struggle to serve and survive during pandemic
click to enlarge Franco LaTona/Cronkite News Financial aid from last spring's federal CARES Act allowed Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health and other community health centers to retain employees amid declining patient visits and other threats to funding streams. Financial aid from last spring's federal CARES Act allowed Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health and other community health centers to retain employees amid declining patient visits and other threats to funding streams.
Community health centers struggle to serve and survive during pandemic
By Franco LaTona | November 19, 2020 at 1:22 PM MST - Updated November 19 at 1:22 PM PHOENIX – On a sun-drenched afternoon, Ana Brito arrives for a doctor’s appointment at Desert Mission Health Center, greeting staff members in Spanish. Nestled on a quiet street in north central Phoenix, the clinic is a one-stop shop for some of the city’s most vulnerable. Brito, 46, and her husband are uninsured, but the clinic provides medical and dental care at discounted rates.
Biden claims victory as Arizonans await final vote count
Even after President-elect Joe Biden called for unity Saturday night, Arizonans remained divided as they awaited a final vote count in the state. (Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) A rare quieter moment outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix this week. For the past several days, throngs of mostly Trump supporters have gathered outside the center and at the state Capitol to protest what they see as a rigged election.
Voters with disabilities combat barriers to cast ballots
Calvin Cook, 30, is president of the Youth Action Council of Arizona, an advocacy group for people with disabilities. During each election, he requests a mail-in ballot and drops it off in person at his precinct, but other voters with disabilities can face significant challenges to casting ballots. (Photo courtesy of Calvin Cook) About 38 million people with disabilities, or one-sixth of the electorate, were eligible to vote this year.
Vote counting anxiety rises as Trump-Biden race tightens in Arizona
A crowd gathers in front of Phoenix City Hall on Thursday to support President Donald Trump. Ballots are still being counted in Arizona, where the race between Trump and Joe Biden is tight. (Photo by Megan Marples/Cronkite News) Fences have been erected around the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in anticipation of more protests. The county still has thousands of ballots to count.
Arizona PBS Helps Boost Learning with More Online Resources for Students at Home, in Classrooms
Tate Peterson, 17, a Bioscience High School student in downtown Phoenix, learns about NASA's Apollo program with Arizona PBS' At Home Learning online. By Franco LaTona From Arthur and the classic cast of Sesame Street, to PBS NewsHour for older teens, Arizona PBS is giving students a fun, new way to access educational content online.
Bill pressures CDC to give Native Americans better access to federal health data
Posted Oct 12, 2020, 4:00 pm Franco LaTona Cronkite News A measure passed by the U.S. House aims to remove barriers that Native Americans face in accessing public health data – something advocates say is key to providing a clearer picture of how COVID-19 and other diseases are disproportionately affecting tribes. Experts said Native Americans have been denied access to some state and federal health data for years, and the pandemic has further exposed this long-standing issue.
Bill aims to ease Native Americans’ access to federal health data
Legislation making its way through Congress aims to reaffirm that tribal epidemiology centers should have access to state and federal health data. Tribal leaders have had trouble accessing information to help fight COVID-19 and other diseases in places like the Navajo Nation, pictured here. (Photo by Daja E.
‘Baby-Friendly’ hospitals tackle health disparities by encouraging Native mothers to breastfeed
PHOENIX — The Whiteriver Indian Hospital in eastern Arizona is combating health disparities among Native Americans by teaching new mothers strong breastfeeding practices, which research shows improves such ailments as obesity and Type 1 diabetes in kids.
‘Baby-friendly’ hospitals encourage breastfeeding in Indian Country
Three Arizona medical facilities that serve Native Americans are part of the Indian Health Service’s Baby-Friendly initiative, which aims to encourage more breastfeeding among new mothers. Research shows that Native American mothers have lower rates of breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity compared with other racial and ethnic groups, except for Black mothers.
Cronkite’s Len Downie Jr.’s New Book Charts Parallel Course of WaPo History, Journalism Evolution
By Franco LaTona The origins of Leonard Downie Jr.’s storied journalism career began all the way back in the fifth grade at Landon Elementary in Cleveland, Ohio. There he wrote his first story for the school paper about what it was like for students to switch rooms each semester. By grade six he was the paper’s editor-in-chief.
‘I can’t breathe’: Hidden abuse in some private detention centers
In the video, Cornelius Fredericks is no match for the seven grown men piled on him. As the 16-year-old struggles to lift his left leg, one of the men immediately presses it back to the floor. Another man is lying on Fredericks’ stomach and chest as the teenager screams, “I can’t breathe!” They remain on top of him for nearly 12 minutes until his body is limp on the floor. The adults, all employees, get up and stand over him nonchalantly for several minutes before anyone administers CPR.
Employee misconduct: The abuse and mistreatment of juveniles in lockup
Last year in Maine, a mother settled a lawsuit for $250,000, claiming a guard knocked out her son’s teeth by bashing his face into a metal bed frame, then refused to seek dental care for him. In 2017, a Texas judge sentenced a former juvenile detention staff member to for sexually assaulting three male inmates.
'So much for honor': Despite COVID cases, college students partied Labor Day weekend away Original
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Partying students would be dismissed without tuition refunds. Northeastern University had made that clear Friday, kicking out 11 first-year students who broke COVID-19 rules to gather in a Boston hotel room. Yet by that night, a few dozen students from Northeastern and Boston University found their way to the Charles River, their legs lit by the Esplanade lights, their faces by reflections of skyscrapers off the water.
By Caitlin Faulds, Mary Claire Molloy Verified, Franco LaTona, Rina Torchinsky, Colleen Vann, Danielle Sondgeroth, Dana Cassidy, Sabrina LeBoeuf, Daniel Lempres Verified
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USA Today
Verified
The hidden abuse in for-profit juvenile detention centers
By Franco LaTona and Jos Fox August 21, 2020 In the video, Cornelius Fredericks is no match for the seven grown men piled on him. As the 16-year-old struggles to lift his left leg, one of the men immediately presses it back to the floor. Another man is lying on Fredericks’ stomach and chest as the teenager screams, “I can’t breathe!” They remain on top of him for nearly 12 minutes until his body is limp on the floor.
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