Stories by Gabrielle Wallace - Gabrielle Wallace

Articles

Cronkite News, Phoenix Articles

During my time at Cronkite News I covered a variety of topics. Most of my work was focused social justice and politics, however. I collaborated with fellow reporters on stories and juggled long-form stories as well as quick-turns. Here are some of my favorite stories, but feel free to check out my author page for more.

Cronkite News • 11th November 2025

Veterans rally outside Arizona capital protesting job cuts

PHOENIX – Veterans laughed and teased each other outside the Arizona State Capitol, but the reason for their gathering wasn’t so chipper. Dozens joined with lawmakers and community advocates to denounce the federal government’s treatment of veterans.

Their main message was loud and clear on the shirts many wore: “Stop Firing Vets.”

“The same government that thanks us on Veterans Day turns its back on us the other 364 days of the year,” said Omar Algeciras, a 20-year Air Force veteran and...

Cronkite News • 16th October 2025

Commission candidates, Arizonans upset over state’s increasing utility rates - Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Anna Cicero, a retired educator who lives in Chandler with her daughter and grandson, held her utility bill up while speaking behind a podium in the Rose Garden of the Arizona Capitol. She spoke passionately about the rising utility rates and their effects on her family.

“I can try to find cheaper eggs or just skip cholesterol,” Cicero said. “But I cannot switch to a cheaper electrical company.”

Cicero said she’s scared to check her bill every month. Two other concerned Arizonans...

Cronkite News • 9th October 2025

National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline provides cultural care approach

PHOENIX — Seven days a week, 365 days a year, the StrongHearts Native Helpline provides care and services for Indigenous people experiencing domestic violence. On Sept. 24, it earned the title of National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline with new direct funding from the federal government.

The StrongHearts line was first established in 2017. The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and the National Domestic Violence Hotline collaborated on its creation after identifying a service g...

Cronkite News • 1st October 2025

Montezuma Castle National Monument closes after government shutdown

CAMPE VERDE — Yasmeen Mustafa approached the locked gates at Montezuma Castle National Monument and let out a deep, frustrated sigh as it dawned on her that the monument – and other national parks in Arizona, too – would have closures after the government shutdown began Wednesday.

“I really have no words to describe how I’m feeling right now,” she said. “I’m so upset.”

Wednesday marked the first day of her 10-day “dream trip” throughout the Southwest. Mustafa and her family planned to visi...

Cronkite News • 11th September 2025

Arizona Supreme Court hears Prop. 211 arguments

PHOENIX — The fate of Proposition 211, an overwhelmingly popular law passed in 2022, was placed in the hands of the Arizona Supreme Court on Thursday.

The justices heard oral arguments from the Goldwater Institute, the plaintiff, and from the Arizona secretary of state, whose office defended the proposition.

Proposition 211, popularly known as the “Voter’s Right to Know Act,” passed with 72% of the vote. The Goldwater Institute, a public policy research organization, filed a lawsuit challe...

Cronkite News • 10th September 2025

Arizonans mourn Charlie Kirk at Turning Point headquarters

PHOENIX — Shane Besore drove up at 2 p.m. Wednesday to the Turning Point USA headquarters with his head down and parked in a gravel lot.

A handful of others had already arrived at the headquarters of the organization Charlie Kirk cofounded to mourn and pay their respects to the right-wing media personality who was shot and killed at an event in Utah hours earlier.

Besore walked in a solemn silence, shoulders slumped, holding a red “Make America Great Again” hat. At the entrance, he placed...

Times of San Diego Articles

Throughout my internship with Times of San Diego, I covered breaking news, press releases, press conferences and enterprise stories. I covered a variety of topics, including health, crime and public safety, and state and local politics. Again, here are just a handful of the dozens of stories I put out during my internship. For more of my work, check out my author page.

Times of San Diego • 29th June 2025

Automated license plate readers spark slew of privacy concerns in San Diego

Automated license plate recognition technology has long concerned San Diegans, especially when it comes to potential data breaches and who may be able to access the information.

The idea that federal law enforcement agencies could use automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, to target people for political speech, their immigration status or those seeking reproductive care, has heightened the alarm in recent weeks.

ALPRs collect data by capturing photos of license plates and scanning them int...

Times of San Diego • 9th June 2025

Twentynine Palms Marines join National Guard deployment in LA

Approximately 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles as a response to the ongoing protests there — despite strong opposition voiced by California politicians.

“Donald Trump’s decision to deploy Marines to Los Angeles is an astounding overreach of authoritarian power. The state of California has not requested the National Guard, much less the Marines, but Trump is sending them anyway,” said Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, who represents parts of San Diego and Orange County.

Levin sent a let...

Times of San Diego • 31st July 2025

Linda Vista resident, U.S. citizen detained by ICE, raises awareness after court hearing

Dozens gathered Thursday morning in support of “Blue” Wong, a longtime activist and a United States citizen who was detained by ICE earlier this month.

Wong was detained on July 2 following an ICE raid in Linda Vista. A total of three U.S. citizens were detained in the incident, including Wong.

Wong did not provide her first name because she wants to “level the playing field.” She knows very little about the officers who took her into custody.

Video footage from the day shows Blue standing...

Times of San Diego • 31st July 2025

Three fires break out in San Diego County, largest near Camp Pendleton

Three fires broke out almost simultaneously across San Diego County on Thursday, with one growing to 200 acres.

The Basilone Fire broke out in North County near Camp Pendleton around 1:15 p.m., as did the Dennery Fire in San Ysidro.

The Jamacha Fire in East County broke out closer to 1 p.m. in the Rancho San Diego area.

As of 4 p.m., none of the fires have led to evacuation orders. Two remain small, while the other, the Basilone Fire, has grown.

That blaze started at two acres, but has no...

Times of San Diego • 10th August 2025

County ordinance protects ex-convicts trying to find jobs

San Diego County is working to make sure that previously incarcerated people who have paid their debts to society can truly walk free and pursue job opportunities without the hindrance of their past.

The Fair Chance Act went into effect statewide on Jan. 1, 2018. The law prohibits employers from asking job candidates about their conviction history before making a job offer. It’s often referred to as a “ban the box” law because it essentially bans the criminal record checkbox from job applicatio...

Times of San Diego • 19th June 2025

San Diego police admit license plate reader data breach in early days of program

The San Diego Police Department’s automated license plate recognition database was searched nearly 13,000 times during the early weeks of its implementation in 2023 and 2024, a concern many had leading up to the city’s adoption of the technology.

Privacy advocates’ alarm stemmed from the potential for data breaches and cross-agency data sharing from automated license plate readers, often referred to as ALPRs.

In a memorandum to the city’s Privacy Advisory Board on Friday, the department admitt...

Times of San Diego • 8th August 2025

Families demand that San Diego County 'show us the evidence' on jail in-custody deaths

Saving Lives in Custody, a local nonprofit fighting for answers to deaths in San Diego County jails, held a press conference Thursday asking the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board to take action.

Saving Lives in Custody was joined by the family members and loved ones of individuals who died while in a county jail. Leaders of the nonprofit demanded attention from the review board, or CLERB, which investigates citizen complaints against the San Diego County Sheriff’s and probation offices.
“...

Times of San Diego • 4th July 2025

'Busiest week of the year' for local water sports businesses around July 4th

Many San Diegans will flock to the outdoors, especially the beach, for Fourth of July-related festivities, but what does the holiday look like for those who run water sports and activities businesses?

For scuba diving, kayaking and paddle boarding shops, this week is one of the busiest all year. While San Diego’s temperate year-round climate makes it easy to enjoy water sports almost anytime, the summer months are still the busy season.

Kids are out of school, college students are home and to...

AZ Big Media Articles

At AZ Big Media, I primarily helped with interview transcriptions, interviews and line editing. However, I also covered lifestyle stories and business and real estate news throughout Arizona. Several of my stories were published in the AZRE magazine, as well.

Cronkite News, Washington, D.C. Articles

During my time at the Cronkite News Washington Bureau I covered a variety of topics. Most of my work was focused on politics or Indigenous communities, but I also covered sustainability and social justice. I learned to cover new beats and work with fellow reporters to produce multiple longer-form stories and quick turns. Click on the stories below to be redirected to the full-length versions. Here are some of my favorite stories, but feel free to check out my author page for more.