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Welcome to azcentral, Instagram friends. You might also know us as The Arizona Republic, and we’re here to bring you award-winning local news from Arizona and metro Phoenix.

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'We are going to be homeless': How mobile homeowners are being forced out in metro Phoenix

Gerald Suter, a resident of Periwinkle Mobile Home Park in Phoenix, speaks against GCU's housing expansion plan that would evict park residents.
Gerald Suter, a resident of Periwinkle Mobile Home Park in Phoenix, speaks against GCU's housing expansion plan that would evict park residents.

Homeowners in mobile home parks across metro Phoenix are getting evicted.

Many own the mobile home but rent the small lot it sets on.

“This is more than just a notice to get out,” said Priscilla Salazar, whose family has lived 11 years in the Weldon Park mobile home community near 16th Street and Osborn Road. “We are going to be homeless.”

Like Valley apartments, some mobile home park owners are raising rents when leases expire and evicting tenants who can’t pay.

In other cases, owners are shutting the parks down so the land can be used for something else, including housing that mobile homeowners can’t afford. Some mobile home park buyers are clearing out tenants and flipping the infill sites for big profits.

Mobile homes have long been one of the most affordable housing options for metro Phoenix residents, but the growing number of parks closing or becoming pricier is putting many residents in a bind. New affordable parks aren't being built, and many mobile homeowners can't afford to live elsewhere or move their homes to other communities in the Valley, alarming housing advocates and prompting government officials to seek solutions.

5 takeaways from Phoenix Suns' comeback win over Dallas Mavericks

The Suns were headed to another meltdown against the Mavericks.

They trailed by as many as 21 in the first half in Wednesday’s season opener that looked like a continuation of Game 7, when Dallas ran them off their own floor to end a historic season.

Luka Doncic was having his way again. Spencer Dinwiddie was still hitting 3s.

And the Suns were once again getting dominated before another stunned sellout crowd.

Then they woke up.

Read more here.

Holding on to hope, families rally in Nogales to demand justice for cross-border slayings

People gather on Oct. 9, 2022, in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, to honor the life of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez on the 10-year anniversary of his killing by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz.
People gather on Oct. 9, 2022, in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, to honor the life of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez on the 10-year anniversary of his killing by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz.

Bishop José Leopoldo González stood at a makeshift altar on Calle Internacional, just below the 22-foot border fence that stood mounted atop a 14-foot cliff. He led a binational Mass for nearly 100 people at the site where a U.S. Border Patrol agent had shot and killed a Mexican teenager 10 years ago in October 2012.

Moments earlier, Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger had addressed the teen's family in Spanish. As he spoke, the setting sun illuminated a mural painting of the teen, José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, fastened to the cliff behind him.

"The death of José Antonio undoubtedly moved us all, not just because of the painful loss of a life that was just beginning, full of goals and dreams," Weisenburger said. "But also because of the injustice, an injustice that continues 10 years later."

Read more here.

In Arizona, Kroger-Albertsons merger would create a supermarket behemoth

Fry's is part of the Kroger chain.
Fry's is part of the Kroger chain.

Two of Arizona's supermarket giants plan to combine forces in a deal affecting more than 250 stores and in excess of 35,000 workers around the state.

There's a greater store overlap here than in many other states, which could raise anticompetitive concerns for regulators.

Kroger said it will purchase Albertsons Cos. for $24.6 billion in a transaction announced on Oct. 14 and expected to close in 2024.

Read more here.

Desert Bar is open for 2022: How to visit Arizona's most remote watering hole

Desert Bar, the beloved Arizona watering hole also known as the Nellie E Saloon, is now open for its 2022-2023 season.

The iconic outpost down a dirt road in the rugged mountains near Parker, in western Arizona, welcomes thirsty visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from October through April.

Upon the Desert Bar's opening last year, the big news was that owner Ken Coughlin was looking to sell the expansive property that he built with his own hands. This year, he says he is still open to offers on the 71-acre property the saloon sits on.

Read more here.

🔒 AZ Data Central's latest Arizona government salary database

The Arizona Republic has assembled the largest public database of government employees’ salaries in the state, including salary information on more than 155,000 people from 28 government employers during the 2021 fiscal year.

Read more here.

The long-awaited Hope's Frybread restaurant is now open in Mesa

A true labor of love, Hope's Frybread brick-and-mortar has been a long time coming.

Hope Peshlakai and her husband, Aaron, started their business to help raise funds for a neighbor in trouble in 2011 and they kept adding popup events to their schedule. For years, they sold fry bread at a food stand on Power Road.

The Peshlakais decided to open a brick-and-mortar in 2020, but the pandemic thwarted their plans. In 2021, they found and took over the former Desert Book shop in a strip mall on S. Mesa Drive near E. Second Avenue.

"We are super excited for our grand opening and can't wait to feed all of our neighbors and community who have been patiently waiting for over a year," she said.

Read more here.

Arizona's death row: These are the prisoners awaiting execution

Arizona resumed executions in May 2022 when it carried out the lethal injection of Clarence Dixon. Dixon was the first person put to death by Arizona since the botched execution of Joseph Wood in 2014.

Following the Wood execution, Arizona changed its lethal injection protocol to a single drug: pentobarbital. The state announced in 2021 that it had found a supply of that drug and a pharmacist who could compound it into an injectable form. But questions over the expiration date of the drugs pushed back the state’s pursuit of the death penalty to 2022.

The next man put to death by Arizona after Dixon was Frank Atwood in June 2022.

Arizona’s attorney general recently announced he now intends to seek the execution of death row prisoner Murray Hooper.

Read more here.

Angela Lansbury, star of 'Murder, She Wrote' and 'Beauty and the Beast,' has died at 96

Angela Lansbury, award-winning star of films like "The Manchurian Candidate," TV's "Murder She Wrote" and Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd," died Tuesday. She was 96.

Lansbury was a force in the entertainment business for a career that spanned eight decades and garnered her an Oscar, five Tonys and 18 Emmy nominations, although she never won one for CBS's "Murder."

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday," her family said in a statement.

Most actors would be happy to have just one of Lansbury’s three careers, let alone all of them.

Read more here.

Arizona State football ends first half of season on a high note, but work remains

The college football season has hit the midway point, and the Arizona State Sun Devils have a much-needed bye week before starting the back end of their schedule.

The Sun Devils (2-4, 1-2) have faced four nationally ranked opponents in the last five weeks, going 1-3 against those teams, with the win being a 45-38 thriller last Saturday against then No. 21 Washington at Sun Devil Stadium.

 Read more about the highs and lows of the first half here.

🔒After a scorching Sunday in Mesa, here are 3 Trump rally takeaways

The election rally featuring former President Donald Trump hit on familiar notes, with a lengthy speech from the former president, lots of bashing of Democratic candidates and laments of how conditions have gone south since Joe Biden defeated Trump in 2020.

Here are three takeaways from the Sunday event in Mesa.

Former President Donald Trump returning to Arizona for rally with Kari Lake, Blake Masters

Kari Lake, candidate for Arizona governor,  speaks after being invited onstage by former President Donald Trump during a Save America rally at the Findlay Toyota Center on  July 22, 2022, in Prescott Valley.
Kari Lake, candidate for Arizona governor, speaks after being invited onstage by former President Donald Trump during a Save America rally at the Findlay Toyota Center on July 22, 2022, in Prescott Valley.

Former President Donald Trump will return to Arizona for an Oct. 9 rally at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa to support his endorsed Arizona candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Trump is expected to speak in support of his endorsed candidates, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Blake Masters and “the entire Arizona Trump Ticket.”

Read more here.

New FBI clues reveal more about the mysterious couple who had a stolen de Kooning painting

Jerry and Rita Alter were New York City retirees who traveled the world. A stolen painting worth over $100 million was found behind their bedroom door.

Stevie Nicks postpones Phoenix concert: Here's what we know so far

Stevie Nicks, "Bella Donna" (1981)
Stevie Nicks, "Bella Donna" (1981)

Stevie Nicks has postponed her concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion on Thursday, Oct. 6, due to a non-COVID-19 respiratory illness, according to Live Nation.

Nicks is following doctors' orders for vocal rest.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date once announced.

If you had purchased tickets to Nicks' Phoenix concert through Live Nation, you can locate them by signing in to your online account. If your event displays as eligible for a refund or credit, those options will be visible within the event details of your order.

🔒 Modern Vascular prioritized profits, faces claims patients were maimed or died

Victoria Garcia lost two legs after procedures by Dr. Scott Brannan
Victoria Garcia lost two legs after procedures by Dr. Scott Brannan

Modern Vascular markets cutting-edge vascular procedures. The Republic found questionable investment practices, high billing, and claims of harm to patients.

Loretta Lynn, country music legend and 'Coal Miner's Daughter,' dies at 90

Loretta Lynn: April 14, 1932.
Loretta Lynn: April 14, 1932.

Loretta Lynn, who rose from a hardscrabble upbringing to become the most culturally significant female singer-songwriter in country music history, has died. She was 90.

Lynn’s family said she died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

"Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning (Oct. 4) in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch," her family said in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

🔒 Many Latinos don't think abortion should be illegal, despite personal views

Abortion rights demonstrators gather at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Sept. 24, 2022, to voice concerns with the recent ruling by a Pima County judge that reinstated an over century-year-old ban on abortion in almost all cases.
Abortion rights demonstrators gather at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Sept. 24, 2022, to voice concerns with the recent ruling by a Pima County judge that reinstated an over century-year-old ban on abortion in almost all cases.

While many Latinos are Catholic and may personally oppose abortion because of their religious views, a large majority of Latino eligible voters don't believe abortion should be illegal, or that a women's right to choose should be taken away, according to an August poll commissioned by UnidosUS, a national Latino civil rights organization.

Listen to the full season of 'Rediscovering: Killed Through the Border Fence'

A humanitarian group from U.S. and Mexico walks towards the site where Jose Antonio Elena Rodrigez, was shot and killed by Lonnie Swartz, the Border Patrol agent .
A humanitarian group from U.S. and Mexico walks towards the site where Jose Antonio Elena Rodrigez, was shot and killed by Lonnie Swartz, the Border Patrol agent .

The most severe of the charges was for second degree murder, that meant prosecutors believed Lonnie had intentionally killed José Antonio. It was now their responsibility to prove that in court.

Bringing Swartz to trial took more than six years. In March 2018, the month-long murder trial kicked off in Tucson, about 60 miles north of Ambos Nogales.

A jury would decide if Swartz was guilty of the three charges against him and could bring an end to José Antonio's family journey towards justice.

🔒 What’s on Arizona voters’ minds? Inflation, abortion and threats to democracy

Arizonans, it seems, remain as politically divided as in 2020, when the state provided the closest presidential results in the country.

Across a spectrum of races and issues, voters break sharply based on political party, gender, education and ethnicity. That demographic matrix points to an election far from settled as early voting in the state is getting underway.

The findings are part of a Suffolk University/Arizona Republic and azcentral.com poll of 500 residents on cell and landline phones conducted between Sept. 21 and Sept. 25. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points overall.

Read more here.

Tovrea Castle's spring 2023 ticket lottery opens soon. Here's how to try for a guided tour

A nearly full moon rises behind Tovrea Castle in Phoenix on January 11, 2017.
A nearly full moon rises behind Tovrea Castle in Phoenix on January 11, 2017.

If you want to see inside Tovrea Castle, the grand structure visible from the Loop 202 freeway near Van Buren and 52nd streets in Phoenix, your chance is coming soon but the window of opportunity is brief.

Admission is by guided tour only, and demand for tours of the four-tiered, cake-shaped building is so high that tickets are issued only through a lottery.

The lottery for tickets to tour the castle between January and May 2023 opens Saturday, Oct. 1. Prospective visitors have until Oct. 15 to enter.

Read more here.

Bad Bunny's World's Hottest Tour hits Phoenix tonight. Here's everything fans need to know.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - July 28: Bad Bunny performs during his concert, "Un Verano Sin Ti" at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on July 28, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
San Juan, Puerto Rico - July 28: Bad Bunny performs during his concert, "Un Verano Sin Ti" at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on July 28, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny brings the World's Hottest Tour to Chase Field in Phoenix on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

This is the Puerto Rican reggaeton sensation's biggest tour to date and his second Phoenix concert of 2022.

Check out the link in our bio for everything you should know if you plan to see the world's most-streamed artist of the past two years at Chase Field — from parking information to details on the venue's clear bag policy and what to expect from the concert itself.

Read more here.

Phoenix artist brings awareness to issues affecting undocumented people through her art

Gloria Martinez-Granados will be showing her art piece, "The Uncertainty of Higher Education" at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Gloria Martinez-Granados will be showing her art piece, "The Uncertainty of Higher Education" at the Phoenix Art Museum.

In her home, in the Central City neighborhood just south of downtown Phoenix, Gloria Martinez-Granados works on putting together the finishing touches on her latest piece, meticulously planning how she would fit copies of various IDs of her art into cardboard boxes. She would need to fit 2,000 ID cards for her piece being shown at her exhibition.

Martinez-Granados was given the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award from the Phoenix Art Museum. Her piece “The Uncertainty of Higher Education” is being shown starting this month. It is an expansion on her ongoing exploration of what it means to be an undocumented person in Arizona.

Her own experiences navigating higher education influence the direction her work takes as a lithographer — a highly labor-intensive printmaking method. Those experiences would also turn out to be the catalyst of Martinez-Granados becoming an artist.

Read more here.

Rihanna to headline 2023 Super Bowl halftime show: 'It's on'

Rihanna better get to "Work" because she has a Super Bowl halftime show to headline.

The pop star hinted at her performance at Super Bowl LVII by posting a photo of a football to her Instagram Sunday.

Official Twitter accounts for Apple Music and the NFL then confirmed Rihanna's performance Sunday, tweeting, "It's on."

Super Bowl LVII is scheduled to take place Feb. 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Read more here.

Herm Edwards out as Arizona State Sun Devils football coach

September 17, 2022; Tempe, Arizona; USA; ASU head coach Herm Edwards calls a timeout during a game at Sun Devil Stadium.
September 17, 2022; Tempe, Arizona; USA; ASU head coach Herm Edwards calls a timeout during a game at Sun Devil Stadium.

Herm Edwards is no longer the coach of the Arizona State football program, ASU athletic director Ray Anderson confirmed.

“We have made the decision to make a change in the leadership of our football program, effective immediately," Anderson wrote in a release on Twitter. "By mutual agreement, Coach Edwards and I have determined that he will relinquish duties as our head coach. At the core of this is doing what is best for our current team, staff and university. I understand the frustrations out there. We must do better and that starts with our decision today.”

Running backs coach and former Chandler High School head coach Shaun Aguano has been named interim head coach.

Read more here.

Vacation rental shooting in Scottsdale adds fuel to Airbnb opposition 

A Scottsdale police vehicle sits parked in front of the short-term rental property where a shooting took place on Sept. 9, 2022.
A Scottsdale police vehicle sits parked in front of the short-term rental property where a shooting took place on Sept. 9, 2022.

Opposition to Airbnbs and other short-term rentals was already significant in Scottsdale and other parts of the Valley. Some residents and elected officials say they make neighborhoods less safe and eat up the city’s desperately-needed housing supply.

Read more here.

PayPal will not renew Phoenix Suns sponsorship if Robert Sarver remains involved after year suspension

Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center.
Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center.

PayPal's statement concluded the company "strongly rejects" Sarver's conduct, but remains supportive of the team.

Read more here.

Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan families to meet with President Biden amid US-Russia talks 

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted into a courtroom prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Closing arguments in Brittney Griner's cannabis possession case are set for Thursday, nearly six months after the American basketball star was arrested at a Moscow airport in a case that reached the highest levels of US-Russia diplomacy.

The separate meetings are to be the first in-person encounter between Biden and the families and are taking place amid sustained but so far unsuccessful efforts by the administration to secure the Americans’ release.

Read more here.

🔒 Echoing Trump, Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake calls immigrants 'rapists' 

Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake talks policy in a forum hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at Republic National Distributing Company in Phoenix, Ariz.
Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake talks policy in a forum hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at Republic National Distributing Company in Phoenix, Ariz.

Just as Trump's rhetoric prompted backlash years ago — and as Lake predicted onstage at the Sept. 3 rally — her comments have drawn condemnation in Arizona.

Read more here.

What you need to know about Phoenix Suns team owner Robert Sarver 

Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver walks on the court to congratulate players after the team defeated the Las Vegas Aces 87-84 in Game Five of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs semifinals to win the series at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 8, 2021, in Las Vegas
Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver walks on the court to congratulate players after the team defeated the Las Vegas Aces 87-84 in Game Five of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs semifinals to win the series at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 8, 2021, in Las Vegas

Since buying the Phoenix Suns in 2004 for a then-NBA record $401 million, Robert Sarver has been a part of some of the highest and lowest points of Arizona’s NBA team.

Read more here.

Arizona prisoner alleges Lewis warden ordered 'inmate-on-inmate discipline'

The Lewis Prison complex is located in Buckeye.
The Lewis Prison complex is located in Buckeye.

At Lewis, the prisoners run the security, and incarcerated people are able to leave their cells as often as they please, Phoenix attorney Andrea Driggs told jurors.

Read more here.

Phoenix Suns team owner Robert Sarver suspended for 1 year, fined $10M

Robert Sarver, majority owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, has been suspended for one year from any activities involving both teams and fined $10 million for ''workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies'' found during an NBA investigation.

Read more here.

Metro Phoenix inflation rises again; region remains highest in nation at 13%

The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area leads all major cities with a 13% inflation rate over the past 12 months, followed by second-place Atlanta at 11.7% and 11.2% in the area around Tampa, Florida. Miami and Baltimore round out the top five.

Read more here.

Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96 

Queen Elizabeth in June 2015.
Queen Elizabeth in June 2015.

The longest-ever reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the only monarch most of her subjects have ever known, is over. Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, 73, immediately became king upon her death.

Read more here.

🔒 Arizona test results show increase in student scores, but most students still failed 

Freshman students take a reading test to determine their skill level during orientation inside Cesar Chavez High School’s library in Laveen on July 28, 2022.
Freshman students take a reading test to determine their skill level during orientation inside Cesar Chavez High School’s library in Laveen on July 28, 2022.

Overall, 41% of students taking the state's new assessment test passed the English component, and 33% passed the math portion, according to data released Wednesday.

Read more here.

🔒 Arizona woman hopes to help other assault victims cope with trauma 

Sara Pitcher poses for a portrait at her home on July 19, 2022, in Gilbert.
Sara Pitcher poses for a portrait at her home on July 19, 2022, in Gilbert.

Sara Pitcher came to Arizona to escape her then-husband, Shawn Terry Spink. Years later, after he was sentenced to life in prison, she is speaking out.

Read more here.

This Phoenix drag queen is giving out monkeypox care kits 

Phoenix drag queen Trey poses for a portrait in her home with the care kit she's giving away to people dealing with monkeypox symptoms on Aug. 29, 2022.
Phoenix drag queen Trey poses for a portrait in her home with the care kit she's giving away to people dealing with monkeypox symptoms on Aug. 29, 2022.

When Trey DeGroodt revealed their monkeypox diagnosis, "my community came to my aid in my time of need." Now the performer makes care kits for others who need them.

Read more here.

🔒 Planned Parenthood Arizona is resuming abortion care, but for now only in Tucson 

Medication and surgical abortions resumed in Tucson on Monday. Planned Parenthood hopes to resume abortion care at its other three Arizona clinics that in the coming weeks.

Read more here.

Popular Phoenix hiking trails close due to excessive heat 

An excessive heat warning sign stands at the entrance of the popular hiking spot at Camelback Mountain in Phoenix on June 10, 2022. City officials restricted access to some hiking trails throughout the city due to the extreme temperatures.
An excessive heat warning sign stands at the entrance of the popular hiking spot at Camelback Mountain in Phoenix on June 10, 2022. City officials restricted access to some hiking trails throughout the city due to the extreme temperatures.

Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak trails will be closed Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. due to excessive heat, according to Phoenix Fire Department.

Read more here.

One day only: Theaters offer $3 movie tickets on Sept. 3 in honor of National Cinema Day 

Theaters in metro Phoenix and across the country will offer $3 movie tickets all day on Saturday, Sept. 3. There are one-day-only deals on snacks, too.

Read more here.

Arizona tribal leaders launch a political advocacy group to encourage Indigenous voters 

Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son board members Verlon Jose, former chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and Carletta Tilousi, former council member of the Havasupai tribe, talk about a new advocacy group during its launch at K’é’ - Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa.
Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son board members Verlon Jose, former chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and Carletta Tilousi, former council member of the Havasupai tribe, talk about a new advocacy group during its launch at K’é’ - Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa.

The group, known as Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son, is the first statewide tribal 501(c)(4) political organization in Arizona.

Read more here.

Derek Chauvin, convicted of killing George Floyd, transferred to federal prison in Tucson 

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's booking photos on June 01, 2020.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's booking photos on June 01, 2020.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons website lists Chauvin as located at FCI Tucson, which the government describes as "a medium security federal correctional institution with a detention center."

Read more here.

Washout will delay travel from Phoenix to Los Angeles on I-10; no time estimate for repair 

Damage to Interstate 10 could make travel between Phoenix and Los Angeles precarious until the road is repaired officials warned Thursday, just ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend.

Read more here.

Biden plans to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans 

FILE - President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington.  Biden is set to announce $10,000 federal student loan cancellation on Aug. 24, for many, extend repayment pause for others. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. Biden is set to announce $10,000 federal student loan cancellation on Aug. 24, for many, extend repayment pause for others. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Here's what Arizonans need to know.

Read more here.

A new music festival is coming to downtown Phoenix

Arizona's U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton (from left), Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Stephen Chilton unveil the poster for the Zona Music Festival during the announcement of the event on Aug. 24, 2022, in Phoenix. The boutique music event, scheduled for Dec. 3-4 at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix, will feature a diverse array of national and local alternative, indie, pop and rock acts, in addition to highlighting several nearby businesses and vendors.

Beach House, Portugal. the Man, Bleachers, Tegan and Sara, and Japanese Breakfast are set to headline the inaugural Zona Music Festival at Margaret T. Hance Park the weekend of Dec. 3 and 4.

Biden to cancel at least $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers

Biden announced his long-awaited decision in a speech from the White House’s Roosevelt Room, delivering on a campaign promise yet falling short of demands from progressive Democrats who wanted even more debt forgiven.

Read more here.

'There's simply not enough water': Colorado River cutbacks ripple across Arizona 

Hoover Dam (top right) and Lake Mead on May 11, 2021, on the Arizona and Nevada border. A high-water mark or bathtub ring is visible on the shoreline. Lake Mead is down 152 vertical feet.
Hoover Dam (top right) and Lake Mead on May 11, 2021, on the Arizona and Nevada border. A high-water mark or bathtub ring is visible on the shoreline. Lake Mead is down 152 vertical feet.

On Tuesday, the government presented its 2023 water forecasts and said based on projected water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, it would institute the next level of water reductions already agreed upon by the seven states and 30 federally recognized tribes within the Colorado River basin.

Read more here.

This $5 deli sandwich from Sprouts went viral on TikTok 

A sandwich from Sprouts went viral on TikTok.
A sandwich from Sprouts went viral on TikTok.

A popular deli deal at Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market grocery stores led to their sandwiches going viral on TikTok. The hashtag #sproutssandwich has garnered 9.6 million views since it started circulating in July.

Read more here.

The concept: Use a housing voucher anywhere. The reality: Voucher use concentrated in certain neighborhoods

A four-bedroom home for sale in Phoenix's Alhambra neighborhood on July 27, 2022.
A four-bedroom home for sale in Phoenix's Alhambra neighborhood on July 27, 2022.

Housing vouchers are meant to give low-income tenants choices about where to live and a chance to move to a better neighborhood. That doesn't happen often.

Read more here.

Monkey farm under fire for more primate deaths at its Mesa facility 

Monkey farm in Mesa, Ariz.
Monkey farm in Mesa, Ariz.

The University of Washington is under fire by animal rights groups for more monkey deaths at its breeding facility in Mesa, nearly a year after The Arizona Republic revealed higher than expected rates of monkey sickness and death at the site.

Read more here.

🔒 Gov. Ducey's shipping container barrier along border toppled just 1 day after completion

A collapsed 22-foot-tall stack of two shipping containers partially hangs over a canal near Gadsden southwest of Yuma on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. The containers were found a day after construction on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's shipping container border barrier was completed.
A collapsed 22-foot-tall stack of two shipping containers partially hangs over a canal near Gadsden southwest of Yuma on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. The containers were found a day after construction on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's shipping container border barrier was completed.

The 22-foot tall stack of two containers, each weighing about 8,800 pounds, collapsed on a neighboring dirt road. The stack is shown partially hanging over the nearby canal southwest of Yuma.

Read more here.

Arizona loses one-fifth of its Colorado River allocation under new federal drought plan 

A bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line of Lake Mead near water intakes on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on June 26, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev. The reservoir is now below 30% of capacity, Its level has dropped 170 feet since reaching a high-water mark in 1983.
A bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line of Lake Mead near water intakes on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on June 26, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev. The reservoir is now below 30% of capacity, Its level has dropped 170 feet since reaching a high-water mark in 1983.

The Bureau of Reclamation announced what it called "urgent action" as water levels in the river's two largest reservoirs continue to drop. Under the steps outlined Tuesday, Arizona will lose 592,000 acre-feet of its river allocation in 2023, which represents 21% of its usual delivery.

Read more here.

Fazoli's is making a comeback in Phoenix 

Fazoli's is coming to Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Fazoli's is coming to Phoenix Sky Harbor.

The fast-casual Italian brand that started in Lexington, Kentucky, serves its pizza, subs, pasta, dessert and unlimited breadsticks at more than 200 restaurants nationwide.

Read more here.

This longtime family-run Phoenix pizzeria is now the "official pizza" of Suns and Mercury 

Ken Spinato, founder and patriarch of Spinato's Pizzeria & Family Kitchen, stands inside Footprint Center.
Ken Spinato, founder and patriarch of Spinato's Pizzeria & Family Kitchen, stands inside Footprint Center.

Spinato's Pizzeria & Family Kitchen has become the official pizza for the Suns and Mercury at the Footprint Center, where fans can expect to enjoy the Chicago-style pizza when the NBA season starts in October.

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Pittsburgh Pirates player loses iPhone mid-slide against Arizona Diamondbacks 

Aug 9, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) slap hands after scoring runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) slap hands after scoring runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Pirates’ Rodolfo Castro dove head first into third base, taking two bases on an Oneil Cruz single. On the slide, his iPhone came flying out of his back left pocket.

🔒 Alex Jones' texts could shed light on Arizona activities and GOP protests tied to 'Stop the Steal' 

Right wing radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones arrives at a protest being held by supporters of President Trump at the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix, Ariz. on Nov. 5, 2020. Protesters were asking for ballot counters to count all of the votes in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Right wing radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones arrives at a protest being held by supporters of President Trump at the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix, Ariz. on Nov. 5, 2020. Protesters were asking for ballot counters to count all of the votes in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The texts were turned over to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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🔒 The tortilla slap challenge has gone viral on social media. Why not everyone is laughin

Jun 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Flour tortilla production line at La Canasta Mexican Food Inc. in Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic
Jun 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Flour tortilla production line at La Canasta Mexican Food Inc. in Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

To millions, the tortilla slap challenge is hilarious. To critics, it's another cringe-worthy example of how Mexican food, culture and people are often dismissed as disposable.

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And they're off: Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs start their campaigns for governor and signal what's to come

Arizona's Democratic nominee for governor, Katie Hobbs, visited the River People Health Center, which serves Arizona's Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community, to open her general election campaign.

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