KJZZ's Stories You Don't Want to Miss

Crews with the Salt River project are dumping thousands of fish into Phoenix-area canals in an effort to help keep them clean. Research has shown that the impact that created Meteor Crater in northern Arizona may have dammed the Colorado River. Thursday is one month since federal authorities raided more than a dozen sports bars and restaurants in metro Phoenix. Plus the latest education, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors agreed to give key election duties back to Recorder Justin Heap, who sued the board over the issue. This year, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Arizona is highlighting community-led events, many showcasing state history. Members of the Scottsdale Unified School District governing board are at odds over how to make necessary budget cuts. Plus the latest science, Fronteras Desk and business news.

The Colorado River is getting smaller thanks to climate change, and the states that use it are facing a deadline of this Saturday to agree on new rules about how to share water in the future. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality says it's working with communities outside the city of Globe and the town of Star Valley on projects to address PFAS in drinking water. The Paradise Valley Unified School District has fired its superintendent. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and politics news.

It's Super Bowl week! And while the game won't be in Arizona this year, a good share of the betting will be. Gov. Katie Hobbs says she's cautiously optimistic that Western states are moving towards a deal on the Colorado River. Mexico and the U.S. agreed to a sixty day action plan aimed at developing trade policies for critical minerals. Plus the latest business, indigenous affairs, politics, and metro Phoenix news.

Health officials continue to urge Arizonans to take precautions against measles. Federal investigators say a southern Arizona man shot by Border Patrol agents early Tuesday could face federal charges. As Arizona's legislative session begins, housing affordability continues to be a priority for many lawmakers. Plus the latest education, Indigenous affairs, environmental and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona has had more than 200 measles cases since August. President Trump's administration Wednesday dropped an effort to defund schools that teach “diversity equity and inclusion.” Remittances — or the money immigrants send back to their countries of origin — dropped to Mexico in 2025. Plus the latest business and metro Phoenix news.

Maricopa County is reporting its first measles case amid the state's ongoing outbreak. It's still unclear how Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and Republican lawmakers plan to pay for their dueling plans to cut taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars. Two East Valley school districts are looking to cut millions of dollars from their budgets to keep up with declines in enrollment. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, metro Phoenix, and business news.

In the wake of Wednesday's fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is concerned about reports that the Trump administration plans to ramp up immigration enforcement activities in Phoenix. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly are some of more than two dozen Democrats asking Trump administration officials about its diversion of federal agents to immigration work. The labor union for Arizona public school educators says voters want accountability and transparency for the state's voucher system. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources and politics news.

The Phoenix City Council has green lit an expansion of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in North Phoenix. After months of discussion and public hearings, the Kyrene School District governing board has voted to close four elementary schools and two middle schools. A new women's health hub will be among the first projects developed in Mesa's new Palo District. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, health, politics, and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona has reported more than 900 cases of whooping cough in 2025 — that's the highest case count in more than a decade. President Donald Trump says he will put an additional tariff on Mexico if it doesn't send over water it owes the U.S. The Scottsdale Unified School District will close and repurpose two schools due to declining enrollment and a several-million-dollar budget shortfall. Plus the latest business, politics and metro Phoenix news.

Food banks may face an increased demand in the coming years due to changes made to SNAP by the Republican tax cut and spending package passed earlier this year. The superintendent of the Paradise Valley Unified School District could soon be terminated. How will Arizona Sen. Kelly's viral video and investigation affect his political future? Plus the latest Fronteras Desk and business news.

An Arizona water agency took a historic vote Wednesday to pursue multiple water augmentation projects to boost the state's water supply —including desalination. Maricopa County could be at risk of losing nearly 1400 housing units for disabled, formerly homeless people. A Tolleson school board voted Tuesday against building a widely criticized $80 million domed football stadium. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, metro Phoenix, and science news.

With the government shutdown ended, Gov. Katie Hobbs says most Arizonans who rely on food assistance already have their benefits restored. Residents in Hermosillo are demanding answers — and accountability — after an explosion in the state capital's busy city center killed at least 24 people. The Phoenix Union High School District will cut $20 million from its budget next school year. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix, tribal natural resources, and politics news.

As the U.S. government shutdown ended its first month Saturday and SNAP food benefits are mired in uncertainty, folks across the country have reached out to step up and help. After President Trump shut the door to asylum seekers on his first day in office, many who once hoped to cross into the United States are now looking to Mexico for protection. The Arizona Department of Education has released a new round of letter grades for Arizona's public schools. Plus the latest politics, metro Phoenix, and business news.

Gov. Katie Hobbs Wednesday announced she'd direct $1.5 million dollars in federal pandemic relief funds to support food banks in the state. A new report shows Arizona military bases will host a large part of a new National Guard force designed to quell civil unrest. Dozens of Flagstaff residents weighed in on the city's contract with Flock Safety, a rapidly expanding company whose cameras are now operating in communities across the country. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, science, education, and metro Phoenix news.

A new study has found that groundwater pumping is having a greater effect in changing levels in the Tucson Basin Aquifer than climate change. This year, the number of cattle that have crossed that border have plummeted, as the U.S. tries to stop the northward spread of a flesh-eating parasite. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit Tuesday against House Speaker Mike Johnson over his refusal to swear Democratic Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva into office. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, education, business, and metro Phoenix news.

Nondescript data centers are popping up in cities, towns and even cattle ranches. An investigation into whether the city of Sedona's police chief and its former mayor harassed each other has come to a close. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the secretary of state does not have to follow a law governing how state agencies make rules when he creates a biennial rule book for local election officials. Plus the latest business, education and metro Phoenix news.

Glendale's city manager says he's still “absolutely and unquestionably” confident that VAI Resort will be finished despite the scrapped plans. Ballots went in the mail on Wednesday in Maricopa County and voters are being asked to consider a property tax increase to support the county's publicly funded hospital system. The Kyrene School District has altered its plan for proposed school closures after getting feedback from parents. Plus the latest sports, metro Phoenix, Fronteras Desk and business news.

President Donald Trump's sprawling tax cut and immigration bill will reduce government spending on Medicaid. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he'll soon swear in Arizona's newest Congresswoman, Adelita Grijalva. It's been one week since a catastrophic flood hit the city of Globe in Gila County, but the tight-knit community is coming together to clean up and support those who need it most. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, science, health and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona's congressional delegation promised to make changes in Washington, D.C., that would be felt here at home but in practice, they're not getting much done, at least legislatively. COVID-19 vaccines should be more widely available in Arizona now. The Arizona Department of Education says Native American students are seeing remarkable improvement in reading and math proficiency statewide. Plus the latest tribal natural resources, business and Fronteras Desk news.

The cost to hold a Charlie Kirk memorial at a state-owned stadium while keeping safe mourners, the president and other top officials is unknown. Community members continue to push back on potential school closures in the Kyrene School District. Pima County health officials will now offer COVID vaccines at county clinics. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix, and Fronteras Desk news.

Water officials in Tucson say the city has started receiving settlement funds from a class action lawsuit against major manufacturers of a firefighting foam that contains PFAS. The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected a bid by state schools chief Tom Horne to keep one of its justices from deciding whether he can sue schools over English instruction. Plus, the latest Tiny Desert Concert.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne are in a dispute over the management of school voucher funds. Federal tax credits for electric vehicles or home energy efficiency upgrades are set to expire soon and state officials are urging Arizonans to take advantage while they still can. Plus from KJZZ's The Show, much like certain songs and movies come to define the zeitgeist every summer, so too do colors.

An ongoing controversy swirling around the state's school voucher program has reignited an internal feud in the Arizona Republican Party, leading two GOP officials to call on party Chairwoman Gina Swoboda to resign. One Native American tribe is trying to give the Colorado River the same legal rights as a person. Plus, the latest Soapbox from KJZZ's The Show.

Local leaders have voted to block a massive data center proposed for a 290-acre stretch of land southeast of downtown Tucson. Law enforcement is investigating the parent teacher network at a charter school in Queen Creek. Plus, the latest Tiny Desert Concert.

Local leaders in Tucson have voted not to allow a proposed data center with ties to Amazon known as Project Blue to move forward. The Arizona Department of Water Resources was slapped with a lawsuit this week by an environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity. Plus, Americans are desperate to get more sleep. But are they taking it too seriously?

The Dragon Bravo Fire has burned over 111,000 acres and is threatening the Kaibab Lodge. The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans is warning that hundreds of billions of dollars will be cut from Medicaid and Medicare over the next 10 years. Plus, from KJZZ's original production The Show, a conversation with a specialist about how Maricopa County became an HIV hotspot, and how funding cuts will make it worse.

The Department of Interior is transferring public land along the Arizona-Mexico border to the U.S. military. The so-called “Epstein files” have become a divisive issue for Republicans in Arizona's congressional delegation. Plus, from KJZZ's original production The Show, a conversation with local researchers who are working on a faster way to diagnose Valley fever.

Though former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema isn't running for public office, she continues to use hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to pay for plane tickets, hotels and meals. A new sports bar in Phoenix's Melrose District prioritizes women's sports. Plus, from KJZZ's original production The Show, Arizona wants to boost water supplies but is cutting funding.

The newly chosen Phoenix police chief says it's a dream come true to return to the department where he started his career. A pair of conservation groups are suing the Trump administration over a stretch of Arizona borderland that's slated to see wall construction in the next two months. Plus, a remembrance of Steve Benson, the longtime political cartoonist for the Arizona Republic.

Arizona Democrats in Congress have sponsored several bills this year aimed at getting states more federal assistance to cope with extreme heat. But, those bills face long odds. Plans to build a passenger rail line between Phoenix and Tucson are picking up steam. Plus, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a bill designed to punish superintendents and board members if a school district goes bankrupt.

KJZZ examines the impact of the Trump administration on Arizona's water issues in a three-part series. State senators passed a bill to allow the use of state and local taxes to pay for stadium repairs for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Plus, a new installment of the series “Throwing Shade” from KJZZ's The Show.

An Arizona state lawmaker's slate of candidates could upend the state Republican Party. Hopis were among the earliest Alcatraz prisoners. Arizona university students and staff express outrage over decision to remove diversity from policies. Plus the latest business, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Shifting dynamics and electoral politics are shaping the relationship between Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Legislature. Local businesses are bracing for potential shortages after avian flu hit the largest egg producer in the southwestern United States. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear the nonprofit Apache Stronghold's case to preserve Oak Flat from a proposed copper mine. Plus the latest education, metro Phoenix and Fronteras Desk news.

Voters in Mexico will make history this weekend as they head to the polls in the country's first judicial election after major reforms to the constitution. The current bird flu outbreak is the first one labeled an animal disease emergency by state officials. A bill which would force school board members in struggling school districts to step down advanced in the state legislature on Wednesday. Plus the latest metro Phoenix and tribal natural resource news.

City officials say sweeping reform efforts on police policy, training and accountability continue regardless of the decisions made in Washington D.C. One way electric providers are responding to record summer heat is by paying customers to turn down their air conditioners. More than $300 billion in federal funding meant for Indian Country has been blocked – that's according to a tracker compiled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Plus the latest, community, Fronteras Desk, education and metro Phoenix news.

After months of partisan fighting, lawmakers in April reached a last-minute deal to send emergency funding to a state agency that serves Arizonans with developmental disabilities. Several cities across the region that tap into underground water reserves are sinking. For better or worse, the Mill Avenue is changing. Plus the latest Fronteras Desk, education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill Wednesday making it a state crime for protesters and others to set up encampments on college campuses. After a surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, one man managed to get back to work in his patio studio. A federal judge in Phoenix heard arguments Wednesday from the nonprofit Apache Stronghold, urging the court to halt a land swap between Resolution Copper and the U.S. Forest Service. Plus the latest business, Fronteras Desk, and metro Phoenix news.

Thousands gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Thursday for a major May Day rally opposing policies tied to President Donald Trump. Arizona politicians say they have a way to save groundwater in areas where it's dangerously low and at the same time increase the state's housing supply. While the Trump administration prioritizes the Resolution Copper project east of the Valley to bolster domestic mineral production, opponents of what could become one of the world's largest copper mines are trying to delay that process. Plus the latest business, Fronteras Desk, education, tribal natural resources and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a bill into law that will expand scholarship opportunities for community college students who want to become teachers. New, temporary art installations are springing up at public parks across Phoenix. The Pentagon has now restored all of its content referencing Native Americans and their contributions. Plus the latest community, Fronteras Desk and metro Phoenix news.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs says she will veto every bill sent her way until the Legislature passes a bipartisan solution to provide emergency funding for the Division of Developmental Disabilities. It's been almost a week since scores of asylum seekers who entered the U.S. under the CBP One app were told they had seven days to leave the country. The Valley is a popular spot for data centers but is there enough water to sustain them? Plus the latest business, tribal natural resources and education news.