Thursday, September 17, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1901, the Grand Canyon Railway carried its first paying passengers to the South Rim, opening the canyon to large-scale tourism.

Do you ever feel like you just can’t catch up on sleep? Turns out the rules you’ve heard about weekend sleep may have it backward. Can sleeping in actually undo the damage from a rough week? Is there a point where extra sleep starts working against you? And does anyone really know the magic number? Scientists finally have answers, and Ayla is breaking them down on The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, Choice Home Warranty, helps homeowners protect their budgets from unexpected repair costs when major appliances and home systems break down.

Your next order of fries could come with a little help from a robot. Later today, watch for an email from our partner, Miso Robotics, about its kitchen technology and an investment opportunity.

Voucher Fight Shapes Schools Race

Republican Kimberly Yee and Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz sparred over private school vouchers during a debate in the race for state schools superintendent.

Yee lauded vouchers, and when Ruiz accused the program of siphoning money away from public schools, she criticized Ruiz for not supporting all students. Ruiz said she opposes the program’s universal expansion and supports putting more guardrails on eligible spending. Both said they would end the practice of automatically approving a family’s first $2,000 in voucher claims.

Elsewhere, both said teacher pay should be increased and classroom AI should be permitted with limits.

Yee is the current state treasurer and is term-limited. Leyba Ruiz is a former math teacher and former president of Glendale Community College. The winner will replace Tom Horne, who lost July’s Republican primary to Yee.

Provider Charged in $33M Medicaid Fraud

A Peoria behavioral health provider is accused of fraudulently billing the state’s Medicaid program more than $33 million in a single year, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

A federal grand jury in Phoenix indicted Maurice Marcell Williams, 48, on Sept. 8 on 11 counts of health care fraud and money laundering. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of two residential properties, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and brokerage accounts Williams owned.

Prosecutors allege Williams’ Phoenix office billed for services never delivered, focusing on Native American members enrolled in the American Indian Health Program. A response from Williams was not immediately available.

TSA Adds Military Lanes

Phoenix Sky Harbor and more than 30 other airports began offering dedicated TSA military lanes, giving service members, veterans, and their families expedited screening.

While Sky Harbor will be the lone Arizona airport setting up a dedicated line, veterans flying out of Tucson, Yuma, or Flagstaff can show qualifying ID to a lane monitor for front-of-the-line service.

Travelers using the dedicated lane do not need to be in uniform. Some veteran ID cards satisfy both the status and identification requirements, while other cards must be paired with a second ID.

Travelers needing extra help can contact TSA Cares at least 72 hours before a flight.

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Your AC Quits. Now You’re Facing a $6,000 Bill.

It always seems to happen at the worst possible time. Your AC quits during the hottest week of the year. Your refrigerator suddenly stops cooling—with a week’s worth of groceries inside.

Then comes the repair or replacement bill.

Replacing a central AC system now costs homeowners around $6,000 on average—and depending on the home and system, it can climb above $12,000. Even replacing a refrigerator costs around $1,500 on average.

Homeowners insurance typically isn’t designed to cover appliances and systems that fail from normal wear and tear. That’s where Choice Home Warranty can help. Depending on your plan, coverage may include major systems and appliances such as air conditioning, heating, refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers.

Choice has covered more than 2.9 million homes and serviced more than 9.8 million claims.

See what a Choice Home Warranty plan could cover in your home.

➤ Tucson: Firefighters answered three swift-water rescues in under 30 minutes Monday evening, including a driver swept down the Alamo Wash and taken to a hospital. (More)

➤ Lake Havasu City: Authorities identified the victims of a deadly weekend boat crash as Charles “Chip” Romer, 65, who owned Romer Beverage Company, and Jennifer Luzzi, 59, a longtime local real estate broker. (More)

➤ Tempe: Voters will decide in November on a half-cent sales tax increase—from 1.8% to 2.3%—estimated to raise about $50 million a year for police, fire, transit, and child care. (More)

➤ Queen Creek: A judge set a Nov. 3 trial date for the first of six remaining defendants in the 2023 beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord by a group of teenagers. (More)

➤ Peoria: Police credited automatic license plate readers with finding an 82-year-old man in cognitive decline roughly two and a half hours after his wife reported him missing. (More)

➤ Tucson: Tucson International Airport will use a $250,000 FAA grant to put transponders on airfield vehicles so controllers can track them in low visibility, reducing the risk of runway collisions. (More)

➤ Fort Huachuca: The post warned residents about continued bear activity in neighborhoods, and said emergency services will step up enforcement of limits on outdoor trash cans. (More)

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➤ Arizona Cardinals receiver Simi Fehoko was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his blocked punt against the Los Angeles Chargers, the first Arizona non-kicker or punter to win the award in 11 seasons. (More)

➤ The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks will reunite at this Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees at Chase Field, 25 years after the franchise beat the Yankees for its only World Series title. The first 25,000 fans get a throwback jersey. (More)

➤ The Phoenix Suns released their local broadcast schedule for the upcoming season that opens Oct. 21, with 74 non-national games and all five preseason games on Arizona’s Family channels. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer

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➤ Nearly a dozen local chambers of commerce from Arizona joined others in urging Congress to spend at least $2 billion on Colorado River water-saving projects. (More)

➤ Kase and Misty Limmeroth, who run Naked Dates Farm and High Tanks Brewery in Wellton, were named Destination Ambassadors at last month’s Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism. (More)

➤ A SmartAsset study ranks Arizona 17th nationally for exposure to AI job disruption, with an estimated 3.1% of its workforce in the 26 most-exposed occupations. (More)

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Could You Absorb a $6,000 Home Repair?

That’s approximately what a central AC replacement costs on average today. Depending on your system, the final bill could climb above $12,000. A new refrigerator averages around $1,500—and that’s before replacing the food that spoiled when it stopped cooling.

A home warranty can help you prepare before something breaks. Depending on the plan, Choice Home Warranty may cover major appliances and home systems that fail from normal wear and tear.

Don’t wait until the AC stops blowing cold air to think about the cost.

Check your available plans and see what coverage could cost.

➤ A Sedona family was reunited with their dog Owl more than four years after he ran away from a groomer when a microchip identified the severely neglected animal about 180 miles away. (More)

➤ Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson began using a Mako 4 robotic system for knee and hip replacements this summer, touted for more precise surgery and faster recovery. The hospital expects to add shoulder replacements starting early next year. (More)

➤ A Tucson arborist explained why monsoon winds topple so many local trees, recommending thinning canopies and having a professional assess risk before storm season. (More)

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➤ 5 Reasons Why This Coffee Booster Is Becoming The Go-To Weight Loss Hack. Wellaray® Slim Coffee Booster is a scientifically formulated blend of four natural ingredients that target stubborn weight gain.  Just one packet mixed into your morning coffee is enough to boost your metabolism by up to 67%, help block carbohydrate absorption, and eliminate sugar cravings – all while keeping your energy stable throughout the day.  Learn More

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Can you catch up on sleep, and how many hours does it take? (Listen Now)

➤ Democrats refuse to advance a sweeping crypto bill until new limits are placed on presidential profits from digital assets. (Hear Episode)

➤ House lawmakers held billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress, escalating their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network. (Hear Details)