Friday, August 29, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1912, Arizona enacted a $5 annual vehicle license fee, with license No.1 issued to Dr. Hiram Fenner of Tucson. This photo shows former Arizona Historical Society Secretary Edith Kitt next to her car.

Kickoff alert! Local college football gets underway this Labor Day weekend with an in-state clash between Arizona State facing Northern Arizona, while Arizona hosts Hawaii. Catch the rundown in Top Stories.

Invest in today’s sponsor Pacaso, a real estate disruptor backed by Venmo and Uber investors and founded by a former Zillow executive.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

School Security Check Sets Off Alarms

State Rep. Lydia Hernandez, D-Maryvale, and her adult daughter were escorted from Maryvale High School after allegedly bringing a box cutter to the school to test the school’s weapon detection system.

The pair’s actions came a week after a student at the school was fatally stabbed with a pocket knife.

Hernandez recorded the alleged test and initially refused to leave. She later denied all allegations and said she was on campus to support parents after last week’s homicide.

The district plans to press charges and enforce trespassing bans, and some Phoenix City Council members called for Hernandez and her daughter to resign from their positions on the Cartwright Elementary District school board.

WWII Vets Take Soaring Valor Flight

Fifteen Arizona World War II veterans were honored at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday before flying to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

The trip was organized by the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Soaring Valor program as part of its 10-year nationwide effort to enable veterans to visit the WWII museum. American Airlines co-sponsors the program.

Among this week’s participants was Army Air Corps veteran Wing Lei, who recounted delivering supplies to China via the treacherous and infamous Burma Road during the war.

With fewer than 1% of World War II veterans still alive, Wednesday’s flight was the second-to-last Soaring Valor mission.

College Football Kicks Off

College football teams will take the field this weekend for their season openers, including an in-state clash between No. 11 Arizona State and Northern Arizona, while Arizona hosts Hawaii.

Arizona State enters the season with its highest preseason poll ranking since 1998 and also sits at the top of the preseason Big 12 rankings. The Sun Devils finished last season ranked No. 7.

Northern Arizona reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last season for the first time since 2017 and returns 23 players, including five All-Conference contributors.

Arizona went unranked in preseason polls after a disappointing 2024 season under coach Brent Brennan, but the team hopes a new season and assistant coaching changes spark a rebound.

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Learn From This Investor’s $100M Mistake

Grammy-winning artist will.i.am passed on investing $200K in Airbnb in 2010. It’d be worth $100M+ today.

Now, the investors behind Venmo and Uber are backing another real estate disruptor. And this time, you can invest.

Meet Pacaso. Created by a former Zillow exec who sold his first venture for $120M, Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3T vacation home industry.

They’ve generated $1B+ worth of luxury home transactions and service fees across 2,000+ owners. That’s good for more than $110M in gross profits to date, including 41% YoY growth last year alone. They’ve even reserved their Nasdaq ticker, PCSO.

And you can join them today for just $2.90/share. But don’t wait too long. Invest in Pacaso before the opportunity ends September 18.

➤ Nogales: The Federal Aviation Administration banned drone flights north of the city through Feb. 9, citing “special security reasons.” (More)

➤ Statewide: Arizona officials warned that scammers continue to trick mostly elderly victims into depositing cash into crypto converter ATMs, with the money then stolen. Stricter state crypto ATM laws and penalties take effect in September. (More)

➤ Goodyear: A mobile home overturned Tuesday on the southbound Loop 303 ramp, blocking part of the ramp for about two hours. (Photo)

➤ Tucson: Former state senator Justine Wadsack missed a federal court hearing in her civil suit against Tucson, prompting Judge Jennifer Zipps to consider contempt charges. (More)

➤ Pima County: Former sheriff and Oro Valley mayoral candidate Mark Napier is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake while playing golf last week. (More)

➤ Phoenix: A neighborhood complained that an overgrown, debris-filled wash behind residents’ homes creates fire and safety hazards, citing a recent shed fire allegedly set by a transient. (Watch)

➤ Phoenix Suns’ majority owner Mat Ishbia is being sued by two minority owners for allegedly refusing them access to internal records. It’s the sixth lawsuit against the organization since November of last year. (More)

➤ Grand Canyon University struck a TV deal that will allow all of its non-nationally televised games to be broadcast locally to nearly 2.8 million households. (More)

➤ Arizona Diamondbacks batter Geraldo Perdomo told the other team’s catcher that the pitcher wouldn’t get him out with a slider during his at-bat. He then proceeded to hit a home run off the pitcher’s next pitch: a slider. (More)

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➤ Outdoor equipment and clothing store Summit Hut will close after 55 years in Tucson, citing rising costs and increased competition as key challenges. (Watch)

➤ Intel plans to lay off 97 workers at its Chandler site, the latest in a series of job cuts tied to the company’s ongoing restructuring and financial struggles. (More)

➤ State Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against the maker of Hefty bags, alleging the company misled consumers by marketing non-recyclable trash bags as recyclable. (More)

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How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups for outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900%.

No wonder 10K+ regular people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes a $1.3T market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same investors that backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay also backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Invest before this opportunity ends September 18th.

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals. Comparisons to to other companies are for informational purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

➤ Labor Day weekend events in the Phoenix Valley include a Rodney Carrington comedy show and a performance from “Weird Al” Yankovic. (List)

➤ Desert Hills Lutheran Church in Green Valley will begin a 13-week grief support program starting Sept. 2 to help individuals cope with the loss of a loved one. (More)

➤ Tucson nonprofit Ability Dogs of Arizona continues to expand to meet growing demand for trained service dogs that assist people with disabilities. (Watch)

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