FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1922, new uniforms were announced for Tucson firefighters. They were olive in color with black ties and brass buttons bearing the letter F. This 1924 photo shows firefighters at the Tucson Central Fire Station.

A week after Arizona temperatures averaged 10 to 15 degrees above normal, rain and snow are forecast across much of the state today. Cool weather calls for a heartwarming story, and we’ve got one in today’s Top Stories.

We’re sponsored today by New Sapience, offering an investment opportunity in AI technology.

Bill to Limit Grocery Tax Advances

A bill seeking voter approval to limit how much Arizona cities and towns can tax groceries passed the state House with bipartisan support.

The measure comes after Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2023 vetoed a bill that sought to ban food taxes. The move would potentially cut services and increase property taxes, she said.

Republican lawmakers argue limits on grocery taxes are a way to help struggling families. They hope to avoid another governor’s veto by sending the measure to voters for final approval.

State Rep. Patty Contreras, D-Phoenix, criticized the measure, noting food taxes make up a significant portion of revenue for many small towns.

NASCAR Races into Phoenix

NASCAR is set to bring its top drivers to Phoenix Raceway a week after driver Christopher Bell made history by winning back-to-back circuit events. See footage of his win.

Bell will look to make it three straight as he competes in the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday. The driver lineup includes Tucson’s Alex Bowman. See the list of drivers here.

Additional races during the three-day event at the Avondale track include the General Tire 150, which runs tonight, and the GovX 200 on Saturday.

Father, Son Honored for Bravery

A father and son each received an award for bravery for demonstrating heroic action during two separate events in Scottsdale that involved life-saving efforts. Watch the report.

Don Marbach was recognized for rendering aid to a man who’d been shot at an Albertsons last August. After hearing gunfire, Marbach searched for the injured man before performing CPR.

Months later, Marbach went into cardiac arrest. His son, Jake, performed CPR for seven minutes before EMS workers arrived, helping save his father’s life.

Jake shied away from being called a hero. “That was my duty,” he said. “If you saw your loved one on the ground, you wouldn’t do anything differently.”

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Time’s Running Out: Invest in Founders with $350M in Exits Combined

What do a rocket scientist, a physicist, an astronaut, and the co-inventor of the desktop PC have in common? They’re all pioneering the next step in AI together.

It’s called Synthetic Intelligence, which is when a machine truly thinks and learns. And you have just three weeks left to invest in the company behind it, New Sapience, while they’re private.

Here’s why you should take advantage of this now:

The New Sapience team has $350M in exits and 100 patents combined.
The CEO of Google said this type of AI is more important than fire or electricity.
Their potential market is huge—anyone with a smartphone, over 8 billion people.

While ChatGPT and other large language models are just rearranging words, this is an opportunity to blaze the trail for a machine that truly thinks like a human.

Take advantage of this opportunity to become a New Sapience shareholder by midnight, March 27.

➤ Southern Border: Mexican authorities seized 275,000 fentanyl pills in a shipment bound for Arizona. The pills were found in boxes of sliced cactus. (More)

➤ Statewide: Arizona’s former 15-week abortion ban was ruled unconstitutional by a Maricopa County judge on Wednesday. (See Video)

➤ Chandler: A 10-year-old cancer patient shared his experience of traveling to New York City and Niagara Falls as part of Make-A-Wish Arizona. (See Video)

➤ Mesa: State Sen. Eva Burch, D-Mesa, announced Wednesday she will resign next week, citing partisan gridlock and low pay. (More)

➤ Oro Valley: Three schools in the Amphitheater school district earned the Arizona Educational Foundation’s A+ School of Excellence Award. (See Details)

➤ Maricopa County: A man was charged with stealing the identity of a prisoner to gain employment. (More)

➤ The Arizona Cardinals have $74.4 million in available cap space to spend when NFL free agency begins on Monday. The amount is the second highest among all NFC teams. (See preview)

➤ James Harden debuted his Arizona State-themed “Harden Volume 9” shoes. Harden was the Pac-10 Player of the Year with Arizona State in 2009. (See photos)

➤ Corona del Sol High School student Charlotte Gould received the 2025 Arizona Sports Character Counts Scholarship, valued at $10,000. (See Photos)

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➤ On The Border will close restaurants across 24 states, including Arizona, after filing for bankruptcy. (More)

➤ A James Beard Award winner will open his first restaurant, Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice, in Gilbert at a former Sonic Drive-In. (More)

➤ Surprise is one of eight U.S. retirement cities where housing prices are expected to plummet, according to some real estate agents. (See List)

➤ Wittmann residents aired concerns about the potential impact of a proposed 4,000-acre railway logistics hub on the local horse industry. The $3.2 billion project would operate 24/7 and include large warehouses and heavy truck traffic. (More)

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The Biggest Problem With AI

Today’s artificial intelligence makes mistakes. That’s because machines can’t learn or think the way humans do. This is about to change thanks to New Sapience.

New Sapience is creating what they call “Synthetic Intelligence” that truly comprehends language and explains its reasoning. And the potential here is staggering. The CEO of Google said this type of AI is more important than fire or electricity. Become a New Sapience shareholder before the opportunity ends on March 27.

This is a paid advertisement for New Sapience’s Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.newsapience.com/.

➤ The St. Mary’s cheer team put on an impromptu show at Phoenix Sky Harbor after its flight was delayed. The team went on to compete at the USA Nationals where they won the school’s first trophy. (See Video)

➤ Reid Park Zoo opened 90 minutes late on Wednesday after a 3-year-old giraffe escaped its enclosure. The zoo said modifications will be made “to accommodate Msituni’s athletic and curious nature.” (Watch Report)

➤ A woman who was buried for decades as a “Jane Doe” has been identified using DNA testing that didn’t exist when she died. (See Video)

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