Friday, September 5, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1933, the Rialto Theater in Tucson reopened after a two-year closure. Pictured here is the theater during a showing of the 1930 film Only Saps Work.

The NFL season kicked off Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s showdown between Arizona and New Orleans. Learn why the Cardinals are the week’s biggest road favorite in Top Stories.

🎧 It’s Friday, which means a fresh Feel Good Flyover is on the way—both in your inbox and on the podcast! Amy Hess goes deeper into the week’s best stories, including Mittens, a deaf beach cat who loves meeting locals.

Help us hit 10,000 podcast subscribers on YouTube—we’re at 9,200 and only need 800 more! Follow us here.

We’re sponsored today by Organixx, offering health products that combat collagen deficiency.

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.

Optimism High Ahead of Cardinals’ Opener

The Arizona Cardinals go into Sunday’s season opener against New Orleans as the NFL’s biggest road favorite at 6.5 points, the first time they’ve opened as a road favorite since 2010.

ESPN predicts the Cardinals will qualify for the postseason this year, citing an upgraded defense and an expected breakout by receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

In the preseason, the Cardinals won two of three games, defeating Kansas City and the Las Vegas Raiders while falling to the Denver Broncos.

Meanwhile, the Saints made a CBS list of the projected five worst teams for 2025, entering the year as a rebuilding squad with a questionable quarterback situation and an aging roster.

Report: DCS Lags on Key Reforms

As the state Department of Child Safety faces scrutiny over three high-profile child deaths, many past reform recommendations remain largely unaddressed, a 2023 audit found.

DCS Director Kathryn Ptak, who took over after David Lujan resigned earlier this year, disputed the findings and also noted that implementing changes takes time.

The report found that, of 58 recommendations made from 2016 to 2021, DCS never fully implemented 42 of them, including steps to improve the department’s efficiency.

A new audit is now underway, with investigators for the first time examining how the department handles abuse and neglect reports. Initial findings are due Sept. 30.

Waiter Recreates Lodge Art After Fire

A waiter who lost his job after the Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is documenting the historic art lost in the fire in hopes of aiding plans for a new lodge.

Matthew Marciano is using artificial intelligence and editing skills to recreate the lodge’s rugs, light fixtures, and sculptures.

Marciano is seeking photographs from the public to support the project, and invites anyone with photos of the lodge’s interior to contact him at kaibabhideout@gmail.com.

The Dragon Bravo wildfire, one of Arizona’s largest, has burned more than 145,000 acres and destroyed nearly half of the structures on the North Rim. The fire is 80% contained.

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Did you know that collagen deficiency strikes nearly everyone over the age of 30?

This is because after you turn 30, you start losing 1% of collagen per year.

Which is a bad thing.

You see, collagen is the “glue” that holds your body together. And without enough collagen your body literally starts falling apart (FAST!).

Some of the warning signs are a droopy neck, brittle nails, dry, flaky hair, and deep lines around your mouth and eyes.

When people start noticing these signs, they often turn to expensive collagen powders for help.

Only problem? They’re INCOMPLETE, and therefore useless.

➤ Phoenix: The 16-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a classmate at Maryvale High School on Aug. 19 pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. (Watch)

➤ Capitol: State Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Gilbert, filed an ethics complaint to expel state Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, for publicly posting about immigration raid locations. (More)

➤ Casa Grande: A driver faces charges after veering off the freeway in a single-vehicle crash that killed four passengers on Aug. 27. (More)

➤ Statewide: U.S. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Flagstaff, called for a federal investigation into the San Carlos Irrigation Project, citing frequent power outages and unreliable service. (Watch)

➤ Camp Verde: Federal and state agents seized firearms and bomb-making materials from an RV at Distant Drums RV Resort following the discovery of an explosive device in a rented storage unit. (Photo)

➤ Maricopa County: A sheriff’s sergeant on a motorcycle was struck by a van on Wednesday, with the officer and the van driver taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. (More)

➤ The second weekend of college football will feature a matchup between No. 12 Arizona State and Mississippi State, while Arizona hosts Weber State. (Full Schedule)

➤ The Arizona Cardinals are adjusting their 2025 travel schedule, departing Saturday mornings instead of Friday nights for away games. (More)

➤ Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a law directing tax revenue from Chase Field toward stadium upgrades, including a roof replacement, a new video scoreboard, and bigger seats. (More)

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➤ Society Swan will open Oct. 15 at Scottsdale Fashion Square, featuring an American brasserie menu with East Coast and Parisian influences and $10 martini happy hours. (Photos)

➤ Rack Room Shoes opened an 8,000-square-foot store at Canyon Trails Towne Center in Goodyear, and the first 50 customers at Saturday’s grand opening will get prizes. (Photos)

➤ Anita Street Market in Tucson received a $50,000 grant for renovations—the only Arizona recipient of a Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. (Photo)

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Flying together with our sponsor

Did you know that collagen deficiency strikes nearly everyone over the age of 30?

This is because after you turn 30, you start losing 1% of collagen per year.

Which is a bad thing.

You see, collagen is the “glue” that holds your body together. And without enough collagen your body literally starts falling apart (FAST!).

Some of the warning signs are a droopy neck, brittle nails, dry, flaky hair, and deep lines around your mouth and eyes.

When people start noticing these signs, they often turn to expensive collagen powders for help.

Only problem? They’re INCOMPLETE, and therefore useless.

➤ Monsoon rain and dust storms struck the Phoenix Valley on Wednesday evening, bringing flooding, damage, and low visibility. (Watch)

➤ An environmental group in Benson sued the city over a proposed aluminum casting facility. City leaders said the project will bring economic growth and must receive state environmental permits before moving forward. (More)

➤ A high-altitude balloon was spotted floating over Tucson on Wednesday morning, part of testing by a company that specializes in using the balloons for remote sensing and communications. (Photo)

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