Nights Not Bringing Heat Relief

An extreme heat warning continues across Phoenix and Arizona’s lower deserts, with record-high overnight and morning temperatures adding to the dangerous conditions.

The forecast for the rest of the week calls for more 110-degree-plus temperatures, with a few more clouds and a greater chance for showers and thunderstorms.

On Friday, Phoenix hit 117 degrees, breaking the city’s daily record of 116 set in 2023, then hit 117 again Saturday.

Temperatures didn’t cool much overnight, as the Friday morning low of 97 degrees in Phoenix tied the city’s warmest low ever recorded.

Court Blocks Orchard Tree Tax

The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that orchard trees, vineyard vines, and other permanent crops must be valued like the farmland beneath them.

The dispute began when Cochise County applied the state’s income-based method to farmland but assigned higher market values to trees and vines. The result: orchard values rose an average of 2,000% and vineyard values an average of 8,000%.

Justice Maria Elena Cruz wrote that a separate market value would reintroduce market considerations the state Legislature expressly told assessors to disregard, and that taxing the same crops twice is barred.

The court declared parts of the Department of Revenue’s Agricultural Property Manual unenforceable, holding the agency cannot expand valuation methods the Legislature set.

Governor’s Race Takes Shape

Arizona’s November ballot is set, with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs facing Republican Andy Biggs, Green Party nominee Risa Lombardo, and a No Labels candidate who upset her own party’s endorsed pick.

Nominees in both parties have staked out positions on vouchers, groundwater, and housing. Last week, Biggs picked up an endorsement from former Gov. Jan Brewer.

In the No Labels primary, Teri Ann Hourihan, a Phoenix mental health counselor and former longtime Democrat, raised about $40,000 and beat a rival who self-funded most of a $2.1 million campaign and carried the party’s endorsement.

Early voting begins Oct. 7 for the general election that will also feature a full slate of statewide and local races and ballot questions, including matchups for the closely divided state House and Senate.

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➤ Douglas: The local border crossing will be the first U.S. port of entry to resume Mexican cattle imports when a screwworm ban of more than a year lifts Aug. 24, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. (More)

➤ Tucson: Pima County’s bat exposures have already passed last year’s total, with Tucson Medical Center treating about 20 patients with rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin in one week. (More)

➤ Coolidge: A power outage that began Saturday evening knocked out electricity to about 5,500 homes and businesses and darkened traffic signals. Power was restored by Sunday morning. (More)

➤ Scottsdale: More than 25 firefighters and technical rescue personnel responded to two hikers in their 60s suffering heat exhaustion on the Gateway Loop Trail on Saturday, sending four e-bikes up the trail. Both declined a trip to the hospital. (More)

➤ Tempe: Crews demolished a former Food City building to make room for a 400-unit affordable housing complex, plus a grocery store. The city bought the site for about $10.7 million after the store closed in 2021. (More)

➤ Tucson: Downtown bars and restaurants drew their first big Friday night crowds since a Congress Street shooting injured nine, with added police presence and security aimed at rebuilding confidence. (More)

➤ Scottsdale: Pinyon Coastal Mediterranean topped Yelp Elites’ national ranking of Mediterranean restaurants, released last month, as the only Arizona spot on the list less than a year after opening in Old Town. (More)

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➤ The Arizona Cardinals reached an agreement on a one-year contract worth up to $21 million with starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett after months of negotiations caused Brissett to skip the team’s offseason activities. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Cardinals’ tight end Trey McBride apologized after his comments about the small size of the team’s fan base given the large number of transplants to the state. (More)

➤ The Arizona Diamondbacks wore purple-brimmed Hall of Fame throwback caps in Washington this weekend, a mismatch with their road grays because teams are not pairing them with throwback jerseys. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NASCAR | F1 | Golf | Soccer

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➤ Arizona closed its strongest economic development year on record, with companies committing to 26,225 projected jobs and more than $109 billion in statewide investment through June 30. (More)

➤ Freeport-McMoRan is weighing a $4.5 billion expansion of its Bagdad mine in northwest Arizona that would more than double concentrator capacity, with a decision expected by year’s end. (More)

➤ Sprouts Farmers Market opened a 25,000-square-foot flagship store beside its new corporate headquarters in Phoenix. (More)

➤ Novel Ice Cream will open a location inside the 123-year-old Harry Walker House in Tempe, which the city is restoring for about $500,000 after its relocation next to City Hall. (More)

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➤ Fans are driving hours and lining up for 1 a.m. showings of The Odyssey at Harkins Arizona Mills, the state’s only venue screening the film in IMAX 70mm. (Watch Report)

➤ Ten-year-old fiddler Isley Dietrich from Casa Grande won the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree in Tennessee, earning an invite to perform at the Grand Ole Opry later this year. (More)

➤ Phoenix creator Chance Cozby, known online as 3 Pieces of Pecan, has drawn nearly 2 million followers with simple family cooking videos. (More)

➤ Arizona State University students can now major in how to be an influencer through a new Cronkite School bachelor’s degree in content creation. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Here are three overlooked flaws in a decades-old retirement formula that could quietly drain financial flexibility. (Hear Details)

➤ Should you be polite to ChatGPT? Researchers finally have an answer. (Listen Now)

➤ A five-minute daily habit can sharpen focus, may lower dementia risk, and is fun. (Hear What)

Have you ever seen a movie in IMAX?

1. Many times
2. Once or twice
3. No

Previous Results:

Do you ever see coyotes in your neighborhood?

1. Yes, occasionally: 44%
2. Yes, all the time: 33%
3. No, never: 15%
4. No, but it would be exciting: 8%

Harry Walker, the namesake of Tempe’s 1903 Walker House, held what job at the school now known as Arizona State?

Show me the answer