Transcript:
TIARA VIAN: From KJZZ News in Phoenix, I’m Tiara Vian.
Arizona officials are criticizing a new federal plan for sharing the Colorado River. KJZZ’s Alex Hager reports it would allow the federal government to cut water supplies for Arizona, California, and Nevada by up to 40% under the worst-case scenario.
ALEX HAGER: Democratic Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly say the new plan would place an unfair burden on those states. Governor Katie Hobbs called the steepest cuts "unacceptable." The Arizona Department of Water Resources says they could devastate the economy.
Officials are pushing the federal government to adopt a counterproposal that would limit those cutbacks by about half for the next two years. Arizona, California, and Nevada are volunteering to reduce their take from the river to make the plan work.
More details about the exact size of cuts for 2027 and 2028 are expected soon. They're likely to hit cities in the Phoenix area the hardest, and many utilities have robust backup plans to keep taps from going dry.
Alex Hager, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
TIARA VIAN: Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs says she won't debate Republican challenger Andy Biggs ahead of the November general election. From KJZZ’s politics desk, Wayne Schutsky reports.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Campaign manager Nicole DeMont said that instead of debating, Hobbs will focus on traveling around the state to meet with Arizonans. But she didn't address why Hobbs couldn't both go on that tour and debate Biggs before voters go to the polls, only referring to debates as, quote, "political theater."
Hobbs hasn't participated in a debate since 2018 when she ran for secretary of state. When she ran for governor four years later, she refused to debate her Democratic opponent Marco López in the primary and Republican Kari Lake in the general election.
Biggs also declined to debate opponents in recent years in the congressional district he represents, but a campaign spokesman says he plans to debate Hobbs this year, arguing persuadable voters deserve to hear from the candidates.
Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
TIARA VIAN: U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado is calling for an investigation into the Knowles Fire. Three firefighters died after being trapped in a burnover on the fire in June. Among them was 27-year-old Nick Hutchison from Glendale, Arizona. A fourth crew member died from his injuries this month.
Hickenlooper spoke this week on the Senate floor.
JOHN HICKENLOOPER: Our hearts break for these firefighters and their families who—who all love them. These families deserve answers, and we need to understand what went wrong.
TIARA VIAN: Hickenlooper asked the Department of Interior to look at whether the Trump administration's recent shift to the Wildland Fire Service played any role in the event.
With the region in the grips of extreme heat this week, the Arizona Cardinals began their NFL training camp under the closed dome at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The heat is one of the many adjustments for new Cards head coach Mike LaFleur, who is used to being outside for training camp and not inside on the natural turf.
MIKE LAFLEUR: You know, these guys don't want to—they don't want to practice on turf. They hate playing on turf on Sundays, let alone practicing on it, so you got to be cognizant of that as well. Um, there's—there's going to have to be modifications, and we're not going to... you know, that is what it is.
TIARA VIAN: As part of those modifications, LaFleur will conduct joint practices with his brother Matt LaFleur's Packers in Wisconsin next month.
The new-look Cardinals make their preseason debut in the NFL's Hall of Fame Game Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. Former Cards receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one of this year's Hall of Fame inductees.
