KJZZ's Sun Up is weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.
KJZZ's Sun Up Transcript for May 14, 2026
PHIL LATZMAN: This is KJZZ's Sun Up. It's your daily news update from here in Phoenix on our state and region. I'm Phil Latzman, your host for this podcast—a daily digest of Arizona news. As reported by our KJZZ news team and supported by listeners like you. Thanks to all of you we heard from during our recent new member drive last couple of days here to support this podcast and all the programs and the people at KJZZ that produce it. If you didn't get a chance to make that donation, please do so at KJZZ.org. And we thank you. It's Thursday, May 14th, and we appreciate you being here on this Friday eve. Let's check in with the news.
State auditors have identified a litany of issues with the state's billion-dollar school voucher program they say could put public dollars at risk. From the politics desk, Wayne Schutsky has more.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: The Arizona Auditor General's Office accused the Department of Education of failing to properly administer the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program that is now used by more than 100,000 students to pay for private or homeschool costs. That includes allegations that the department did not always follow up on potentially problematic purchases and is haphazardly applying its own policy that automatically greenlights smaller transactions before reviewing them later. State Superintendent Tom Horn dismissed the claims and says the state is running the program appropriately. But the Department of Education did tell auditors it needs more state funding to hire enough staff to keep pace with voucher enrollment, which has grown by more than 700% since 2022. Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The Bureau of Land Management has opened the process for companies to bid on public lands for oil and gas drilling in Arizona for the first time since 2018. As Greg Hahne reports, the agency just opened a public comment period.
GREG HAHNE: BLM has taken public input on potentially 80,000 acres of land over 40 parcels near the Nevada and Utah borders. After the comment period, developers would still need to lease the land and send projects for BLM review and approval. President Trump's major spending package called the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" passed last year promotes expanded oil and gas production nationwide. A report from the Federal Energy Information Administration says Arizona has no significant oil or gas reserves. Public comment ends June 11th. Greg Hahne, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The Pima County Board of Supervisors have decided not to remove Sheriff Chris Nanos over allegations he committed perjury, as well as his handling of personnel matters and financial records. Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott said on Tuesday it was apparent Nanos had exhibited poor leadership.
REX SCOTT: The most telling example of that was the unanimous vote of the Pima County Deputies Organization declaring no confidence in his leadership.
PHIL LATZMAN: Instead, the board moved to refer those accusations to the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The Trump administration has launched an online resource hub for new and expectant mothers. But as Jill Ryan reports, the majority of pregnancy centers that the website recommends in Arizona do not offer abortion services.
JILL RYAN: The hub is called moms.gov. Some of the Arizona locations listed offer medical services, but most do not offer abortion services. Instead, they provide counseling or religious guidance. None of the Planned Parenthood locations in the state are on the list, despite also offering pregnancy-related services. In a statement, the head of Planned Parenthood Arizona says the administration is sending users to so-called crisis pregnancy centers, which "have a well-documented history of using deceptive practices." The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement it's a part of a "pro-life, pro-family administration." Jill Ryan, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: A Window Rock judge recently tossed out an ethics complaint against Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, who's been accused of misusing public funds. As Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the legal matter remains unsolved as Nygren faces a crowded field of 15 primary challengers come July.
GABRIEL PIETRORAZIO: Last Thursday's dismissal from Judge Malcolm Begay was purely procedural, meaning the district court believes special prosecutor Kyle Nayback has been pursuing the wrong forum. Begay argued his courtroom does not have the jurisdiction to weigh in. Despite Begay's decision, this ruling does not limit either party from filing more suits. In fact, Begay urged Nayback to submit his charges before the tribe's Office of Hearings and Appeals, which his Albuquerque-based firm plans to do promptly. Gabriel Pietrorazio, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: $1.5 million in restitution could be coming to residents of two apartment complexes in Mesa and Gilbert. The payouts are part of a settlement deal announced by Arizona's Attorney General Kris Mayes. Katherine Davis-Young has more.
KATHERINE DAVIS-OH-YOUNG: A major rental property management company called Greystar was accused of advertising deceptively low rental prices but then charging much more each month by adding several mandatory fees on top of the base rent price. Greystar reached a $23 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and additional settlements with the Arizona Attorney General. Some of that will be paid to renters who lived in the Julia apartments in Mesa or the Avana in Gilbert. Impacted consumers can file a claim with Mayes' office. Katherine Davis-Young, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Parts of the Valley make it a slight break from the triple-digit heat, and it's expected to carry through the weekend. But according to Marco O'Malley with the National Weather Service, temperatures are still higher than normal.
MARCO O'MALLEY: Temperatures across the Phoenix area will be in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees through the weekend. That's still a little bit above what we normally see this time of year. The normals are in—generally in the lower 90s for the middle of May.
PHIL LATZMAN: We expect we'll be closer to average come early next week. Arizona Public Service's parent company reported first-quarter sales growth that was well above average for the utility. The heatwave in March and February was a driving factor, but so was industry growth. As Greg Hahne reports once again.
GREG HAHNE: Pinnacle West reported that energy sales increased by almost 10% compared to the same time last year. Company leadership says that was largely due to an influx of commercial and industrial users, notably from the data center and semiconductor industry. Pinnacle West reports that the heatwave also meant people drew energy levels typically not seen until May. The unusual growth comes as APS is seeking approval for a 14% rate increase in an ongoing case with the state, with those hearings starting next week. Greg Hahne, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The City of Phoenix has launched a multilingual platform where residents can report concerns or incidents related to federal law enforcement activity within the city. Shannon Johanni is with the Office of Accountability and Transparency.
SHANNON JOHANNI: It's important that this is a mechanism for community members to report in a way that feels safe for them. There is the capacity to report anonymously. There is the capacity to share that information and contact information with OAT but not have that forwarded on to the police department.
PHIL LATZMAN: She says the city will preserve all reports and share them with the State Attorney General's Office. Mexico says it will soon unveil a prototype of the first electric car that's both designed and built in the country. From the Fronteras Desk in Hermosillo, Sonora, Nina Kravinsky has more.
NINA KRAVINSKY: A Mexican government-led project to design and build a fully electric car in Mexico is getting off the ground, officials say. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says a prototype of the car will be unveiled next month and that they're set to go into production next year. Mexico is calling the line of electric vehicles Olinia, which means "to move" in Mexico's indigenous Nahuatl language. Sheinbaum announced Mexico's plans for the car last year. Officials say the small, fully electric passenger cars are designed to be affordable and accessible to a domestic market in a country where assembling cars for foreign manufacturers is big business. Nina Kravinsky, KJZZ News, Hermosillo.
PHIL LATZMAN: A new audit finds the State Department of Corrections may have unlawfully spent more than $50 million from an opioid settlement. From the politics team, here's Camryn Sanchez.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Arizona won a $1.1 billion settlement against opioid makers and distributors in 2021, and that money is meant for addressing the effects of the opioid crisis. But the state corrections department may be out of compliance with the settlement funds agreement. The department used the opioid settlement money to treat inmates for Hepatitis C but didn't provide documentation to show the inmates contracted the disease from intravenous opioid use. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes raised concerns in 2024 that the department was misusing the settlement moneys for this purpose. Her spokesperson said Wednesday that the audit proves those concerns were legitimate. Camryn Sanchez, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Baseball: a frantic finish. Diamondbacks lost the finale of their series with the Rangers 6-5 last night in Arlington. Each team rallied late. Ildemaro Vargas had a two-run single to put the D-backs up 5-3 in the top of the ninth, but Texas came back with three of their own in the bottom of the ninth to win it off of D-backs reliever Juan Morillo. Arizona loses two of three in Texas. They'll continue the road trip in Denver tomorrow, starting a weekend series with the Rockies.
And that will do it for this edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast on this Thursday, May 14th. I'm Phil Latzman. Thanks so much for listening and supporting, and we'll be back at you to do it again tomorrow.
