KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning newscast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.
Transcript
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PHIL LATZMAN: Hey, this is KJZZ's Sun Up, 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. Welcome to Wednesday. Over the hump we go on this 10th of June. Thanks for being here, and lots of news. So let's get right to it.
Well, Republican lawmakers say they have struck a deal with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, and they plan to pass a budget out of the Legislature this week. From the politics desk, Wayne Schutsky has the latest.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: With just weeks to go before a June 30 deadline, the Republicans who control the Arizona Senate say they have reached a budget agreement with Hobbs, who must sign off on the spending plan. The compromise budget includes many Republican wins, including the adoption of around $450 million in tax cuts that mirror the federal cuts backed by President Trump last year. But Hobbs and Democrats were also able to secure a three-year pause on tax breaks for data center developers and a reduction in Republican-backed funding cuts at state agencies. Lawmakers plan to take a final vote on the budget proposal on Thursday. Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego wants the police department to process public requests records faster. Gallego raised the subject during a regularly scheduled update on police and public safety reforms at the council's policy session yesterday.
KATE GALLEGO: Two weeks ago, my office met with someone who was told she would have to wait six years for body-worn camera footage related to the death of her daughter.
PHIL LATZMAN: Gallego said the city made an effort in 2023 to cut into a large pile of requests.
KATE GALLEGO: It's just really disappointing. Over the last 18 months, the request backlog has gone up by 64% and now stands at nearly 40,000 records.
PHIL LATZMAN: Police Chief Matt Giordano said the number of public records requests spiked last year and is on a similar pace this year. Many are commercial requests stemming from traffic accidents.
Well, a judge ruled on Tuesday that the Arizona Department of Water Resources overstepped its authority when it created what developers call a tax to build homes in areas of the state with low groundwater levels. We hear from our politics team once again, and here is Camryn Sanchez.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: The ruling is the latest loss for Gov. Katie Hobbs' water agency, which placed a moratorium on new home construction in the outskirts of the Valley in 2023. Now, a judge has overruled a program created by the state water department to give developers an alternative path to build in those areas, but only if they could prove they had access to more than a 100 years' worth of water. Andrew Gould, an attorney for the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, successfully argued the new program exceeded water supply requirements in state law.
ANDREW GOULD: They tried to work with ADOT and the government to deal with this issue, but they chose to go with these very, um, draconian rules that they didn't have the authority to pass.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Earlier this year, the same judge ruled the agency acted illegally when it changed how it determines if the developments have unmet water supply. Camryn Sanchez, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, the city of Phoenix is facing a lawsuit following a new ordinance restricting food distribution and medical care to people in need at parks. Jill Ryan has details.
JILL RYAN: Every Thursday at Cave Creek Park Cactus, St. Herman's Table volunteers would serve meals to people experiencing homelessness. The suit calls this an act of almsgiving, which involves voluntary giving money, time, or goods to the needy in Christ's name. But a new city ordinance, which took effect last week, requires permits to distribute free food and non-emergency medical services in public parks, or face criminal penalties. So the outreach ministry has sued, claiming a constitutional violation on religious grounds. In a statement, the city says it believes the ordinance is lawful. Jill Ryan, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The name Trulieve is on more than 20 marijuana dispensaries in Arizona. Today, shares of the company are scheduled to start being traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Matthew Casey reports.
MATTHEW CASEY: Marijuana is still federally illegal. Trulieve's path to getting listed on the New York Stock Exchange was paved by the Trump administration having recently rescheduled state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug. To qualify for the exchange, Trulieve did a corporate restructuring, added an investor, and broke medical and recreational operations into separate entities. Arizona dispensaries have dual licenses and aren't part of the new medical company. Recreational marijuana is still classified with heroin by the U.S. government. Matthew Casey, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, over the last year, the Navajo Nation Council has been investigating what happened to the $24 million in COVID relief allocated for Zani Home, a failed housing initiative. A week-long public hearing on the matter got off to a slow start Monday when subpoenaed witnesses failed to show up on the advice of the tribe's Justice Department. Gabriel Pietrorazio has more details.
GABRIEL PIETRORAZIO: Those witnesses included Navajo President Buu Nygren. But the tribe's DOJ sent a memo advising all government employees to not attend or testify.
JOANN JAYNE: The Department of Justice is not here to hinder the process. Our main emphasis is that we protect the attorney-client relationship.
GABRIEL PIETRORAZIO: Acting Deputy Attorney General Joann Jayne says the best way to do so is in executive session.
JOANN JAYNE: We can advise you as to what can be disclosed, and so the sooner that we do that, you know, then the legislative branch can move on.
GABRIEL PIETRORAZIO: Meanwhile, Nygren himself has filed several motions to stay the public proceedings. Gabriel Pietrorazio, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, 20 states, including Arizona, won a lawsuit striking down President Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, which are meant for high-skill jobs that are difficult to fill with American workers. The Trump administration announced the new fee last year as a way to stop foreign workers from taking jobs from Americans. Arizona's Attorney General Chris Mayes, who signed on to the lawsuit, argued that the fee would hurt Arizona businesses, including those in the booming semiconductor industry that are facing staffing shortages. She also said the fee could hurt rural school districts that use the visas to fill open teaching positions. A federal judge sided with Mayes and other states, finding the Trump administration overstepped its authority and violated the law governing how federal agencies create new rules and regulations.
Well, a startup company tested a small nuclear reactor in Idaho last week that could someday help humans live on the moon. The Mountain West News Bureau's Hanna Merzbach has more.
HANNA MERZBACH: Tom Mancinelli with the company Antares says its microreactor could power lunar and deep space missions, and remote military bases.
TOM MANCINELLI: Where the grid might not be as reliable, and where it's difficult to bring the liquid fuel supply.
HANNA MERZBACH: In what officials dubbed historic, a test model of Antares' microreactor went critical at the remote Idaho National Lab. That means the company safely controlled a nuclear fission reaction, but didn't produce any electricity. That could happen next year. This is the first reactor in a U.S. Energy Department program to meet a July 4 goal. Others at the Idaho lab and a Utah one could be next. The Feds have fast-tracked their licenses to usher in a quote "nuclear renaissance," something some experts worry could result in mistakes. For the Mountain West News Bureau, I'm Hanna Merzbach.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, crews are responding to the 135-acre Papa Fire that's burning 13 miles east of Flagstaff. Officials say the threat to homes or structures, though, is low. Taylor Griffith has more.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: The cause of the Papa Fire, which sparked Monday afternoon, is unknown. Most of the high country has been under a red flag warning since then due to drought, high winds, and low humidity. Noah Baker is with Flagstaff's Fire Department. He says the fire line hadn't moved much Tuesday morning, and what had spread was pushing east, away from any communities or structures.
NOAH BAKER: Really the fire, if it were to move, it has a lot of ground out there, um, where where it might have a difficult time really moving effectively, and there's no homes or or anything out there for it to burn up.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: Crews are working to protect some gas pipelines and a power line nearby. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area and refrain from flying drones overhead, which can impede firefighting operations. Taylor Griffith, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: And sports, Diamondbacks lost to the Marlins 10-6 last night in Miami. They came back from four runs down to tie the game in the eighth, but their bullpen failed them in the end. Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno each homered for the D-backs in a losing cost, and they've now lost eight of 11. They'll play the second of three in Miami this evening.
Basketball, the Mercury's two-game win streak was snapped in San Francisco last night by the Valkyries, 87-81. Phoenix made it close thanks to the return of Alyssa Thomas, who had 22 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. The Merc dropped to 4- 9 on the season.
And that does it for this Wednesday edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast on this June the 10th from Sun Up. I'm Phil Latzman, thanks so much for being here, and we'll do it again tomorrow. Talk to you then.
