KJZZ's Sun Up is a 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.
Transcript
ANNOUNCER: KJZZ's Sun Up is supported by Banner Health, Arizona's largest non-profit healthcare system. Last year, Banner reinvested more than $1.1 billion in community health and charity care. Banner Health, non-profit for Arizona. bannerhealth.com/nonprofitforaz.
PHIL LATZMAN: Hi there, this is KJZZ's Sun Up. It is 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 award-winning KJZZ news team. It is the first Friday eve of July, Thursday, July 2, and as we get set for this holiday weekend, lots to cover. Here's a check of the news.
Well, the Pocket Fire located in the Oak Creek area north of Sedona has now burned more than 18,000 acres, but it is 21% contained. Over 1,000 personnel are battling the blaze. Oak Creek Canyon remains on high alert for evacuation, but the communities of Kachina Village, Forest Highlands, and Pine Dell were downgraded from set to ready. State Route 89 remains closed from Sedona to I-17 except for residents. Meanwhile, fire crews continue to make progress on the Sycamore Fire, that is north of Globe in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness area. That lightning-caused blaze is 84% contained.
In other news, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is using about $53 million in carryover funds to fill more school safety positions. From KJZZ's Education Desk, Bridget Dowd has details.
BRIDGET DOWD: Horne says the unused school safety program dollars from previous years will ensure that every district's first pick for armed officers and mental health professionals will be funded for the next fiscal year. The program allows school districts to request money to fund school resource officers, counselors, and social workers based on their needs. Horne says 560 requests for officers will be funded this year, up from when the program began at 113 officers. Funding is also being provided to support 523 mental health professionals. Bridget Dowd, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, the Arizona Attorney General's office is asking a judge to pause its lawsuit challenging a planned ICE detention center in Surprise. That comes after the Trump administration agreed to stop development until it can look at the facility's environmental impact. From the politics desk, Wayne Schutsky has the latest.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security in April, arguing the department violated multiple federal laws as it sought to convert the Surprise warehouse into a detention center. That includes an environmental protection law requiring the government to conduct lengthy reviews before moving forward with most major projects. In a joint motion filed this week, DHS and Mayes asked a judge to pause the case so the federal government can conduct those reviews. The department agreed not to detain anyone at the Surprise warehouse until those assessments are completed. Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, the U.S. will not be renewing its trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. From the Fronteras Desk, Nina Kravinsky reports on what could be next for negotiations on the USMCA pact.
NINA KRAVINSKY: The U.S. trade representative, Jameson Greer, said in a statement that the United States would not renew the trade deal that the Trump administration negotiated to replace NAFTA during the president's first term. The trilateral agreement won't immediately expire; instead, it now moves into a period of regular reviews. The United States and Mexico are set to meet for a third official round of bilateral talks later this month. Billions of dollars' worth of trade happens across the Arizona-Mexico border each year. Many of those goods, including tons of fresh produce and manufactured goods, cross that border tariff-free under USMCA. Nina Kravinsky, KJZZ News.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, Maricopa County has seen an increase in confirmed and unconfirmed heat-related deaths compared to this time last year. Officials say it's due to abnormally warm temperatures this spring. Taylor Griffith has details.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: Maricopa County has recorded 16 heat-related deaths so far. That's 13 more than at this point last year. Close to 200 more deaths are under investigation for heat-related causes, which is also an increase from this time last year. Sonia Singh with the county says that's because the heat season had an early start.
SONIA SINGH: We had higher temperatures pop up earlier than normal in the year, so we did, unfortunately, have some deaths confirmed that occurred in March. So that is relatively early for that to get started.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: The county's official heat season doesn't end until Sept. 30. Singh says it's important for people to know how to take care of themselves and others in the coming months. This includes taking frequent breaks in shaded areas, checking in on neighbors, and learning if personal medications can contribute to heat stress. Taylor Griffith, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Amid a widespread regional drought, homeowners have been encouraged to save water. But as the Mountain West News Bureau's Yvette Fernandez reports, experts say changes in how farmers and ranchers use water might make a bigger impact.
YVETTE FERNANDEZ: Large portions of the Mountain West states are in severe drought, with pockets that are considered extreme, even exceptional. Elizabeth Koebele at the University of Nevada in Reno says the agriculture industry uses the lion's share of water. It could realize savings, she says, through strategies like better matching crops to climate conditions.
ELIZABETH KOEBELE: If we get 12 cuttings of alfalfa for X amount of water in Arizona, and we get four cuttings for X amount of water in Colorado, like where are the right places to grow these crops, and might there be some kind of broader transitions there ...
YVETTE FERNANDEZ: Koebele says more innovation and embracing new technologies could help the agriculture industry save more water on a long-term basis. Yvette Fernandez, the Mountain West News Bureau.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, the Phoenix City Council on Wednesday approved about $800,000 in legal settlements stemming from lawsuits involving police and fire departments. Matthew Casey runs it down.
MATTHEW CASEY: The settlement in the police case is for $220,000. Court records say in 2023, an officer driving what was believed to be an undercover vehicle ran a stop sign downtown, hit someone, and they were severely injured. The settlement in the fire department case is for $805,000. Court records say in 2024, a man died after being dropped by a crew trying to carry him to an ambulance using an office chair instead of a gurney. The City Council approved both settlements without comment. Matthew Casey, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The Arizona Game and Fish Department has asked anglers to mind your fishing lines after a young bald eagle nearly died near Willow Springs Lake last month. A fishing hook and line were found lodged in its throat. Following surgery, the bird should make a full recovery, but Game and Fish biologists say they frequently find fishing wires and hooks in bald eagle nests across the state. John Kelton Leos is with the department.
JOHN KELTON LEOS: In Arizona, bald eagles' dependence on water kind of restricts them to areas that are also favored by people, like lakes.
PHIL LATZMAN: The department is encouraging anyone who visits the state's lakes to dispose of any fishing lines or waste into trash or recycling bins rather than into the water.
Well, July is here and Maricopa County in July is typically the deadliest month of the year when it comes to drug overdoses. As Katherine Davis-Young reports, extreme heat plays a role.
KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG: The seasonal difference in Maricopa County is massive. The number of overdose fatalities in July has been more than twice as high as in January in recent years, and the county saw its highest overdose rate on record during its hottest ever months on record, in July 2023. Ariella Dale with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health says stimulants like methamphetamine are especially dangerous in summer because they increase the heart rate and body temperature, accelerating the effects of extreme heat.
ARIELLA DALE: We want to ensure that the public understands and that folks who use these substances understand the risks that are involved when there is heat.
KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG: Dale says her department has been working with community partners, including street outreach teams and heat relief centers, to try to raise awareness of these dangers. Katherine Davis-Young, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Arizona teens have a chance to participate in a national athletic competition as part of the Trump administration's Freedom 250 celebrations, dubbed the Patriot Games. Back to the politics team, and here's Camryn Sanchez with that.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: The Trump administration announced the Patriot Games in December of last year and said one young man and one young woman from each state would be invited to compete at the capital. Critics at the time noted it sounds similar to the plot of the dystopian young adult series, The Hunger Games. Former State Representative Laura Terrill is the executive director of the Arizona America 250 Coalition, collaborating with Freedom 250. She confirmed Wednesday the games are still on. Students aged 14-17 are invited to apply. The athletes will compete from August 9 to 11 in high-intensity physical and mental challenges. Winners will receive a share of scholarship money. Applications are due July 10. Camryn Sanchez, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: And in sports, baseball stymied by Giants starter Trevor McDonald, the Diamondbacks finally lost to the Giants, 6-4 last night at Chase Field. Another rough outing for D-backs starter Zac Gallen, who gave up all six runs after falling behind 6-nothing. They scored four times in the eighth but got no closer. Arizona had won eight straight against their division rivals; instead, they take two of three from San Francisco. They move on to host the Milwaukee Brewers for the holiday weekend starting tonight. Basketball, in the WNBA, the Mercury, who've been off since Saturday, resume tonight going for a third straight win as they host the Seattle Storm.
And that will do it for this edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast this Thursday, July the 2nd. I'm Phil Latzman, thanks so much for listening. We'll be back at you tomorrow to set up the holiday weekend on a Friday, and we will talk to you then.
