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 nonprofit healthcare system. Last year, Banner reinvested more than $1.1 billion in community health and charity care. Banner Health, nonprofit for Arizona. BannerHealth.com/nonprofitforAZ.
PHIL LATZMAN: Hello, 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 KJZZ news team. Happy Monday, hope you had a nice weekend. You're staying shaded and hydrated out there. It is July the 13th, 2026. Maybe get some monsoon rain here around the valley and state this week. And with that, let's check the news.
Well, Arizona leaders are remembering South Carolina's longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly over the weekend. On social media, Arizona Republican congressman and GOP gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs said Graham should be remembered for his quote, "unquestionable love of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military." Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego also recognized Graham and his public service, with Kelly praising his strong support of Ukraine, where he had just returned. Graham also held a close friendship with late Arizona Senator John McCain. His wife, Cindy McCain, said that her heart was broken, and that she's "grateful beyond words" for his friendship. Graham was 71.
Well, far fewer Arizonans enrolled in Obamacare earlier this year compared to the same time in 2025. And as Greg Hahne reports, new federal data show Arizona had one of the largest enrollment drops in the entire country.
GREG HAHNE: The new numbers account for monthly enrollment in February, and compared to February last year, over 100,000 fewer Arizonans signed up for coverage, almost a 30% drop. The decline in enrollment comes after Congress allowed subsidies to expire, which has led to higher premiums. The health policy researcher, KFF, has found enrollees are paying close to 60% more per month for coverage. Despite the higher premiums, the Trump administration says the drop is because of a crackdown on fraudulent enrollments. Greg Hahne, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, part of a 2024 ballot measure that will create a state-level immigration system is set to take effect tomorrow. And now the ACLU of Arizona is suing top law enforcement officials trying to block it. Matthew Casey has details.
MATTHEW CASEY: The section of Proposition 314 set to take effect would deputize local police to enforce new immigration laws and let state judges order deportations. The ACLU's Victoria Lopez says those are the federal government's jobs.
VICTORIA LOPEZ: The state of Arizona is essentially creating its own immigration detention and deportation system, which directly contradicts the US Constitution.
MATTHEW CASEY: The lawsuit cites the Supreme Court decision that struck down most of the infamous law SB 1070, which also broadened local law enforcement authority.
VICTORIA LOPEZ: But Prop. 314 really goes a step further here.
MATTHEW CASEY: Lopez says Prop. 314 extends to the entire state legal system. Matthew Casey, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Environmental advocates are looking for answers from the federal government about a program designed to protect threatened native fish in the Grand Canyon. As Alex Hager reports, the Colorado River is warm enough to trigger releases of cold water, but that hasn't happened.
ALEX HAGER: The cold water drives out invasive fish that could eat the threatened humpback chub. The water would have to come from Lake Powell, which is nearly too low to generate hydropower. But Jen Pelz with the Grand Canyon Trust says the releases are worth it.
JEN PELZ: Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic landscapes in this country, in the world, in fact, it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and trying to maintain its fishery is — is integral to maintaining that ecological and cultural integrity of this place.
ALEX HAGER: The cold water has been released when conditions were right for the past two years. A spokesman for the Interior Department told KJZZ, quote, "The option for cool mix flows remains under consideration." Alex Hager, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, health experts are advising people to wash their fresh produce before consuming it. As Bridget Dowd tells us, the warning comes as a parasitic infection has been reported in 31 states, including Arizona.
BRIDGET DOWD: The infection is called cyclosporiasis and it causes stomach cramping, fatigue, and diarrhea about a week after exposure. Valleywise Health doctor, Frank Lovecchio, says it comes from produce contaminated by human feces.
DR. FRANK LOVECCHIO: The foods that it has been linked to have included like cilantro, basil, lettuce, raspberry, salad mixes, snow peas —
BRIDGET DOWD: While most people can recover on their own, those with compromised immune systems or other illnesses might need to be treated. The biggest problem it causes is dehydration. It's not easily spread from person to person. At least 10 cases have been reported in Arizona this year. Bridget Dowd, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Meanwhile, the Arizona Game and Fish Department says a contagious disease that wiped out large populations of wild rabbits five years ago has made a widespread return. The disease known as RHDV2 spreads among rabbits by physical contact with infected carcasses, body fluids, or fecal matter. Larisa Harding is with Game and Fish.
LARISA HARDING: They're bleeding from the backside, because it's hemorrhagic, and so it affects the blood then, and tends to rupture those surfaces.
PHIL LATZMAN: The department recommends hunters remove rabbit carcasses from the field to prevent the spread of the disease. Despite contamination, rabbit meat still remains safe to consume for humans.
Well, it's the first election since Apache County did away with Spanish language translations on printed ballots. County supervisors approved the change earlier this year. Ignacio Ventura has details.
IGNACIO VENTURA: Their decision is one previously taken by officials in Mohave and Gila counties. The update is done for reasons like cost savings and increasing voter efficiency. The Voting Rights Act requires language translations for certain regions based on census data and other factors. Natalia Sells is with the nonpartisan All Voting is Local Action Arizona.
NATALIA SELLS: Instead, we should be finding more ways to ensure and protect and make sure that all voters are able to participate and not be limited because English isn't their primary language.
IGNACIO VENTURA: While Spanish assistance is available at express voting machines in Apache County, Sells points out that a large majority of people in Arizona vote by mail. Ignacio Ventura, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, a program in New Mexico to provide solar panels to vulnerable households will start with a few cities in the country's super sunny northwest. From the Fronteras Desk in Hermosillo, Sonora, Nina Kravinsky has that.
NINA KRAVINSKY: Hermosillo will become one of the first Mexican cities to get solar panels from a government program called Techos Solares para el Bienestar, or solar roofs for wellbeing. The program aims to set low-income or otherwise vulnerable households up with solar panels to reduce energy costs. The initiative is aimed at northern parts of the country like Sonora, directly south of Arizona, where hot temperatures drive up energy costs in the summer. The governor of Sonora said in a statement that the program could reduce households' electricity bills in the state capital of Hermosillo by up to 70%. Nina Kravinsky, KJZZ News, Hermosillo.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, many tribal governments have their own constitutions, but these guiding texts are often outdated. The US Constitution has been amended 27 times; such reform is something that Thomas Jefferson encouraged. And now official tribes are looking to do the same. Here's Dave Beeksma, director of the University of Arizona's Native Nations Institute.
DAVE BEEKSMA: The Cherokee Nation does something like that right now. They have a provision every 20 years where they can look and decide whether or not to have essentially a constitutional convention. Our constitutions should be like nature, they should be like our world, they should be like our communities, they should be able to grow.
PHIL LATZMAN: This week the institute is hosting a two-day constitution seminar for tribal leaders in Southern Arizona.
Well, leaders in Florence say their residents are concerned about the prospect of a data center development there. That's why the town is putting together an expert committee to advise the mayor and the council in the event it receives a request for one. Jeff Graves, a town spokesperson says, they're looking for —
JEFF GRAVES: ... utility experts, water experts, power experts, and really just hoping that they can lend their expertise to evaluating, um, data centers and how they're evolving, in the state.
PHIL LATZMAN: Graves says the town is now open to new industrial development but is aware that a data center would invite several considerations.
JEFF GRAVES: Data centers are a fast-moving issue, the technology is changing quickly, and our residents have significant concerns when it comes to water use, noise, power, and other long-term impacts.
PHIL LATZMAN: The town is looking to form the committee by August and the meetings will be open for public comment.
In sports, baseball Diamondbacks go into the Major League All-Star break on a high after sweeping the first-place Dodgers. Ildemaro Vargas had two hits including a go-ahead single in the sixth inning as the D-backs overcame Shohei Ohtani's 22nd home run in a 5-3 win over LA yesterday that finished a three-game sweep. Arizona pulls within two and a half of a wildcard spot, they'll resume at home against the Cardinals Friday. Outfielder Corbin Carroll and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will represent Arizona in the All-Star game that takes place tomorrow.
And that does it for this edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast. This Monday, July the 13th. I'm Phil Latzman, have a wonderful day and we're back at you to do it again tomorrow. Talk to you then.
