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.
KJZZ's Sun Up for Aug. 17, 2026 Transcript
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PHIL LATZMAN: Hello there, 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. It is Monday, August 17th. Welcome to a new week. Glad you're here, hope you had a nice weekend, and let's do the news.
Well, after an 18-day heat warning expired earlier this month, the National Weather Service has issued another extreme heat warning for the Phoenix area, today through Friday. Katherine Davis-Young has the gory details.
KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG: Meteorologist Alicia Ryan says high temperatures are expected to be at or above 110 degrees, and she says there's no rain in the forecast for the week ahead.
ALICIA RYAN: So, unfortunately, no relief in that regard. Just remaining high and dry.
KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG: The National Weather Service warns extreme heat events pose major health risks to most people. Maricopa County has confirmed 63 heat-related deaths so far this year, which is more than double the number that had been confirmed at the same point last year. Katherine Davis-Young, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix are hosting a meeting this week to give people a chance to learn more about a new proposed light rail extension for the West Valley. Ignacio Ventura has a preview of that.
IGNACIO VENTURA: The meeting will take place on Wednesday at the Desert West Community Center near 67th Avenue and Thomas Road. The event is part of an effort by city and transportation officials to provide feedback on the project. The proposed extension spans 10 miles along Indian School Road and would connect residents living in the West region to the rest of the light rail system in Central Phoenix. According to Valley Metro, the extension would also connect to the Desert Sky Transit Center. The public is also invited to provide feedback online. Ignacio Ventura, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: July was a deadly month for migrants crossing the Arizona-Mexico border. That's according to a new report from the Southern Arizona aid group Humane Borders. From the Fronteras Desk in Tucson, Alisa Reznick has more.
ALISA REZNICK: Humane Borders maintains water stations in Arizona's vast desert borderland and also works with the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office to document migrant deaths. 19 bodies were recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border last month. It's the highest monthly count in two years. Brad Jones, with Humane Borders, says most of those recovered were determined to have died recently.
BRAD JONES: There's this narrative that I'm sure that you've heard that, you know, the border is effectively closed, that nobody is crossing. Well, this is pretty clear evidence that, not only are people crossing, um, and crossing recently, like within the last few months, but also dying.
ALISA REZNICK: The report shows five of the people recovered in July had been dead less than a day, two less than a week, and four less than three months. Alisa Reznick, KJZZ News, Tucson.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, triple-digit temperatures plus the added humidity means it's not only hot outside, it has been sticky. And for those who exercise or work outdoors, the effects of that kind of heat can feel different. Kathy Ritchie has some tips for staying safe.
KATHY RITCHIE: Hayley Root is an assistant professor with Northern Arizona University's athletic training program.
HAYLEY ROOT: It only has to be right around 60 or 70% humidity when the body really struggles to cool itself.
KATHY RITCHIE: And since that's not our norm because the Valley is typically dry...
HAYLEY ROOT: If it is higher humidity and what-not, you know, if you're going to be exercising outdoors or, you know, when I think of these hikers who go out on trails, like it's not the best time to be by yourself.
KATHY RITCHIE: Root says staying hydrated and going out early between 6 and 9 a.m. or later in the day between 6 and 9 p.m. are optimal workout times. Kathy Ritchie, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: State Attorney General Kris Mayes is suing an Arizona real estate company over what she calls fraudulent and predatory listing practices. Richie Taylor is spokesman for the AG's office. He says MV Realty paid cash to vulnerable homeowners in exchange for exclusive rights to be their listing agent if they ever sold their homes.
RICHIE TAYLOR: They misled homeowners about the terms of their program and deceptively recorded liens on on the Arizona homeowner's property records, which then prevented the homeowners or their heirs from ever transferring their homes unless they paid thousands of dollars in what they called early termination fees.
PHIL LATZMAN: Taylor says MV Realty bilked over 1,500 Arizona homeowners at thousands of dollars each. The AG's office is looking for additional victims.
The city of Tempe continues to raise awareness about its new drink-spiking ordinance. The campaign includes distributing detection kits to people on Mill Avenue over the weekend. The ordinance requires businesses serving alcohol to carry detection kits and post signs about the available resources. Council member Randy Keating says outreach also involves coordinating with ASU.
RANDY KEATING: So, it's kind of an all-hands effort to make sure that the incoming class knows, and people that live in Tempe that maybe lived here for decades know that this is a new thing, that Tempe is leading the way on nightlife safety in the Valley.
PHIL LATZMAN: Keating says the city plans to conduct compliance checks on businesses.
The Arizona Humane Society is struggling with capacity issues. The organization says its intake level is at its highest point now in more than a decade. Here's Ignacio Ventura once more with that.
IGNACIO VENTURA: Summer months are typically busy for the Humane Society, in part because cats tend to give birth in the spring and summer, and the hot conditions are especially dangerous for stray animals who can suffer heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and burned paws. The organization says it's on track to take in 28,000 pets this year. That's over a 7% increase from last year. Joe Casados is with the Humane Society.
JOE CASADOS: I would say the biggest challenge for the Arizona Humane Society just continues to be capacity because we are taking in so many pets. So, the faster we can get pets adopted or into foster homes, the more space we can clear up in kennels and then we can bring more pets in who are in need of medical care.
IGNACIO VENTURA: Casados says those who cannot adopt are encouraged to volunteer or make donations. Ignacio Ventura, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: While the nation is in the midst of a devastating wildfire season, hundreds of firefighters from Australia and New Zealand have traveled to the U.S. to help. Sam Quigley, international liaison officer for the deployment, says it's the largest contingent ever sent by the two countries, and he says there's a good chance U.S. will soon get a chance to repay that favor.
SAM QUIGLEY: I have no doubt we'll be calling upon our friends for our season ahead, which is looking pretty significant for us in the next couple of months.
PHIL LATZMAN: Since July 18th, the U.S. has been at a preparedness level 5, the highest measure for the current circumstances.
The tourism sector in Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point, saw spring break cancellations this year after a brief spate of violence elsewhere in Mexico. From the Fronteras Desk in Hermosillo, Nina Kravinsky reports on how the Mexican beach destination popular with Arizonans has been bouncing back this summer.
NINA KRAVINSKY: Puerto Peñasco expects around 500,000 tourists this summer season, which officially wraps up later this month. Lizette Ibarra, the director of the Puerto Peñasco Tourism Office, says that's a slight uptick from last summer's tourism numbers. That includes tourists from elsewhere in Mexico as well as the many who cross the border from Arizona.
LIZETTE IBARRA: They're preferring to spend the time, spend their vacations here in Rocky Point because it's close, our beaches are clean, a lot of activities that we have to offer.
NINA KRAVINSKY: Keith Allen with Encantame Towers says the resort has been sold out most weekends this summer. That's after cancellations earlier this year from the outbreak of cartel violence in the Mexican state of Jalisco in February.
KEITH ALLEN: There's a scare, an incident or something happens, usually, you know, four, six months later, people are seeing on social media that people are coming down here, having a great time, and then they come on down and go back to their previous habits.
NINA KRAVINSKY: Ibarra estimates close to a million tourists have visited Puerto Peñasco since the start of the year. Nina Kravinsky, KJZZ News, Hermosillo.
PHIL LATZMAN: Virtual education can reduce marijuana and alcohol use among American Indian and Alaska Native young adults. The Mountain West News Bureau's Jenny Kinsey reports on a National Institutes of Health funded study that paves the way for greater use of technology to help Indigenous people struggling with substance abuse.
JENNY KINSEY: The program is dubbed Traditions and Connections for Urban Native Americans, also called TACUNA. It looked at typical and cultural practices that aim to prevent substance abuse. In the study, hundreds of Indigenous people aged 18 to 25 participated for a year in TACUNA Care versus those in a standard substance abuse program. Both groups showed improvements, but only the TACUNA group reported decreases in how often they consume alcohol or marijuana and use less of it. American Indian and Alaska Native individuals are at disproportionately higher risks of substance abuse disorders compared to the general population.
PHIL LATZMAN: That was Jenny Kinsey reporting.
In sports, a celebratory night ends in defeat for the Mercury, lost at home to the Portland Fire 88-85. At halftime, the Merc inducted franchise icon Diana Taurasi and her number 3 jersey into the team's Ring of Honor. Phoenix though couldn't hold the late lead, and they dropped to 13 and 23 on the season.
In baseball, no sweep for the Diamondbacks, lost to the Braves 5-3 yesterday in the finale of their series in Atlanta. D-backs had won the first two, and after hitting two homers in a blowout win Saturday, third baseman Nolan Arenado left Sunday's game with what was described as a left trunk discomfort or injury. Arizona continues the road trip in Boston tonight, the first of three in interleague play against the Red Sox.
That will do it for this edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast this Monday, August the 17th. I'm Phil Latzman, enjoy the rest of your day, stay cool and hydrated out there. We have another heat warning that you just heard will extend through Friday, so be careful and be wary, and we will do this again tomorrow. Talk to you then.
