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: This is KJZZ’s Sun Up, your daily news update from here in Phoenix on Arizona State Region. I’m Phil Latzman, your host for this podcast, a daily digest of Arizona news as reported by our KJZZ news team.
They call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad. A couple of rainy days here in Arizona. Hey, we’ll take it. On this Sept. 29, 2026, here’s a check of the news from the Grand Canyon State.
And speaking of the weather, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of Arizona through this evening, including here in the Valley as some parts of Hurricane Polo are moving inland from the south of us. Higher terrain areas in the northern and southeastern part of the state will be at the highest risk for heavy precipitation. Meteorologist Gabriel Lojero with NWS says drivers should, of course, be on alert.
GABRIEL LOJERO: Be careful driving out there if you encounter any flooded roads. Remember, turn around. You never know how deep the water is, and so you don’t want to be in a situation where you get stranded in the floodwaters.
PHIL LATZMAN: Lojero says clearer skies are expected in the Valley starting tomorrow and through the end of the week.
After a controversial federal database suggested as many as 60 noncitizens cast ballots in past Maricopa County elections, an investigation by County Attorney Rachel Mitchell found that number much lower. From the politics desk, Wayne Schutsky reports.
WAYNE SCHUTZKY: Earlier this year, Republican Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap used the federal SAVE database to identify 207 suspected noncitizens who had registered to vote in the county, 60 of whom had actually cast ballots. He asked Mitchell to investigate. And now she says just eight of those 60 individuals were actually noncitizens. The list includes a Democrat, Republicans and independents who voted in a handful of elections since 2012.
RACHEL MITCHELL: I recognize your voice is your vote. And though our findings today would not change the outcome of any past election, every ineligible voter dilutes the vote of a citizen.
WAYNE SCHUTZKY: The findings fall in line with investigations in other states, which have shown that voting by noncitizens is exceedingly rare, and the SAVE database has a penchant for erroneously flagging U.S. citizens. Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is among more than two dozen Democrats signed on to a letter accusing the Trump administration of intentionally undermining Americans’ trust in the 2026 midterm elections. From the Fronteras Desk in Tucson, Alisa Reznick has that.
ALISA REZNICK: The letter says Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has failed to publicly affirm ICE and Border Patrol won’t be sent to voting polls, despite that being against federal law. They also say the secretary’s failed to provide evidence for a July claim that the agency had identified 250,000 noncitizens who were registered to vote in four states.
The letter comes after a DHS whistleblower alleged a recent voter fraud initiative impersonated voters to access voter registration websites. The senators are calling on Mullin to end the initiative and provide evidence for voter fraud claims. DHS says the notion that it’s attempting to exert more federal control over elections is totally false. Alisa Reznick, KJZZ News, Tucson.
PHIL LATZMAN: Members of ASU’s hockey team are calling for the university to put their coaches on leave before the start of the season on Friday. It comes after one of their teammates collapsed from life-threatening heatstroke during their first practice back in August. Katherine Davis-Young has the latest.
KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG: Matthew Mayich is still hospitalized, more than a month after his collapse. Now, an attorney representing seven other players has sent a letter to ASU President Michael Crow, asking for an independent investigation. They say coaches should be replaced by interim staff until that’s complete.
In the letter, the athletes say Mayich never got a water break during the practice, which lasted more than an hour. They say others on the team were vomiting or showing clear signs of distress. They ask whether an outside consultant who led the training was properly vetted and ask why Mayich was not immediately treated with cold water immersion as ASU policy requires. Katherine Davis-Young, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Grand Canyon National Park is dealing with ongoing recovery efforts from recent flash floods and a destroyed water pipeline, as well as the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire. But as Jill Ryan reports, the park is not closed to visitors.
JILL RYAN: Officials say tourists need to bring water after severe flash floods earlier this month killed three people and destroyed the pipeline carrying water to the South Rim. Lodging is closed, restaurants are limited and the park is using portable toilets. But Josh Cottington with the Arizona Office of Tourism says many surface activities are still available on the South Rim, including the paved Rim Trail.
JOSH COTTINGTON: It’s made to be a very accessible trail and made to easily take you to Grand Canyon’s famous outlook points on the South Rim.
JILL RYAN: Many inner canyon trails are closed, but nearby towns like Tusayan and Williams have lodging, water and supplies. On the North Rim, Cottington says Jacob Lake Inn and Kaibab Lodge remain open. Updated information is available at the Grand Canyon’s website. Jill Ryan, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: The Goldwater Institute says Pima County’s four-month pause on data center development is illegal because it cannot prove data centers are an imminent threat. A Pima County supervisor says it does have proof. Taylor Griffith has details.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: Pima County supervisors approved the moratorium to allow more time to pass new zoning rules that consider public health. Jon Riches at the Goldwater Institute says that violates two state laws. A voter-approved initiative known as Prop. 207 protects against development laws that could negatively impact property values. Riches says the other, Title 11, only permits moratoria if there is an imminent threat.
JON RICHES: The problem with what Pima County did is its own report basically established that there isn’t an imminent danger to public health or safety.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: Riches is referring to a framework the county published last month for studying health impacts of data center development. Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen says Title 11 permits development pauses if existing zoning laws are inadequate to protect public health. She also says there’s evidence that data centers raise temperatures, which she says is an imminent threat.
JENNIFER ALLEN: We have excessive heat warnings. We have death from heat, particularly in rural areas where people don’t have a means to seek shelter.
TAYLOR GRIFFITH: Allen says the moratorium will expire at the same time the county plans to consider new zoning laws. Taylor Griffith, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Staying in southern Arizona, Tucson’s daily newspaper is now under the same ownership as the Arizona Republic. USA TODAY Co., formerly known as Gannett, announced Monday it was fully acquiring the Arizona Daily Star from Lee Enterprises. It’s a deal that both parties call a regionally strategic transaction to support local journalism.
In return, Lee assumes ownership of four USA TODAY papers in South Dakota and Montana. Under a joint operating agreement, USA TODAY has owned a 50% share of the Daily Star since 2009, when the Tucson Citizen ceased publication. The Daily Star celebrates its 150th anniversary next year.
Wildland firefighters face serious long-term health risks. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse reports that federal lawmakers are working to address them.
MURPHY WOODHOUSE: The bill, known as the Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act, was recently introduced in both chambers of the U.S. Congress and enjoys bipartisan support. It would establish a pilot program to aid the development of a wildland respirator, allow for paid time to decontaminate fire gear and improve the workers’ compensation process for firefighters who fall ill. Jesse Hamner is a squad boss on a Utah-based federal wildfire crew who has been publicly advocating for the reform measure.
JESSE HAMNER: It’s great that this is coming into the forefront, but why is it coming into the forefront? It’s coming into the forefront because the problems are so severe that we can’t ignore them anymore.
MURPHY WOODHOUSE: Aside from the deadly immediate fire line dangers that have been on tragic display this season, research is starting to show that wildland firefighters face heightened risk of serious diseases like lung cancer. In Boise, I’m Murphy Woodhouse with the Mountain West News Bureau.
PHIL LATZMAN: Tempe residents can learn about all things food through a series of free classes offered by the city. A recent session of Tempe’s Food Forest program went over basics of a soil-free indoor farming method called hydroponics. Instructor Kelly Hedberg is an elementary school gardening specialist.
KELLY HEDBERG: The roots are suspended in water, and you’re feeding nutrients directly into the water, either in a liquid form or a powder form. And then there’s a motor that sits at the bottom that is circulating and oxygenating the water.
PHIL LATZMAN: She says the compact units use LED lights and offer accessibility to gardening plants like lettuce, herbs and even strawberries.
Moving on to sports now, the Suns have opened training camp, and the principal owner is making news. Matt Ishbia’s company, United Wholesale Mortgage, suffered a reported $450 million net loss in the second quarter of this year, calling into question if the sizable dip would affect his basketball business. According to Ishbia, his business woes will have zero impact on the Suns. In fact, the 46-year-old says he’s working on purchasing a larger majority share of the franchise.
MATT ISHBIA: It’s not been out there yet, but I’m buying 14% more of the team. I’ll be almost 80% personally, and my brother and my dad own about 19% combined. And so I’m buying more of the team. We’re going to continue. I’m going to own this team for 40, 50 years.
PHIL LATZMAN: Ishbia bought a majority of the Suns and the WNBA’s Mercury in 2022 for $4 billion. The Suns are coming off a 45-37 season. They return most of the team, including star guard Devin Booker, now wearing No. 15, forward Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green also back as well.
And that does it for this edition of KJZZ’s Sun Up, Arizona’s morning news podcast, this Tuesday, Sept. 29. I’m Phil Latzman. Stay safe and dry. May the good news be yours. We’ll do it again tomorrow, and we’ll talk to you then.
