Valley 101

Happy holidays to you and yours. We’re off this week, but we didn’t want to leave you empty handed. So we’re re-wrapping a special holiday episode from our archives. We'll be back in the new year with fresh stories from Phoenix and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

T’was Monday before Christmas  And all through the paper The cubicles were empty No hints of any labor. But one lone producer stared off in despair For her holiday spirit just wasn’t there.  Festive music and ads danced on her screen But Kaely Monahan just wasn’t keen.  “Oh what to do!” She thought in her head, “I’ve gone all depressed with Scrooge-like dread.” And this is where our story begins,  Gather close and hear how she changes within!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the southern edge of Gila County, snuggled into a valley surrounded by in the mountains, there is a town called Christmas. Now, the town of Christmas is a ghost town, but in the 1930s it had about 1,000 residents and a very popular post office. While people from all over the world would visit the post office to get the highly desired postmark at the holidays, the residents of Christmas lived there because of the copper mining. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by retired geologist David Briggs to tell you the history of the Christmas mine and the coveted post office in its town.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Metrocenter Mall holds a special place in Phoenix's history. Once claiming the top spot as Arizona's largest mall, it now rests empty and awaits demolition. But what awaits the 80-acre site is a rebirth into something new that will also pay homage to the mall's history. In this episode of Valley 101, we take a look at why Metrocenter is so special and what the future holds for this very special spot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanksgiving weekend brings a great Arizona tradition. The two largest universities in the state battle it out on the football field for the right to hoist a trophy that is older than the state itself: the Territorial Cup. Whether you're cheering for the Sun Devils or the Wildcats, everyone who participates in the rivalry agrees it's a very big deal. For two football programs suffering through losing seasons, it's the biggest game of the year. But why do we like rivalries, and does the Duel in the Desert matter to anyone outside of Arizona? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dissect the competition that is awarded the oldest trophy in college football and why our brains hold onto these feuds for so long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that Arizona has native wild turkeys? Or how Mexico helped save America's turkey population? In this episode of Valley 101, we talk turkey with two experts who know all about Thanksgiving's most famous bird.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drought. It’s a word that gets used a lot, particularly in the Southwest. During droughts, rain might still be present, but it typically is low to the point that water reserves become strained. It can be easy to look at the times when it does rain and think that the water running down the street is being wasted. A listener asked that precise question when she brought that subject to our attention: Where does all the water go that runs off the streets? Does the state capture it somewhere or does it just go into a river that empties into an ocean? In this episode of Valley 101, we explore what happens to rainfall in Arizona. The answer turned out to be more complicated than a simple yes or no. And it involves snow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now is the time where we can finally open our windows and enjoy the fresh air. The temperature actually feels like fall and you might even be remembering why we live in Arizona in the first place.  We’re finally out of the heat. But something that is unique to Arizona is that sometimes the units are on the roof. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer this listener question going through the history and future of Arizona cooling systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Halloween. While ghost stories and local hauntings are gracing many articles, Valley 101 has a different kind of ghastly story to tell. One that just might make your skin crawl. In a small shop in midtown Phoenix called Curious Nature, a sort of "Frankensteining" happens several times a month. While the front of the shop is filled with bones, stuffed and dried animals, and pinned insects, in the back, intrepid crafters meet to learn the old art of taxidermy. Taught by one of Arizona's longest working experts in the field, Doug James of Frank James Artistry, curious students learn how to skin, preserve and then stuff dead animals.  It is not for the faint of heart.  Valley 101 attended one such class where rabbits were transformed into jackalopes.  Listen if you dare! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona is home to an unlikely structure. The London Bridge. Longtime residents of our state have probably heard about it, or even visited it. Located in Lake Havasu City, it was bought and rebuilt there as a tourist attraction. But did you know that it's haunted? Very haunted in fact. Ghost chasers believe that there are dozens of ghosts, including women and children that came over with the bridge. One of the most famous Victorian-age murderers also appears to be haunting the crossing: Jack the Ripper.  In this episode of Valley 101, we investigate the history and the hauntings surrounding London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in the early 1900s. During this time, many people journeyed from far away to dry, arid climates like Arizona's to help them heal. In 1934, the Arizona State Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Tempe opened to the public and helped many live out their days with ease. The extravagant white building tucked in Papago Park was seen as a haven by patients and by the state. But since its closing and as other buildings have occupied that land, people are said to have had eerie experiences there. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we tell the history of this restorative hospital and the potentially otherworldly spirits that remain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably seen them in shops. Little bundles of silver sage leaves tied with a piece of string. Maybe you bought one of these "smudge sticks,” as they’re commonly called.  But the skyrocketing popularity of “smudging” is causing a problem.  Demand for California White Sage is enticing poachers who want to cash in quick. Millions of dollars are being raked in while wild sage populations are being culled at an alarming rate.  In this episode of Valley 101, we speak with The Republic's Indigenous affairs reporter, Debra Krol, about her investigation into sage poaching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost towns are just a natural part of living in Arizona. Miners came in during the gold rush, built up these settlements to house the workers, and then left when all the veins dried up. Some of these settlements, like Jerome and Bisbee, continued to thrive and still have residents in them today. While many of them no longer exist as actual towns, their influence can still be felt today. Just take the town of Vulture City. Founded by a man from Germany, this incredible place's influence reached all the way to Phoenix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi Valley 101 listeners. Producer Kaely Monahan here. Spooky season is upon us. And I don’t mean just the elections. Stores are filling up with cobwebs, social media is stuffed with pumpkin spice girls and sweaters…and jokes about it being too hot to wear said sweaters, and the brave souls who don them. The podcast team is working hard to bring you fresh stories to tickle your brain cells – so this week as we pour our spirits into tales, we offer you this spine-tingling episode from our archives. In 2019, former Republic podcasters Kaila White and Katie O’Connell went on a ghost hunt through Phoenix. This is what they resurrected!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Valley has many unique features. And one of those are islands. County islands to be exact. But what are they exactly?  In this episode of Valley 101, Maricopa County Watchdog Reporter Sasha Hupka joins the show to explain what county islands are, their history, and whether or not they are dying out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona has been the backdrop to many movies. From John Wayne westerns to a wacky adventure with Bill and Ted, our state is tinged with the sparkle of Hollywood. One of the romanticized spots in our state is Route 66 and it was the main inspiration for Disney-Pixar's "Cars." In this episode of Valley 101, we follow the sites that made Radiator Springs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Republic podcast team is out for the holiday weekend. Instead, we have a trailer for Season 3 of Rediscovering, an investigative podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, available for you to listen to. Rediscovering: Killed Through the Border Fence features the story of a cross-border shooting that would upend lives and change the way the U.S. Border Patrol operates forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you drive around the Phoenix area, you'll notice some special scenery.  t's the environment that makes this city remarkable, from the different varieties of cactuses and the surrounding desert mountains to relics of our history and reflections of the cultures that have thrived here. One person in particular ensured that the Phoenix area was home to buildings significant and beautiful that reflected the terroir around them.  That person was Frank Lloyd Wright. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we plot out a treasure map of architectural gems by the genius himself and share how his dedication to the desert landscape inspired the work he did here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phoenix has blue skies for days. About 300 of them, actually. Arizona ranks as the sunniest region in the whole United States. And that makes for great flying conditions. It also explains, in part, why there are so many flight schools in our state.  But what about when the storms do roll in? How do pilots navigate monsoonal weather? And how do these storms affect operations at Sky Harbor Airport? In this episode of Valley 101, producer Kaely Monahan is joined by Tim Holt, Dean of the College of Aviation, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, and her father, now retired airline pilot, Michael Monahan, to discuss aviation in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cotton, cattle, climate, copper, and citrus. These have been the driving forces of Arizona’s economy for generations. Flora and fauna and industries that do very well in our arid desert.  While the 5 C’s won’t quickly become the 5 C’s and an O, there is another overlooked product that has nonetheless taken root here. Olives. Olive trees are among some of the oldest agricultural trees in the state from the Valley all the way down to the University of Arizona in Tucson.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explore the ways olive trees and their fruits have thrived in the desert for over 100 years.