Valley 101

In Arizona, there are over 300 golf courses and more than 200 of them can be found in metro Phoenix. According to a study commissioned by the Arizona Alliance for Golf, in 2019 more than 10 million rounds of golf were played in the state. The state is largely seen as a golf destination, but how did that happen?  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez breaks down how golf's popularity grew in the Valley. 

The number of West Nile virus cases in Arizona continues to grow, making 2021 a record year for cases. As the number of probable and confirmed cases rise, Maricopa County is working on prevention methods.  Cases of West Nile can range from mild to severe. This year, the number of severe cases is also on the rise. So what is West Nile virus, and how is it being prevented and researched?  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Alexandra Watts answers questions about West Nile virus in the state and why the number of cases is increasing this year. 

In August, the City of Glendale announced it will be cutting ties with the Arizona Coyotes after this season. The relationship between the hockey team and Glendale has been a long and rocky road from nearly the very  beginning.  But the team hasn’t announced where they’re going next. There isn’t another NHL-sized arena in the Valley so it begs the question, where in the world will the Arizona Coyotes play next? In September, the team proposed a $1.7 billion hockey arena and entertainment district in Tempe. Even if this does come to fruition, the Coyotes will have a minimum of two years without an arena to call home. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, reporters Joshua Bowling, José Romero and Paulina Pineda join the show. We discuss how the Coyotes and the City of Glendale came to an impasse and what the future could hold for the Valley's NHL team. 

When you think of water canals, you might think of Venice, Italy, Amsterdam in the Netherlands or even Venice, California. You probably don’t think about Phoenix.  But metro Phoenix actually has more miles of canals than all three of those places combined. The city's canal systems are operated by the Salt River Project and the Central Arizona Project for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. But Phoenix has had canals long before the Reclamation Act was signed in 1902. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out the history of the canal system dating back to 400 A.D. and how it helps us live in the desert today.

Drivers on a dark and lonely stretch of desert highway knew they had made it to the outer edges of the Phoenix area when they saw the bright, flashing lights of a motel sign.  It was the 1960s, and the neon sign that served as a beacon to travelers was dubbed the Diving Lady. The motel sign on Main Street in Mesa continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many. What is the history behind this 70 foot motel sign and how did it become a rallying point for Mesa? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez dives into the iconic landmark’s history, its efforts to keep it standing and what it means to local residents in the Valley.

If you ever been driving past Camelback Mountain or Piestewa Peak, you may have looked out the car window and seen a house perched along a ridge. From the road it looks as if it's almost built into the mountain. But in reality it's built beside the mountain. The process is costly and arduous, but wanting an unrestricted view of the Valley is a trend that's nearly 100 years old. And even before it was a trend, it was a necessity to build up into the mountains. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out the history of mountainside houses and how they're built.

Before the southwest Valley was filled with grocery stores, an airport and real estate, it was home to Latino farmworkers employed by Goodyear Farms.  Hundreds lived in five different camps made up of tents and wood-framed houses.The tight-knit communities were the first permanent residents of what is now Litchfield Park.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez walks us through the history of the Mexican laborers who were recruited to work in Arizona’s cotton industry, the campsite communities on Goodyear Farms and the Latino farmworkers' impact on the development of the southwest Valley.

In November 2020, voters passed Proposition 207, the Smart and Safe Arizona Act legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. Since January of this year, Arizonans over the age of 21 with a valid ID have been able to purchase marijuana in dispensaries across the state within limit. Now that there are regulations and rules, long time users, medical patients or beginners all have questions about what legal recreational marijuana means in Arizona.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share how Arizona's history with legal marijuana, dispensary basics, and what is within your rights.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Andrew Bird,13, woke up to the sounds of his mother running down the hallway and into his older sister's room. As he made his way into the room, Bird saw on the television footage of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  Bird, now 33, remembers thinking to himself, “I think dad is around there somewhere. I think something is very wrong there and we are in a lot of trouble right now.” His father, Gary Bird, was the only victim from Arizona to die in the attacks. This week marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Many of us remember exactly where we were when the Twin Towers fell. Some weren’t old enough to create memories of that day, but recognize its significance. And for others, it changed the trajectory of their life. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez speaks with four people, all of whom represent a diff

Before COVID-19, the human civilization was plagued by tuberculosis, a disease that dates back thousands of years. In the late 1800s physicians encouraged people with tuberculosis to travel to Phoenix where it was believed was the warm, dry climate would help. With an influx of TB patients to Phoenix, it wasn't long before the city pushed them outside Phoenix and would become known as Sunnyslope. Although help was given, tuberculosis continues to be a worldwide killer of millions each year.

Summers in Arizona mean heat, triple-digit temperatures, and desperately trying to stay cool. But summers in Arizona also mean monsoons - big, bright thunderstorms returning rain to the desert.  During the summer monsoon season, Phoenix receives one-third of its annual rainfall, a necessary relief to help combat the drought that 83% of the state is experiencing, according to the National Weather Service.  While monsoons bring reprieve from the extreme heat and aid in the drought, they are sometimes responsible for power outages and extreme flooding.   Flooding in urban areas, such as Phoenix, often causes minor headaches such as traffic congestion on surface streets and highways. However, in parts of the state outside the Valley, floods can be dangerous, and occasionally deadly.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share the good and the bad of monsoon season in Arizona.

Health experts have been tracking a new variant of COVID-19 they say is nearly twice as contagious as previous strains and causing more breakthrough infections. That strain is called the delta variant.   First identified in India, the delta variant is now the dominate strain in Arizona.  What is the delta variant? What does it mean for us? Are vaccines mitigating community spread of the variant? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer those questions. 

Why do home builders continue building out instead of up, and what's the deal with basements in the Valley? In this week's episode, producer Keith Reed speaks with experts about caliche, a hard surface deposit consisting of multiple compounds such as sodium nitrate and chloride, which hinders efforts to dig deep in the ground. The Valley 101 also met with a City of Phoenix official and a local architect about how efforts are being made toward building more high-rise residential buildings in downtown Phoenix.

Within the city of Mesa is a five and a half square mile section that gets its energy from the city's Energy Resource Department. It covers most of the downtown Mesa area from Brown Road to Broadway Road and Extension Road to Stapley Drive. It's not a perfect square, but the area covers about 17,000 people. While the Salt River Project and Arizona Public Services electric serve the rest of the state, Mesa has owned and operated its own electrical utility since 1917. At that time, the city purchased it from Dr. A.J. Chandler, the city of Chandler's namesake.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share why Mesa manages their utilities and the history of how they came to own it.

Jagger Eaton, 20, grew up in Mesa with the hopes of making it to the Olympics competing in skateboarding. He reached his live long goal on July 24, when he won the first ever bronze Olympic medal in street skateboarding. Eaton is now back in California and joined producer Maritza Dominguez for a one-on-one conversation.

USA Skateboarding, the official governing board of the sport, announced in June the first Olympic skateboarding team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team includes 12 skateboarders, three of which have Arizona ties.  Jagger Eaton, Alana Smith and Brighton Zeuner all started their career in Arizona.  How are there so many Arizonans on the team? What impact has the Valley had in the growth of the sport? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the skateboarding community in the Valley and its history.  In this episode, you'll hear from people who have been skateboarding in the Valley since the mid-1970s, and from a local skateboard coach who hopes to continue growing the skating community. 

When you think of Bigfoot, the Pacific Northwest comes to mind, not Arizona. So, it came as no shock when Valley 101 listener Chris Shaver, who lived in Oregon prior to moving to Arizona, asked if there are Sasquatch or other mythical creatures in the Valley. Surprisingly enough, sightings of a Sasquatch-like creature have been reported in Arizona, including one in 1903 near the Grand Canyon according to an article in The Arizona Republican. Several years later, when more sightings of a similar creature near the Mogollon Rim were reported, this cryptid soon became known as the Mogollon Monster, Arizona’s Bigfoot.   In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we speak with experts on metaphysical concepts, folklore, mythology and a researcher who says he has seen Bigfoot on multiple occasions.

It's often referred to as the "Mother Tree." For more than 100 years this tropical tree, which is native to Central America and Mexico, has managed to survive in the Arizona desert by the grace of Mother Nature. Just northeast of Tucson on a private ranch lives an Aravaipa avocado tree. Although no one can definitively say how this tree found its way into the Arizona soil, it hasn't stopped people from speculating. So, how has this Aravaipa avocado tree managed to survive and can other Aravaipa avocado trees be grown in Arizona? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we talk with horticulture experts and rare fruit enthusiasts to find out.

For the first time in 28 years, the Phoenix Suns are playing in the NBA Finals.   Their appearance in the NBA Finals is unexpected since it was only two years ago that the team won only 19 games. After that disappointing season, the Suns brought in a new head coach, Monty Williams, who managed to end last season on an exciting 8-0 run in the NBA bubble. The Suns finished just under .500.  This season, with a 51-21 record, the Suns are different. Adding future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul to the roster was the missing piece to the team’s puzzle. His veteran leadership paired with Devin Booker style and Deandre Ayton’s energy helped propel what was once a mediocre team at best, into a capable contender.  The last time the Suns made it to the finals was in 1993 and things were different. The team had been playoff contenders the last few seasons and at the time, the missing piece was star Charles Barkley. And Barkley always gave reporters something to write about on and off the court.   In this bonus episo

Have you ever wondered what traditional Japanese sushi and Mexican food create? Several years ago in Mexico, a combination of Mexican food ingredients and Japanese style were used to create a fusion dish known as Sonoran sushi. Traditional Japanese sushi’s main ingredient is vinegared rice. Sonoran sushi rolls have those base ingredients like rice and seaweed, but with their own twist.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving into how this fusion began and why it's becoming more popular.  We'll break down the episode into three parts. First, we’re taking a trip down to Puerto Peñasco, commonly known to Arizonans as Rocky Point, to check out a local sushi restaurant. Then The Republic's dining critic, Andi Berlin, will join Valley 101 to give listeners a sense of how Tucson and Southern Arizona has made itself known for its Mexican Sushi.  And finally, you’ll hear from a local Valley restaurant owner who was one of the first to introduce this fo