Valley 101: Recent Episodes

The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com

Whether you're a longtime Arizona resident or a newcomer, chances are there's something you've always wondered about the Valley. From The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com comes Valley 101, a weekly podcast where our journalists find answers to your questions about metro Phoenix. From silly to serious, you tell us what to investigate. You can submit questions at valley101.azcentral.com or reach us on Twitter @azcpodcasts.

The Sun Devils, under the direction of then-coach Herm Edwards, had fallen behind in a crucial area for their future: high school recruiting. Smaller schools like Northern Illinois and Western Kentucky were finishing ahead of ASU in the recruiting rankings. There were a number of reasons for this, most notably the NCAA investigation that ASU is still under for alleged recruiting violations that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, school officials began searching for a new person to lead the program. A former ASU assistant and Phoenix native was waiting for this exact opportunity. Enter: Kenny Dillingham, the 33-year-old offensive coordinator from the University of Oregon who was hired to be the face of ASU football last November. This week on Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we sat down with Coach Dillingham and talked about his journey to head coach of the ASU Sun Devils football team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remote-controlled bombs consisting of 6 sticks of dynamite erupted underneath the drivers side of the car. The explosion was contained, but destructive. The lower half of his body was blown off, the driver’s door ripped open, and the reporter lay waiting for help. The story goes that he uttered three things while in the parking lot injured that day: “John Adamson” “Emprise” and “Mafia.” But stories are never that simple. Almost 50 years later, there is still a debate on why Don Bolles was murdered and who was to blame. Welcome to Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond. I’m producer Amanda Luberto, and today I’m joined by our in-house Don Bolles expert Richard Ruelas to discuss why the case is still interesting to people and to discuss new hypotheses that have arisen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Movies used to be the dominating driving force in pop culture. Hollywood was the center of entertainment. Actors, producers, directors: dreams being made. The Silver Screen was a fantasy come true for many. But over the past decade, things have changed. That domination lessened as new players entered the game. Streaming apps gained more and more popularity, becoming the go-to spot to see a film. Numbers have jumped this year, but are still lagging behind pre-COVID levels. The impact has the entire industry thinking about its future and how to move forward. For this week of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we spoke with Arizona State University film and media professor Kevin Sandler to talk about the movie theatre industry, the current problems and we look ahead to the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona has sharks. No, really. Around 300 million years ago, portions of the 48th state were covered in shallow seas. And prowling these primordial waters were some wild and bizarre sharks. A few might even rival the mighty megalodon. In this episode of Valley 101, we unearth which sharks called Arizona home, whether or not megalodon swam here, and what modern-day sharks you can see in the Valley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think you know Arizona? You might want to think again. The 48th state is filled with weird, unusual, and just downright quirky facts that even long-time residents might not know. We found three Arizona-only oddities that just might surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think you know Arizona? You might want to think again. The 48th state is filled with weird, unusual, and just downright quirky facts that even long-time residents might not know. We found three Arizona-only oddities that just might surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past Saturday, temperatures rose to 118 degrees, breaking a 25 year old record. Excessive heat warnings are planned throughout the week. It’s that time of year when all your out of state friends ask, “Why do you live there again?” The answer is winters, but this week, they might have a point. It hasn’t been this hot for this long in almost 50 years. Arizona has now had 18 days in a row of temperatures over 110. Tomorrow will break the record from 1974. And while we don’t deal with tornadoes, hurricanes or blizzards, our extreme heat does impact the flights in and out of Sky Harbor International Airport.

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It's no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled a lot. But, right now, they are in first place in the National League West behind budding star outfielder Corbin Carroll. Valley 101 talks baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone who knows pizza or even knows Arizona cuisine knows Chris Bianco. Bianco skyrocketed to fame when his pizza became world-renowned, making Phoenix an unexpected go-to destination for foodies worldwide. Back in 2003, he was the first pizza maker ever to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest. Bianco is often referred to as the father of the modern pizza movement. Twenty years later, he’s still winning awards. As recently as last year, Bianco collected a James Beard Award for Best Restaurateur. But what makes his pizzas so good? For this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we traveled the state visiting the farmers who work with Chris Bianco and discovered just how rich Arizona’s agricultural industry is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doctors’ offices and medical spas in Arizona are getting flooded with requests for prescriptions for new drugs. They originally were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but their success in helping people lose weight is what's making them a near-household name. As patients are reporting promising results, word is getting around. It’s almost impossible to avoid hearing about Ozempic, Wegovy and their active ingredient, semaglutide, in the news or on social media. But are these new so-called miracle drugs too good to be true? Who are they really for, and how can people get them? This week on The Lab at azcentral, in conjunction with Valley 101, we look into how the drugs work and the reality of how they make people feel. We spoke with doctors, patients and others to find out why the drugs are different from other weight-loss interventions and why the medications have become divisive, both culturally and socioeconomically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spicy: it's the flavor you see everywhere. Just take a look at your local convenience store. Spicy chips, spicy chicken sandwiches, spicy noodles. There's even a movie now about Flamin' Hot Cheetos. It's also culture-defining. What would Mexican, Thai or Indian food be without chili kicking up the heat? But before that spicy seasoning can be sprinkled onto your favorite foods, it starts in the ground as a chili pepper seed. One of the people producing those seeds is Ed Curry, who operates the Curry Seed and Chile Co. in Pearce, Arizona. Curry has been working on the genetics of peppers for almost his whole life. In the farming industry, most of the peppers grown commercially in the United States can be traced back to his farm. But how did chili peppers get to Arizona in the first place? And why are Arizona's chilis making such a huge impact nationwide? In this episode of Valley 101, in conjunction with The Lab, we find out these answers and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saguaro cactus is perhaps the most iconic symbol of our state. You can find it everywhere from coffee cups to murals to tattoos. People love saguaros but we know surprisingly little about them. The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and other researchers are trying to fix that. The first step is to count as many of the saguaros growing in the Valley as possible. "Naively, we call this the Saguaro Census because we thought we were going to be capable of counting every single saguaro in the city. We clearly overestimated our capabilities because the Phoenix Valley is huge," Tania Hernandez says. She works as a research scientist at the Desert Botanical Gardens. For help with this task, the Gardens are turning to the public for help. In this episode of Valley 101, in conjunction with The Lab, we're exploring two questions: why does the saguaro cactus only grow in the Sonoran Desert? And how many are there? 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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

A rebroadcast of a 2019 episode: Did you know that Phoenix had one of the most successful local children's shows of all time? "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" ran from 1954 to 1989, collecting fans like Steven Spielberg and Alice Cooper along the way. What made the show a success was its dark humor. Yes, it was a kids' show, but it featured characters like Aunt Maud, who liked reading tragic stories to children. Or Marshall Good, an unemployed "cowboy" from New Jersey who had never ridden a horse. Kids may have tuned in for the cartoon, but high schoolers and their parents got the more offbeat jokes. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell explores the history of this Valley original.

One of the most popular ways to beat the heat is with a scoop of ice cream. Whether it's a classic flavor like chocolate or something more adventurous like olive oil, there's always something for everybody. For some people, ice cream may not be an option. They may have learned of a recent allergy or have decided to become vegan. But plenty of shops around the Valley serve ice cream that anybody, regardless of their allergies or diets, can safely eat. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we visited ice cream shops in the Phoenix area that cater to customers with dietary restrictions.

More than 300 people died last year from heat-related complications. Data collected over the past 50 years shows the average temperature in Phoenix has increased 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. On top of that, there are more days per year when the temperature climbs above 110 degrees in the Valley of the Sun. And the night temperatures have jumped 5.5 degrees, which means it's not cooling off when the sun goes down. How does this extreme heat affect us? In this episode of Valley 101, we hear from medical professionals, social service workers and city officials about how metro Phoenix is battling high temperatures.

It's officially the dog days of summer. Not only does it feel like it because Phoenix has seen triple-digit temperatures since early May, but according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the “dog days of summer” run from July 3 to Aug. 11. It is hot, with no sign of slowing down soon. While it feels slightly unbearable outside and you might be wondering why you live in Phoenix anyway, this is also the perfect time to pack the car, hit the road, get out of the city and reconnect with nature. Because not all of Arizona feels this hot all summer. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by Arizona Republic cultures and outdoors reporter Shanti Lerner for recommendations on where you can go to keep things cooler.

People have wondered if we're alone in the universe for centuries. Although men have landed on the moon and probes have been sent outside the solar system, there is still so much to explore. The mysteries of outer space have drawn many people to search for evidence of alien life. But not all researchers focus on looking through a telescope. Plenty others spend their time watching the sky and documenting unidentified flying object sightings. As it turns out, Arizona is a hot spot for UFOs and those who believe in them. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explored the unfamiliar world of UFOs and spoke to different people looking to answer the question: "are we alone in the universe?"

Seeing fireworks this year is a little more tricky than pulling up to your favorite usual spot on the night of July 4. Some cities around the Valley are forgoing their celebration because of supply-chain issues or other complications. This week on Valley 101, we share where in the metro Phoenix area you can and cannot see dazzling displays shoot across the sky. Please remember that if you’re planning on shooting off fireworks from your backyard, be careful! Not only can they be dangerous, but Arizona is in a long-term drought. Setting off fireworks too close to brush is an easy way to start a fire.

This year Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools, turns 50. The landmark legislation has become synonymous with women’s sports in addition to affecting education. On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the amendment into law. It says that no person can be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of sex under “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Should any education institution be found in violation, it would lose federal money. While sports is not specifically mentioned, the amendment has permanently altered the course of women’s athletics. In this episode of Valley 101, we explore this landmark law through an Arizona lens where we hear from those who’ve seen its passage, implemented it and benefited from it.

Anyone in the Phoenix area can tell you that right now it is hot. Really hot. The National Weather Service recently issued an excessive heat warning, keeping an eye on the triple digit temperatures in the forecast. It's summer, and the heat is predicable. But the summer heat also brings monsoon storms and rains, something that is much harder to predict. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by meteorologist Matt Pace to give a preview of what we can expect during the dog days of summer.

With as many streets as Phoenix has, there's bound to be some interesting history behind their names. One that has caught many people's attention is the historical Bethany Home Road. Listeners have asked what the original Bethany Home was or who it was named after. A street name must have some significance behind it. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many streets named after the presidents. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we tried to dig a little deeper and learn more about Bethany Home's origins. Along the way, we learned why it's so important to keep track of history.

With the advent of the new "Jurassic World" movie, our producers started to wonder what Arizona looked like 65 million years ago. Turns out, we know very little about Arizona's dinosaur age. It was nearly wiped clean from the paleontological record. But why? In this episode of Valley 101, we dig up the answers to what kinds of dinosaurs lived here and why there's so few fossil records in our state.

Graduation is a time in your life when you’re getting dressed up in an itchy, shapeless gown and trying to adjust a square hat to your head that simply won’t stay on. It is also a right of passage. Not only does it represent growing up and going on to bigger things, but it’s a celebration of everything you’ve done up until that point. A celebration of your years of education and everyone who helped you achieve that. It’s something almost all of us go through. But the graduates of 2022 had an educational experience that few can relate to. With the pandemic and virtual learning and everything else that affected them, they are a class that is unique. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by The Republic's k-12 education reporter Yana Kunichoff. Together, we visited three graduations at three different stages of life to try and capture this moment in time.

It's no secret that Maricopa County is growing quickly. New apartments in Phoenix are being built just as fast as people are moving into them. The Census Bureau reported that the county added 58,246 new residents from July 2020 to July 2021. It is now the fastest growing county in the nation. And even outside Maricopa County, Arizona has seen immense growth over the last year. The census showed that more than 98,000 people moved to Arizona in that year. Only 832 of them came from what is called “natural change," which refers to deaths and births. The rest have moved from other states. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we want to welcome newcomers to the metro Phoenix area by answering four questions about its history.

For decades, the Western movie genre held sway over the box office. And Arizona featured prominently in many of them. From John Wayne, to Henry Fonda, Clint Eastwood to Kurt Russell, Hollywood’s golden actors flocked to our state to shoot movies. But Arizona’s film history goes beyond the Wild West stereotype. In this episode of Valley 101, we explore what movies were made in Phoenix and Arizona at large. And we find out why more movies aren't made here now.

Every year The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com host a wine competition for the vineyards in Arizona. This year, more than 200 bottles were entered to be considered for Best in Show. After hours of tasting the best wines that the state has to offer, the 20 qualified judges granted a bottle of merlot from a brand new winery the Governor's Cup. Cove Mesa Vineyards is new on the scene, but its owners Emil and Cindy Molin have spent years as wine aficionados. After getting a degree from the Southwest Wine Center, Emil set out to buy a winery himself in 2020. To some, this is the perfect story of how Arizona's wine industry is evolving from hidden gem to national recognition. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share what Arizona vineyards have to offer, where you can find them, and how the new kids on the block took the grand prize this year.

Springtime in the desert is special. For a few brief weeks, the taupe-shaded landscape transforms into a riot of color. The palo verdes don crowns of gold, and cactuses burst with large pink, yellow, purple and white flowers. Daisies nod their heads, beckoning visitors to adore them. Ocotillo open their coral-red buds while wearing coats of green leaves between their thorns. It's a flurry of activity before the scorching temperatures force every living thing to just endure. Buzzing, fluttering and twittering among the plants are Arizona’s pollinators. And as they brush up against each flower, a bit of pollen is distributed from one plant to the next, allowing the plants to propagate the next generation. This week, we find out what you should plant in your garden to attract local pollinators.

In June 1989, the streets of downtown Phoenix became a raceway for the biggest global racing competition: Formula 1. The Phoenix Grand Prix was a chance to show off Phoenix on a world stage, but the race was beset with wide ranging obstacles. Needless to say, it wasn't a smooth ride. Just after three years, Formula 1 pulled out of the Valley of the Sun. This week on Valley 101, we find out why Formula 1 came to Phoenix and why it quickly left.

In December 2020, the first Arizonan received their vaccine against COVID-19. Just nine months after virus took ahold of the state and the rest of the world, health care workers and first responders were able to usher in a new era during the pandemic: the vaccination era. For some it felt like much needed light after a long, dark tunnel. The vaccine roll out expanded first by phases of necessity then by age in Arizona. By April 2021, all adults in the state were eligible to get a dose. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we map out the journey from the first shot to today. We spoke with reporters, doctors, and state health officials and track how 61.1% of Arizona residents became fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Where is the best Mexican food in the U.S.? It’s a complex question fueled with fiery debates and passionate proclamations. Tucson boasts 23 miles of quality Mexican food and is an UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Phoenix, however, is more than happy to step into the ring to duke it out on who has the best Mexican food. With literally hundreds of shops, from humble food trucks to exquisitely high-brow dining concepts, Phoenix holds its own as a culinary contender. In this episode, Valley 101 plays referee between two Mexican food heavy-weights: Phoenix and Tucson.

Spotting people in Western attire going about their day is typical for Scottsdale. Pieces of public art featuring horses are spread throughout the city. In Old Town Scottsdale, the iconic sign of a cowboy with a lasso welcomes visitors. Western motifs and appreciation for horse culture saturate the city, whose official nickname is "The West's Most Western Town". It's even home to the world's largest Arabian horse show, at Westworld. Which begs the question: Is Scottsdale the horse capital of the Valley? Is it the most cowboy town in the metro area? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explore the relationship between the city's increasingly cosmopolitan image and its old West history.

After Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association came to an agreement about the league’s minimum salary, the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, and more, the 99 day lockout ended. Just in time for the regular season to start up soon. For Arizonans that means two things: getting to hear the lemonade man shout about your grandma and spring training. In the Valley, the past time is getting a slow start. The average attendance for six of the 15 teams is down to less than 5,000 fans per game in the first week. Even teams that are seeing more fans than that are seeing less fans compared to years past. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share how the Cactus League came to Arizona and what impact the spring time tradition has on the state.

If you've driven west on the Interstate 10 heading out of town toward California, you may have noticed a giant plot of empty land just past Goodyear. Until 2017, there was a massive abandoned building on that land, drawing urban explorers and photographers. Before it was left empty, this state-of-the-art building was home for two seasons of horse racing. The Phoenix Trotting Park was expertly designed and opened in 1965. Attendees filled the beautiful grandstand to watch trotting style racing, but not for very long. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by city reporter Martiza Dominguez to share how it was built, why it went under, and what the future holds for this plot of land.

Drive down any of metro-Phoenix's highways and you're likely to see a highly curated display of graphics and flora. In Scottsdale, you can see large lizards and prickly pear pads gracing the walls of the Loop 101. Out west, dragonflies and checked flags come into view. And on the Red Mountain Loop 202, various indigenous animals and patterns are visible on both sides of the road. But why do the freeways have art on them anyway? For that, Valley 101 turned to an urban historian and experts at the Arizona Department of Transportation. Turns out, there's a lot more to it than just making our highways pretty.

Why is metro-Phoenix called "The Valley of the Sun"? Is it actually a valley? Our intern producer digs up the answer in this episode of Valley 101. And what he discovers, might surprise you.

Lincoln Ragsdale Sr., along with other activists, won a court case to desegregate Phoenix Union High Schools a year before Brown vs. The Board of Education. It was a huge victory, but to Ragadale, it was simply the beginning. He continued to create change. Alongside his wife, Eleanor, he and his family desegregated the Encanto neighborhood in Phoenix by being the first Black family to move in. In part two, Valley 101, a podcast from the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, covers more of his civil rights wins for the state, his connection with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and what he was like as a father.

In May 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided that separating educational facilities by race was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. You’ll know this famous case as Brown vs. The Board of Education. One year earlier, in February 1953, Judge Fred Struckmeyer Jr. in Maricopa County ruled that a law permitting students to be separated by race in the Phoenix Union school district was also unconstitutional. The court challenge came from a handful of civil rights activists in Phoenix, but one man in particular looked at this as the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Lincoln Ragsdale Sr. helped fund a lawsuit on behalf of three Black children during the Phoenix Union case, but his time fighting for racial freedoms in the Valley spread much further than high schools. He was a Tuskegee airman, a business owner, a fighter for civil rights and the man whose name is on the executive terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This is the first part of a two-part series on the local icon. The second part will be released on Monday, Feb. 28.

110 years ago today, Arizona joined the United States. But it wasn't exactly a smooth process. At the time, the eastern half of the country viewed the Arizona Territory as unruly and not Anglo enough. It took nearly 50 years for the Arizona Territory to become the state of Arizona. In this episode of Valley 101, we dive into the history leading up to Admission Day, and the process of becoming part of the United States.

As more people rushed their way westward in mid-1800s, communication between nation's two coasts became paramount for the Union. Messages needing to reach their destination faster found horseback riders to be an effective medium, forming the famed Pony Express. Connecting Missouri to California, the Pony Express crossed eight states. However, it actually bypassed Arizona. Nonetheless, the tradition has lived on in Arizona where riders still deliver mail. The service is the only U.S. Postal Service-sanctioned Pony Express in the country. In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we learn about a special horse-riding unit in northern Arizona that brings down mail to the Valley each year.

Fifity years ago, friends and car junkies Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson held an auction of their personal auto collections. What was supposed to be a one-off event turned into one of Scottsdale's premier occasions each year. This year, collectors, buyers, and curious onlookers alike were surrounded by more than 1,800 cars at Westworld in Scottsdale. Regarded as one of the world's greatest collector car auctions, auto enthusiasts from all over arrive in the desert in hopes of being the highest bidder. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we bring you the history of the famous car auction and talk with sellers and buyers about why they come to Barrett-Jackson each year.

Few laws have influenced high school sports more than Title IX, which turns 50 this summer. The law prohibits the discrimination based on sex in any programs or activities in all federally funded educational institutions. This includes both middle and high schools in addition to universities. Before Title IX, there were pioneering women who fought for inclusion and equality in sports. One of those is Ina Gittings. Gittings was the first director of physical education for women at the University of Arizona. She also homesteaded north of Tucson near Oro Valley. Those familiar with Tucson might spot the connection to Ina Road. In this week's episode of Valley 101, we explore the story behind the legend of Ina Gittings.

Nearly 60 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr delivered the famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to more than 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. Today, the nation recognizes his birthday to honor his life and commitment to the civil rights movement in America. For the city of Mesa, this celebration is close to home. They've been hosting a parade and festival in his memory for 24 years after a long battle to get the holiday recognized at a city level. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by Keisha McKinnor to discuss the state's history with MLK Day and why this celebration feels personal to her.

In its heyday, Fiesta Mall was "the center of the universe" for the East Valley. That's how Mesa Mayor John Giles puts it. Situated on the western edge of the city, by the US-60 and Alma School, Fiesta Mall was the premiere shopping spot for decades. In 2017 it closed its doors, with the last holdouts shuttering in 2020. Since then, the 1.2 million square foot shopping center has been boarded up and unusable. There were talks of converting it into multi-use property with campuses for both education and health, but talks on that stalled. So the question remains: what is going to happen to Fiesta Mall? In this episode of Valley 101, we speak with people in the know as well as residents who fondly remember Fiesta Mall in its prime.

Winter is finally upon us. This past Christmas Eve was the wettest since 1944. It is a welcome relief after hotter than average fall. December 1 shattered all previous records with a high of 85 degrees. Thoughts of frosty nights seem like winter fantasy for Phoenix. However, January is typical the Valley’s coldest month. This has horticultural novices and experts thinking about protecting their gardens.. In this episode of Valley 101 we get to the root of how to over-winter your plants Arizona style.

Happy holidays, listeners! The Valley 101 team is off for the rest of the year. Today we have a few past stories to highlight to continue the holiday spirit. We look forward to answering more questions and telling more stories in 2022. Feel free to follow the podcast on twitter @ a-z-c-podcasts and subscribe wherever you get your shows.

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.

Festive feasting is one of the highlights of the holiday season. Many people in the U.S. traditionally enjoy a juicy ham or golden turkey and popular culture has reaffirmed those dishes. But there are those who enjoy foods that speak of their heritage and family traditions. Festive foods are a big part of holiday gatherings. It just wouldn’t be the holidays without that one special dish you have only this time of the year. In this week's episode of Valley 101, producer Kaely Monahan asks some of Phoenix’s foodies to share their untraditional food traditions.

Have you ever been on a hike, a walk or a stroll in the Arizona mountains and came across an interesting looking rock? Did you take out your phone and browse the internet to find out what kind of rock you found? If so, you just might be a rockhound. Rockhounding is the recreational study and collection of rocks, minerals and gems. Some rockhounds, or amateur geologists, find that Arizona's vast mountain ranges and developed mines are great places to explore for interesting and unique rocks. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share what you can find, where to look for it, and the regulations you need to know while rockhounding.

Still picking at Thanksgiving leftovers, we here at AZ Central’s Podcast team turn to the end of year holidays. Hanukkah has begun, and Christmas is just around the corner. Unlike much of the country, we celebrate our holidays in light jackets and flip flops. No snow for us in the Valley of the Sun. But we’re still able to get into the holiday spirit just as easily as our wintery neighbors with our local traditions – snow or not! In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, our producer Kaely Monahan went on a search for some holiday cheer, Phoenix style. So, gather up the kids and hot chocolate, for a Christmas tale unlike the others you have heard as we take a walk into the world of ZooLights.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Thanksgiving. In 1620, a ship called The Mayflower traveled from Plymouth, England to the New World in search of religious separation and a fresh start. In 1621, they enjoyed a bountiful meal after the harvest with the Wampanoag tribe, expressing their gratitude for helping them learn to survive in their new home. Many of us might believe that this was the first interaction between European settlers and Indigenous peoples who lived in what is now America. But long before the Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, there was an explorer who walked the Arizona land and interacted with its people. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share with you the story of the Franciscan friar, Marcos de Niza, and his relationship with the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest.

When you think of Arizona, what comes to mind? Sprawling deserts or urban sprawl? The Grand Canyon or the mighty White Mountains? Hollywood has painted our state as a wild, uncivilized frontier filled with dangers and adventure. Rugged landscapes split by sharp mountains and dotted with scraggly brush, and the sentinel of the desert. The saguaro cactus. Found only in the Sonoran Desert, the saguaro cactus has a shallow but wide root network – snaking outwards in the hunt for water rather than burrowing deep into the earth. Its roots are often as wide as the cactus is tall creating a firm base to stabilize its towering height. The saguaro's thick, waxy, green skin helps retain water and they hold their breathe all day to make sure they don't lose moisture. They are an Arizona icon and provide essential resources for desert dwellers. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we venture out into the desert to discover why saguaros only grow in the Sonoran Desert.

Arizona is known for being a transplant state. For some, it was the attraction of the warm winters and beautiful mountain views that brought them to the Valley. For others, well, maybe it was their job or simply they just needed a change. Regardless, a lot of people who now call Arizona home didn't grow up in the Valley of the Sun. And maybe after a while you begin to realize, you're not in Kansas anymore. Like a listener who submitted a question to the Valley 101 team. He said that he’s lived in other states before moving to Arizona. He wondered why those places used water towers in their communities, but they weren't common in Phoenix. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we investigate why metro Phoenix lacks water towers and search for a town that still uses a water tower today.

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 different generation, that were impacted directly and indirectly by that day.

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 episode of Valley 101, Arizona Republic reporters Bill Goodkoontz and Kent Somers share what it was like to cover the 1993 finals and what the atmosphere in Phoenix was like the last time the Suns rallied the Valley.

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 food trend to metro Phoenix.

When Marshall Shore first came to Arizona 21 years ago, he was told that Arizona had no LGBT+ history. But every time he would venture around the state, whether by car, bike or foot, he would hear stories of people and places that he thought were amazing. Shore is most known by his moniker, "The Hip Historian," a name given to him in 2009, as a way to distinguish him from Marshall Trimble, the state's official historian. Through his work as project manager for the Arizona LGBT History Project, he has worked with Arizona State University to create an archive of the community. On this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, Shore shares some of the stories he's come across about the icons in the state's LGBT+ history.

The history behind the Christown Spectrum name spurred Valley 101 listener David Thelen to ask: “What is the background and history of the man who served as the inspiration of the part of Phoenix named after him?” In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’re diving into Christown’s namesake and the cultural impact the mall had on Phoenix after opening in 1961.

Tempe Town Lake sits as a small oasis in the middle of the desert, alongside a freeway. The shimmering body of water is one of Arizona's most visited public attractions, but is more than just a place for music festivals, marathons and regattas. It all began with James W. Elmore, the founding dean of the College of Architecture at Arizona State University. He challenged the College faculty in 1966 to transform the Salt River, a dry riverbed, from an eyesore into a greenbelt attraction. One year later, an ASU professor and 16 graduate students proposed The Rio Salado Project, “a vast reservoir of open space unique to the heart of a great city.” Thirty-three years later, the first developed phase of the project was realized when water from the Central Arizona Project flowed into the dry riverbed and Tempe Town Lake was born. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explores the project’s history and how it connects the Valley together through the unexpected ways of water.

Highways and roadways impact Valley drivers on a daily basis. Valley 101 listeners often submit questions to the Arizona Republic's podcast team to dive into these topics. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’re answering three of those questions. We'll take a brief dive into the history of Arizona toll roads, a look at the future of Interstate Highway 11 and then how Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway has impacted the Valley. In this episode you'll hear from:

Laura Douglas, a communications project manager with the Arizona Department of Transportation

Philip Vandermeer, an emeritus professor of history from Arizona State University

Eric Anderson, the executive director for the Maricopa Association of Governments.

Whether you celebrated the long Memorial Day weekend by getting out of town, exploring Phoenix or relaxing at home, the Valley 101 team has a few suggestions of past episodes to listen to.

As Maricopa County continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, interest in the Valley expands. More travelers and potential new residents want to check out all the unique destinations of the desert. One Valley 101 listener plans on making Phoenix their new home. They asked us to put together a bucket list of activities and places they should check out in the Valley. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’re doing just that. Even if you’re an Arizona native, there might be some activities on this list you haven’t heard. We spoke with one expert and a couple of Arizona Republic reporters to share their picks of places to check out in the Valley. You’ll hear about quick day trips and some hidden gems.

In a dried up flood zone just south of Buckeye once lived a lively and vibrant community. Despite nearly 500 residents at one point, the community was absent of good water and sanitation. The community lacked stores, mail delivery, streetlights or even stop signs. This was the town of Allenville. In the 1940s when part of the town was sold by Lee North to John Allen, the town's namesake, it was the only area of town where Black people could own land. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, and with the help of Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic's Southwest Valley reporter, we uncover the hidden past of this all-Black community and how it was destroyed by a series of floods in 1978.

Corrections and Clarifications: In a previous version of this episode an incorrect date was given for the Long Walk and treaty signed by Navajo leaders. Those dates are 1864 and 1868. Valley 101 listener Genevieve Hall asked: "What's the best Native American restaurant in the Valley?" That depends. There are 21 federally recognized tribes in Arizona and more than 500 in the United States. Each have their own traditions and nuances. However, there is one restaurant that stands out. In this week’s Valley 101 episode, producer Maritza Dominguez spoke with two Valley chefs who specialize in Native American food. They discussed the history of a popular dish and how their culture and community have influenced their cooking style.

If you lived in Phoenix in August 2020, you probably remember waking up to what felt like an unusually cloudy day. The sun was bright orange and looking directly at it didn't hurt your eyes. But those were not unseasonable clouds, it was smoke from fires in Northern Arizona and California that traveled into the Valley. With the majority of the state in a drought, the potential for an active fire season and big dust storms blowing into the Valley this summer, has one Valley 101 listener asking what they can do to protect their lungs. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out what is in store for us this summer and the best practices we can adopt for healthier lungs. Producer Amanda Luberto has more.

Picture this: you’re headed to Sedona from downtown Phoenix. As you drive north on Interstate 17, you pass the Outlets by Anthem. What you might not know is that the section of Anthem with the outlet mall — the western section — is actually part of the city of Phoenix. The larger portion of Anthem, its eastern counterpart, is in unincorporated Maricopa County. There’s no such thing as the city of Anthem. In this week’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’re answering two questions from our listeners. We’ll look at why Anthem as a whole isn’t located in Phoenix. Then we’ll explore whether the master planned community will ever be fully incorporated into Phoenix.

On 52nd Avenue and Glendale Avenue, a five-story building stands empty. It's fenced off from the public with faded red brick and bordered-off windows. Arizona Republic readers picked the Beet Sugar Factory as one of the worst West Valley eyesores. The factory captured the interest of Valley 101 listener Garret Godfrey. He asked us about the history of the Beet Sugar Factory and about future plans for the building. It turns out that building has a connection to the development of Glendale. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez takes a deep dive about the Beet Sugar Factory. Have more questions about Metro Phoenix for the Valley 101 team? Submit them here.

If you drive downtown Phoenix, it's likely you have turned down Van Buren Street, Roosevelt Road or another roadway named after a President. Phoenix famously has a grid system for its roads. Roads running North to South are numbered and roads running East to West are named streets. But one of our listeners asked why the streets in Central Phoenix are named after United States Presidents. They grew up on Portland Street, one street over from Roosevelt and always wanted to know why names of past Presidents adorned the street signs of Phoenix. In today’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out how this came to be and what it would take to continue it. Producer Amanda Luberto has more.

Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden boasts more than a mile of native plants. Every step of the way, you’ll find plants that are uniquely attended for survival in the hot, dry desert. In fact, there are more than 200 plants that thrive in our desert climate. “One of my favorites is the chocolate flower, that spring or fall will grace your morning grand with the aroma of sweet chocolate,” said Kirti Mathura, the Smartscape Program Coordinator at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. Using local or adapted plants like the chocolate flower, in favor of turf or non-native plants, is a type of gardening called xeriscaping. Xeriscaping not only helps conserve water, but it’s beneficial for local wildlife as well. In this week’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O’Connell digs into xeriscaping. You’ll find out the benefits of having a xeriscaped space, as well as some hints for achieving one.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we're highlighting the story of two women who dedicated their careers and retirements to educational equity. Their names were Betty and Jean Fairfax. Those names might sound familiar. Betty H. Fairfax High School in the Phoenix Union District is named after the oldest sister. She’s the only former educator in the district with a high school named after her. How did that happen? What kind of legacy did the Fairfax sisters leave in Arizona? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving into their lives and how they inspired students to strive to higher education.

The Valley is full of transplants. Many of us moved here or our parents moved here, perhaps our grandparents. Then there's Candice Copple, whose family has been in Arizona for six generations. Copple's ancestors came to Arizona in the 1800s as a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her great-great-great grandfather was Charles Innes Robson the 1st. He’s considered a founding father of Mesa in the East Valley. Charles came to Arizona with his father-in-law Francis Pomeroy and two other families under Brigham Young’s direction. Today, Arizona has the fourth highest population of LDS members in the United States. We’re just behind Utah, California and Idaho. And Arizona’s history with the LDS Church stretches back before Candice’s family. In today’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out more about the Valley’s connection to the LDS Church. Producer Amanda Luberto explores its history and why Arizona continues to have such a large LDS population today. In this episode of Valley 101, our voiceover said, “A quick heads up for those who may be interested in exploring the Mormon history of Arizona: Non-members can go to any of the LDS Temples in the Valley during Christmas to look at the lights or Easter time to be a part of festivities, but only members are allowed inside.” However, the only temple in Arizona to have a Christmas light display and an Easter Pageant is the Mesa Temple. Those events have been suspended during its renovation but will recommence once the renovations are completed. The best way to listen is to subscribe to Valley 101 on your favorite podcast app, but you can also stream the full episode below.

Dust storms can create a wall of dust that miles wide and thousands of feet high. When one hits, visibility can drop down to a quarter of a mile or less. When that happens, the local branch of the National Weather Service will send out a weather emergency alert. Odds are you've received one on your phone. Sirens, however, are not part of the messaging equation. It turns out there are a few reasons why sirens aren't used during dust storms. Part of it has to do with infrastructure. The other has to do with which type of messaging is most effective during moments of hazardous weather. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're catching up with the National Weather Service and the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management about dust storms and emergency messaging.

When you're on the road, odds are you'll see plenty of our standard Arizona license plates. You know, the ones with a purple saguaro and mountain under a blue and yellow sky. But you'll also see a fair number of plates that look different. Valley 101 listener Harold Lohner noticed this too. He asked why Arizona cars have so many vanity license plates? Is it more than other In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving in the trend of vanity license plates in Arizona.

When you go to recycle, what you can put in your bin depends on a few different factors, including which municipality you live in. Different cities within the Valley have different rules. Why is that? Why is there not an across-the-board set of items you can and can’t recycle? In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we break down the reasons why where you live affects how and what you can recycle.

The Phoenix Bakery was a downtown staple in the city’s earliest days. German immigrant Ed Eisele Sr. started working there in 1881, purchasing the shop at West Washington Street and Center Street (now Central Avenue) three years later. As the city grew, the bakery grew, leaving its original location in 1929. But the red-brick building that housed the original operation is still around today. There’s just one catch: it now resides at the Phoenix Zoo, miles away from its original location. How did it get there? In this week’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’ll look at the history of the building, starting with the unlikely journey its owner took to immigrate to the U.S. and ending with its reconstruction at the Zoo.

Before Las Vegas became known as the quickie wedding hotspot, people flew to Phoenix. Or at least that's what Phoenix's Junior Chamber of Commerce hoped for. The story dates back to 1937. The city had purchased Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport two years prior in 1935. Most states across the U.S. at this point had laws mandating a 3-day waiting period for couples wishing to wed. But Arizona didn't. Capitalizing on that lack of regulation, the airport built a chapel and advertised fly-in weddings. The hope was to draw in Hollywood celebrities who wanted to marry quickly and under-the-radar, hopefully without paparazzi. It wasn't a total success, but it wasn't a failure either. Listen to this week's episode of Valley 101, an Arizona Republic and azcentral.com podcast answering questions about metro Phoenix, to uncover the history of Phoenix's fly-in chapel.

Today, the West Valley is home to 1.7 million people, according to data collected by the Western Maricopa Coalition. And it’s still growing. The coalition anticipates that over the next 25 years, 49.5% of the growth in Maricopa County will happen in the West Valley. That's vastly different from what it was like in the beginning of the 20th century. Before Arizona had towns like Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park, the West Valley was barren. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving into the history of the Southwest Valley. What took it from the desert to what it is today? And we're doing that thanks to a question from listener Dale Arel, who asked how Paul Litchfield shaped the Valley

In 1964, at the age of 51, Richard E. Harris became the first Black reporter at The Arizona Republic. His tenure came during a momentous and tumultuous period in our nation’s history. The year before, thousands were arrested while protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Among them was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would deliver his famed “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that same year. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The following year, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Phoenix was segregated at the time. Years of redlining and restrictive covenants had left their mark on the city. Harris was assigned to cover poverty in the city, telling the story of some of its most vulnerable citizens. Later in life, Harris wrote that he “detested some of the paper’s ultra-conservative editorials and stories slanted in favor of the Establishment.” Still, he was proud of his tenure there and what he accomplished. In his 2004 autobiography "The American Odyssey of a Black Journalist," Harris wrote that he “proved to be as capable as most white peers and soon found news stories outside the stereotype bounds.” Today, Harris is remembered by those who came after him as a modest, humble man. “And what I’d like to say about Richard Harris is that, you know, he wasn’t a physically large guy. But he had very broad shoulders, figuratively speaking,” said Art Gissendaner, who worked as the sole Black reporter at The Republic a decade after Harris. “And something I tell a lot of young people now is that where we are now, we all are standing on someone else’s shoulders.” In this week’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, Executive Editor Greg Burton explores the story of Harris’ life and legacy.

Winter in Arizona means peak hiking season. The weather is beautiful, the landscapes are breathtaking and, because of COVID-19, the fact that you can socially distance in the open air while getting in some exercise is an added perk. But if you take your dogs with you, there are some things you need to know. Maybe you’re new to the Valley and your transplant dog isn’t used to the desert terrain. But even if you’re a long-time resident, we’ve got some tips that you might not know. Consider this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, a toolkit for how to safely hike with dogs here. Producer Taylor Seely speaks with Bretta Nelson, a spokesperson for the Arizona Humane Society. Plus, an only-in-Arizona style story about running into a herd of cows while hiking from Valley resident Debi Palestina.

There are the normal highway signs, ones that feature messages about travel times or road conditions. Then there are the funny ones. Ones that say things like, "Cut off? Don’t get bad blood. Shake it off” in reference to a Taylor Swift song. Or “Aggressive driving is the path to the dark side,” a nod to “Star Wars.” Arizona isn't unique in having signs like that. The trend started with the Iowa Department of Transportation, but Arizona Department of Transportation spokesperson Doug Pacey thinks we may have perfected them. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're exploring the history of these signs and what it takes to write them. You'll also hear from Mitzie Warner, a Chandler resident who won a safety message writing competition.

If you fell down the TikTok rabbit hole in 2020, odds are you probably came across one or two videos of people roller skating. It's a trend and hobby people took up to get outside during the pandemic. Valley 101 listener Antonio Moody is a teacher and heard about the exact same trend from his students. Some of them even thought of taking up roller derby. Moody asked the podcast team if there was a roller derby scene in Metro Phoenix. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez digs into this community.

If you're a transplant to Arizona from New England, you may have been surprised at the seeming absence of cemeteries in the Phoenix area. After all, they feel like they're located at every corner in some northeastern states. That's how Christopher Bunce felt when he moved to the Valley in January of 2020. So he submitted a question to Valley 101, our newsroom podcast dedicated to helping Phoenicians better understand the place they call home. He asked, "Why does Phoenix have so few cemeteries?" Bunce thought it perhaps was because Arizona is a younger state. Cindy Lee, vice president of the Pioneers' Cemetery Association, offers a few other reasons in this week's episode.

Hey Valley 101 listeners! We're taking a week off for a little rest and relaxation. Thank you for all of your questions this year! We look forward to answering more of them in 2021. Let us know what's on your mind at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or on Twitter @Valley101pod.

For almost 20 years, the Outlets at Anthem decorated with the largest Christmas tree in Arizona. This year is no exception. Their 70-foot tall white fir tree weighs four tons after it's decorated. How did that tradition start? And how does the mall know that its tree is the tallest in the state? Podcast editor Katie O'Connell found out during this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com where we answer the questions you ask about metro Phoenix.

Every winter, Arizona sees an influx of retirees that from out of state. They come to enjoy our mild sunny winters and to escape their snowy season. Many come from Midwestern states like Minnesota or Wisconsin. But what brings snowbirds to Arizona specifically? And once they're here, what's their economic impact on the Valley? In this week's episode, producer Maritza Dominguez digs into this phenomenon.

Barry Goldwater was a businessman, a Phoenix city councilman, and a prominent U.S. Senator from Arizona. He loved flying his plane across the state's diverse landscapes, and most would say he was a pretty good photographer. In the biggest race of his life, the 1964 presidential election, Goldwater lost significantly to Democrat Lyndon Baines Johnson. LBJ walked away with 61.1% of the popular vote and 486 electoral votes, leaving Goldwater with 52. So why has Goldwater been called the face of modern conservatism? Why have some historians credited him for paving the way for Republican Party icon Ronald Reagan? That's the subject of this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, that answers questions you ask about metro Phoenix. Producer Taylor Seely journeys through Goldwater's life with historians Michael Rubinoff and Brooks Simpson, stopping in at key moments in Goldwater's timeline that help explain his impact on contemporary U.S. politics. In this episode you'll hear:

How growing up in Arizona and taking over the family business amid President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal programs shaped Goldwater's political ideology.

Why Goldwater got involved in politics in the first place, starting with Phoenix City Council.

What made Goldwater unique for his time, and how his political brand redirected the Republican Party's ideological trajectory.

How Goldwater's conservatism compares to the conservatism of today.

Cooling off during the summer months is no easy feat. While people in other parts of the country may retreat to the cooler depths of their basements, that's not an option here in Phoenix. Rather, it's not a popular option. Instead, folks across the Valley take a dip in a pool to find some relief. But why is that? Why do houses here tend to have pools instead of basements? Podcast editor Katie O'Connell found out the answer in this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

For the first time, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ranked number one in J.D. Power's 2020 North America airport satisfaction study. This made Valley 101 listener Gregory Yost wonder: why? What made the airport so satisfying to customers? This wasn't the first question about Phoenix Sky Harbor submitted to the team. Producer Maritza Dominguez teamed up with travel reporter Melissa Yeager to answer your questions about the local airport. They also answer questions about the safety of flying amid a global pandemic and why Sky Harbor doesn’t offer more international flights. In this episode you'll hear from:

Michael Taylor, a representative with J.D. Power

Brian Znotins, the vice president of network and schedule planning with American Airlines

Kacey Ernst, a University of Arizona professor in the College of Public Health and an infectious disease epidemiologist

Buckeye, Arizona was founded in 1888. But it wasn't always called Buckeye. So how did it get that name? And does it have anything to do with Ohio? This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, dives into those questions Guiding us through the journey are:

Jackie Meck, the soon-to-be former mayor of Buckeye.

Deanna Kupcik, president and CEO of Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Levi Beard, former Vice Mayor and owner of Absolute Screen Printing in Buckeye.

Phoenix's light rail system isn't the first time the city had rail travel. From 1887 to 1948, the Phoenix Street Railway System shuttled riders from downtown through growing neighborhoods to rural areas. In 1929, the system had 6.6 million passengers. That year, the system really lived up to its motto, "Ride a Mile and Smile the While." The system survived the Great Depression and World War II, but a mysterious fire in 1947 was the fatal blow to an already-declining system. However, the system and its role in Phoenix's history weren't forgotten. The wonder and importance of such transportation is memorialized in the Phoenix Trolley Museum. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell examines the history of the Phoenix trolley.

The 19th Amendment turns 100 this year. The amendment guaranteed American women's suffrage nationally, but some women in Arizona voted before 1920. How did they do that? This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we meet some of the leaders of the women's suffrage movement in Arizona and explore their long-lasting impacts. In this episode you'll hear:

How Frances Munds impacted women's suffrage.

How literacy tests in Arizona disenfranchised women of color.

When Native Americans received the right to vote.

For most Americans, the clock springs forward an hour or falls back one because of Daylight Saving Time. But that's not the case in two states: Arizona and Hawaii. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast intern Jonathan Tease dives into the history and debates that led to Arizona's decision to opt out of Daylight Saving Time.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 built 41,000 miles of interconnected highways across the country. The bill arrived in an era of post-World War II, Cold War tension. Its proponents said highways were necessary for national defense. In case of an attack, people in densely populated cities would need roadways to evacuate. Across the country, highways were placed directly through towns, bisecting neighborhoods and changing the social fabric of communities. Some were routed through Black and minority neighborhoods that city leaders considered unsightly. "Urban renewal” programs sometimes used highways as barriers between Black and white parts of town. In Phoenix, highway construction came years later than other big cities, and the pushback by residents was strong. Mostly middle- and upper-class white residents of Phoenix were able to bargain for alterations and accommodations when infrastructure came in. For mostly low-income Black and Latino neighborhoods, the result was different.

On Monday, for the first time ever, Arizona will recognize Indigenous Peoples Day. It's a move that State Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai has been working toward for years. "The United States is first and foremost, and always has been and always will be, Indigenous peoples' sacred homeland," Peshlakai said. On Sept. 4, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day. Similar to the city of Phoenix's 2016 shift, the move does not replace Columbus Day, which falls on the same date, as a state holiday. And since it's a proclamation instead of legislation, this year will be the only year Indigenous Peoples Day is recognized by the state. At least for now. Pehslakai has plans to introduce legislation in 2021 to push for Indigenous Peoples Day to replace Columbus Day, but that move won't come without opposition. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're looking at the history behind the movement for Indigenous Peoples Day. The episode is hosted by Shondiin Silversmith, an Indigenous Affairs reporter for the Republic, and produced by podcast editor Katie O'Connell.

As newcomers to the Valley, Stephen Richer and his wife Lindsay noticed a ton of photo shoots taking place in downtown Phoenix. He saw women walking in downtown accompanied by professional photographers. Richer lived in other cities like Chicago, New Orleans and Portland. The phenomenon he saw in Phoenix was new to him. To find out what was going on, he got in touch with our team at Valley 101. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the social media influencer community here in the Valley. Producer Maritza Dominguez partnered with the Republic's entertainment reporter KiMi Robinson.

Hattie Mosher had a pioneering spirit. The daughter of one of the wealthiest families in turn of the century Phoenix, Hattie wasn't one to hold back. She made waves by being one of the first — if not the first — women to ride a bike in Phoenix. She worked as a reporter at the Denver Post. She ran for political office a decade after white women in Arizona were given the right to vote. But Hattie's story would go from riches to rags. In the final years of her life, she would be seen wandering around town in outdated ball gowns, rummaging through garbage bins for scraps. By the time she died in 1945, she had lost all but two small parcels of land and most of her money. How did someone who grew up in the lap of luxury lose everything? It's a story of grief, a city's development and the tenacity of those who helped grow it. To find out more about Hattie Mosher, listen to today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

West of the White Tank Mountains in Buckeye, there's a 30-mile, four-land highway that connects Interstate 10 in the south to Bell Road in the north. It was once seen as the key to city growth, anchoring dozens of future master planned communities and some 300,000 anticipated residents. After dozens of private investors constructed the highway in 1988 and 1989, the highway sat unused amid desolate surroundings for nearly 20 years. So what happened? How did this become our "Road to Nowhere"? This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, digs into the rich history of Sun Valley Parkway.

The first day of school is always a big day for students. Many plan out their outfits and memorize their schedules for the day. They walk out on campus with a map in hand to find their classrooms. But this year, many students are not getting that same experience. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put the traditional rituals of returning to school on hold. This includes students attending Arizona State University. ASU reopened their campus with new restrictions and guidelines. In today’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're following two students and an English instructor as they adj to life on campus. We'll hear how safe they feel teaching and going to school at ASU. The Republic’s higher education reporter Rachel Leingang partnered with producer Martiza Dominguez for today's episode.

Labor Day is a anational holiday that celebrates the contributors to the work force. During this holiday, our Valley 101 podcast team thought it would be fitting to explore one of the largest and most important labor movements in our state's history, the Farmworkers Movement. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta are two of the most well-known organizers in the movement. But Arizona had its own leaders. People such as Gustavo Gutierrez and Francisca Montoya. Their efforts, which diverged at times from union leadership in California, created lasting impacts for farmworkers in Arizona. The movement is also credited to laying the foundation for activism in the Latino community in Arizona. Today, we're diving into the movement by answering five questions about the movement. Producers Maritza Dominguez and Taylor Seely will guide you through the history and impacts of the movement. In this episode, you'll hear:

Marco Rosales, a Ph.D candidate at the University of California-Davis, who has extensively researched the movement.

Francisca Montoya who experienced the farmworkers movement first hand in Arizona.

Cesar Chavez in "Huelga!," a 1966 documentary.

Walk along almost any canal in the metro Phoenix area and you're sure to find thousands of shells each smaller than a quarter. What are they and how did they get there? Those are the questions reporter John D'Anna wonders about every time he walks his dog George along the neighborhood canal path. This week, Valley 101 is answering them. The shells' official name is Corbicula fluminea, but they're more commonly referred to as Asiatic clams. They were first spotted in the U.S. in 1938, then in Phoenix in 1956.

It's August, which means your TV news broadcasts are usually filled with stories about monsoon season, including stories about flooding, how to drive safely and how much rain we've received. This year has been a little different thanks to a hotter and drier summer. But when the rain hits, there's a noticeable scent to it. That's thanks to a certain desert plant, the creosote bush. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell explores what element of the creosote bush is responsible for producing this scent. She'll also discover whether or not we're the only place in the world with storms that smell like ours.

In a previous episode of Valley 101, producer Taylor Seely broke down the grid system of Phoenix streets. The streets in Phoenix run north and south, and east and west. This created streets that run perpendicular to each other. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Grand Avenue is one of those. Today we’re answering two questions submitted by listeners. First, how does a diagonal street like Grand Avenue exists in a grid system? And second, what’s so grand about Grand Avenue? In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the street's history.

Health care workers in Arizona are struggling through the burdens of a public health crisis that has hospitalized thousands of Arizonans and pushed emergency rooms and ICUs near full capacity. With higher than usual patient-to-nurse ratios, stringent PPE protocols and looming fears over exposing their loved ones to the novel coronavirus, health care workers in Arizona are feeling tired, dejected and desperate for lawmakers and the public to take COVID-19 seriously. "They've been trying to do two to one ICU patients to a nurse, but that's starting to be hard," Miranda Dunkelbarger, an ICU nurse in Apache Junction, said. Some days she said she's had three patients at a time. When New York emerged as a national hotspot in March and April and became the subject of eye catching stories about overwhelmed hospitals and mass graves for the dead, health care workers in Arizona watched in both fear and trepidation — How long before it came to Arizona? By early August, the novel coronavirus infected more than 180,000 Arizonans and killed more than 4,000. In June and July, Arizona was thrust in the national spotlight as a global hotspot, at one point recording a 25% positivity rate of tests conducted, a key COVID-19 metric. This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, follows Dr. Brad Dreifuss and nurse Miranda Dunkelbarger. Dreifuss is an emergency physician based in Tucson and co-founder of HCWHosted, a coalition dedicated to building pandemic preparedness plans for communities. Producer Taylor Seely dives into what they're experiencing and what they want people to know about their work.

Phoenix is the largest metropolitan city in the U.S. without passenger-rail service, but that wasn't always the case. In 1923, Phoenix Union Station opened. And in 1926, a transcontinental line was completed, meaning someone could take the train anywhere in the country. In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're exploring the history of passenger-rail service in the Valley. We'll look at what caused the decline in ridership, as well as future plans that could revive rail service to the historic building.

For several people in the Valley who've contracted COVID-19 or watched someone they love contract it, a switch flipped afterward. They felt compelled to convince others to take the disease seriously. Jimmy Flores, a 30-year-old man from Tempe, told Arizona Republic reporter Audrey Jensen he thought COVID-19 was a joke. He figured he was too young and healthy to be susceptible to any significant danger. After a night out at the bars, Flores contracted COVID-19 and was subsequently hospitalized. He tried to persuade friends and family to be more cautious. He posted on Facebook about his experience and tried to steer clear of politics, hoping it might help detractors or skeptics grasp reality. Others trying to spread awareness, though, are diving head first into politics. Mark Urquiza was a 65-year-old resident living in Phoenix's Maryvale neighborhood. He died on June 30 from COVID-19. His daughter, Kristin Urquiza, blames Gov. Doug Ducey. She published an evocative obituary for her father in The Republic calling out, "the carelessness of the politicians" for jeopardizing public health and "brown bodies." In an interview, she said Ducey has "blood on his hands." This week's episode of Valley 101 shares the stories of Flores and the Urquiza family. It examines the confusion some felt about Arizona's reopening and the potential effects of returning to life as usual.

As a lifelong Valley resident, I would often drive by the spring training stadiums for the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Angels. I always wondered why we had outside teams playing in the Arizona. The reason dates back to the 1940s before the state even had its own Major League Baseball team. Arizona's relationship to Americans' favorite pastime started with a coalition of baseball teams that would eventually become known as the Cactus League. This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, I look into the history of that league, while answering my own question, "Why is Arizona home to the Cactus League?" In this episode, you'll hear:

How the Cactus League got its beginning in Arizona.

How the league planted the seed of integrating the city in the 1940s.

The economic impact spring training has in the Valley.

This episode goes out to all of the book lovers. Did you know that if you live in Tempe, you can get a Phoenix Public Library card? One of our podcast listeners knew that, but he wasn't sure why, so podcast editor Katie O'Connell found out. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're exploring peeking behind-the-scenes at our local libraries. This includes looking at how services have been updated during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the popular summer reading program for kids.

Arizona is a battleground state in national elections and could sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. But how did we get here? How did the state go from reliably red to purple, with the possibility to shift blue in 2020, in just a decade? To understand, go back to 2010 when Arizona surprised the nation by passing Senate Bill 1070, a sweeping and highly controversial immigration law, otherwise known as the "show me your papers" law. That's what Valley 101's sister podcast will explore in season two of Rediscovering. The five-part series will examine what led to the bill, what its proponents sought to do, how the community and nation reacted, and how its effects linger still today. This week on Valley 101, host Kaila White will speak to the hosts of Rediscovering: SB 1070, The Arizona Republic's national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen. They also host our political podcast, The Gaggle. They'll take you behind the scenes for a sneak peak of what to expect in the new series.

Live in the Valley long enough and you’re bound to have a conversation about the Phoenix grid system. You might hear how convenient and logical it is. Avenues on the west, streets on the east. Central in the middle. You might think the only flaw is that there's no pattern to the east-west extending named streets. That's true. But that's not the only problem. Midtown Phoenix resident Scott Wilken spotted major inconsistencies between the number of blocks between each major named street when a driver is traveling north and south. He also discovered the blocks when traveling north and south are not equivalent to the blocks plotted going east and west. So, why is that? Plus, who created Phoenix's grid system? What's its history? This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, answers Wilken's question.

South Mountain is a hot spot for hiking enthusiasts, but its history is richer than you might think. There’s even a mystery deep within the mountain that has prompted our listeners to ask us for answers. The Lost Ranch ruins are located within the park away from official trails. As time has passed, the ruins have captivated hikers. One Valley 101 listener submitted this question: "What are the origins of the Lost Ranch?" In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the history South Mountain Park and the lonely ruins in the mountains. In this episode, you'll hear from South Mountain Park manager Dan Gronseth.

There's a chance that the concrete fence in your backyard could be partially made out of materials from volcanoes. In 1944, three Arizonans invented a new type of concrete block, the Superlite block. The key material in Superlite is volcanic scoria, which is essentially cooled volcanic magma. In this case, it's mined in Winona, AZ. The Superlite block allowed Phoenix to grow at an exponential rate after World War II. It was light, soundproof, fire proof and it could hold up to our summers. By 1955, Superlite was used in the construction of 75% of new buildings in the Valley. And it's still used a building material today, including in our fences. To read Taz Khatri's Modern Phoenix blog post on this subject, click here.

Valley 101 podcast parses through Arizona's COVID-19 data to better understand the nuances and clarify how the virus is taking shape in Arizona. Includes: Taylor Seely, Stephanie Innes and Alison Steinbach.

Arizona created a state poet laureate position to celebrate the state's centennial. A unanimous panel chose Alberto Ríos to fill the post in 2013. His role as poet laureate was to undertake a major literary project to expose quality poetry to residents who might not otherwise be. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Kaila White interviews Alberto Ríos. In this episode you'll hear how Arizona shaped Ríos and what lead him to poetry. You'll also hear him recite some of his poetry.

Our team is taking a week off for Memorial Day. However, we wanted to bring back an earlier episode breaking down how the Valley go so big. The answer, interestingly enough, goes back to World War II. Be sure to listen to part two where we explore the future population of the Valley. Enjoy and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. And follow us on Twitter @valley101pod.

Whether you're driving past a billboard, listening to the radio or watching TV, it seems like advertisements for attorneys are inescapable. But why are there so many of them? And why are so many of them about personal injury lawsuits? Turns out, until 1977, attorneys were prohibited from advertising. Times certainly have changed. Arizona lawyers, law firms and legal-services providers spent $32 million on advertising last year. And that number doesn't include spending on social media campaigns. If you're curious about this phenomenon, podcast editor Katie O'Connell got to the bottom of it in this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com where we answer the questions you ask about metro Phoenix. In this episode, you'll hear from:

Van O'Steen, a Phoenix attorney who sued for the right to advertise

Mark Breyer, a Phoenix personal injury attorney who currently advertises on TV

Patricia Sallen, a Phoenix attorney who works in legal ethics

Nancy Gray, a professor at Arizona State University

It's normal to experience a wide swath of emotions during times of stress and uncertainty. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. In this bonus episode, producer Taylor Seely interviews associate professor of psychology Michelle Shiota on how to pinpoint unhealthy behavior and tips for living as best we can right now.

This episode talks about the positive stories that are taking place during this pandemic. The acts of kindness that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Because, believe it or not, it's not all doom and gloom. Good news stories are out there. And they're plentiful.

At the end of the 1800s, Arizona had aspirations to become a state. In order to prove they were ready, they built a humble state Capitol building. The architect chose to put an angel at the top. Overs the years, that winged statue has caught the attention of many onlookers. One Valley 101 listener submitted this question, "What is the story behind the angel on top of the Arizona state Capitol?" This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the history of the angel. We also dig deeper into the history of the Arizona State Capitol. In this episode, you'll hear from:

Stephanie Mahan, an administrator at the Arizona State Capitol Museum

Michael Cady, a retired teacher and volunteer at the Arizona State Capitol Museum

In some neighborhoods, it seems like there's a car wash every few blocks. Eric Wulf, the CEO of the International Car Wash Association, said that Phoenix is one of the top markets for car washes. The reason for that traces back to a few things, including our weather, our growing population and changes in the industry overall. To find out more about this subject, podcast editor Katie O'Connell talked to trade experts and car wash owners alike. Listen to this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, to find out more. In this episode, you'll also hear from:

Dave Cheatham, the president of Velocity Retail Group

Brian Gleason, the owner of Mr. Shine Car Wash in Peoria

If you noticed all your friends and family on social media have taken up gardening recently, you're not alone. Universities are hosting online gardening tutorials, nurseries are filling their schedules with appointment-only shopping visits and at least one local garden's how-to email inbox is full daily. But the coronavirus pandemic isn't the first time people began gardening during difficult epochs. In World War I and II, self sufficiency took on new importance as Americans had to cope with food shortages and rationing. Out of it came "victory gardens," named after the war-time campaign slogan asking Americans to begin gardening and, "sow the seeds of victory." Although we do not face the same food shortages today, the comfort of gardening remains the same. In today's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Taylor Seely asks experts the step-by-step process of how to begin a garden and speaks to locals about their newfound love of horticulture. Plus, what to do if you want to garden in an apartment or would prefer to start with houseplants.

Elizabeth Montgomery, a Community Relations and Events Producer for The Arizona Republic, is teaming up with Valley 101 in this week's episode. During Black History Month, she wrote a column about moving to Metro Phoenix. Montgomery had lived her whole life in Atlanta, Ga. After moving here, she realized quickly that Atlanta and Phoenix are very different. One of the biggest differences is the population of African Americans in each city. Atlanta is 52% African American, while Phoenix is just under 7%. Soon after her arrival, Montgomery searched for her community, for the people, businesses and art that would help her feel at home. And she found it. In today's episode, she's sharing her tips to learning to love your new home. Montgomery teamed up with producer Maritza Dominguez to share her journey of finding a community in Phoenix.

Before social distancing became the norm, people used to gather. We'd get together for barbecues and cocktails, catch a movie or see a concert. But in world shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, the thought of 3,000 people from North Dakota congregating in a Mesa park seems distant. Still, that's exactly what happened on March 1. Perhaps the largest gathering of North Dakotans outside of the state, the North Dakota picnic gives transplants like reporter Rachel Leingang the chance to reconnect with those who sound and feel like home. A first-time attendee, Leingan decided to play a game: she attempted to find an unknown relative on a Saturday morning, 1,400 miles away from her hometown. Did her experiment work? And how did she feel afterward? Find out in this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Producing the episode this week is podcast editor Katie O'Connell.

Before anti-segregation milestones like Brown vs. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black tourists were prohibited from staying at most hotels. One of the few options for minority travelers in Phoenix was The Swindall House, also known as the Swindall Tourist Inn. Located at 1021 E. Washington Street, the inn is named after its second owners, Golden and Elvira Swindall. But its story begins with a Belgian immigrant in 1913. And rumor has it that famous black performers like jazz pianist Count Basie and athlete like baseball player Jackie Robinson stayed there. But efforts to locate a guestbook to verify those claims have failed. In fact, much of the building's history has been lost to time. Producer Taylor Seely spent two months uncovering the Swindall House's rich history, significance and lasting legacy for this episode of Valley 101.

In 1946, the Arizona State College mascot was the Bulldogs. But the Bulldog mascot was one of the most popular, then and now, so the football booster club decided it needed a new mascot that was more unique. That's when local attorney and member of the organization Water Craig suggested the Sun Devil. Craig also knew the illustrator who would bring Sparky the Sun Devil to life. Berkeley Anthony was a former Disney animator in the 1930s and early 1940s. But the story of Berkeley's time at Disney, as well as his creation of Sparky afterward, has many twists and turns. Producer Maritza Dominguez will explore that story on this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. In this episode, you'll hear:

How a small time Disney animator created the iconic mascot for ASU

How Sparky came to live on the football field

How the legacy of Sparky the Sun Devil Continues

Stories about the new coronavirus are inescapable right now. The Valley 101 podcast team understands that can be overwhelming and difficult to parse through. So this week we're releasing a 15-minute bonus episode answering the essential frequently-asked questions about COVID-19. In this episode, health-care reporter Stephanie Innes tells you what you need to know to keep yourself and your family safe and informed during the outbreak. Here's what we answer:

What's the difference between the coronavirus and COVID-19?

How's it different from the flu?

How does it spread?

How do you stay safe?

What's social distancing? Why are people doing it?

What does "flattening the curve" mean?

Why flattening the curve is especially important in Arizona

What's the worst-case scenario that could happen in our community?

How long could this last?

Each year when monsoon season hits, so do the headlines about valley fever. But what is valley fever? The answer lies in our soil. There's a type of fungus that lives in the first few inches of the soil in the southwest. When that fungus dries, it turns into microscopic spores. When those spores are swept up in haboobs, we run the risk of breathing them in, which could lead to an infection in our lungs. And it's not just humans who are at risk. Our pets can develop valley fever too. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell finds answers about valley fever before monsoon season hit. In this episode you'll hear:

What valley fever is and what causes it

What are the symptoms of valley fever

Options for diagnosis and treatment of valley fever

How to tell if your pet might have valley fever

During monsoon season, from June to September, large dust storms often overwhelm Arizona. The storms grow more severe when the preceding spring and winter seasons are dry, which allows dirt to loosen. When dust storms hit certain criteria, they're considered "haboobs." Haboob is an Arabic word that essentially means big, blasting winds, according to Andrew Deemer, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Phoenix and former linguist. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast that answers your questions about metro Phoenix, Producer Taylor Seely breaks down the components necessary for a dust storm to be considered a haboob, plus how and when the word entered Arizona's lexicon.

For this week's episode, we're tackling a more subjective question, "What buildings would you say are the most iconic in the Phoenix skyline?" There are a few ways to approach this question, from either an aesthetic standpoint or by evaluating a building's history. But, thanks to the help of some expert sources, we've crowned one building the winner. Listen to this week's episode, produced by podcast editor Katie O'Connell, to find out which one. In this episode you'll hear:

Alison King, founder of Modern Phoenix: The Neighborhood Network

Michelle Dodds, city of Phoenix historic preservation officer

The creation of the light bulb in 1879 would forever shape our homes, streets and offices. But by the 1950s, light pollution became a concern, as it effects both natural ecosystems and human health. In fact, studies have shown that light pollution can be linked to breast cancer. Today, the future of Arizona's dark sky could be threatened by light pollution. It's an issue dark sky advocates are working to ease. This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, breaks down what the Valley is doing to mitigate light pollution. In this episode, you'll hear:

The components that make up light pollution.

The impacts of light pollution on the state's tourism and economy.

The steps communities in Metro Phoenix are making to combat light pollution.

There are at least seven mountains in Maricopa County with letters whitewashed on the side. Have you ever wondered why they were put in? Or when? We'll give you one hint: It comes down to more than just community pride. This week, Valley 101 digs into the history behind the "

Anne Ferraioli grew up in Phoenix, but she said she never paid much attention to Dreamy Draw Dam. Then she noticed there wasn't any water in it. And when she started looking into it, the results were surprising. Ferraioli found article after article about a possible U.F.O. landing site at the dam. What she didn't find was much information about its actual history. Given the curious results, Ferraioli asked the Valley 101 podcast to dig into Dreamy Draw Dam's history. Podcast editor Katie O'Connell took her question and ran with it. In this episode you'll hear:

How the U.F.O. rumors at Dreamy Draw Dam began

Whether or not the director of Open Minds TV thinks the rumors are true

The history of the dam and its purpose today

The stories of how someone became or experiences homelessness are incredibly varied. Lawrence Small, 41, has been homeless for two months after experiencing domestic violence. But this isn't his first time experiencing homelessness. He was also homeless in Seattle when he was 34 years old. "Seattle is different from Phoenix," Small said. "Seattle, they help homeless people out there. The housing, jobs. Phoenix don't do it." Homelessness continues to rise across the Valley. In 2019, there were at least 6,614 people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. To understand what it's like to be homeless in Maricopa County, the Valley 101 team partnered with reporter Jessica Boehm and the Maricopa Association of Governments, otherwise known as MAG. Each year, MAG does a Point in Time survey of the homeless population in an attempt to understand patterns and trends leading to homelessness. This year, we went with them during the survey. In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, you'll hear three stories from people currently experiencing homelessness.

The next time you're beneath a palm tree, see if you can spot a small green bird with a peach-colored face hanging out in its fronds. Those are feral rosy-faced lovebirds. Metro Phoenix is home to roughly 2,000 of them, although they're originally from Africa. A wild lovebird population started growing here in the mid-1980s. Their appearance created confusion and curiosity among local residents, especially those in the birding community. So just how did they get here? This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, digs in to how they found a new home in the Valley. In this episode, you'll hear:

How rosy-faced lovebirds got to the Valley

Where you can find rosy-face lovebirds in the valley

How they impact our environment

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport grounded flights due to extreme heat for the first time in 1990. It happened again more recently in 2013 and 2017. But why can't planes fly in certain temperatures? Turns out, it has to do with performance data provided by plane manufacturers and airline safety procedures. For more on what exactly that means, listen to this week's episode of Valley 101 podcast. In this episode, you'll hear:

What it was like in 1990 when Phoenix Sky Harbor grounded flights.

What four components are necessary for planes to fly.

Kenneth Wood, an American Airline pilot, explain why "performance data" was integral to planes being grounded in high-heat situations.

Related reading:

Nope, turns out it was technically never too hot to fly out of Phoenix

Extreme heat could delay Phoenix flights

Flying for the holidays? These hacks will help speed you through Sky Harbor Airport

Celebrities. You love 'em or you hate 'em. Or, you love to hate 'em. We on the Valley 101 podcast team have a few we just absolutely gush over. We're sure we're not swayed by the fact that they're from Arizona. This week, Katie O'Connell, Maritza Dominguez and Taylor Seely each share their favorite celebrity with local ties, plus stories of how the Valley inspired or shaped them. In this episode, you'll hear:

How growing up in Arizona David Hallberg into a resilient world-class ballet dancer.

How Jordin Sparks became an "American Idol" winner and took to the stage on Broadway.

The story of Steven Spielberg's first movie premiere, which happened in Phoenix when he was 17 years old

Autism is often seen as a “kid’s disorder,” meaning the focus is on helping children – but where does that leave autistic adults? We talked with leaders in the Valley’s autism community about the “services cliff” people with autism often experience at the age of 21 and what Arizona is doing about it.

We spent most of 2019 exploring the Valley thanks to your questions. We'll be back in 2020 with more. Submit your question today at valley101podcast.azcentral.com.

Citrus, cotton, copper, cattle and climate — these are the five Cs of Arizona. They're the five economic drivers that transformed Arizona from a small cowboy town to a growing metropolis. In this episode, you'll hear:

How copper helped grow the population in Arizona, and how it's still a major industry in the state.

How the cattle industry grew in Arizona and why it's still a major industry despite its downturn post-peak downturn

How Arizona has leveraged its climate to attract tourists in the past, and how residents can think about its climate going forward.

Did you know that Phoenix had one of the most successful local children's shows of all time? "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" ran from 1954 to 1989, collecting fans like Steven Spielberg and Alice Cooper along the way. What made the show a success was its dark humor. Yes, it was a kids' show, but it featured characters like Aunt Maud, who liked reading tragic stories to children. Or Marshall Good, an unemployed "cowboy" from New Jersey who had never ridden a horse. Kids may have tuned in for the cartoon, but high schoolers and their parents got the more offbeat jokes. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell explores the history of this Valley original. In this episode you'll hear:

Previously unaired interview audio with all three of the show's stars

Clips from the show's skits, including one with Muhammad Ali

Republic reporter Richard Ruelas, who has written two books on the show, sharing his childhood memories of it

In the 1990s, Phoenix was in a public controversy over the public art project called Wall Cyle to Ocotillo. The country was going through a recession and the local residents were mad. Mad about the taxpayer money spent on the art, mad about the look of the pots, and mad the city choose out-of-state artists. Eventually the public argument died down, but the curiosity about the project didn't. Almost thirty years later, Phoenix residents still have questions. This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dig deep into the history of Wall Cycle to Ocotillo, while also looking at the significance of public art. In this episode, you'll hear:

Mags Harries and Lajos Heder, the artists who designed Wall Cycle to Ocotillo

Edward Lebow, current director of Phoenix's Public Art Program

Audio from a student mockumentary parodying the art project

Metro Phoenix isn’t exactly the idyllic location for Christmas. There’s no snow for building snowmen, the sweaters are often more for aesthetic than necessity, and the hot cocoa? Well, let’s just say Starbucks still keeps their plastic cups fully stocked. But at the very least, locals can create their own holiday wonderland by decorating their homes, hanging twinkle lights, and ornamenting a Christmas tree. Those opting for a real Christmas tree may find themselves wondering: If we live in a desert, where do the real Christmas trees come from? LINKS:

For information on how to purchase a permit to cut a Christmas tree from a national forest, click here.

For more information on our show, visit: valley101.azcentral.com.

Follow our show on Twitter: @Valley101pod

Follow our host on Twitter @kailawhite

Follow producer Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95

It looks like a tiered wedding cake and is even painted a soft yellow like buttercream. Listen to learn its century-old history (and how to get tour tickets).

Click here to see photos and video from inside Tovrea Castle. Note: Those are only for subscribers to azcentral.com. You can subscribe at azcentral.com/join.

Last week, our Valley 101 podcast explored Arizona's five Cs, focusing on citrus and its decline. This week, podcast editor Katie O'Connell digs in on another crop: cotton. The plant was included in the five Cs after its boom in World War I, but it's struggled in recent decades. To uncover more on cotton and its role in our state's identity, Katie spoke to Ron and Russ Rayner, a father-son duo who operate farms in the West Valley. Their consensus was clear. Cotton is still a vital part of the state's identity, bringing in between $400 to $500 million to the state's economy each year. In this episode, you'll hear:

Philip VanderMeer, a retired Arizona State University professor of American and Arizonan history

Ron and Russ Rayner, farmers from the West Valley

Archival audio from an educational documentary from the 1950s

If you grew up in Arizona as a young kid, chances are you learned about the five Cs of Arizona in school. But if you didn’t, maybe you’ve heard about them and wondered how they came to be. What are those five Cs? How did Arizona even get this alliteration? This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the history of the five C's and answer the listener-submitted question, "what happened to derail the citrus industry in Arizona?" We also dig deeper into the impact the citrus industry has on Arizona's economy. In this episode, you'll hear:

Philip VanderMeer, a retired Arizona State University professor of American and Arizona history

Selwyn Justice, a fifth generation citrus grower in Arizona

Archival audio from an educational documentary from the 1930s

The Valley Metro light rail debuted in 2008 as a public transportation option that proponents hoped would propel Phoenix into the big leagues of cities. It currently stretches 28 miles long, 8 miles longer than when it first opened. By 2050, Valley Metro plans for it to be 60 miles long. But since its opening, locals have a lots of questions. Reporter Jessica Boehm and producer Taylor Seely answer them. The questions answered in this episode:

Why'd the light rail come to Phoenix?

Why's the light rail designed the way it is?

Why'd Phoenix choose a light rail over a monorail?

Does the light rail bring crime and hurt business?

What's best for taxpayers' wallets: light rail, bus or car?

Has light rail been successful?

It's the Valley 101 podcast: Spooky edition! You'll hear about graveyards, theater ghosts, and places where children's spirits are rumored to roam. Go on a haunted tour across Phoenix with us.

Imagine yourself walking down a dark, twisting staircase. There's light at the bottom, but not much. You come upon a scene as puzzling as it is creepy: fourteen dolls that look like they've been there for years, sitting around a table and lit by a singular bulb. That's what you'll find in the basement of Hanny's, 40 N. 1st St, Phoenix. The downtown Phoenix bar and restaurant used to be a department store, which opened in 1947. The dolls weren't there then, so how and when did they get there? And more importantly, why? That's the topic podcast editor Katie O'Connell will explore in this week's special Halloween episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

Eighty-eight years ago, Winnie Ruth Judd traveled from Phoenix to Los Angeles with trunks oozing out blood. Initially, police thought the trunks contained illegal deer meat. After flies began circling the abandoned luggage, police opened the trunks, only to discover Agnes "Anne" LeRoi's full body in one and Hedvig "Sammy" Samuelson's dismembered body in another one. The Oct. 16, 1931 murders put the then-sleepy city of Phoenix on the map. The murderous tale and subsequent court proceedings made national headlines. And with so many unanswered questions, the mystery behind Judd's story continues to capture attention. Did Judd alone kill the two women? Why are there still so many questions surrounding the murder? How did she escape so many times from state hospital? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez explores the tale of the "Trunk Murderess." In this episode, you'll hear: Jana Bommersbach, author of the book "The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd", gives a look at Winnie's life before and after the murders. Marshall Shore, the "Hip Historian", describe what Phoenix was like in the 1930's. Winnie Ruth Judd, in a 1969 interview, tells her version of what happened that night.

Phoenix is known as the land of sunshine and real estate. But every so often you might hear someone compare Phoenix with Silicon Valley, the land of tech startups and innovation and billionaires and Tesla. Some have gone so far as to call Phoenix the "Silicon Desert." But when people talk startups, they usually talk about San Jose and San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Boston. What about us? How big is Phoenix’s startup scene? How is it shaping our metro and our future?

There's a tower and dome-shaped building south of Interstate 10 near 16th Avenue that seems to always be under construction. It's a church called La Luz del Mundo, or in English, The Light of the World Church. So what is the church and what do the members believe? And why is their church leader, Naasón Joaquín García facing 26 felony charges in Los Angeles County? Reporter Uriel Garcia and producer Taylor Seely find out. To learn more about the church, its history, and ex-churchgoers, read this in-depth article for azcentral.com subscribers.

Executive Order 9066 lead to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Two of the largest incarceration camps were located in Arizona. In last week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we examined the history of the camps and what it was like to live in one. In this week's episode, we'll explore what life was like for Japanese Americans who lived outside of the militarized zone. We'll also delve into the closing of the camps and, decades later, a moment the president of the Japanese American Citizens League, Arizona Chapter described as a "bright spot" for our country.

Signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942, Executive Order 9066 incarcerated almost 120,000 Japanese-Americans without due process. Internees were sent to one of 10 incarceration camps throughout the country, including two in Arizona. Named the Poston Relocation Center and Gila River War Relocation Center, the camps would become the third and fourth largest cities in Arizona at the time. This week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, explores the atmosphere that lead to the signing of Executive Order 9066 and the construction of the camps in Arizona. You'll also hear what life was like in the Arizona camps from someone who grew up in one. This is the first part of a two-part series on this chapter of history. The second part will be released on Monday, Sept. 23. Subscribe to Valley 101 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to ensure that you'll hear the follow up.

How have Latinos shaped Phoenix's development? Who are the Latinos that led the fight for civil rights in the Valley? It's a broad question, and an essential one: About one third of the people living in Maricopa County are Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census data. We're looking at three stories that illustrate the impact Latinos had in the Valley and continue to have. We take a look into what Phoenix was like before it was developed and during the civil rights movement. September 15th is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Celebrate by learning more about Latino history in Arizona with this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. NOTE: Valley 101 is intended to be heard. But we also offer a transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio. In this episode, you'll hear:The History of the "Mother of Phoenix," Trinidad Escalante SwillingRay Martinez, a co-founder of the American Legion Post 41 and WWII U.S. Navy veteranMary Rose Wilcox, the first Latina to serve on the Phoenix City Council

Which Arizona team are we in the Valley the most loyal to? And why? People often talk about how long a team has been around or how much they're winning, but there's so much more to it than that. Which team do you love the most and why? Let us know on Twitter @valley101pod. And sign up for our email newsletter at valley101newsletter.azcentral.com.

The American Lung Association ranked Phoenix the seventh most ozone-polluted metropolitan area in the United States in April. If you've ever seen a brown haze hanging over the Valley, you too may have questioned the safety of our air quality. While all residents can experience side effects of poor air quality, there are certain groups of people who are particularly sensitive and will endure more severe consequences. What can we all do to protect them? This episode will help you understand more about these pollutants; how they affect human health and who is most at risk; and how Phoenix's air quality has changed over time. LINKS: Subscribe to our Valley 101 Newsletter: valley101newsletter.azcentral.com For more info on the ADEQ vehicle emissions assistance program: azdeq.gov/carhelp Follow Valley on Twitter @valley101pod. Follow Producer Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Follow Host Kaila White on Twitter @KailaWhite

What do you think of when you picture a palm tree? For some, palm trees bring to mind images of beaches, sand and the ocean waves — not the desert. But you can spot the high-rising plant pretty much anywhere you head to in town. That begs the question: Are palm trees native to Arizona? Why does Phoenix have so many? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell digs in on this fixture of our landscape. In this episode you'll hear:Liz Makings, collections manager for Arizona State University's HerbariumSteve Blackwell, conservation collections manager at the Desert Botanical GardenBrian Blake, owner of Whitfill Nursery: Main Tree Farm

Arizona is home to an array of wildlife unique to the southwestern U.S., including the often-misunderstood javelina. As Mesa resident Jim Albany asked, "Are javelina really dangerous?" This question took us on a journey to the Phoenix Zoo, a taxidermy-filled office room, and the Ben Avery Outdoor Archery Range in Phoenix. If you've ever run into a javelina in your neighborhood and not known how to react, you'll want to take a listen to this episode. Did you know that you can hunt javelina? We break down how it works and talk to local hunter Josh Kirchner about his adventures. To learn more, listen to this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. In this episode, you'll hear:Devorah Young, a hoofstockkeeper at the Phoenix Zoo, talk about javelinas she takes care of. Darren Julian, of Arizona Game and Fish Department, speak about how to react when you run into a javelina.Josh Kirchner, a local hunter, talk about why he hunts javelina and how to do it.

Odds are you’ve driven through the part of Interstate 10 in downtown Phoenix that dips into a tunnel. Phoenix natives call this the Deck Park Tunnel. But that is that is not its real name, and it’s technically not a tunnel. The real name is the Papago Freeway Tunnel and it's a series of 19 bridges. Big surprise, right? To dig in to this controversial history, listen to this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. This episode contains clips of a video called "Soaring Sculpture" produced by Swartwout Film Productions in cooperation with the Arizona State Highway Department and the Bureau of Public Roads and U.S. Department of Transportation. Thank you to the Arizona Department of Transportation for letting us use parts of that video.

Legend City was an 87-acre Arizona theme park located between Phoenix and Tempe near Papago Park from 1963 to 1983. At its best, Legend City was a family oasis filled with fun western rides, talented performers and nostalgic penny arcades. At its worst, it had shoddy maintenance and only remnants of its original western theme. Despite Legend City's tumultuous history, filled with financial mismanagement, rapid ownership turnover and multiple periods of closure, the park was also a source of many fond memories for residents today. Producer Taylor Seely explores the story behind the park in this episode. Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod Follow Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Find John Bueker's book on Legend City by clicking here.

Legend City (Images of America)

Built before statehood, the Arizona capitol building grew in conjunction with the state's population. By 1954, the state legislature realized a third addition to the original structure was necessary. The state contracted with a group called the Associated State Capital Architects, but not everyone was pleased with their designs. Insert Frank Lloyd Wright. The famed architect offered an unsolicited design for the building in 1957, launching a public debate on which plan the government should pursue. And things got heated. Listen to this episode of the Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com to learn more.

If you drive around the Valley you're likely to see electric scooters on sidewalks, in neighborhoods and in popular areas like Mill Avenue in Tempe or Scottsdale Fashion Square. Bike-share programs that have docking stations have been in metro Phoenix since 2014. But once dockless bikes popped up in 2017 and dockless scooters in 2018, they immediately drew criticism. You might be wondering: Why are they here? Are they safe to ride? How are they changing the Valley? In this episode of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com's Valley 101 podcast, we look at all the ways electric scooters and bikes are affecting our cities. In this episode, you'll hear: What it's like to be a charger for electric scooter companies like Bird and Lime.What safety issues scooters are bringing to the forefront in our communities?Whether or not scooters will change transportation as we know it.

Many major cities across the U.S. have a Chinatown, Little Italy or some other ethnic enclave where immigrants have settled together. Did we ever have an ethnic enclave in metro Phoenix? Yes! We had one. Or, well, two. Listen to this episode of the Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com to learn more.

From its time as "Apacheria" to rumors it was once brimming with camels, metro Phoenix is rich with history and myths. In this episode of Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer four of your questions about the history of Arizona and the Phoenix area. These include:What state in Mexico was Arizona before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?Who named Camelback Mountain?What is the most iconic building in the downtown Phoenix skyline?How did Grand Avenue end up diagonal in a grid of roads?

As housing across metro Phoenix becomes more expensive, Valley residents are questioning whether it’s become a crisis, and how effectively cities are tackling the issue. Reporters from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.comhave covered this crisis extensively, finding that eviction rates and homelessness rates are rising every year in Maricopa County. In part, that’s because of an affordable-housing crisis across the Valley. To read the transcript of this episode, click here. Articles mentioned in the episode: – Eviction rate spikes again across Phoenix as affordable-housing crisis worsens – Federal report: Homelessness spikes in Arizona, rising 10 percent in 2018 – Renters in the housing crisis are often stuck between help and affordability – SqueezedOut.azcentral.com Follow us on Twitter: @valley101pod Follow the producer of this episode, Taylor: @taylorseely95 Follow the show host: @kailawhite

Phoenix was built on agriculture. Without the efforts of early settlers to revive the Hohokam canal system to grow crops, we wouldn't be here today. But the abundance of land, good climate and accessible water drew new residents and businesses en mass. The more the population grew, the more land was converted to from agricultural land to residential land. The result? The west valley lost 31% of its agricultural land between 2000 and 2017. The east valley lost almost 54% of agricultural land during the same time. How are urban farmers in the Valley surviving? And what does the future of farming look like? If you're looking for more on this subject, read this story from Arizona Republic reporter Joshua Bowling.

Other big cities across the U.S. have been shaped by housing segregation and redlining, but did that happen here? Host Kaila White looks into this issue that reaches back to before Arizona was a state and it still impacts Phoenix today, maybe even affecting your neighborhood. References: - FDR recording “NNV 169-59 [dig].” from 1940 from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. - Ray Martinez recording from Arizona History, A Chicano Perspective (1985). F 820 M5 A77x 1985. Chicano/a Research Collection. ASU Library, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. - President Johnson Signing the 1968 Civil Rights Bill, April 11, 1968 from the LBJ Presidential Library. - Read Elizabeth Montgomery’s article on Lincoln Ragsdale, “the Arizona Civil Rights pioneer who helped integrate Phoenix.”

Have you ever noticed a clear wire, strung between poles in different parts of the Valley? You can see it at the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, crossing diagonally along the canal, near Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. That's an Eruv. A boundary for observant, usually Orthodox, members of Judaism. The wire, which surrounds parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, allows the community to carry certain items outside of their homes on Shabbat, otherwise known as Shabbos or the Sabbath. But why does this Eruv allow them to carry things? And why do the rules exist in the first place? Learn all about the Valley Eruv in this week's episode of Valley 101. Read the transcript of the episode by clicking here.

Follow Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod

It took months of planning, but on the night of December 23, 1944, 25 German prisoners of war POWs escaped from Camp Papago Park in Phoenix. They crawled through a handmade tunnel with hopes of heading home via Mexico. Later known as "The Great Papago Escape," it was the largest POW escape on American soil during World War II. And it happened in our backyard — literally. There are houses now where the camp existed. In this episode, editor Katie O'Connell explores what happened that fateful night. And what can we learn from it now? Follow Katie O'Connell on Twitter: @katieoc If you have additional questions about this story, you can reach out to historian Steve Hoza directly by clicking here.

If you love restaurants or cooking shows, or you care about Arizona’s farmers, ranchers, or tourism, or you just want people to know our state is cool, you should know about the James Beard Awards. Considered the "Oscars of the food world," the James Beard Awards are the top award American chefs can win. So why did Arizonans stop winning? In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Kaila White teamed up with The Republic's dining editor Lauren Saria to explore Arizona's history and future with the James Beard Awards. Read the transcript of this episode by clicking here. This transcript is created in part by audio transcription software and lightly edited by a producer, so there may be slight deviations from the podcast audio. Follow Lauren Saria on Twitter: @lhsaria Follow Kaila White on Twitter: @kailawhite Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod

If the saying goes, "You are what you eat," then Chicagoans are deep-dish pizza or Chicago dogs, Philadelphians are Philly cheesesteaks, and perhaps New Mexicans are green chiles. But what about Arizonans? Does the Valley have a food to call its own? And if it does, what does it say about our culture? Producer Taylor Seely finds out on this episode of Valley 101. And be sure to submit your questions at Valley101.azcentral.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod

Almost two million people in Arizona live in some sort of community association. How did we get here? The answer goes back to how the city developed after World War II. Valley 101 editor Katie O'Connell talked to real estate experts to find out the answer on this episode. Want your question answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. Follow Katie O'Connell on Twitter: @katieoc. Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the federal government systematically took Native American children from their homes and shipped them to boarding schools across the U.S. to assimilate them into western society. Arizona is home to one of those boarding schools. How did it change from 1891 to 1990, to become more academic and even a point of pride for Native American students? And what was it like to be a student through the ages? Listen to this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, to find out. Special thanks to The Heard Museum, for allowing Valley 101 to record in its exhibit and the audio of musician Russel Moore to be included in this episode. This story was reported by Shondiin Silversmith and produced by Taylor Seely. Follow Shondiin on Twitter: @DiinSilversmith Follow Taylor on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod Submit your questions to Valley 101 at Valley101.azcentral.com.

Legend has it, the concrete pad and stone wall are all that's left of an upscale restaurant called Cloud Nine that mysteriously burned down in the 1960s. Who built a restaurant up there and how? What was it like in its heyday? And what led to its demise? Valley 101 host and producer Kaila White dug into newspaper archives and public records to find the truth, encountering some interesting characters along the way. Music in this episode includes “Arizona Moon,” “La Costilla,” and “El Tajo” by Blue Dot Sessions. Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. And follow us on Twitter @valley101pod.

As we talked about in last week's episode, the Valley is going to grow. For part two in our exploration of our population, we're looking ahead. Just how many people are we talking about adding? And what will that additional population mean for our economy and housing? What about our transportation and water? Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. And follow us on Twitter @valley101pod.

We've been collecting your questions for more than two months now and one topic keeps coming up: the Valley's population. So we're taking two episodes to answer your population-related questions. In this week's episode, we look at how Phoenix and the Valley got so big. When did we start growing? And what fueled that growth? Be sure to listen next week when we explore the future population of the Valley. Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. And follow us on Twitter @valley101pod.

Positioned just northwest of downtown Phoenix, the Melrose District's mile-long strip of gay bars, vintage stores and eateries line Seventh Avenue with pride flags, murals and a rainbow crosswalk. But how did the Melrose District gain its reputation as a queer-friendly space? What even makes it one? Valley 101 producer Taylor Seely and Arizona Republic reporter Garrett Mitchell trekked the "fruit loop" talking to historians, shopkeepers, bartenders and residents to get a glimpse at why the Melrose District is Phoenix's go-to gayborhood. Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit it at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. And follow us on Twitter @valley101pod.

Is it related to the mythological phoenix, a bird that lived for hundreds of years, died in an explosion of flames, and would be reborn from its ashes? It would make sense, given that Phoenix summers set us on fire and yet here we are still. Who named our city? And was it ever called something else? To answer those questions, Valley 101 producer Téa Francesca Price dug into Phoenix's history. Want to submit a question for Valley 101 to answer? Visit valley101podcast.azcentral.com.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has Terminals 2, 3, and 4. But have you noticed there's no Terminal 1? At least not anymore. Valley 101 producer Taylor Seely investigates why. Tell us your questions about metro Phoenix at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or find us on Twitter at @valley101pod. You can reach Taylor on Twitter @taylorseely95.

Putting your recyclable items into a blue bin is only step one. After it’s picked up, where does it go? What happens to it? And what can you do to help the process? Kaila White, a reporter and editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, visited a materials recovery facility in north Phoenix to find out. Tell us your questions about metro Phoenix at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or find us on Twitter at @valley101pod. You can reach Kaila on Twitter at @kailawhite.

What creates the brilliant red and pink sunsets in Phoenix? Local folklore says that the pollution in Phoenix shapes our sunsets. But is that true? Katie O'Connell, the head of podcasts for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, found out. Tell us your questions about metro Phoenix at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or find us on Twitter at @valley101pod. You can reach Katie on Twitter at @katieoc.

Every year, there are dozens of car crashes involving wrong-way drivers in Arizona. How does metro Phoenix compare with other metropolitan areas across the country? What is causing this problem, and can we do to stop it? Arizona Republic and azcentral.com producer Téa Francesca Price investigates. Tell us your questions about metro Phoenix at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or find us on Twitter at @valley101pod. You can reach Téa on Twitter @_tfprice.

Some claim gentrification has ruined Roosevelt Street in downtown Phoenix. Others boast that the area is safer and more walkable than before. And is it still artsy? Arizona Republic and azcentral.com producer Taylor Seely investigates. Tell us your questions about metro Phoenix at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or find us on Twitter at @valley101pod. You can reach Taylor on Twitter @taylorseely95.

Ever wonder what Roosevelt Row was like before it was developed? Or why there are so many wrong-way crashes in Phoenix? The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com podcast team will answer all of your Valley-related questions in our new show launching on Monday, Feb. 18. We'll pick one question a week to investigate and take you with as we report. Each episode will give you the facts in 10 to 20 minutes. We want to hear your questions! Submit your questions at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. Or follow along on Twitter @Valley101pod.