Arizona

Arizona proposes law that would shift wildfire liability from utilities to insurers | TechCrunch

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2025

Arizona proposes law that would shift wildfire liability from utilities to insurers | TechCrunch

Arizona lawmakers are debating a bill that would protect utilities from wildfire-related lawsuits, a move that would likely send shockwaves through the insurance industry.

The bill would make it harder to prove that utilities are to blame for wildfires started by faulty or poorly maintained equipment while also limiting damages. In exchange for reduced liability, utilities would need to file plans every two years detailing the steps they’re taking to limit the risk of wildfires.

The bill, as currently written, doesn’t really require utilities to stick to those plans. If a utility doesn’t follow its plans or is negligent in maintaining its equipment, it is still protected from claims.

The insurance industry has been reeling from wildfires, and the bill could have the unintended effect of shifting the burden of wildfire claims from utilities onto homeowners’ insurers.

“There’s no free lunch in this,” Marcus Osborn, an insurance company lobbyist, said at a public hearing on the bill. “You’re either going to pay in higher insurance premiums or you’re going to pay in higher utility costs.”

Some homeowners in Arizona have seen their rates triple this year while others have had their coverage dropped.

That’s largely a result of insurance companies trying to cover their losses as wildfire claims stack up. Hippo, an insurance startup that went public via SPAC in 2021, reported $42 million in losses as a result of the recent Los Angeles wildfires. Lemonade, another startup that went public in 2020, is expecting to lose $45 million from the same disaster.

Compounding risks from wildfires have given other startups an opening. Kettle, for example, sells reinsurance and models possible wildfire outcomes to help other companies backstop their wildfire risk. Still, the overall trend has been toward higher costs for homeowners.

The Arizona bill is being mooted as states throughout the Western U.S. grapple with the threat — and fallout — of wildfires made worse by climate change and over a century of fire suppression.

For decades, fires in the U.S. were stamped out as quickly as possible. Before, low-intensity fires would race through the understory, killing weak saplings and transforming dry leaf litter into rich ash that fertilized the soil. But as fires were suppressed, understories grew thick with brush and years of accumulated leaf litter.

Those conditions created what wildfire experts call “ladder fuels,” which help carry low-intensity fires from the forest floor into the canopy, where they can turn catastrophic.

Against that backdrop, climate change has been compounding the risk of high-intensity canopy fires. Rising temperatures have exacerbated droughts, according to a study published in November, by increasing evaporation. In other words, what little precipitation does fall to the ground ends up back in the atmosphere more quickly than before, leading to even drier conditions.

Warmer winters have also been to blame. Lower snowpack leads to drier spring conditions, and insects whose populations were usually kept in check by bitter cold temperatures have been thriving. For example, warmer temperatures and voracious pine beetles killed more than 100 million trees in California between 2014 and 2017. Those dead trees became an ideal fuel that drove wildfires in subsequent years.

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Arizona

8 best menus to try during Arizona Spring Restaurant Week 2026

Published

4 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

8 best menus to try during Arizona Spring Restaurant Week 2026

Restaurant Week is returning to Arizona, which means its time to try something new at some of the best locally-owned restaurants in the state for lower-than-usual prices.

Spring Restaurant Week lasts from May 15-24, and will return in the fall from September 18-27. During those weeks, three-course prix fixe menus are available at over 200 local restaurants for $33, $44 or $55.

Reservations are not required at most establishments to enjoy the Restaurant Week menus, but they are highly encouraged.

With so many to choose from, we combed through the offerings to find the stand out deals. Many of the participating restaurants have appeared on The Arizona Republic’s list of 100 essential restaurants. Others have received numerous national awards and recognitions, including several James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalists.

Here are 8 of the best menus to try during Arizona Spring Restaurant Week 2026.

Beginner’s Luck

When Beginner’s Luck opened in Old Town Scottsdale in December 2023, The Republic’s Bahar Anooshahr fell in love with chef Bernie Kantak’s brunch. The restaurant later earned him a spot on the semifinalist list for Best Chef — Southwest for the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2025.

Beginner’s Luck’s $55 Restaurant Week menu includes roasted corn and green chile chowder, pork belly, pan roasted Norwegian salmon, mole rojo short rib and blueberry bread pudding. Many options are gluten-free.

Details: 7240 E. Main St., Suite C100, Scottsdale. 480-571-0416, beginnersluckaz.com.

Cocina Chiwas

Multiple-time James Beard Award semifinalists and culinary power couple Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin opened Cocina Chiwas at Culdesac Tempe in 2023 as an upscale sister restaurant to their original Tacos Chiwas restaurants.

Cocina Chiwas’ $44 Restaurant Week menu includes ceviche, ribeye tacos, mole and pastel de elote. For an additional $14, guests can try the Roxxstar cocktail made with vodka, Cocchi Rosa, watermelon, lemon juice, yuzu and orange bitters.

Details: 2001 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. 480-916-3690, cocinachiwasaz.com.

Espiritu

Espiritu is a chef-driven Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar from the teams behind Bacanora and Tacos Chiwas. It was named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S. in 2022, the year it opened in downtown Mesa.

Espiritu’s $55 Restaurant Week menu includes birria dumplings, K4 flat iron steak, pan seared red drum filet, vegan potato tacos and chile chocolate truffle.

Details: 123 Main St., Mesa. 480-272-6825, espiritumesa.com.

First & Last

First & Last is a contemporary neighborhood restaurant. Their sandwiches are Instagram-famous and got the stamp of approval from The Republic. The whole menu focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

First & Last’s $55 Restaurant Week menu includes roasted beet salad, Hiramasa crudo, bacon sourdough bolognese, grilled chicken piccata and pistachio tiramisu. The menu also includes recommended optional wine pairings for each course.

Details: 1001 N. Third Ave., Suite 1, Phoenix. 602-975-8297, firstandlastphx.com.

Indibar

Indibar was named one of USA Today’s Restaurants of the Year in 2025 for its fine dining twist on traditional Indian cuisine. It was also a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2026.

Indibar’s $55 Restaurant Week menu includes avocado papdi chaat, paneer tikka, achari broccoli, crab curry with mango and dried chilies, veg korma and rasmali tres leches.

Details: 6208 N. Scottsdale Road, Paradise Valley. 480-219-9774, theindibar.com.

Latha

Latha is a pan-African restaurant led by Evelia Davis and chef Digby Stridiron in downtown Phoenix’s Heritage Square. The restaurant pulls inspiration from the entire Black diaspora, from Africa to the Caribbean to the American South.

Latha’s $55 Restaurant Week menu includes whipped goat cheese, Griot wings, dayboat moqueca, pineapple piri piri chicken, oxtail barbacoa and southern poundcake.

Details: 628 E. Adams St., Phoenix. 480-640-6183, lathaphx.com.

Tarbell’s

Tarbell’s is celebrity chef Mark Tarbell’s namesake restaurant and magnum opus. Described as a “neighborhood restaurant for the nation,” Tarbell’s has received numerous accolades since opening in 1994.

Tarbell’s $55 Restaurant Week menu options include a shrimp ceviche tostada, endive salad with tomato caper vinaigrette, pan seared chicken, beef rillette, charred tomato risotto, chocolate cake or whipped lemon curd and berries.

Details: 3213 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-955-8100, tarbells.com.

Warren’s Supper Club

Larry Warren White and Rasheeda White, the owners of Monroe’s Hot Chicken, Lo Lo’s Chicken & Waffles and Brunch and Sip, opened Warren’s Supper Club in 2025. Larry “Lo-Lo” is the grandson of beloved Phoenix restaurateur Mrs. White, the owner of Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe.

Warren’s Supper Club’s $55 Restaurant Week menu options include lobster deviled eggs, charbroiled oysters, apple and walnut salad, wild mushroom campanelle, baby back Korean sticky ribs, blackened salmon and a half smoked chicken.

Details: 1040 N. 54th St., Chandler. 480-753-1040, warrenssupperclub.com.

Reach the reporter at eddie.fontanez@azcentral.com. Follow @ERFontanez on Instagram.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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Arizona

Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #40: 5/11 @ Rangers

Published

16 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #40: 5/11 @ Rangers

Any time we go to Globe Field, memories immediately go back to the 2023 World Series, when we faced the Texas Rangers in this ballpark. It’s interesting to note that neither team has made it back to the postseason since then. Indeed, at least the D-backs have come close: the Rangers failed to post a winning record in 2024 or 2025, missing out on the playoffs by eight and six games respectively. The two sides have similar records right now as well, with Texas’s 19-21 a mere half a game behind Arizona’s 19-20. However, in the mediocre AL West, that’s good enough for the Rangers to be in second, two games back of… the Athletics? Wait, what?

Yeah, the last time before this year the A’s had sole possession of first was June 19, 2021 – y’know, back when they were in a different city, and weren’t embarrassed to name it. But, then, the AL as a whole is strikingly mediocre, with only three teams above .500: the Yankees, Rays and A’s. It’s because just four teams have winning records in interleague play, and none of those are better than 5-4. Right now, the National League is 25 games above .500 in interleague play, at 315-290. Texas are 7-8, taking two of three from the Cubs, Phillies and Pirates, but losing to the Dodgers and getting swept by the Reds (y’know back when they didn’t suck).

Last time the Diamondbacks were here was in August last season, and we took two out of three. We lost the opening game on a walkoff, 7-6, but rebounded to take the next two contests, by margins of 3-2 and 6-4. Andrew Saalfrank got the save in the final game. How long ago that all seems. We’ll see if Michael Soroka can keep the sterling streak of starts going. He was certainly a hard-luck loser last time, allowing just the one run over 6.1 innings. But that was enough in a 1-0 loss. In his last three start, the D-backs have scored a total of two runs, so hopefully he gets a bit more support tonight.

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Arizona

Where to watch Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 11

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 11

Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.

We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Monday as the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Texas Rangers.

See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.