Arizona
Jaguar in southern Arizona named by Tohono O'odham Nation
A wild jaguar first seen crossing into southern Arizona last year has a new name chosen by the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The jaguar will now be called O:had Ñu:kudam, which means “jaguar protector” in the O’odham language.
O:had was first spotted back in 2023 on the ancestral land of the Tohono O’odham people. The Center for Biological Diversity reached out to the nation’s leaders to ask if they wanted to name the jaguar.
(O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam is pronounced OH-shahd NOO-KOO-dum.)
Footage of newly spotted jaguar in Arizona released
“It’s only fair that they have a say in naming jaguars that return to their traditional lands,” Russ McSpadden with the Center for Biological Diversity said.
Who decided the name?
“There was a two-week period, we sent an email request for people to also vote, indicate if they were O’odham, Native American, or non-Native American. Tabulated results and that’s where O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam came about,” said Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The Center for Biological Diversity says the wild jaguar is a sign that conservation efforts are working in southern Arizona.
They hope more of the animals will migrate into the state in the coming years.
Jaguar in Arizona named by Tohono O’odham Nation
“The return of jaguars to our land is a source of immense pride and profound hope. Since time immemorial, the Tohono O’odham have shared our homelands with the jaguar,” Chairman Nunez said. “As O’odham we view jaguars as protectors of our people and the environment. O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam’s presence serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of nature and the importance of ongoing conservation efforts. We are committed to working to ensure a safe and thriving future for O:ṣhad and, one day hope to see the return of a breeding population of jaguars to this region.”
O:ṣhad is thought to have been born somewhere in Mexico and traveled into Arizona after leaving his mother in early 2023.
You can read more about O:had Ñu:kudam by clicking here.
Arizona
Diamondbacks prospect Druw Jones hits for cycle in Double-A – Arizona Sports
Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Druw Jones needed a home run to complete the cycle when he dug into the batter’s box in the eighth inning of a Double-A game on Wednesday night.
Jones, playing for Double-A Amarillo, stayed behind the baseball and drove an inside pitch to right-center field for his first home run of the season, earning the first cycle in Sod Poodles history.
🚨 DRUW JONES CYCLE 🚨
The @Dbacks prospect becomes the first @sodpoodles player to notch the milestone! pic.twitter.com/5U9ubTtIga
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 30, 2026
The 22-year-old knocked out the toughest leg first with a triple to right field in the third inning against the Midland Rockhounds (Athletics). Jones zoomed from home to third base in 11 seconds, Corbin Carroll-esque speed, for his first triple of the season.
Jones singled in the fifth on a ground ball that skipped under shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s glove on what would have been a tight play at first base, and in the sixth, he doubled to right field.
His home run came off right-handed pitcher Mitch Myers to give Amarillo a 9-2 lead in a 10-2 win — infield prospect Cristofer Torin went back-to-back with Jones.
The last Diamondbacks major leaguer to hit for the cycle was Aaron Hill, who did so twice within 11 days of each other in 2012. The most recent cycle in Major League Baseball came from Minnesota’s Byron Buxton on July 12.
Jones is the No. 16 prospect in Arizona’s system as ranked by MLB Pipeline and No. 17 by Baseball America.
Known for his defense, the outfielder has gotten off to a slow start statistically with a .229/.345/.343 slash line in his first 19 games playing Double-A baseball. He hit .286 in Cactus League this past spring and performed well in the World Baseball Classic for Team Netherlands.
Arizona
Chandler, RWCD ruling: Could residents save on property taxes? – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Chandler residents may be one step closer to ending about $1.7 million a year in property taxes paid to the Roosevelt Water Conservation District after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the city’s water agreement.
The court ruled that Chandler’s water agreement with the Roosevelt Water Conservation District remains enforceable through 2086, ending a yearslong dispute over water deliveries and taxes paid by thousands of property owners.
“Nearly 27,000 Chandler households have paid Roosevelt Water Conservation District property taxes for years without water benefits. That ends with this ruling,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said in a Wednesday announcement.
Why were Chandler and RWCD in court over a water agreement?
City officials said the dispute began when the district, known as RWCD, stopped honoring its agreement to provide water to Chandler. The most recent version of that deal was signed in 2002.
Last year, Hartke told KTAR News 92.3 FM that RWCD would sometimes let water go to waste rather than sell it to the city.
RWCD was formed more than a century ago to irrigate about 40,000 acres of farmland in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and southeastern Maricopa County. As those lands urbanized, Chandler continued purchasing water through the district’s water rights.
The court rejected RWCD’s argument that Chandler waited too long to sue.
“Water is a critical public resource, and this ruling restores a key component of Chandler’s 100-year assured water supply,” Hartke said.
Arizona
Gas, airline prices remain high in Arizona as Iran War reaches 2-month mark
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Two months since the war in Iran began, the conflict shows no clear ending in sight.
President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran is in a “state of collapse” but offered no additional context for what that means. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
The ripple effects of the war are felt around the world, with changes in gas and fuel prices impacting consumers.
Gas prices climb
In the days before the war began, the average price for a gallon of gas in Arizona was $3.59. On Tuesday, April 28, the average is $4.63. That price is even higher in Maricopa County, sitting at $4.76.
“My husband has a diesel truck, and that’s just outrageous right now. I put premium in my car, so it’s very expensive, too,” said Kathie Nunn, who lives in Phoenix.
Airline costs soar
It’s not just drivers feeling the pinch. Flyers are too.
“I would say roughly 15 or 20 percent more is what I’ve noticed that I have to pay more,” one traveler said.
The week before the war started, the price of jet fuel was $2.50 a gallon. On Tuesday, April 28, the price is $4.26, according to Airlines for America.
“I fly Southwest mostly. I was able to get a straight flight home and two from here. It was higher than normal, for sure,” said Patrick Foy, who was flying from Phoenix to Louisiana.
Major airliners have already raised checked baggage fees because of the rising fuel prices, while some of the smaller, budget airlines are asking the federal government for billions of dollars in assistance.
“It’s obviously frustrating. It affects our family’s budget,” Foy said.
Gas experts have said even when the war in Iran ends, the full relief people see at the pump or when buying a plane ticket will most likely not be immediate.
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