Arizona
New study shows impacts if a blackout happened during heat wave in Phoenix
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A new study done by researchers, including David Hondula, the city of Phoenix’s director of Heat Response and Mitigation, shows how bad it could be if the electrical grid failed. The study looked at what would happen if a citywide blackout occurred during a heat wave lasting for five days. There would be two days with a total blackout, then power gradually restored over the next three days. The study found emergency operations in Phoenix would become overwhelmed.
Arizona’s heat is no joke; many rely on our air conditioning to get us through it. But, according to the New York Times, a new study shows if there is a blackout during a heat wave in Phoenix, more than 12,000 people would die and close to 800,000 people would need emergency care for heat-related illnesses. This would overwhelm the hospital system in Phoenix, which they say only has 3,000 ER beds.
“Here in Phoenix, we know heat to be a significant concern. Something we deal with probably more on the extreme side than perhaps some other cities in the nation do,” said Brian Lee. He is the director of emergency management for the city of Phoenix. They are responsible for coordinating resources and people while working with other cities if an emergency were to occur.
While he says this study is a worst-case scenario, there are periods often during the monsoon where areas lose power. “For us it’s getting a quick assessment to find out what the extent and scope and scale of that particular outage looks like,” Lee said. “The heat is extreme and does take a toll on a person.” He says working closely with power companies is crucial. “There are systems they have in place to be able to prevent blackouts from happening in the first place,” Lee said.
Now there are some limitations in the study. It assumed people would stay put during a heat wave and blackout. While in reality, some would try to evacuate and go to cooling centers.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is calling on FEMA to add extreme heat to the list of disasters like floods and hurricanes that could prompt a federal disaster declaration. But, Lee says, as we enter a hot summer, make sure you have a plan. “If it’s in response to heat related incident, understand where you can go and what can you do in your own home,” he said.
The study also shows if the city planted enough trees to shade half of its streets, deaths would drop by 27 percent in Phoenix. And if installed highly reflective “cool roofs” on every building, deaths would drop by 66 percent in Phoenix.
We contacted the Arizona Corporation Commission to ask their thoughts on this study. In a statement, they said:
SRP also told Arizona’s Family they could not comment on the study’s specifics but invest in our regional grid to mitigate the risk of a prolonged outage from happening. In a statement, they said:
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Arizona
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona U.S. House seat
PHOENIX – Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani won reelection to a U.S. House seat in southeastern Arizona in a rematch that pitted him against the Democrat he narrowly beat two years ago.
Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which runs from Tucson east to the New Mexico state line and includes a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border.
With Ciscomani’s win, Republicans have enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
“Now, it is time to get to work,” Ciscomani said in a statement Wednesday after Engel called him to concede, but before The Associated Press declared a winner.
“Our country is facing big challenges and I am ready to continue tackling these issues head-on,” he said. “Our top priorities — securing our border, lowering costs, and ensuring that our veterans and seniors are protected and valued – are essential to the strength and stability of our district and country.”
Engel wrote on the social platform X, “The voters have made their decision and we must respect it – I will not be the next Representative for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. While we came up short, I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve put in.”
Ciscomani was an aide to former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. He immigrated from Mexico as a child and calls border enforcement his top priority, but has distanced himself from Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Engel, a law professor at the University of Arizona and a former state legislator, has pointed out Ciscomani rejected a major bipartisan border bill in February that would have overhauled the asylum system and given the president new powers to expel migrants when asylum claims become overwhelming.
Voter registration in the district is closely divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents, although the GOP has a slight advantage.
Ciscomani won his first term in 2022 when he beat Engel by over 5,200 votes.
With Ciscomani’s win this election, the state’s House delegation is unchanged with six Republicans and three Democrats.
Arizona
Selling Arizona – Flagstaff Business News
Visitors want to experience how Arizonans live; winemakers are ready to show them.
To change that, she discussed how AOT is considering ways to secure more funding for tourism promotion. She also revealed Arizona’s refreshed brand, which was released earlier this year, designed to better communicate the state’s “majestic beauty, vibrant culture and abundant diversity.”
AOT crafted the brand by traveling hundreds of miles across Arizona and asking more than 2,000 Arizonans in 57 communities what they love about their part of the state. “Arizonans built and own this story about who we are, what we hold dear and what we want amplified,” said Urias. “Every Arizonan can see a piece of themselves in the new brand.”
The chosen color palette includes turquoise, copper, desert sage, pine green, sunset magenta and warm sand. The ponderosa pine signifies Northern Arizona, the saguaro represents Central Arizona, and the hummingbird stands for Southern Arizona and its desert wildflowers, she said.
Drawing from 2023 statistics, Urias gave these reasons for updating the brand: Arizona has 45.2 million overnight visitors annually; direct travel spending by visitors adds up to $29.3 billion; $4.2 billion is generated in taxes from visitor spending; and some 187,000 jobs are supported by tourism directly, while another 300,000 are supported by tourism indirectly.
Speaking to Northern Arizona business owners and community leaders who want to encourage and enhance tourism, Urias listed tourists’ top choices for visiting the state: the outdoors, entertainment, cultural experiences and sporting activities. “Visitors want to experience life the way you live it,” she said.
As if answering the AOT call for sharing their lifestyle, Verde Valley winemakers discussed how Arizona vineyards have burst onto the tourism scene in a big way with tours and tasting rooms.
“People like to see where wine was made,” said Tom Pitts, founding president of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium. “You talk about the place, not the grape,” he said, noting that people won’t remember the particular grape grown, but will remember the region where the vineyards are, citing examples such as Bordeaux and Champagne, in France.
The economic impact of Arizona’s rapidly expanding wine industry, which now is pouring onto the global wine-loving scene, has grown more than 500% since 2011, according to a recent study conducted for AOT by the Economic Policy Institute at Northern Arizona University.
“The tremendous growth of Arizona’s wine industry can be attributed to several factors, including promoting the state’s unique grape-growing regions, development of Arizona’s wine-industry workforce, the proliferation of tasting rooms and visit-ready vineyards, and increasing promotion of Arizona wine country tourism experiences by AOT and others,” states an AOT news release.
“I believe we can grow any grape on the planet in Arizona,” said Eric Glomski of Page Springs Cellars, noting the many micro zones and opportunities across the state. “The majority of people, even in Arizona, don’t know that Arizona’s wines are world class.”
Ginger Mackenzie, owner of Vino Zona with wine tasting locations in Jerome, Sedona and Cottonwood, expressed the joy of promoting the pioneer spirit of Arizona’s wine industry. “We get to be ambassadors for Arizona wines!” she said.
Forest Service representatives also spoke at the forum, sharing their efforts to enhance tourism experiences. “Recreation is the portal for understanding and caring for natural resources and public lands,” said Tom Palmer of the Prescott National Forest.
Forum attendees also heard tips and strategies from members of the news media about how to promote their communities, attractions and businesses.
“One of the biggest takeaways from the media panel were the comments from reporters and editors about being approachable and wanting to hear story ideas from the community,” said Discover Flagstaff Media Relations and Marketing Project Manager Ryan Randazzo. “Sometimes it can be a little intimidating reaching out to the media, but the fact that they took time away from covering news to be there in person and encourage people in rural Arizona to pitch them stories shows they are committed to finding the best stories for their audiences.”
NACOG-Economic Workforce Development Regional Director Teri Drew called the forum “an overwhelming success,” showcasing the Economic Development Council’s dedication to Northern Arizona’s thriving tourism sector.
“Attendees from four counties – Apache, Coconino, Navajo, and Yavapai – expressed positive feedback, appreciating the chance to connect directly with media contacts, like Quad Cities Business News, as well as gain insights from top industry leaders,” said Drew. “With dynamic discussions on sustainable tourism, state and regional collaboration, a media panel, AOT, a wine panel and forest industry initiatives, the forum delivered both practical takeaways and an energizing impact.”
The Fall Tourism Forum was sponsored in part by Flagstaff Business News. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Photos by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Business owners like “Big Mike,” of Route 66 Road Relics in Seligman, engaged with the media panel about promoting businesses and communities in rural Arizona.
Arizona
ESPN FPI predicts Houston Cougars vs. Arizona Wildcats winner
Houston has been here before.
Despite winning two of their last three games — including a stunning 24-19 upset of heavily-favored Kansas State — the Cougars are underdogs once again.
Heading into Friday’s Big 12 road game at Arizona, the Cougars are 1.5-point underdogs. Coming off a bye week, Willie Fritz’s squad needs two wins to become bowl eligible, which would be a remarkable turnaround in year one of Fritz’s tenure.
FPI Prediction for Houston vs. Arizona
ESPN’s updated Football Power Index (FPI), which is “meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season” also thinks the Cougars are going to lose on Friday. The ESPN FPI gives Houston a 42.7% chance to beat Arizona.
Not only does the FPI not like Houston’s chances to beat Arizona — it also predicts the Cougars will go winless the rest of the season. Here’s a look at how the FPI predicts the remainder of the Cougars’ Big 12 games:
The FPI gives Houston a 2.4% chance of winning out, and a 22.2% chance of getting to six wins.
The Cougars leaned on their stingy defense and opportunistic offense in upset victories over Utah and Kansas State. That’s a formula they will try to replicate against Arizona. Houston’s defense is currently ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in yards allowed at just 319 per game.
The Houston at Arizona Big 12 football matchup is scheduled to kick off Friday at 8:15 p.m. MST/9:15 p.m. CT and will be televised on FS1.
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