Arizona

TSMC factory construction is displacing native Arizona plants. This company saves them

Published

3 weeks ago

May 5, 2024

TSMC factory construction is displacing native Arizona plants. This company saves them

Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees … there’s also a monetary advantage,” says Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources.

This story originally aired on “Marketplace” on May 1.

One of the flagship projects in the U.S. government’s effort to rebuild the domestic supply chain for semiconductors lies 25 miles north of downtown Phoenix, on what was, until recently, undeveloped desert.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, first announced plans to build a chips factory in north Phoenix in May 2022 at a cost of $12 billion. In the years since the CHIPS and Science Act passed, TSMC has increased that planned investment to more than $65 billion and three factories.

But before construction began on TSMC’s 1,100 acres of desert land, the company had to deal with something else: the native plants that were there first.

“TSMC came here about three years ago, and we had daily calls to Taiwan to explain our system,” said Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources International, a plant relocation, nursery and landscape company. “It was difficult for [TSMC] to wrap their heads around why we have to save the trees.”

The Phoenix metropolitan area lies within the Sonoran Desert, which, according to the National Park Service, has more than 2,000 native plant species, including saguaro cactuses. Saguaros can live up to 200 years and are so synonymous with this area, they’re pictured on Arizona license plates.

In 1981, the city of Scottsdale passed an ordinance barring people from removing certain plants, including saguaros, without a permit. Phoenix and other surrounding cities followed suit, passing ordinances requiring developers to salvage native species and, in some cases, replant them back into the landscape.

Native plants in structures to hold them up

Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

The inventory on Native Resources’ 8-acre grounds include pipe organ cactuses, the tallest above, and three smaller cactuses from the senita family, which are not native to the Sonoran Desert. | Photo credit: Maria Hollenhorst

Within those local laws, Rob Kater found a niche at the intersection of conservation and development.

“We’re able to monetize the whole program of saving native materials,” he said. Native Resources helps developers inventory plants on their land, identify which need to be preserved, and then salvage, store and replant them back into the landscape once construction is finished.

Kater said the company’s largest customer is a big housing development in an area northwest of Phoenix called Vistancia.

“In the Vistancia area, we’ll be doing about [3,000] to 4,000 trees and cacti,” he said. TSMC, recipient of $6.6 billion of federal funding through the CHIPS Act, was a smaller project — about 1,000 trees.

“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees … there’s also a monetary advantage,” Kater said. “We look at each and every tree as being a living statue.”

Kater said you can’t buy some of these trees in nurseries because they grow too slowly.

Native Resources pulls in $10 million in annual revenue, Kater said.

On Native Resource’s 8-acre lot in north Phoenix, Kater showed Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and The Washington Post’s Heather Long some of his inventory.

Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

Kater sells these young saguaro “spears” for about $35-$40 a foot. It can take 100 years or more for saguaros to grow an arm, he said.

“That tree is called an ironwood tree, it’s about 5 feet in diameter, and it [costs] about $8,000,” he said.

But with Phoenix’s rapid population growth, the value of land underneath those trees is going up.

“[This is] an area that 20 years ago was just a cotton farm, but now has been just fully developed,” Kater said.

Across the street from Native Resources, with its rows of ironwood trees and a small army of saguaro cactus spears, there is a Goodwill and a pet care center. Five minutes down the road, there is a big shopping center and a movie theater.

Would Kater consider selling some of his land?

“It is tempting,” he said. “We have actually lost three of our largest nurseries to development because of the numbers that were put in front of them. And that caused an incredible change in our market and our supply when these nurseries that we were all dependent upon turned over and sold to large-scale development.”

Phoenix has gained almost 200,000 new residents since 2020. Kater’s business is facilitating one small part of that change, but with the increased investment in semiconductor factories, more is coming.

“I think the idea is, if change is coming, we need to understand it and get society ready for it,” he said.

In future installments of our series “Breaking Ground,” Marketplace will also explore the implications of that change on workforce development, culture and the housing market.

Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Native Resources stores and transports trees and cactuses in large wooden boxes. Above, an ironwood, right, rests on the flatbed along with foothill palo verdes, the Arizona state tree.

Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
Kater points to some of his inventory, including the ironwood trees in front.
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Arizona

Former Cardinals OL Retires

Published

2 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

ARIZONA — Former Arizona Cardinals OL Billy Price is hanging it up, according to his Instagram page.

“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away,” Price wrote on Instagram, (h/t ESPN).

“On April 24th I had emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of my lungs. As a healthy 29 year old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today.

“Unfortunately, I will be retiring from the NFL as the risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.”

Price was selected 21st overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Price spent four years with the organization before having his fifth-year option declined, which later led to his trade ahead of the 2021 season. Price was traded to the New York Giants.

The next offseason, Price signed with the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad before being signed to the Cardinals’ active roster in October. After starting some games in Arizona, Price signed to New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.

In total, Price played 69 games and started 45. He started all 11 games he was active for in Arizona at center and also started eight games at right guard earlier in his career.

Price – who was college football national champion at Ohio State – retires at 29 years of age.

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Arizona

Three Bold Predictions for Cardinals Rookies

Published

9 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

Three Bold Predictions for Cardinals Rookies

ARIZONA– The Arizona Cardinals welcomed a plethora of young talent to their squad from the 2024 NFL Draft, and even some undrafted free agent signings. With all eyes on the big prize of Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals have steadily brought in players to address varying levels of need for their future development.

With that in mind, here are three (possibly bold) predictions about the true impact of the NFL’s biggest rookie class since 1992:

James Conner is the workhorse. Don’t get me wrong, he’s going to be the ground and pound guy, and the guy Arizona turns to when they need a yard or two. He’ll take an exceptional amount of carries, but it might not be out of pure necessity anymore.

Conner eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2023, but he wasn’t without some injury issues. The fact that he missed four games and still put up those numbers speaks to his insane level of production.

But, with an obvious next-in-line to take over from him, what can we actually expect out of Trey Benson?

Benson profiles well as a second coming of Conner. With HC Jonathan Gannon constantly looking to work rotations into both his offense and defense, there is likely to be a much bigger load share between Benson and Conner than one might expect.

Michael Carter filled in with some clutch plays as the secondary back, but his play style doesn’t fill in the gaps of Conner well.

Benson could be in line for an increased number of carries, helping to spell Conner, keep him healthy and still produce at a high rate on the ground. The rookie was stellar at Florida State, averaging well over five yards per carry in both of his seasons there.

He put up 1,895 yards and 23 touchdowns over two seasons. The production is there, and he has a similar type of physicality to Conner, but with more speed. He’s in prime position to make a big impact on Arizona’s run game, and fast.

Okay, you got me. I know Michael Wilson isn’t a rookie, but with all eyes on Marvin Harrison Jr. to deliver an insane rookie season, Wilson could actually be the main benefactor.

Wilson put up 565 yards on 38 receptions in 2023. That translates to 14.9 yards per reception. He struggled with injury in college, and struggled again with injury in the 2023 NFL season, missing four games, and clearly playing injured in some of his starts.

But Wilson has a very high ceiling. He’s an intellectual player, a student of the game and a hard worker. His size, speed and agility make him a viable deep-threat, but he can also work the sidelines and middle of field just fine. He struggled to get open at times, but was likely not fully recovered from injury at those points, and it took a while to build a rapport with his QB, moving from Joshua Dobbs to Clayton Tune to Kyler Murray mid season.

With a full off-season of work with Murray, and MHJ riding into town, Wilson could be the forgotten factor of Arizona’s WR core, and that will pay dividends in 2024. With teams likely to obsess over covering MHJ, while still focusing on Arizona’s strong run game and keeping an eye on Trey McBride, Wilson could easily find the weakness of any secondary.

This is not to assume Harrison will serve as simply a decoy, but the benefit of a terrifying WR prospect, coupled with an already-established TE and ground game could leave him the odd man out of opposing defenses’ game plans, leaving him wide open to strive for a 1,000 yard season.

Many were a little concerned about using such a high pick on the big tight end out of Illinois. Will he do much to rival Trey McBride’s production through the air? Probably not, but there might be some sneaky clutch receptions for the big man, depending on how OC Drew Petzing wants to use him.

Regardless of whether or not he hauls in a bunch of passes, Reiman is going to be a massive asset in the blocking game. At 6-foot-5, 271 pounds, but with the highest graded athleticism score in his position group for the 2024 draft, there’s no doubt he’ll find a way to contribute.

With an infectious personality, that can hide behind a maniacal, “mauler” front, Reiman is going to be a big part of this team’s offense in some way.

The Cardinals are redefining their offense as run-first, and it’s worked to immediate success, even in a four-win 2023 season. A big, versatile, athletically mobile mountain on the line who can pull and charge into battle ahead of Conner and Benson will be a massive upgrade over Geoff Swaim, who was certainly no slouch in in the run game.

Reiman looks to be the guy who begins the avalanche for Arizona, and the offense will certainly benefit from it.

The Cardinals have plenty of potential wrapped up in their rookie class. While none of these takes might be insane, the truth is that, outside of MHJ, Arizona’s rookies are likely to be an immediate impact.

With a competent, professional GM in Monti Ossenfort making roster decisions, it will be very intriguing to keep an eye on these high-ceiling young players.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for May 24, 2024

Published

16 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for May 24, 2024

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Arizona offers Powerball, Mega Millions, The Pick, Triple Twist, Fantasy 5 and Pick 3 as well as Scratchers, Quick Draw and Fast Play.

Lottery players have seen enormous jackpots recently, with previous winners of both the Powerball and Mega Millions breaking into the top 10 largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history. Money raised from Arizona lottery games goes toward funding higher education, health and human services, environmental conservation and economic and business development in the state.

Here’s a look at the May 24, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

05-16-18-26-67, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Mega Millions

46-54-56-67-70; Mega Ball: 16; Megaplier: 3X

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

The Pick

05-08-24-29-34-36

Pick 3

8-5-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Fantasy 5

16-20-30-36-40

Triple Twist

08-16-18-28-30-33

Powerball Double Play

10-12-19-21-67, Powerball: 25

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy Arizona lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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