Arizona
Why Arizona has fewer blackouts than other hot states
5 myths about Arizona’s heat
Can you fry an egg on a sidewalk? A look at some common misconceptions about Arizona’s heat and climate.
The Republic
Power grids in the Western United States are struggling. As temperatures increase and populations grow, so does the stress on systems that keep our electricity running.
For the West, electricity is most important in the hot summer months. It keeps our cool air-conditioners pumping.
Going without air conditioning for too long can be not only an annoyance, but also a major health risk, especially in states like Arizona with over 100-degree averages each summer.
A 2023 study by the Environmental Science and Technology journal showed that about half of Valley residents would need emergency medical care if a blackout occurred in the middle of the day.
Arizona has fewer outages than national average
But across the nation, blackouts are on the rise. The study also found that between 2016 and 2021, there was a 150% increase in power grid outages across the United States.
Despite this, Arizona is drastically below the national average when it comes to grid failures. In the last 24 years, the state has only had six outages due to extreme weather, according to Climate Central data.
Typically, a monsoon storm will cause power outages, according to Ashley Kelly, director of transmission operations and maintenance for APS.
APS services the majority of Arizona in energy distribution.
“Maintaining balance between how much you’re generating and how much your customers are using your energy is something that we do on a minute-by-minute basis. And so if there are disruptions, it’s normally because there’s an imbalance to that or a piece of equipment has gotten damaged,” she said.
Planning for the future
Overplanning is a way to stay ahead of any possible issues that could arise due to extreme heat, Tayla Beckham told Valley 101. She is the manager of real-time operations at APS.
This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we’ll look into what makes Arizona’s power grid efficient and if it is prepared to withstand rising temperatures in the future.
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Arizona
Person accused of making terroristic threats to medical facility in northern Arizona
PAGE, AZ (AZFamily) — A person accused of making terroristic threats toward a northern Arizona medical facility was arrested Friday morning.
Just after 10:30 p.m., police received a report of a person calling the facility and threatening to kill staff and Native Americans, according to the Page Police Department.
Authorities said staff placed the facility on lockdown until officers identified the suspect and arrested them outside their home.
The suspect was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, threatening and intimidating, and making terroristic threats. Police have not publicly identified the person.
“The Page Police Department is grateful for and supports the medical staff’s decision to put the medical facility into lockdown until the suspect was arrested and the situation was rendered safe,” the department said in a Facebook post.
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Arizona
NFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Detroit Lions NFL Draft Injury Report: Arizona State CB Keith Abney
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
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