Out of nowhere: Flash floods strike with deadly ending
PHOENIX – Flash floods are second only to heat as a weather-related killer in Arizona, said meteorologist Daniel Henz of Maricopa County’s Flood Control District. Nine swimmers died and a 10th is missing after a flash flood on Saturday near Payson.
Storm damage to Burton Barr library sends patrons, staff to other branches
PHOENIX – Storms that flooded Burton Barr Central Library over the weekend will leave it closed indefinitely, sending patrons and staff to other library branches in Phoenix.
Customers regain power, crews clean up damage from weekend monsoons
MESA – Phoenix area residents, utility companies and city officials spent Monday cleaning up from weekend monsoons that flooded streets, toppled trees, cut off power to thousands of homes and forced the closure of a water-drenched central Phoenix library.
Arizonans at ‘play-in’ still bring serious clean-air message to Capitol
WASHINGTON - Sounds of toddlers laughing and playing echoed around her, but on stage the message from a Mesa teen was serious: Act on climate change, or we will suffer.
Arizona farmer testifies regulators hinder, more than help, organics
WASHINGTON - An Arizona organic farmer told lawmakers Thursday that an advisory panel that is supposed to help the Agriculture Department develop standards is instead creating a sense of "uncertainty" in the future of the organic market.
Researchers study urban heat from the sky, with hopes of a slightly cooler future
PHOENIX – One researcher takes to the skies, while another is rooted to the ground.
Urban hydroponic farms offer sustainable water solutions
BERKELEY, Calif. – Tucked behind a Whole Foods in a corner warehouse unit, Ron and Faye Mitchell grow 8,000 pounds of food each month without using any soil, and they recycle the water their plants don’t use.
Firefighters add drone incursions to threats faced in a wildfire
WASHINGTON - It used to be that firefighters' biggest worries in a wildfire might be unpredictable winds, rocky terrain and scorching heat. That was before the advent of affordable, readily available aerial drones.
Mesa police investigate accusations of excessive force against jaywalker
MESA – Mesa police are investigating claims two officers beat a man who was jaywalking after a video emerged of them striking him as he struggled with them on the ground.
Phoenix firefighters battle scorching heat as they fight fires, rescue hikers
PHOENIX – The call comes in. A woman is having chest pains. Four Phoenix firefighters at Station No. 30 jump onto a truck, ignoring the triple-digit temperatures, and speed to an apartment to tend to the woman sitting on her couch.
Feds post plan for endangered cactus, but recovery still a long way off
WASHINGTON - After 24 years of waiting, is the Pima pineapple cactus finally having its day in the sun? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week released a draft recovery plan for the cactus that has been on the endangered species list since 1993. But even as they welcomed the announcement, conservation advocates said there is "a lot of work still to be done" to save the plant.
