Valley 101

Walk along almost any canal in the metro Phoenix area and you're sure to find thousands of shells each smaller than a quarter. What are they and how did they get there?  Those are the questions reporter John D'Anna wonders about every time he walks his dog George along the neighborhood canal path. This week, Valley 101 is answering them.  The shells' official name is Corbicula fluminea, but they'r...

It's August, which means your TV news broadcasts are usually filled with stories about monsoon season, including stories about flooding, how to drive safely and how much rain we've received.  This year has been a little different thanks to a hotter and drier summer. But when the rain hits, there's a noticeable scent to it.  That's thanks to a certain desert plant, the creosote bush. In today's epi...

In a previous episode of Valley 101, producer Taylor Seely broke down the grid system of Phoenix streets. The streets in Phoenix run north and south, and east and west. This created streets that run perpendicular to each other. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Grand Avenue is one of those. Today we’re answering two questions submitted by listeners. First, how does a diagonal stree...

Health care workers in Arizona are struggling through the burdens of a public health crisis that has hospitalized thousands of Arizonans and pushed emergency rooms and ICUs near full capacity. With higher than usual patient-to-nurse ratios, stringent PPE protocols and looming fears over exposing their loved ones to the novel coronavirus, health care workers in Arizona are feeling tired, dejected a...

Phoenix is the largest metropolitan city in the U.S. without passenger-rail service, but that wasn't always the case.  In 1923, Phoenix Union Station opened. And in 1926, a transcontinental line was completed, meaning someone could take the train anywhere in the country.  In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're exploring the history of passenger-...

For several people in the Valley who've contracted COVID-19 or watched someone they love contract it, a switch flipped afterward. They felt compelled to convince others to take the disease seriously.  Jimmy Flores, a 30-year-old man from Tempe, told Arizona Republic reporter Audrey Jensen he thought COVID-19 was a joke. He figured he was too young and healthy to be susceptible to any significant d...

As a lifelong Valley resident, I would often drive by the spring training stadiums for the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Angels. I always wondered why we had outside teams playing in the Arizona. The reason dates back to the 1940s before the state even had its own Major League Baseball team. Arizona's relationship to Americans' favorite pastime started with a coalition of baseball teams that wou...

This episode goes out to all of the book lovers.  Did you know that if you live in Tempe, you can get a Phoenix Public Library card? One of our podcast listeners knew that, but he wasn't sure why, so podcast editor Katie O'Connell found out.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're exploring peeking behind-the-scenes at our local libraries...

Arizona is a battleground state in national elections and could sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential race.   But how did we get here? How did the state go from reliably red to purple, with the possibility to shift blue in 2020, in just a decade? To understand, go back to 2010 when Arizona surprised the nation by passing Senate Bill 1070, a sweeping and highly controversial immigration law, ot...

Live in the Valley long enough and you’re bound to have a conversation about the Phoenix grid system.  You might hear how convenient and logical it is. Avenues on the west, streets on the east. Central in the middle. You might think the only flaw is that there's no pattern to the east-west extending named streets. That's true.  But that's not the only problem. Midtown Phoenix resident Scott Wilken...

South Mountain is a hot spot for hiking enthusiasts, but its history is richer than you might think. There’s even a mystery deep within the mountain that has prompted our listeners to ask us for answers.   The Lost Ranch ruins are located within the park away from official trails. As time has passed, the ruins have captivated hikers.  One Valley 101 listener submitted this question: "What are the...

There's a chance that the concrete fence in your backyard could be partially made out of materials from volcanoes.  In 1944, three Arizonans invented a new type of concrete block, the Superlite block. The key material in Superlite is volcanic scoria, which is essentially cooled volcanic magma. In this case, it's mined in Winona, AZ. The Superlite block allowed Phoenix to grow at an exponential rat...

Valley 101 podcast parses through Arizona's COVID-19 data to better understand the nuances and clarify how the virus is taking shape in Arizona. Includes: Taylor Seely, Stephanie Innes and Alison Steinbach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona created a state poet laureate position to celebrate the state's centennial.  A unanimous panel chose Alberto Ríos to fill the post in 2013. His role as poet laureate was to undertake a major literary project to expose quality poetry to residents who might not otherwise be.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Kaila White intervi...

Our team is taking a week off for Memorial Day. However, we wanted to bring back an earlier episode breaking down how the Valley go so big. The answer, interestingly enough, goes back to World War II. Be sure to listen to part two where we explore the future population of the Valley. Enjoy and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Want your question about metro Phoenix answered? Submit...

Whether you're driving past a billboard, listening to the radio or watching TV, it seems like advertisements for attorneys are inescapable.  But why are there so many of them? And why are so many of them about personal injury lawsuits? Turns out, until 1977, attorneys were prohibited from advertising. Times certainly have changed. Arizona lawyers, law firms and legal-services providers spent $32 m...

It's normal to experience a wide swath of emotions during times of stress and uncertainty. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. In this bonus episode, producer Taylor Seely interviews associate professor of psychology Michelle Shiota on how to pinpoint unhealthy behavior and tips for living as best we can right now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode talks about the positive stories that are taking place during this pandemic. The acts of kindness that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Because, believe it or not, it's not all doom and gloom. Good news stories are out there. And they're plentiful.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of the 1800s, Arizona had aspirations to become a state. In order to prove they were ready, they built a humble state Capitol building. The architect chose to put an angel at the top. Overs the years, that winged statue has caught the attention of many onlookers.  One Valley 101 listener submitted this question, "What is the story behind the angel on top of the Arizona state Capitol?" ...

In some neighborhoods, it seems like there's a car wash every few blocks.  Eric Wulf, the CEO of the International Car Wash Association, said that Phoenix is one of the top markets for car washes. The reason for that traces back to a few things, including our weather, our growing population and changes in the industry overall.  To find out more about this subject, podcast editor Katie O'Connell ta...

If you noticed all your friends and family on social media have taken up gardening recently, you're not alone. Universities are hosting online gardening tutorials, nurseries are filling their schedules with appointment-only shopping visits and at least one local garden's how-to email inbox is full daily. But the coronavirus pandemic isn't the first time people began gardening during difficult epoc...

Elizabeth Montgomery, a Community Relations and Events Producer for The Arizona Republic, is teaming up with Valley 101 in this week's episode.  During Black History Month, she wrote a column about moving to Metro Phoenix. Montgomery had lived her whole life in Atlanta, Ga. After moving here, she realized quickly that Atlanta and Phoenix are very different.  One of the biggest differences is the p...

Before social distancing became the norm, people used to gather. We'd get together for barbecues and cocktails, catch a movie or see a concert.  But in world shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, the thought of 3,000 people from North Dakota congregating in a Mesa park seems distant. Still, that's exactly what happened on March 1.  Perhaps the largest gathering of North Dakotans outside of the state...

Before anti-segregation milestones like Brown vs. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black tourists were prohibited from staying at most hotels. One of the few options for minority travelers in Phoenix was The Swindall House, also known as the Swindall Tourist Inn. Located at 1021 E. Washington Street, the inn is named after its second owners, Golden and Elvira Swindall. But its...

In 1946, the Arizona State College mascot was the Bulldogs. But the Bulldog mascot was one of the most popular, then and now, so the football booster club decided it needed a new mascot that was more unique. That's when local attorney and member of the organization Water Craig suggested the Sun Devil.  Craig also knew the illustrator who would bring Sparky the Sun Devil to life. Berkeley Anthony w...