Valley 101

The Sun Devils, under the direction of then-coach Herm Edwards, had fallen behind in a crucial area for their future: high school recruiting. Smaller schools like Northern Illinois and Western Kentucky were finishing ahead of ASU in the recruiting rankings.  There were a number of reasons for this, most notably the NCAA investigation that ASU is still under for alleged recruiting violations that o...

Remote-controlled bombs consisting of 6 sticks of dynamite erupted underneath the drivers side of the car. The explosion was contained, but destructive. The lower half of his body was blown off, the driver’s door ripped open, and the reporter lay waiting for help. The story goes that he uttered three things while in the parking lot injured that day: “John Adamson” “Emprise” and “Mafia.” But storie...

Movies used to be the dominating driving force in pop culture.  Hollywood was the center of entertainment. Actors, producers, directors: dreams being made. The Silver Screen was a fantasy come true for many. But over the past decade, things have changed. That domination lessened as new players entered the game. Streaming apps gained more and more popularity, becoming the go-to spot to see a film....

Arizona has sharks. No, really. Around 300 million years ago, portions of the 48th state were covered in shallow seas. And prowling these primordial waters were some wild and bizarre sharks. A few might even rival the mighty megalodon. In this episode of Valley 101, we unearth which sharks called Arizona home, whether or not megalodon swam here, and what modern-day sharks you can see in the Valley...

Think you know Arizona? You might want to think again. The 48th state is filled with weird, unusual, and just downright quirky facts that even long-time residents might not know. We found three Arizona-only oddities that just might surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summers in Arizona mean heat, triple-digit temperatures, and desperately trying to stay cool. But summers in Arizona also mean monsoons - big, bright thunderstorms returning rain to the desert.  During the summer monsoon season, Phoenix receives one-third of its annual rainfall, a necessary relief to help combat the drought that 83% of the state is experiencing, according to the National Weather S...

This past Saturday, temperatures rose to 118 degrees, breaking a 25 year old record. Excessive heat warnings are planned throughout the week.  It’s that time of year when all your out of state friends ask, “Why do you live there again?” The answer is winters, but this week, they might have a point. It hasn’t been this hot for this long in almost 50 years. Arizona has now had 18 days in a row of te...

It's no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled a lot. But, right now, they are in first place in the National League West behind budding star outfielder Corbin Carroll. Valley 101 talks baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone who knows pizza or even knows Arizona cuisine knows Chris Bianco. Bianco skyrocketed to fame when his pizza became world-renowned, making Phoenix an unexpected go-to destination for foodies worldwide. Back in 2003, he was the first pizza maker ever to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest. Bianco is often referred to as the father of the modern pizza movement. Twenty years later...

Doctors’ offices and medical spas in Arizona are getting flooded with requests for prescriptions for new drugs. They originally were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but their success in helping people lose weight is what's making them a near-household name. As patients are reporting promising results, word is getting around. It’s almost impossible to avo...

Spicy: it's the flavor you see everywhere. Just take a look at your local convenience store. Spicy chips, spicy chicken sandwiches, spicy noodles. There's even a movie now about Flamin' Hot Cheetos. It's also culture-defining. What would Mexican, Thai or Indian food be without chili kicking up the heat? But before that spicy seasoning can be sprinkled onto your favorite foods, it starts in the gro...

The saguaro cactus is perhaps the most iconic symbol of our state. You can find it everywhere from coffee cups to murals to tattoos. People love saguaros but we know surprisingly little about them. The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and other researchers are trying to fix that. The first step is to count as many of the saguaros growing in the Valley as possible. "Naively, we call this the Sag...

Our DNA can help tell a story about our past, present, and future through genetic testing, and that testing is becoming much more common. Solio Felix came into the emergency room last June with what he thought was heat stroke or a heart attack. This is when a nurse told him that he'd be a perfect candidate for a genetic testing study. He and his wife have no family history of cardiovascular diseas...

Valley 101 surveyed the best places in Phoenix to keep cool this summer. From Lake Pleasant to the Salt River, Sunsplash to Hurricane Harbor, hosts Kaely Monahan and Amanda Luberto hash out their top picks for spots to beat the heat. Plus they explore pools of the past and the new water attractions coming to Phoenix. We're getting wet and wild in this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

In the winter of 2022 and early spring of 2023, Arizona got a lot of rain. We had the rainiest January and March in years. In addition, 2022-23 brought record snowfall for Flagstaff. As the days heat up and that snow melts, the runoff is making its way into the state's reservoirs. Did all of this rain and snow make a difference, or was it just a drop in the bucket for the state’s 29-year-long drou...

We love bringing you stories about metro Phoenix and the cities around us. Whether you’re a native or a transplant, answering your questions helps us discover more about what makes Arizona the way it is. One question we get a lot is “Why are the streets downtown named after Presidents?” So as we prepare a special summer series for you, we’re bringing back an episode from the archive to answer this...

A lot of things are unique about Arizona. One of them is our architecture, from the beautiful buildings to the overpasses on the highway that include decorations you just don't see in other states. People from all over the world come here to be inspired by Arizona and incorporate it into their designs. And about an hour north of Phoenix is another remarkable feat of architecture. It's off the beat...

What's next for Fiesta Mall? What about Metrocenter? Which brick-and-mortar shopping hubs are still hopping? In this episode, The Republic's real estate development and growth reporter Corina Vanek, reveals what's next for Valley shoppers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the second episode on our two-part series looking at Black representation on the Phoenix City Council. Morrison F. Warren was the first Black man to ever sit on the Phoenix City Council. But he wasn't a politician. Rather Warren spent his life building bridges through education and advocating for equality. He grew up at a time when Phoenix was segregated. It was something that struck him...

When you think of Arizona, the images and people that come to mind are very stereotypical. Wide desert vistas and mountains, cactus and clear skies, cowboys and Native Tribes, Latinos and snowbirds…who have lived here for generations.  What you probably don’t think of is the rich history of African Americans who also settled this state. At present, the Black population makes up 5.4% of Arizona’s c...

The phrase goes "April showers bring May flowers," but seasons in the desert don't always conform. The rainiest March in three years, with a total of 1.47 inches across Phoenix, has left the mountainsides around the Phoenix area abloom. From Mexican gold poppies and fiddlenecks, to purple scorpionweed and globe mallows, the desert landscape is more colorful than usual. In this week's episode of Va...

The lore of Arizona includes everything from Native stories to supernatural occurrences to tales of desperados. There's one style of story that gets told more than any other − that of hidden troves of gold. And nowhere does the lure of a forgotten mine echo more than in the Superstition Mountains. Jacob Waltz, commonly called "the Dutchman," came to America from Germany. Along the way, he develope...

Sister Clare Dunn was the only nun to serve in the Arizona Legislature and the first nun in the United States in the 20th century to enter public office.  In this final episode of the 2023 Arizona HERstory series, we are exploring just how a Catholic nun from the Sisters of St. Joseph took her commitment to service all the way to the state Capitol.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

March is Women's History Month, and the Valley 101 podcast is taking the opportunity to explore stories of women from Arizona's history whom you might not have heard of. In the third episode of Arizona HERstory, we highlight "the most known unknown architect in the world": Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. Her Southwestern architecture can be seen at the Grand Canyon National Park, along the Santa Fe ra...

March is Women's History Month, and the Valley 101 podcast is taking the opportunity to explore the stories of women from Arizona's history whom you might not have heard of. In this second episode of Arizona HERstory, we uncover the truth behind the legend of one of the most notorious criminals in Arizona history: Pearl Hart. Dubbed the "Bandit Queen" by local papers, Pearl's history has been bit...