Valley 101

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, he’s still winning awards. As recently as last year, Bianco collected a James Beard Award for Best Restaurateur. But what makes his pizzas so good?  For this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we traveled the state visiting the farmers who work with Chris Bianco and discovered just how rich Arizona’s agricultural industry is.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 avoid hearing about Ozempic, Wegovy and their active ingredient, semaglutide, in the news or on social media. But are these new so-called miracle drugs too good to be true? Who are they really for, and how can people get them? This week on The Lab at azcentral, in conjunction with Valley 101, we look into how the drugs work and the reality of how they make people feel. We spoke with doctors, patients and others to find out why the drugs are different from other weight-loss interventions and why the medications have become divisive, both culturally and socioeconomically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.

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 ground as a chili pepper seed. One of the people producing those seeds is Ed Curry, who operates the Curry Seed and Chile Co. in Pearce, Arizona. Curry has been working on the genetics of peppers for almost his whole life. In the farming industry, most of the peppers grown commercially in the United States can be traced back to his farm. But how did chili peppers get to Arizona in the first place? And why are Arizona's chilis making such a huge impact nationwide? In this episode of Valley 101, in conjunction with The Lab, we find out these answers and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Saguaro Census because we thought we were going to be capable of counting every single saguaro in the city. We clearly overestimated our capabilities because the Phoenix Valley is huge," Tania Hernandez says. She works as a research scientist at the Desert Botanical Gardens. For help with this task, the Gardens are turning to the public for help. In this episode of Valley 101, in conjunction with The Lab, we're exploring two questions: why does the saguaro cactus only grow in the Sonoran Desert? And how many are there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 disease, but this doesn't mean that they aren't at risk or that they didn't pass something along to their teenage daughter. Through genetic testing done in Arizona, they were able to find out their risk level and prepare for the future. But what is genetic testing, and how is it improving doctors' advice and treatment plans? This episode marks the start of the second season of our podcast The Lab at azcentral, being hosted on Valley 101, where we dive into science stories that affect everyday life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 drought? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we talk with weather experts about the state’s rainfall, where that precipitation goes and how it will affect the state's future. Follow Valley 101 and all azcentral podcasts on Twitter and on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 question. In today’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out how this came to be and what it would take to continue it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 beaten path, and the signs are easy to miss. And the buildings were designed with the environment in mind, so they blend in perfectly. This is the artist collective known as Arcosanti. It was the brainchild of Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri in 1970. Today, the Valley 101 podcast will give you an audio tour. Along the way, we'll answer three key questions: What is Arcosanti? How did it get started? What are the residents up to today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 deeply. He graduated valedictorian of his high school and attended Phoenix College before serving in the Army during World War II. He survived and came back to Phoenix to earn his bachelor's degree from Arizona State University, then called Arizona State College. He was a star player on the football team there and even had a short stint in the NFL. Later, Warren moved on to get his master's and PhD, all in education from ASU. In this episode, we hear from his son, Kevin Warren, and from Morrison Warren himself from an archived interview. The audio of Morrison Warren is provided by the Arizona Historical Society. You

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 census. That might not seem like much, but African Americas are the third largest demographic in our state. When looking at Phoenix alone, the percentage jumps up to 7.4% of the population identifying as Black or African American. The number is growing. The Arizona Republic has found that 800,000 African Americans have moved to the Valley since 2010. And that expansion hasn’t stopped, even with the pandemic. In this two-part series, we are taking a closer look at African American representation on the Phoenix City Council. We’re starting with two winners that have made history. Then, next week in episode two, we’ll go

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 Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we hear from reporters and editors from our newsroom on their favorite places to see wildflowers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 developed an interest in prospecting in the western United States. It's here in Arizona where it's said he struck gold. Literally. Stories vary on how he found it, but Waltz supposedly discovered a mother lode of gold ore in the Superstition wilderness. Though he died more than a century ago, no one has found the Lost Dutchman Mine. Valley 101 explores the history and current state of the search for mine that has been the subject of numerous myths and legends. This topic came to us from one of our listeners, who asked a simple yet poignant question: Is there a Lost Dutchman Gold Mine? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 railroad and at tourist stops primarily in Arizona and New Mexico. Around the turn of the 20th century, the way she integrated nature and Indigenous art was unconventional and inventive. After attending the California School of Design, she was chosen to be a designer and architect for the famous hospitality group The Fred Harvey Company. With the surrounding environment in mind, she created numerous buildings that are still in use today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 of mystery and much of that was due to her own fabrication. Pearl came to Arizona all the way from Ontario, Canada in an attempt to escape an abusive life. For women of the 1800s, options for their independence were limited. But Pearl blazed her own path, and the fire of her spirit not only burned those close to her but it also scorched her life as well. But she never apologized for how she made herself.  This episode was written and produced by Thomas France. You can reach him at tfrance@arizonarepublic.com and on Twitter @TFranceAZ Kaely Monahan executive produced this episode of Arizona HERstory. You can reach he

March is Women's History Month, and we're is taking the opportunity to explore the stories of women from Arizona's history whom you might not have heard of in a special series we're calling Arizona HERstory. Opening the series is the story of Ayra Hackett. Entrepreneur, midwife and community leader, she started the first Black woman-owned newspaper in the state: the Arizona Gleam. In this episode we discuss not only her achievements but what the City of Phoenix was like during her lifetime, including racial segregation, redlining and the influence of Jim Crow Laws. You can learn more about how redlining is still impacting our communities today in this investigation by our fellow Arizona Republic reporters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first two weeks of February, Valley residents were inundated with Super Bowl festivities and Arizona was in the spotlight. Downtown Phoenix and Glendale transformed as visitors came from all over. Scottsdale featured the Waste Management Open golf tournament as well as ESPN’s live show for the football game. Metro Phoenix businesses and hotels prepared for tourists and travelers. And those tourists and travelers spent their money right here in Arizona. But how much money did the state make by hosting the Super Bowl? Was it worth all of the funding that went into getting ready for all those people? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we speak with experts to figure out what Arizona gained from being the home of Super Bowl 57. Follow Valley 101 and all azcentral podcasts on Twitter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices