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Roosevelt Row faces reckoning over First Friday

Changes to First Friday reignite debate over art, growth and the district's identity.

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May&#x27;s First Friday art walk on Roosevelt Row will look different after organizers scrapped the vendor market and street closures, citing a string of &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ugly" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXNQd_LEkvo/?img_index=1" data-vars-content-id="f436b103-34cf-4e75-b830-d7b3df3dea0a" data-vars-headline="Roosevelt Row faces reckoning over First Friday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXNQd_LEkvo/?img_index=1" target="_blank">ugly</a>&quot; and violent incidents.Why it matters: It&#x27;s a moment of reckoning for Roosevelt Row — a once-scrappy arts district that many locals say has lost its authenticity amid downtown Phoenix&#x27;s rapid growth.

Tea Around Town brings its unique bus tours to Phoenix

Tea Around Town brings its afternoon tea party tour bus to Phoenix.

Put on your fanciest clothes and enjoy a tea party on wheels in the heart of Phoenix.State of play: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tea Around Town" data-vars-click-url="https://topviewtix.com/phoenix/tea-around-town-classic" data-vars-content-id="e1678d60-2ed7-4981-8f8b-fec2296c3311" data-vars-headline="Tea Around Town brings its unique bus tours to Phoenix" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://topviewtix.com/phoenix/tea-around-town-classic" target="_blank">Tea Around Town</a> offers a unique experience — an afternoon tea party combined with a scenic tour of the city.

Neighborhoods push back on Arizona data centers

Neighbors say data center projects bring noise, water strain and a lower quality of life.

In Arizona, one of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nation&#x27;s data center capitals" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/04/28/arizona-data-center-hotspot-pew-research-center" data-vars-content-id="76d5bfb9-64c7-4fba-b742-abf0702a0a8c" data-vars-headline="Neighborhoods push back on Arizona data centers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/04/28/arizona-data-center-hotspot-pew-research-center" target="_self">nation&#x27;s data center capitals</a>, neighborhoods have started pushing back against data center projects to little avail.Why it matters: Neighbors say the giant technology centers diminish their quality of life and waste their water, but they face an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="army of lawyers and lobbyists" data-vars-click-url="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/11/data-centers-are-fueling-the-lobbying-industry-not-just-the-growth-of-ai/" data-vars-content-id="76d5bfb9-64c7-4fba-b742-abf0702a0a8c" data-vars-headline="Neighborhoods push back on Arizona data centers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/11/data-centers-are-fueling-the-lobbying-industry-not-just-the-growth-of-ai/" target="_blank">army of lawyers and lobbyists</a> working to push the projects through anyway.

Phoenix eyes limits to food and medical aid to homeless in parks

A proposed ordinance would severely restrict food and medical aid to homeless in Phoenix parks.

The Phoenix City Council is poised to crack down on organizations that provide food and medical aid to unhoused people in parks.Why it matters: Homeless people often suffer from lack of medical care and food, and the proposed ordinance would make it more difficult to provide them.

Health officials say hantavirus cruise ship poses little risk to Arizona

An Arizonan who returned from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship shows no symptoms.

Health officials are monitoring an Arizona resident who was on a cruise ship where several passengers contracted hantavirus, but health officials say there&#x27;s little threat to locals.Why it matters: Hantavirus is highly dangerous and frequently fatal.

ASU real estate students create redevelopment plans for Turf Paradise

Turf Paradise is likely to move, and ASU real estate students have plans for what should replace it.

Turf Paradise could be in line for a massive redevelopment project soon, and Arizona State University real estate students have some big ideas about what it should look like.Why it matters: Redevelopment of the 247-acre site could transform that area of north Phoenix.

State says Schweikert can use federal cash for governor's race

Arizona election officials say federal officeholders can use campaign cash for state races.

Election officials said Republican U.S. Rep. David Schweikert is permitted to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars from his federal committee to his campaign for governor.Why it matters: In deciding an unsettled area of campaign finance law in Schweikert&#x27;s favor, the Secretary of State&#x27;s Office approved the financial boost for his cash-strapped campaign while also giving Republican rival Andy Biggs a green light to do the same.

GPEC looks to boost out-of-state perceptions of Arizona

The marketing campaign seeks to shape perceptions of the Valley outside Arizona.

Many non-Arizonans aren&#x27;t very familiar with the Valley, but the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) thinks they&#x27;d like us if they got to know us.State of play: GPEC is hoping to raise awareness of the Phoenix area as a destination for businesses and talent with a new campaign featuring the people who know it best.

GCU may start its own law school

Grand Canyon University is seeking an "inaugural dean" for a potential college of law.

Grand Canyon University could become the next law school in Arizona.Why it matters: Arizona has just two American Bar Association-accredited law schools — ASU&#x27;s Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor College of Law and U of A&#x27;s James E. Rogers College of Law.

High heat season begins in Phoenix area

Extreme heat returns as dozens of cooling centers and aid sites open across the region.

It&#x27;s May, and ready or not, our <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="high heat season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2025/08/01/heat-streaks-arizona-climate-change" data-vars-content-id="a96ee972-9c12-4a82-ac70-01ee4318209c" data-vars-headline="High heat season begins in Phoenix area" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2025/08/01/heat-streaks-arizona-climate-change" target="_self">high heat season</a> has begun.Why it matters: To many, extreme temperatures are an annoyance we complain about from the comfort of our air-conditioned spaces.

Mother's Day fun

Things to do in Phoenix for Mother's Day 2026

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News 🗞

Health officials say hantavirus cruise ship poses little risk to Arizona

Things to do in Phoenix for Mother's Day 2026

ASU real estate students create redevelopment plans for Turf Paradise

State says Schweikert can use federal cash for governor's race

Neighborhoods push back on Arizona data centers