Snakes and scorpions took notice of last week's warm weather and emerged from their winter naps early, wildlife managers and pest control specialists warn.

Why it matters: It's already time to keep your shoes on in the house and watch out for backyard slitherers.

State of play: Snakes and scorpions enter a hibernation-like state during cold temperatures, but with winter-weather seasons getting shorter, so are their slumbers.

• The Arizona Game and Fish Department last week warned of an increased risk of rattlesnake encounters after the Valley surpassed 90 degrees.
• Last week's heat streak woke up the scorpions, too, Burns Pest Elimination spokesperson Mike Boyle told Axios. All they need is two or three days of nighttime temperatures above 40 degrees to set off their alarms.

The intrigue: Scorpions are often the most active — and easiest for us to spot — right after they emerge from dormancy because they're hungry, Boyle said.

• They feed on beetles, crickets and other small bugs, which like to take refuge in our temperature-controlled homes.
• Scorpions can fit through window or door cracks as thin as a credit card to get to their prey indoors, he said.

We're more likely to see rattlesnakes right after they wake up, too, because temperatures are still mild enough for them to roam during daytime hours.

• Once temperatures climb into 100-degree territory, the snakes swap their routine and move around at night instead, according to the Game and Fish Department.

Reality check: Though scorpions and snakes are nightmare fodder for many, they don't seek out humans.

• "Rattlesnakes are not aggressive — most occurrences of rattlesnake bites occur when someone is trying to corner or capture a snake," Audrey Owens, amphibians and reptiles program manager at the Game and Fish Department, said in a press release last week.
• Boyle said that scorpions are terrified of humans and that most stings occur accidentally when someone steps on them.

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Gas prices are jumping in Phoenix and nationwide as oil prices spike following the U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran.

Why it matters: Gas price increases have an immediate effect on Americans' pocketbooks and mood about the economy.

The latest: The average price per gallon was almost $3.67 in the Phoenix-Mesa metro area yesterday, according to AAA.

• That's up from $3.44 a week ago and $3.15 a month ago.

Zoom out: Prices have seen a similar jump nationwide.

• The average U.S. price-per-gallon climbed 11 cents on Monday, the biggest single-day spike since March 4, 2022, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan.

Flashback: Gas prices were already climbing before the Iran war began over the weekend.

• Prices typically trend up in the spring as refineries switch to a pricier summer-blend gasoline and spring break travel drives demand, AAA said in late February.

What we're watching: Tom Kloza, a longtime oil analyst now working for Gulf Oil, tells Axios that he expects the national average price to reach a high of $3.25 to $3.50 in the coming weeks.

• Prices will jump even higher in the western U.S., he predicts.

🎒 An audit by the Arizona Department of Education found that more than 20% of purchases made with funds from the voucher-style Empowerment Scholarship Account program were "unallowable." (AZcentral)

👀 Vanessa Hickman, a former official at the Arizona Attorney General's Office, pleaded guilty to selling a diamond bracelet that was mistakenly sent to her home, and will face mandatory probation and up to two years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for April 1. (Arizona's Family)

🛫 Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace filed paperwork to become an independent spin-off from parent company Honeywell. (Phoenix Business Journal/ABC15)

🏢 La Victoria Commons, a long-awaited affordable housing project in Tempe, is now open with 104 units. (KTAR)

🌊 Arizona water officials blasted federal proposals for a new Colorado River plan. (KJZZ)

Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks have been a dynamic duo on the court this year and good friends off it, per a behind-the-scenes look from The Athletic.

State of play: When the Suns traded superstar Kevin Durant to Houston for Brooks and Jalen Green last year, Brooks immediately called Booker.

• "We both thought we could be good," Brooks said, "that we could be a sleeper team."
• Booker chuckled while recalling that the Brooks he heard on the other end of the line didn't fit with the trash-talking, antagonistic opponent he was used to facing on the court.

Zoom in: Booker invited his teammates to his summer home in Flagstaff for a retreat last August, and Brooks was one of the few to stay there. They got to know each other and "found we are on the same page," Booker said.

• Booker probed his new teammate more while they played blackjack together at a Macau casino while in China for a pair of preseason games.
• They frequently spend team flights talking and playing card games like Booray.

What they're saying: "It doesn't catch me off-guard anymore ... you see somebody on the court and they act as a totally different person ... then you meet him, and he's soft-spoken and humble," Booker said. "And to me, those are the types of guys (you) want to go to war with, the guys who can turn it on."

• "I always thought the 1-2 punch would be good in the NBA," Brooks said. "With his composure, his knowledge for the game, and my passion and my charisma for the game … it's a good balance for a team."