It's Monday! Here's hoping September brings some relief from the summer heat.

🎧 Sounds like: "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of showers and thunderstorms, high of 96.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Kathy Miller!

This newsletter is 1,039 words — a 4-minute read.

Universities across the U.S. are feeling the pinch from enrollment declines, and Arizona hasn't been immune.

The big picture: All three Arizona universities are expecting decreases in in-person enrollment this semester, to varying degrees.

Arizona State University touted an all-time high in total enrollment this fall with more than 200,000 students, more than 119,000 of whom are enrolled online.

• Yes, but: In-person enrollment is "down a little bit," ASU president Michael Crow said, though he didn't say by how much.
• Total on-campus enrollment in fall 2025 was over 78,000, and ASU could see a drop of 1% from that, the Arizona Republic reported.

Zoom in: The drop is due to a decrease in international students, Crow said.

Between the lines: The Trump administration has increasingly restricted student visas and last month enacted a rule limiting the duration of visas for international students.

UofA is planning for a 2% drop in in-person students this fall, per the Republic.

• Total enrollment last fall was over 54,000, according to the university.

Northern Arizona University disclosed in May that it expected a drop of more than 2,800 students compared with fall 2025 enrollment, a decrease of more than 10%, but current estimates project a smaller decline, the university's communications department tells Axios.

• NAU president José Luis Cruz Rivera said last week that the decrease will be about 1,000 students fewer than previously expected, per the Arizona Daily Sun.

NAU declined to comment to Axios on possible causes for the drop but pointed to two nationwide trends:

• A decline in traditional college-age students, dubbed the "demographic cliff," attributed to lower birthrates that began around the start of the Great Recession in 2007.
• Federal policy changes — which the school didn't specify — that are "affecting recruitment and enrollment patterns."

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The Trump administration has moved closer to eliminating the Roadless Rule in national forests, potentially opening hundreds of thousands of acres of Arizona wilderness to development.

Why it matters: The decades-old federal policy has protected millions of acres of wilderness from new roads and logging — to the delight of conservationists and the ire of the timber industry.

The intrigue: The Trump administration says the 2001 rule hampers wildfire prevention and firefighting, including forest thinning and insect control.

• However, multiple studies have shown that roads are themselves associated with increased risk of wildfires.

Driving the news: Now the formal process has begun with a new call for public comments, which can be submitted here until Sept. 21.

By the numbers: Rescinding the rule would open about 1.2 million acres of Arizona's forests to logging and road construction.

• 27% of the Coronado National Forest is designated as roadless, as is 2% of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
• Arizona's four other national forests — Prescott, Kaibab, Coconino and Tonto — have roadless areas that allow roads under certain circumstances.

Zoom in: "When you're looking at a big map, they may look small, but a lot of those areas were identified to protect things like wildlife corridors," says Sandy Bahr, the Grand Canyon chapter director of the Sierra Club.

• Portions of the Black River in Apache-Sitgreaves are in a roadless area, as are large swaths of the Santa Rita mountains in Coronado.

Go wild

A federal appeals ruling on state regulation of online sports betting is a win for Arizona but doesn't resolve the state's ongoing issues with prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.

Why it matters: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is attempting to assert state authority over online prediction markets but has faced pushback from the federal government and the courts.

Driving the news: The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case out of Nevada on Friday that the federal Commodity Exchange Act doesn't bar states from regulating Kalshi's online sports betting.

Yes, but: The ruling doesn't help Mayes in her battle to regulate prediction market wagering on elections.

• The Ninth Circuit remanded a question on Nevada's authority over Kalshi's election wagering back to the district court.

Catch up quick: Mayes brought criminal charges against Kalshi in March, accusing it of running an illegal gambling operation and of violating state laws against election wagering.

• A federal judge blocked that prosecution, ruling that online prediction markets are regulated solely by the CFTC.

What's next: Mayes' office is reviewing the Friday ruling, spokesperson Richie Taylor tells Axios.

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🤝 A former Arizona Department of Child Services director says the CEO of a group home company under investigation for its ties to Gov. Katie Hobbs tried to leverage his relationship with the governor to get a rate increase. (AZCentral)

• The CEO, Simon Kottoor of Sunshine Residential, reportedly denied it to investigators with the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

🧑‍🍳 The Denū Hotel & Spa is set to open in downtown Phoenix with four new restaurants on Sept. 16. (Phoenix New Times)

One person is dead and 15 are missing after flash flooding at the Grand Canyon. (New York Times)

🤳 Social media personality Heston James Cobb pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation after he filmed viral videos attempting to take over Valley restaurants while posing as an employee. (ABC15)

We're grateful to the readers who make Axios Local part of their day and continue to follow the stories unfolding around them.

Looking ahead: There's always more to cover. Member support helps our newsroom grow alongside your community and continue bringing you the local reporting you value.

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Welcome to another edition of "Where in the Valley?"

How it works: We show you something cool. You tell us where it is.

• The first reader who names the spot gets a shoutout in the newsletter.

You tell us: Where in the Valley can you find this sculpture?

Catch up quick: Congratulations to Gary S., the first reader to give us the correct location for last week's "Where in the Valley?" photo.

• The statue is at Park Central.

🛼 Jeremy didn't fall or break any bones while roller-skating with his kids over the weekend, so he considers the outing a success.

🎳 Zach retained his title as family bowling champion over the weekend, although his competition was his 6-year-old and his 6-months-pregnant wife.

This newsletter was edited by Astrid Galván.