If you're stuck in the Valley most of the summer, it's time to make your plan for taking advantage of Phoenix's slow season.

Why it matters: When temperatures shoot up, tourism drops off and locals can get into resorts and attractions at significant discounts.

• And thank goodness — we need some upside to sustained triple-digit temperatures.

The latest: Great Wolf Lodge, the indoor waterpark and hotel near Scottsdale, this week launched a summer pass.

• From May 1 to Aug. 31, passholders can get into the waterpark any day for $450 or on all non-holiday weekdays for $120.

Zoom in: Here are some of the other best deals we found for poolside entertainment and resort staycations.

• Local deals, especially on hotels, are limited and worth booking ASAP.

Waterparks:

☀️ Sunsplash: The East Valley's classic splash zone, which is already open on weekends, sells a season pass for $250.

🌀 Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix: The West Valley park is selling season passes for $59 through April 19.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Hilton Family Passes: Certain Hilton properties, including Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs and The McCormick Scottsdale, are offering daily family passes to their onsite pools.

• Passes run $75-$100 and include admission for two kids and two adults.

Hotels:

🌵 Andaz Scottsdale: Rooms from $199 and waived resort fees for Arizona residents from June 12-Sep. 13.

👙 JW Marriott Desert Ridge: The resort's lazy river and water slides will be aglow with vibrant lighting every night from May 22-Sep. 7.

• Book a two-night stay before May 21 to get 25% off your stay and a $100 dining or activity credit.

🍸 Arizona Biltmore: Southwesterners get up to 40% off and reduced resort fees for the rest of the year at this iconic midcentury hotel.

Go up north

Bill signings heated up this week as Gov. Hobbs more than doubled the amount of the legislation that's gotten her approval this session.

Hobbs signed bills to:

💍 Establish laws for enforcement of post-divorce agreements for dividing property and other interests.

🎓 Double the amount of time, from two to four academic years and four to eight semesters, that community college students can get free tuition for the Arizona Teachers Academy.

🚨 Require sex offenders who get name changes to register under both their old and new names.

Hobbs also got her record-breaking veto stamp out this week, nixing legislation to:

🏫 Require public school districts and the Arizona Department of Education to post contracts for superintendents and other top administrators online.

• In her veto letter, Hobbs said Arizona has a robust school choice system and the bill doesn't provide the same transparency for other types of schools.

📚 Bar public school libraries from using government funds to pay professional associations dedicated to promoting or supporting libraries, librarians or information services.

Go deeper

Work is officially underway on the planned ASU Health headquarters building in downtown Phoenix.

Zoom in: ASU president Michael Crow, Phoenix Mayor Gallego, Gov. Hobbs and other officials were on hand yesterday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony near 5th and Fillmore streets.

• The building is scheduled to open for the 2028-2029 academic year.

State of play: The 175,000-square-foot building will be part of the Phoenix Bioscience Core and will house ASU's John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health, along with other programs.

• ASU Health will be a hub for discussing new innovations and new ways to improve health outcomes and educate people, Crow told the crowd.
• "We already have great institutions. This is not in lieu of the things we already have," he said. "How do we build ASU Health with a new kind of medical school?"

Catch up quick: The city of Phoenix last month approved $50 million for the $200 million project.

• The state provided $100 million and other funding came from private philanthropy, per ASU.

🍽️ More than 400,000 Arizonans have lost federal nutrition assistance benefits since July — nearly 47% of participants — due to changes the state made as a result of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (ProPublica)

🤑 A federal appellate court ruled that New Jersey can't enforce state wagering laws against Kalshi because it's federally regulated, a potential blow to Attorney General Kris Mayes' attempt to do the same in Arizona. (KJZZ)

👀 ICE moved detainees out of an overcrowded Mesa facility ahead of a visit by two Democratic U.S. representatives, then began moving people back afterward. (Arizona Mirror)

🍺 Pinky's, a new sports bar and grill in downtown Phoenix, will replace Angel's Trumpet, which closed last October after 13 years in business. (AZcentral)

UofA's Final Four appearance bridged the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans and, perhaps, Wildcats and Sun Devils fans at the Arizona Capitol.

The state House and Senate each hosted the Arizona Wildcats following their run in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

• The House read a proclamation honoring the team, lawmakers took turns getting autographs and pics with the players, head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke to the chamber, and several players tried out the speaker's gavel.

What they're saying: "This is just the beginning. And we look forward to recreating this and doing this again," Lloyd said after being introduced on the House floor.

🤝 Jeremy's thought bubble: I heard cheering from both sides of the aisle, and saw folks I know to be big ASU fans taking photos of the Cats.