Axios Phoenix

May 29, 2025
Happy Thursday! The weekend is just around the corner.
- Today's weather: Partly sunny with a high of 101.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Phoenix member Jay Bennett!
Today's newsletter is 738 words — a 2.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Yee vs. Horne for state superintendent
State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is taking on state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in the Republican primary, challenging him from the right over Arizona's school choice system.
State of play: Yee, who is termed out, will attempt to wrest the GOP nomination from Horne as he seeks reelection.
- She announced her candidacy from the state Capitol yesterday, touting her career-long dedication to education issues and pledging to "build a stronger and higher-achieving school system."
- Yee criticized Horne for what she called "government overreach" in his administration of the voucher-style Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program and argued he's exceeded his legal authority in imposing restrictions on it.
- She also dismissed the types of excesses by some ESA parents that critics focus on as a fraction of a percentage of the total program.
The intrigue: State Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), who leads the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, told reporters last month he wanted to find a GOP primary challenger for Horne, whom he called "the single greatest threat" to the ESA program.
Between the lines: The superintendent proposes changes to the handbook that governs the ESA program.
- Horne's Department of Education proposed changes in March to require a curriculum for supplemental materials; impose spending caps for expenses like computers, musical instruments and home economics appliances; and ban expenses like smartwatches, multi-person kayaks, Amazon Prime fees and appliances like espresso machines and freeze-dryers.
The other side: Horne, a longtime school choice advocate who previously served as superintendent from 2003-2011, said in a press statement yesterday that the state education department is strongly in favor of parental choice and ESAs.
- But he rejected the notion that the program should be unrestricted, pointing to expenditures he's rejected like a $5,000 Rolex watch, a $24,000 golf simulator and a vasectomy testing kit.
- If the department approved such expenditures, it would provoke a negative public reaction and threaten the program's survivability, he said.
2. Griffey tees off in Arizona for YouTube series
MLB Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is hitting the road to play some of the country's most iconic golf courses — including two in Arizona — in a new YouTube series.
The big picture: Golf content is increasingly trending as interest in the sport skews younger.
State of play: In "Caddie & The Kid," Griffey will play alongside ESPN golf analyst Michael Collins at courses like Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, The Silverleaf Club in Scottsdale, and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon.
- The pair will explore local food and culture and tee off with content creators, celebrities and athletes, like former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki.
How to watch: Episodes of "Caddie & The Kid" will air on Kevin Hart's LOL Network YouTube channel.
3. Chips & salsa: TSMC wants tariff exemption
🏭 TSCM asked the White House to exempt foreign-made semiconductors from President Trump's tariffs, saying they could hurt the company's Arizona expansion. (AZcentral)
🗣 U.S. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly want Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to provide details about ICE arrests outside a Phoenix immigration court. (12 News)
🎥 Actor Danny Trejo is part of the cast of the movie "Choir Practice," an action-thriller set in Tucson that's being filmed at several locations in southern Arizona. (KVOA)
🏀 Grand Canyon University basketball star Tyon Grant-Foster will transfer to Gonzaga. (Arizona Sports)
Hiking influencer Hannah Moody was found dead near the Gateway Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. (Us Weekly)
4. Plan your weekend
Check out some professional pickleball, munch on gourmet tacos, plan your wedding and see what happens when Beethoven meets Beyoncé this weekend in the Valley.
Queen Bey gets classical in Steve Hackman's unique blend of Beyoncé's biggest hits and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7."
- Tomorrow-Saturday, 7:30pm, Phoenix Symphony Hall; Tickets from $35
Take in some pickleball action as the Phoenix Flames host several MLP teams for the fourth of 10 regular-season events this year.
- Today-Sunday, starting times vary by day, Arizona Athletic Grounds; Tickets starting at $30.35
What's better than tacos? Tacos from Mexico City's Michelin-starred Taquería El Califa de León, which pops up in Tempe.
- May 22-June 3; starting times vary by day; at C.A.S.A. Tempe
If you're getting hitched soon, don't miss the Southwest's largest wedding show, with vendors and professionals who have everything you need for your big day.
- Sunday, 8:30am, Phoenix Convention Center; $12 early registration, $15 day of the event
🗓 Jeremy is amazed that President John Tyler, who left office in 1845 and died in 1862, had a grandson who died last weekend.
This newsletter was edited by Gigi Sukin.
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