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Screenshot of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signing a proposal to approve Arizona's request to oversee Safe Drinking Water Act permiting for underground injection wells on Thursday, May 15, 2025. U.S. Congressmen Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani and Paul Gosar were in attendance.

EPA backs Arizona’s bid to regulate underground injection wells.

May 15, 2025 Shift praised by lawmakers as a step towards control and streamlined permitting during a signing ceremony today.
Lightning over Tucson. August 2024

Monsoon 2025: Dry spring could mean good chances for storms

May 13, 2025 Monsoon season officially starts June 15.
Researchers have found two important building blocks of human speech in wild chimpanzees, one of our closest relatives.

Chimps' rhythmic drumming and complex calls hint at origins of human language

May 12, 2025 A team of researchers recorded thousands of vocalizations made by wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Ivory Coast.
The New World screwworm is endemic in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean — and its northward spread into Mexico has alarmed U.S. officials.

U.S. halts cattle imports from Mexico, citing fears of flesh-eating maggot

May 12, 2025 The new ban will continue on a "month-by-month basis, until a significant window of containment is achieved," said the USDA
A scene from the Oak Flat campground, a site sacred to Apache peoples and the epicenter of lawsuits trying to block the development of a large copper mine.

Federal judge pauses Oak Flat land swap until a SCOTUS decision

May 9, 2025 The ruling comes two days after arguments were heard.
Water sits low behind Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona on November 2, 2022. Low water levels in Lake Powell could jeopardize the dam's ability to produce hydropower or pass water downstream.

A dry winter on the Colorado River has big reservoirs on track for trouble

May 8, 2025 The mountains that feed the Colorado River with snowmelt are strikingly dry
Protests against the Resolution Copper mine near Oak Flat have been going for years, as shown in this 2015 file photo from a rally at the Capitol.

Apache Stronghold asks court to temporarily halt Oak Flat land swap

May 8, 2025 Apache Stronghold seeks to halt a land swap at Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site, as the court weighs religious rights and mining plans ahead of a possible SCOTUS review.
Andrea Gallegos, one of the first female mariachi director in the Southwest.

The Master - Apprentice program preserves not only mariachi, but women in mariachi.

May 7, 2025 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Sound Fiction returns with James Mustard's "Homestead on Bellatrix Prime"; celebrating the return of the Elegant Trogon to Madera Canyon; and "A Book I Love" from Cyclovia Tucson 2025.
A billboard calls out reduced visitor hours at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, May 5, 2025. The billboard is off of I-10 and 6th Ave., and part of a nationwide campaign sponsored by More Perfect Union, drawing attention to how federal cuts made by DOGE, have impacted the National Park Service. There are four billboards in Tucson and six in Phoenix.

Billboards in Tucson and Phoenix call out cuts made to Saguaro National Park

May 6, 2025 A national campaign blames Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency for reduced services at 40 national parks.
Light rain falls over the Tucson Mountains in this view from Sentinel Peak.

Saguaro National Park expands

May 2, 2025 The latest land acquisition brings the park closer to a connected corridor across Tucson's west side.
The stretch of the Verde River that goes through Clarkdale ends near the Tuzigoot Road Bridge.

The Buzz revisits our trip down the Verde River

May 2, 2025 As the show prepares to take a break, we listen back to our favorite episode.
Stronghold Fire with crew buggies in the foreground.

Over 2,000 acre wildfire in Cochise County at 22% containment

Apr 30, 2025 The fire started on Monday. The cause is still unknown.
Lack of rain and snow over the winter season have created extreme drought conditions in Southern Arizona. Wildfire risk is severe. From April 2025.

It's Dry Out There: What one of the driest winters ever means for Arizona

Apr 25, 2025 After one of the driest and warmest winters on record, what can Arizonans expect for the coming monsoon season and for the rest of the year?
This is the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat. The team on Schmidt Ocean Institute's Research Vessel Falkor captured footage of the nearly one foot squid at a depth of 1,968 feet, using their remotely operated vehicle "SuBastian" on March 9, during an Ocean Census flagship expedition searching for new marine life.

A colossal squid is filmed in its natural habitat for the first time

Apr 16, 2025 Colossal squid are known to be elusive and likely avoid the bright and loud research equipment used underwater.
Border barriers in the Sierra Vista District of the Coronado National Forest on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Emily Burns, program director for the Sky Island Alliance says the state government opted not to place shipping containers in this specific area.

Environmental group says government shared plan for border barrier in critical wildlife passage

Apr 15, 2025 They say the area is the last unwalled major biodiversity hotspot in the border region.
A sign in front of Fondomonte's 10,000 acre farm in La Paz County shows that, as of July 2024, the company is hiring.

Fondomonte asks that AZ AG's lawsuit be dropped in court filing

Apr 14, 2025 The Saudi-backed alfalfa farm's answer to a civil complaint seeks an end to the suit and legal fees.

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