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PODCAST

Valley 101

The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com

Whether you"re a longtime Arizona resident or a newcomer, chances are there"s something you"ve always wondered about the Valley. From The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com comes Valley 101, a weekly podcast where our journalists find answers to your questions about metro Phoenix and beyond. From silly to serious, you tell us what to investigate. You can submit questions at valley101.azcentral.com or reach us on social media @azcentral. This show is hosted by Bill Goodykootz and produced by Amanda

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All Episodes

13:48

Valley 101 tells you how to best prepare for bad air...

Valley 101 ·

2021/05/03

If you lived in Phoenix in August 2020, you probably remember waking up to what felt like an unusually cloudy day. The sun was bright orange and looking directly at it didn't hurt your eyes. But those were not unseasonable clouds, it was smoke from fires in Northern Arizona and California that traveled into the Valley. With the majority of the state in a drought, the potential for an active fire season and big dust storms blowing into the Valley this summer, has one Valley 101 listener asking what

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11:59

There's no such thing as the city of Anthem. We found...

Valley 101 ·

2021/04/26

Picture this: you’re headed to Sedona from downtown Phoenix. As you drive north on Interstate 17, you pass the Outlets by Anthem. What you might not know is that the section of Anthem with the outlet mall — the western section — is actually part of the city of Phoenix. The larger portion of Anthem, its eastern counterpart, is in unincorporated Maricopa County. There’s no such thing as the city of Anthem. In this week’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com,

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10:13

What's the history of the Beet Sugar Factory in...

Valley 101 ·

2021/04/19

On 52nd Avenue and Glendale Avenue, a five-story building stands empty. It's fenced off from the public with faded red brick and bordered-off windows. Arizona Republic readers picked the Beet Sugar Factory as one of the worst West Valley eyesores. The factory captured the interest of Valley 101 listener Garret Godfrey. He asked us about the history of the Beet Sugar Factory and about future plans for the building. It turns out that building has a connection to the development of Glendale. In this

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12:00

Why are the streets downtown Phoenix named after...

Valley 101 ·

2021/04/12

If you drive downtown Phoenix, it's likely you have turned down Van Buren Street, Roosevelt Road or another roadway named after a President. Phoenix famously has a grid system for its roads. Roads running North to South are numbered and roads running East to West are named streets. But one of our listeners asked why the streets in Central Phoenix are named after United States Presidents. They grew up on Portland Street, one street over from Roosevelt and always wanted to know why names of past

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12:18

What is xeriscaping? And what are its benefits?

Valley 101 ·

2021/04/05

Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden boasts more than a mile of native plants. Every step of the way, you’ll find plants that are uniquely attended for survival in the hot, dry desert. In fact, there are more than 200 plants that thrive in our desert climate. “One of my favorites is the chocolate flower, that spring or fall will grace your morning grand with the aroma of sweet chocolate,” said Kirti Mathura, the Smartscape Program Coordinator at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. Using local

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17:15

What legacy did Betty and Jean Fairfax leave behind...

Valley 101 ·

2021/03/29

In honor of Women’s History Month, we're highlighting the story of two women who dedicated their careers and retirements to educational equity. Their names were Betty and Jean Fairfax. Those names might sound familiar. Betty H. Fairfax High School in the Phoenix Union District is named after the oldest sister. She’s the only former educator in the district with a high school named after her. How did that happen? What kind of legacy did the Fairfax sisters leave in Arizona? In this week's episode of

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16:23

How did Arizona become a hub for the LDS Church?

Valley 101 ·

2021/03/22

The Valley is full of transplants. Many of us moved here or our parents moved here, perhaps our grandparents. Then there's Candice Copple, whose family has been in Arizona for six generations. Copple's ancestors came to Arizona in the 1800s as a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her great-great-great grandfather was Charles Innes Robson the 1st. He’s considered a founding father of Mesa in the East Valley. Charles came to Arizona with his father-in-law Francis Pomeroy and two

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13:26

Why aren't sirens used during dust storms?

Valley 101 ·

2021/03/15

Dust storms can create a wall of dust that miles wide and thousands of feet high. When one hits, visibility can drop down to a quarter of a mile or less. When that happens, the local branch of the National Weather Service will send out a weather emergency alert. Odds are you've received one on your phone. Sirens, however, are not part of the messaging equation. It turns out there are a few reasons why sirens aren't used during dust storms. Part of it has to do with infrastructure. The other has to

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10:11

What's a vanity license plate? How many are on the...

Valley 101 ·

2021/03/08

When you're on the road, odds are you'll see plenty of our standard Arizona license plates. You know, the ones with a purple saguaro and mountain under a blue and yellow sky. But you'll also see a fair number of plates that look different. Valley 101 listener Harold Lohner noticed this too. He asked why Arizona cars have so many vanity license plates? Is it more than other In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving in the trend of

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12:03

Why is recycling different city to city?

Valley 101 ·

2021/03/01

When you go to recycle, what you can put in your bin depends on a few different factors, including which municipality you live in. Different cities within the Valley have different rules. Why is that? Why is there not an across-the-board set of items you can and can’t recycle? In this episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we break down the reasons why where you live affects how and what you can recycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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13:34

How did the Phoenix Bakery, one of the city's oldest...

Valley 101 ·

2021/02/22

The Phoenix Bakery was a downtown staple in the city’s earliest days. German immigrant Ed Eisele Sr. started working there in 1881, purchasing the shop at West Washington Street and Center Street (now Central Avenue) three years later. As the city grew, the bakery grew, leaving its original location in 1929. But the red-brick building that housed the original operation is still around today. There’s just one catch: it now resides at the Phoenix Zoo, miles away from its original location. How did it

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11:13

What's the story behind Phoenix Sky Harbor's fly-in...

Valley 101 ·

2021/02/15

Before Las Vegas became known as the quickie wedding hotspot, people flew to Phoenix. Or at least that's what Phoenix's Junior Chamber of Commerce hoped for. The story dates back to 1937. The city had purchased Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport two years prior in 1935. Most states across the U.S. at this point had laws mandating a 3-day waiting period for couples wishing to wed. But Arizona didn't. Capitalizing on that lack of regulation, the airport built a chapel and advertised fly-in

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16:10

Who was Paul W. Litchfield and how did he help...

Valley 101 ·

2021/02/08

Today, the West Valley is home to 1.7 million people, according to data collected by the Western Maricopa Coalition. And it’s still growing. The coalition anticipates that over the next 25 years, 49.5% of the growth in Maricopa County will happen in the West Valley. That's vastly different from what it was like in the beginning of the 20th century. Before Arizona had towns like Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park, the West Valley was barren. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from

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26:49

Meet Richard E. Harris, the first Black reporter at...

Valley 101 ·

2021/02/01

In 1964, at the age of 51, Richard E. Harris became the first Black reporter at The Arizona Republic. His tenure came during a momentous and tumultuous period in our nation’s history. The year before, thousands were arrested while protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Among them was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would deliver his famed “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that same year. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The following year,

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15:23

How do you safely hike with dogs in Arizona?

Valley 101 ·

2021/01/25

Winter in Arizona means peak hiking season. The weather is beautiful, the landscapes are breathtaking and, because of COVID-19, the fact that you can socially distance in the open air while getting in some exercise is an added perk. But if you take your dogs with you, there are some things you need to know. Maybe you’re new to the Valley and your transplant dog isn’t used to the desert terrain. But even if you’re a long-time resident, we’ve got some tips that you might not know. Consider this

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11:13

What's the story behind Arizona's clever highway signs?

Valley 101 ·

2021/01/18

There are the normal highway signs, ones that feature messages about travel times or road conditions. Then there are the funny ones. Ones that say things like, "Cut off? Don’t get bad blood. Shake it off” in reference to a Taylor Swift song. Or “Aggressive driving is the path to the dark side,” a nod to “Star Wars.” Arizona isn't unique in having signs like that. The trend started with the Iowa Department of Transportation, but Arizona Department of Transportation spokesperson Doug Pacey thinks we

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20:19

Is there a roller derby scene in Metro Phoenix?

Valley 101 ·

2021/01/11

If you fell down the TikTok rabbit hole in 2020, odds are you probably came across one or two videos of people roller skating. It's a trend and hobby people took up to get outside during the pandemic. Valley 101 listener Antonio Moody is a teacher and heard about the exact same trend from his students. Some of them even thought of taking up roller derby. Moody asked the podcast team if there was a roller derby scene in Metro Phoenix. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona

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16:15

Why does Phoenix have so few cemeteries?

Valley 101 ·

2021/01/04

If you're a transplant to Arizona from New England, you may have been surprised at the seeming absence of cemeteries in the Phoenix area. After all, they feel like they're located at every corner in some northeastern states. That's how Christopher Bunce felt when he moved to the Valley in January of 2020. So he submitted a question to Valley 101, our newsroom podcast dedicated to helping Phoenicians better understand the place they call home. He asked, "Why does Phoenix have so few

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1:37

Happy holidays from Valley 101

Valley 101 ·

2020/12/28

Hey Valley 101 listeners! We're taking a week off for a little rest and relaxation. Thank you for all of your questions this year! We look forward to answering more of them in 2021. Let us know what's on your mind at valley101podcast.azcentral.com or on Twitter @Valley101pod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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8:14

What's the story behind Arizona's largest Christmas...

Valley 101 ·

2020/12/21

For almost 20 years, the Outlets at Anthem decorated with the largest Christmas tree in Arizona. This year is no exception. Their 70-foot tall white fir tree weighs four tons after it's decorated. How did that tradition start? And how does the mall know that its tree is the tallest in the state? Podcast editor Katie O'Connell found out during this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com where we answer the questions you ask about metro Phoenix. Learn more

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