Follow the local stories shaping Phoenix in five minutes each weekday. Enter your email to get the next local briefing.
Arizona’s Capitol Executive Tower in Phoenix houses the offices of the governor, secretary of state and other state agencies. The evacuation occurred less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election, amid a nationwide investigation into suspicious mail directed at election-related offices. Federal authorities said some letters in the broader series contained an unknown substance, but the substance in the Arizona envelope had not been publicly identified.
Chandler police arrested Gilbert resident Austin Jay Curtis after an investigation into alleged stalking and threats against a former high-school classmate. Court-document reporting says the investigation included alleged threats involving a Pride parade, prompting a bomb squad response to suspicious bags left at the woman’s home; no explosives were found. Curtis faces charges, and the allegations have not been adjudicated.
Valley Metro is conducting its first comprehensive review of the metro Phoenix regional bus network in more than 20 years through its Bus Network Redesign. The draft is intended to align service with current travel patterns, ridership data, regional growth and rider feedback following pandemic-era ridership declines. The proposal is cost-neutral and remains subject to public input and regional approval.
Automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems use cameras and software to capture license-plate and vehicle information in searchable databases. Tempe first shut off its 33 Flock Safety cameras and moved to end its vendor contract in August 2026, citing risks of misuse despite finding no misuse in its own audits. The October ordinance converts that policy choice into city code while retaining limited, specified avenues for the city to receive lawfully obtained ALPR information.
Arizona voters are scheduled to decide Proposition 318, the “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act,” at the Nov. 3, 2026 election. Arizona law already requires school teams to be designated by sex and bars students classified as male from girls’ teams; Proposition 318 would define sex by the original birth certificate, broaden coverage and add restrictions on private athletic spaces. The proposal has prompted competing arguments over athletic fairness, privacy, discrimination and enforcement.
Proposition 144, the Fast Accurate Secure Transparent Election Results Act, is a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution concerning election administration. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in August that the measure could remain on the November ballot after opponents challenged it as an impermissible combination of unrelated subjects. If approved, it would add constitutional provisions on citizenship, foreign election spending, voter identification and ballot tabulation.
Arizona State announced on Oct. 15 that Dave Hakstol will take over its men’s hockey program after most recently serving as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. He succeeds Greg Powers, who had been placed on administrative leave after player Matthew Mayich collapsed during an Aug. 20 outdoor workout; ASU’s independent review of that incident remains underway. Hakstol previously coached North Dakota for 11 seasons and was an NHL head coach for the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken.