Good morning, Maricopa.

Luis de la Cruz crossed the desert as a child with his family and grew up to lead the Arizona Friends Foster Children Foundation that helps nearly 4,000 foster kids.

He earned two college degrees and a master’s—after working at a major consulting firm—before coming back to Arizona to support children with clothing, school supplies, and extra care.

Arizona Jazz Fest will run Nov.

7-9, 2025 at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler—featuring headliners Al Green, Charlie Wilson, Babyface, and an all-star tribute to Frankie Beverly with a jazz stage for local artists. Mobile tickets will arrive 48 hours before the event and three-day parking passes starting at $120 can be bought on the festival website.

Arizona released preliminary letter grades for public schools for the 2024‑25 year and most schools earned A's or B's while the number of failing schools more than doubled from last year.

Local districts in the Valley are boosting reading and attendance and some have already improved their scores — with appeals available until November 17.

Arizona higher education leaders are weighing a shared statement of principles to protect free speech instead of joining the federal compact that offers funding for strict rules.

No college has agreed to the compact so far and state officials plan to continue discussions with the federal government.

Phoenix had extremely high temperatures in October 2024 that reached over 110 degrees because a strong high-pressure system trapped the heat, but October 2025 was cooler with more clouds and heavy rains from tropical storms that made it the third wettest October on record—meteorologist Gabriel Lojero explained the change. He said warmer-than-normal temperatures will stay through early next week—with a chance of cooler days by mid-November.

Arizona State hockey has not played at home since Oct 11 and will host Colorado College on Nov 7 and 8 (after four straight road games) as it aims to rebuild confidence.

Coach Greg Powers said the win over Miami (their first conference win) showed progress for the team.

Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham has been linked to Auburn's open head coaching job after Hugh Freeze's departure — he extended his contract with ASU and worked at Auburn in 2019.

On Tuesday, the Suns lost to the Warriors 118 to 107 at the Chase Center with 18,064 fans watching — the team trailed by 25 points and could not recover.

Devin Booker scored 38 points but said the Suns did not follow their game plan — leaving them winless on the road at 0 to 4 while the Warriors remain undefeated at home at 4 to 0.

The Arizona Cardinals placed quarterback Kyler Murray on injured reserve on November 5 due to a foot injury—head coach Jonathan Gannon said the decision is best for Murray and the team.

Murray will miss at least four games, which prompts Jacoby Brissett to start while Kedon Slovis remains the backup as the team prepares for upcoming contests.

Nissan Pop-up Dealership Event

10 a.m. — Duke's Roadhouse — Free entry — Experience the thrill of test drives and enjoy live music with food at Nissan's first-ever pop-up dealership.