The rumors might be true... the desert heat is hot– maybe even hot enough to cook your breakfast.

Just ask the town of Oatman, Arizona, where the annual egg fry competition has become a long-standing tradition. If anyone can confirm the myth, it's the participants.

But as it turns out– there is always more to the story.

In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explore this Arizona heat myth, with the help of a climatologist, food safety expert, and small-town competition to answer the question: can you really cook an egg on the sidewalk in Arizona?

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Guests: Bobby Mursick, Erinanne Saffell, Heather Miller

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger⁠⁠

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Arizona has a different kind of beauty. Those craggy rocks and scrubby little bushes start to look better, if you look in the right places.

If you don’t like the terrain or the view in the part of Arizona you’re in, you can just hop in your car and drive for an hour or two and find something extremely different.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast about metro Phoenix and beyond, host Bill Goodykoontz talks with an Arizona author and travel writer and, the consumer travel reporter for The Republic to answer a question we posed to readers: what is the most scenic view in Arizona? 

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Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Watchlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, our Friday media newsletter.

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Guests: Roger Naylor, Michael Salerno⁠

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger⁠, ⁠Amanda Luberto ⁠

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The fires burning at the Grand Canyon are now the the fifth-largest blaze at a national park in recent history. It's destroyed the historic lodge and has spanned nearly 17,000 acres of forest. The destruction has Shelby reminiscing and reflecting on what being from Arizona means to her.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast about metro Phoenix and beyond, Republic editor Shelby Slade shares a personal essay about how Arizona's namesake made her fall in love with her state.

Read Shelby's article here

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Guests: Shelby Slade

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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Peacock’s hit reality TV series “Love Island USA” wrapped it's seventh season on Sunday, July 13 after leveraging millions of viewers worldwide for its juicy summer drama.

However, Season 7 had an unusual run despite many rocky relationships in the villa and bombshells “taking your man.” The drama went beyond Fiji when several accounts of public backlash rose against contestants online.

Arizona contestant Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa, though she was not the only one.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer the questions: What is the controversy behind an Arizona “Love island” contestant and what this scandal may mean for casting reality television contestants moving forward.

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Guests: Dina Kaur

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger, Amanda Luberto

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If you've ever been to an Arizona Diamondbacks game, you've heard Bobby Freeman.

You may not know you have, but you have. There's no way around it — he's been the organist for the team since they started play in 1998. A self-taught musician, he is part of the team that keeps Diamondbacks fans entertained, even when the team doesn't.

In this week's episode of Valley 101, we travel to Chase Field to talk to Freeman to answer the question: What's it like to be the organist for the Arizona Diamondbacks?

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Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Watchlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, our Friday media newsletter.

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Guests: Bobby Freeman

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger, Amanda Luberto ⁠

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Happily, metro Phoenix has some great pizza places. Places? Joints? Choose your own colloquialism. Your favorite pizza place says a lot about you.

So who has the best? Lucky for us, we have a way of figuring this out. The Arizona Republic's 2025 Phoenix Pizza Poll...

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, host ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠ chats with Endia Fontanez, the food and dining reporter for The Republic and the lucky winner of the contest, Jeff Carlberg.

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Guests: ⁠Endia Fontanez, Jeff Carlberg

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Arizona has been home to many musical acts — some born and raised here, others who found fame along the way. But who's the biggest artist to come out of the Grand Canyon state? Is it Alice Cooper? Stevie Nicks? Linda Ronstadt? The answer might surprise you.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, host ⁠Bill Goodykoontz teams up with Republic pop music critic and reporter Ed Masley⁠ to settle the debate.

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Guests: Ed Masley

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Monsoons are an ancient phenomenon, bringing heavy bursts of rain and wind to the Valley. But there's much more to know about this season.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond. Tom Frieders, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, and Sean McLaughlin, a meteorologist at Arizona’s Family stations answer the question: When does the monsoon REALLY start?

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Guests: Tom Frieders, Sean Mclaughlin

Host: ⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠Abby Bessinger

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Drownings are an unfortunately part of covering news in Arizona, but one has captured more attention than normal.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we discuss the case of influencer Emilie Kieser's son and drowning prevention.

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Guests: Lori Stauffer, Elena Santa Cruz⁠, KiMi Robinson

Host: ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠Abby Bessinger⁠⁠

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Sonoita is one of three American Viticultural Areas in the state, and due to their higher elevation, they make excellent locations in the desert to grow wine. Unlike the greater Phoenix metro area, these parts of Arizona don't see triple-digit temperatures nearly every day in the summer and they also get a lot of rain.

Arizona is home to more than 150 wineries now and small towns are dependent on them for tourism and economic boosts. So how are vintners adjusting to climate change in the desert and how is it impacting the wine industry overall?

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, we take a look at how changing weather patterns are affecting wine growing and how Arizona can even grow it in the first place.

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Guests: Michael Pierce, Corey Turnbull, Brian Freedman⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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