Valley 101

Autism is often seen as a “kid’s disorder,” meaning the focus is on helping children – but where does that leave autistic adults? We talked with leaders in the Valley’s autism community about the “services cliff” people with autism often experience at the age of 21 and what Arizona is doing about it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spent most of 2019 exploring the Valley thanks to your questions. We'll be back in 2020 with more. Submit your question today at valley101podcast.azcentral.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Citrus, cotton, copper, cattle and climate — these are the five Cs of Arizona. They're the five economic drivers that transformed Arizona from a small cowboy town to a growing metropolis.  In this episode, you'll hear: How copper helped grow the population in Arizona, and how it's still a major industry in the state.  How the cattle industry grew in Arizona and why it's still a major industry despite its downturn post-peak downturn How Arizona has leveraged its climate to attract tourists in the past, and how residents can think about its climate going forward.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that Phoenix had one of the most successful local children's shows of all time? "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" ran from 1954 to 1989, collecting fans like Steven Spielberg and Alice Cooper along the way. What made the show a success was its dark humor. Yes, it was a kids' show, but it featured characters like Aunt Maud, who liked reading tragic stories to children. Or Marshall Good, an unemployed "cowboy" from New Jersey who had never ridden a horse.  Kids may have tuned in for the cartoon, but high schoolers and their parents got the more offbeat jokes.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, podcast editor Katie O'Connell explores the history of this Valley original. In this episode you'll hear: Previously unaired interview audio with all three of the show's stars Clips from the show's skits, including one with Muhammad Ali Republic reporter Richard Ruelas, who has written two books on the show, sharing his childhood memories of it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1990s, Phoenix was in a public controversy over the public art project called Wall Cyle to Ocotillo. The country was going through a recession and the local residents were mad. Mad about the taxpayer money spent on the art, mad about the look of the pots, and mad the city choose out-of-state artists.  Eventually the public argument died down, but the curiosity about the project didn't. Almost thirty years later, Phoenix residents still have questions.  This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dig deep into the history of Wall Cycle to Ocotillo, while also looking at the significance of public art.  In this episode, you'll hear: Mags Harries and Lajos Heder, the artists who designed Wall Cycle to Ocotillo Edward Lebow, current director of Phoenix's Public Art Program  Audio from a student mockumentary parodying the art project  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Metro Phoenix isn’t exactly the idyllic location for Christmas. There’s no snow for building snowmen, the sweaters are often more for aesthetic than necessity, and the hot cocoa? Well, let’s just say Starbucks still keeps their plastic cups fully stocked.  But at the very least, locals can create their own holiday wonderland by decorating their homes, hanging twinkle lights, and ornamenting a Christmas tree. Those opting for a real Christmas tree may find themselves wondering: If we live in a desert, where do the real Christmas trees come from?  LINKS: For information on how to purchase a permit to cut a Christmas tree from a national forest, click here. For more information on our show, visit: valley101.azcentral.com. Follow our show on Twitter: @Valley101pod Follow our host on Twitter @kailawhite Follow producer Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It looks like a tiered wedding cake and is even painted a soft yellow like buttercream. Listen to learn its century-old history (and how to get tour tickets). Click here to see photos and video from inside Tovrea Castle. Note: Those are only for subscribers to azcentral.com. You can subscribe at azcentral.com/join. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, our Valley 101 podcast explored Arizona's five Cs, focusing on citrus and its decline.  This week, podcast editor Katie O'Connell digs in on another crop: cotton. The plant was included in the five Cs after its boom in World War I, but it's struggled in recent decades.  To uncover more on cotton and its role in our state's identity, Katie spoke to Ron and Russ Rayner, a father-son duo who operate farms in the West Valley. Their consensus was clear. Cotton is still a vital part of the state's identity, bringing in between $400 to $500 million to the state's economy each year.  In this episode, you'll hear: Philip VanderMeer, a retired Arizona State University professor of American and Arizonan history Ron and Russ Rayner, farmers from the West Valley Archival audio from an educational documentary from the 1950s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you grew up in Arizona as a young kid, chances are you learned about the five Cs of Arizona in school. But if you didn’t, maybe you’ve heard about them and wondered how they came to be. What are those five Cs? How did Arizona even get this alliteration? This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the history of the five C's and answer the listener-submitted question, "what happened to derail the citrus industry in Arizona?" We also dig deeper into the impact the citrus industry has on Arizona's economy.  In this episode, you'll hear: Philip VanderMeer, a retired Arizona State University professor of American and Arizona history  Selwyn Justice, a fifth generation citrus grower in Arizona  Archival audio from an educational documentary from the 1930s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Valley Metro light rail debuted in 2008 as a public transportation option that proponents hoped would propel Phoenix into the big leagues of cities. It currently stretches 28 miles long, 8 miles longer than when it first opened. By 2050, Valley Metro plans for it to be 60 miles long. But since its opening, locals have a lots of questions. Reporter Jessica Boehm and producer Taylor Seely answer them. The questions answered in this episode: Why'd the light rail come to Phoenix? Why's the light rail designed the way it is? Why'd Phoenix choose a light rail over a monorail? Does the light rail bring crime and hurt business? What's best for taxpayers' wallets: light rail, bus or car?  Has light rail been successful? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Valley 101 podcast: Spooky edition!  You'll hear about graveyards, theater ghosts, and places where children's spirits are rumored to roam. Go on a haunted tour across Phoenix with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine yourself walking down a dark, twisting staircase. There's light at the bottom, but not much. You come upon a scene as puzzling as it is creepy: fourteen dolls that look like they've been there for years, sitting around a table and lit by a singular bulb. That's what you'll find in the basement of Hanny's, 40 N. 1st St, Phoenix. The downtown Phoenix bar and restaurant used to be a department store, which opened in 1947. The dolls weren't there then, so how and when did they get there? And more importantly, why? That's the topic podcast editor Katie O'Connell will explore in this week's special Halloween episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eighty-eight years ago, Winnie Ruth Judd traveled from Phoenix to Los Angeles with trunks oozing out blood. Initially, police thought the trunks contained illegal deer meat. After flies began circling the abandoned luggage, police opened the trunks, only to discover Agnes "Anne" LeRoi's full body in one and Hedvig "Sammy" Samuelson's dismembered body in another one.  The Oct. 16, 1931 murders put the then-sleepy city of Phoenix on the map. The murderous tale and subsequent court proceedings made national headlines. And with so many unanswered questions, the mystery behind Judd's story continues to capture attention.  Did Judd alone kill the two women? Why are there still so many questions surrounding the murder? How did she escape so many times from state hospital? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, producer Maritza Dominguez explores the tale of the "Trunk Murderess." In this episode, you'll hear: Jana Bommersbach, author of the book "The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd", gives a look at Winnie's life before and after the murders. Marshall Shore, the "Hip Historian", describe what Phoenix was like in the 1930's. Winnie Ruth Judd, in a 1969 interview, tells her version of what happened that night.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phoenix is known as the land of sunshine and real estate. But every so often you might hear someone compare Phoenix with Silicon Valley, the land of tech startups and innovation and billionaires and Tesla. Some have gone so far as to call Phoenix the "Silicon Desert."  But when people talk startups, they usually talk about San Jose and San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Boston. What about us? How big is Phoenix’s startup scene? How is it shaping our metro and our future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a tower and dome-shaped building south of Interstate 10 near 16th Avenue that seems to always be under construction. It's a church called La Luz del Mundo, or in English, The Light of the World Church. So what is the church and what do the members believe? And why is their church leader, Naasón Joaquín García facing 26 felony charges in Los Angeles County? Reporter Uriel Garcia and producer Taylor Seely find out.  To learn more about the church, its history, and ex-churchgoers, read this in-depth article for azcentral.com subscribers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices