Monday, September 14, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1987, Pope John Paul II visited the Phoenix area, stopping at St. Joseph's Hospital and St. Mary's Basilica before celebrating Mass for about 75,000 people at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

📣 Major Announcement: We are launching Flyover Focus, a new video series that spotlights a single topic and covers its impact on your life. Some weeks that means a Top 10 list, and other weeks a chance to dig deeper into a subject making headlines, where we strip away bias and stick to the facts. Look for short informational videos every Monday.

We're starting with what may be the biggest story in the world, artificial intelligence. Is AI coming for your job? Why is AI showing up in your electric bill? Who decided a building full of computers belongs down the road from your house? And is anyone actually in charge of any of this? The answers are messier than either side wants to admit, and they reach further into your daily life than you'd expect. (Tune in here)

Later today, you’ll get an email from our partner, Fisher Investments, with seven principles that high net worth investors use to help keep their retirement strategy working as one cohesive plan.

Today’s sponsor, Miso Robotics, is bringing NVIDIA-powered AI into restaurant kitchens with its Flippy Fry Station while attracting more than $133 million from investors betting on the future of food automation.

Kirk Statue Vandalized

The new statue of Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix was found spray-painted red Sunday morning.

The damage covered the 8-foot-tall statue's face and neck, and a nearby memorial poster display was also sprayed, with words scrawled on the sign.

Turning Point USA said it will repair the damage and is working with law enforcement to identify the vandals. No arrests have been announced.

"Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the cross & spraying red paint on his neck. This isn’t the country we want to live in. Arizona is not Gotham," Turning Point COO Tyler Bowyer said. The statue went up Thursday to mark one year since Kirk was shot and killed in Utah.

County to Appeal Sheriff Oversight

Maricopa County supervisors signaled they will appeal after a federal judge refused to end court oversight of the sheriff's office.

Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko called the federal monitor unaccountable and said the arrangement has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The case dates to a 2007 lawsuit over traffic patrols. Total costs have exceeded $330 million, according to the county.

Judge G. Murray Snow denied the county's motion to end the oversight in a 72-page ruling, writing that the sheriff's office has not shown that racial profiling in traffic stops will not occur.

Four Condors Returning to Wild

Four captive-bred California condors will be released into the Arizona-Utah flock later this month near the state's northern border.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and its partners will open the release pen at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument at 11 a.m. Sept. 26, National Public Lands Day.

The Peregrine Fund will livestream the release as part of an event that opens to visitors at 9:30 a.m.

The birds hatched in a captive breeding program built to boost the wild population and add genetic diversity. North America's largest flying bird has been federally protected since the 1960s.

Flying together with our sponsor

Why Robotics Investors Keep Going Back to This NVIDIA Collaborator

Most investors write one check and wait. Miso Robotics keeps pulling them back.

With $133M+ raised to date across 44K+ investments, Miso has built something rare: a base of true believers who return round after round. And with today’s new progress at Miso and the U.S. IPO market seemingly heating up, it's easy to see why many are investing ahead of Miso’s share price change Thursday night.

Miso’s AI-powered Flippy Fry Station restaurant kitchen robot is now NVIDIA-powered, Ecolab-backed, and targeting 100K+ U.S. fast-food locations in a $1T market. And the company just made two major asset acquisitions in 2026, including from a once-SoftBank-backed robotics pioneer, growing its IP portfolio 10X overnight to 300+.

As one investor put it: "This is my 4th investment in Miso. Progress seems to be moving exponentially now."

Another: "Truly believe that this technology will expand into all fast-food restaurants worldwide. Steady growth and frequent communication kept me coming back.”

This is your chance to join these forward-thinkers. Just don’t wait. Invest in Miso Robotics at $5.48/share before Thursday’s share price change.

➤ Pima County: Three people died early Sunday in a crash on State Route 86 west of Tucson when a suspected impaired driver traveling east entered the westbound lanes. (More)

➤ Lake Havasu City: Two residents were killed Saturday night when a boat hit a peninsula and flipped onto the Lake Havasu shoreline. (More)

➤ Tucson: Police detained a man reportedly carrying a machete near the University of Arizona campus Saturday, less than 30 minutes after a UAlert went out to students and staff. (More)

➤ Statewide: The Central Arizona Project's board disputes federal rules cutting roughly half its Colorado River supply, calling the guidelines unfair to Lower Basin states. (More)

➤ Oro Valley: Amphitheater Unified School District will ask voters in November to decide the fate of four closed elementary school buildings. (More)

➤ Glendale: The city found a temporary library home after a fire closed its downtown branch, with full operations expected by Dec. 1. (More)

➤ Yuma County: The state canceled land leases for a company spreading treated sewage sludge, mostly from California utilities, after years of complaints about flies, odors, and crop damage. (More)

Enjoy reading The Arizona Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ The Arizona Cardinals opened their season with a 26-14 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Cardinals tight end Trey McBride tallied 95 receiving yards to go with one touchdown. (More)

➤ The Arizona Diamondbacks fell to three games back in the loss column in the race for the final National League wild-card spot with Sunday's 7-6 loss to Texas, ahead of Sunday night's game between San Diego and San Francisco. (More)

➤ Noche UFC became Desert Diamond Arena's highest-grossing single-day event Saturday, drawing 16,928 fans in Glendale and setting a UFC record for a domestic fight night with a gate of $4,436,470. (More)

➤ Arizona-based fighters Jose Miguel Delgado, Tommy McMillen, and Waldo Cortes-Acosta fought on the Noche UFC main card in Glendale, close to where they train. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | NFL | MLB | NASCAR | F1 | Soccer | FIBA

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Boost Your Memory By 75% Just By Stopping This Kitchen Mistake. Memory researchers say one common kitchen habit accelerates memory loss. Stop doing it today and discover the simple change helping thousands sharpen focus and recall. Find Out All About It Here!

Flyover Focus takes a deeper look at the topics that matter—click the link to watch this week’s full episode.

➤ What is AI actually changing right now, and is anyone in charge of what happens next?

AI is rapidly changing how Americans work, how businesses hire, and even what gets built in our own backyards. Our inaugural episode of Flyover Focus has the facts, from the predictions the biggest names in AI have already walked back, to what the data actually shows about who's losing work and who isn't, to why Washington and Europe are heading in opposite directions on this. (Watch Now)

➤ Consumer prices in metro Phoenix rose 2.5% over the year ending in August, trailing the 3.4% national rate, with gasoline up 32.5% and energy overall up 19.1%. (More)

➤ Sierra Vista's bid to host a spaceport reentry site has stalled, with officials saying the city's license application has been delayed. (More)

➤ Vestar pitched a $3 billion Legacy Park project to Mesa City Council, a 197-acre development that would be the largest hospitality project in the city's history. (More)

➤ D.R. Horton paid $32.7 million for 90 acres of final residential lots at Lucero in Estrella in Goodyear. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Why thousands are replacing their pillows with this "Cervical Decompression" breakthrough. Your pillow is destroying your neck, but VelaSleep can fix it! Our Cervical Decompression Design™ gently applies targeted traction to relieve pressure, restore alignment, and support your neck & spine all night long. Learn More

Flying together with our sponsor

[ACT FAST] This Robotics Stock’s Price Changes Thursday

Fresh off two major product acquisitions, including from a once-SoftBank-backed robotics pioneer, Miso Robotics' share price will change Thursday.

From those acquisitions alone, Miso added new customers like Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and Auntie Anne’s and grew its patent portfolio 10X overnight.

And that’s not all Miso’s done this year. In addition to major restaurant chains, Miso’s robots are now being deployed on college campuses and even an NBA arena.

Everyday people like you who don’t want to miss the robot boom have already invested more than 44,000 times to date. Industry powerhouse Ecolab even invested too.

Hurry to join them before Miso’s price changes from $5.48/share Thursday night.

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com

➤ Reid Park Zoo fitted an aging giraffe with custom shoes to ease discomfort caused by age-related changes in his lower legs. (More)

➤ Phoenix chef Ron Young cooks privately for some of the biggest names in Arizona sports without a restaurant or food truck, and says personal dining isn't only for the wealthy. (More)

➤ Cam Skattebo headbutts walls in a recently released State Farm commercial, a nod to the former Arizona State running back's bruising playing style. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ 1 Cup of This Morning Drink FLOODS Your Body with Stem Cells. Harvard Researchers found that people who drank this hot morning drink had a 47% improvement in blood vessel function, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and a 220% increase in stem cells. See which drink here.