News • 2 min read July 13, 2025

Arizona News Roundup (7/13/25)

Wildfire forces Grand Canyon evacuations: The White Sage Fire, ignited by lightning on July 9, has scorched over 19,100 acres, closing the Grand Canyon’s North Rim and prompting evacuations around Jacob Lake as it remains 0% contained — find out the latest updates.

Phoenix’s new sweet oasis: Dolce Italia by MEKK opened in May 2025 in downtown Phoenix, serving walnut glikos, Dubai pistachio tiramisu and Tirana pasta in a flower-filled, late-night European-style café — check out the menu.

Flash floods’ fatal pattern: Following Barry’s unprecedented 90-minute deluge that killed over 130 last week, 13 News revisits the 1983 Octave floods that swamped Tucson and spurred today’s fortified riverbanks and bike-path defenses — learn what safety nets are now in place.

Arizona AG targets vape shops: The attorney general has filed complaints against New York Smoke Shop and Pro Source, accusing them of selling vaping products to minors as a new law raising the age limit to 21 takes effect in September — find out.

Turquoise Alert is now live: Arizona’s new statewide system will broadcast real-time notifications for missing Indigenous or endangered adults, closing a critical gap in public safety — learn what this means.

March to majors: Arizona junior shortstop Mason White is poised to go in the 4th or 5th round of Monday’s MLB Draft after belting 20 homers this season but battling a .177 Cape Cod showing and a 31% strikeout rate — find out why a shift to second base could fast-track him to the big leagues by 2028.

UA funding losses mount: An internal University of Arizona site shows 64 federal grants have been terminated or paused as of July 8, totaling $59.2 million, even as stop-work orders have slowed and bridge funding plus a $20 million Arizona Board of Regents boost aim to sustain research — find out how UA plans to recover.

First plague death in two decades: An Arizona resident in Coconino County died of pneumonic plague, the first fatal case there since 2007 — find out what it means for public health.