2025 marked the loss of Arizona figures like Congressman Grijalva and activist Kirk, amid diverse influential deaths including Pope Francis, actors, and sports legends.

Desert Cove SDA Church provides food, clothing, housing assistance, and mental health support to the homeless, having served nearly 10,000 meals and helped 151 people since January 2024.

Tempe City Manager, Rosa Inchausti, highlights the city's 2025 achievements and 2026 goals, including new restaurants, job growth, safety improvements, and infrastructure enhancements, while emphasizing environmental and business initiatives.

Tombstone city offices, including the Senior Center, Library, Public Works, and City Hall, closed at noon on December 31 and will reopen on January 5th.

Arizona audit finds Maine Consolidated School District excelling academically but lacking in internal cash handling, purchasing controls, and IT security.

Coconino County Attorney's Office announced NACASA's transition to a shared leadership model to improve support for sexual assault survivors, with Northern Arizona Healthcare and Victim Witness Services leading the program starting December 15th.

Arizona advances in fighting Valley Fever with a new rapid test developed by Dr. Thomas Grys of the Mayo Clinic and ASU, reducing diagnosis time to 10 minutes.

DACA recipient Flor Ivet Vargas-Loya was detained by ICE on Christmas Eve while shopping, sparking outcry and highlighting delays in DACA renewals and criticism of ICE's enforcement priorities.

An Arizona man lost his life savings to a scam involving an impersonator of law enforcement, and Kansas seniors suffered huge losses to fraud, including romance scams, with some losing up to $750,000.

Arizona and North Carolina are focusing on education reforms, with Arizona addressing school safety and literacy, and tackling a teacher shortage, while North Carolina's Board of Education prioritizes compensation and school accountability.

Phoenix celebrated the transition from 2025 to 2026 with a variety of New Year's Eve events, including themed parties, EDM festivals, and cultural celebrations in diverse venues around the city.

Phoenix is facing its hottest December on record, mainly due to a persistent high-pressure system and underlying climate change effects, posing risks to water supply due to low snow accumulation.

Prescott's 15th annual Boot Drop event on New Year's Eve featured a descending illuminated boot, live music, carnival games, and fireworks, drawing over 20,000 people despite a chance of rain.