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Today’s edition · Thurs., Nov. 5

Salt River runs high after record storms; Bennett wins ASU debut

Plus, Signal Butte Park's ribbon-cutting is Saturday and a downtown Mesa BBQ festival kicks off Friday.

The Mesa Today team2 stories19 sources6 min read

Weather & WaterTop story

The Salt River is running high through the Valley after record fall storms

The Salt and Verde flood is the biggest since 1993

54,000
cubic feet per second released from two SRP dams
1993
last time a flood on the Salt and Verde was this big
About 8x
the average Verde inflows expected in October and November

Sources: 12News, AZ Family

If you've noticed the Salt River running where it's usually dry, you're not imagining it. says the flood is the biggest on the Salt and Verde rivers since 1993. Flows are falling, but there's no date for boaters to return to .

SRP raised releases from Bartlett and Stewart Mountain dams as storms kept hitting the watersheds. SRP's Bo Svoma said reservoirs were at risk of overflowing: "We had to release it so that water didn't go over the top."

  • Tempe Town Lake: closed to boating until further notice
  • Still open: parks around the lake, plus fishing
  • Roads: several riverbed roads in the East and West Valley were set to close

The releases grew over several days as the storms kept coming

  1. Nov. 1 raises releases to 54,000 cubic feet per second; Tempe closes Town Lake to boating.
  2. Nov. 2SRP expects the larger releases to reach the Valley by 6 p.m.
  3. Nov. 4SRP says the flood is the biggest on the Salt and Verde since 1993.

Sources: 12News, AZ Family

Much of the water is headed toward Painted Rock Reservoir near Gila Bend, a flood-control facility the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs. For the longer term, SRP and its partners are studying a project that could raise Bartlett Dam to store more water.

Sun Devils

Mesa's Randy Bennett wins his Arizona State debut, 75-⁠65

If you grew up rooting for the Sun Devils, here's a good one. Mesa Westwood High School graduate Randy Bennett won his ASU debut Monday night, 75-65 over East Tennessee State at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.

Arizona State beat East Tennessee State in Bennett's debut

  • East Tennessee State65
    Arizona State75
    FinalSeason opener, Mon., Nov. 2, at Desert Financial Arena

Sources: CBS Sports, azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic

Bennett took the job March 23 after 25 seasons at Saint Mary's. A heart issue sent him to Mayo Clinic for 10 days and pushed his introductory press conference to May 7.

Four Sun Devils scored 11 points or more

Source: CBS Sports

View as table
Value
Paulius Murauskas21
Joel Foxwell15
Dillan Shaw13
Filip Malesevic11

“The only way I can say it is, this means a lot to me.”

Randy Bennett, ASU men's basketball coach
  • Next game: ASU hosts Northern Colorado on Friday
  • Lead: East Tennessee State led for just 63 seconds
  • Roster: only two players returned from last season

Bennett has a Mesa Community College tie too. The former MCC student-athlete was one of 11 inducted last month into the college's Hall of Fame.

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Will you catch a Sun Devils men's basketball game this season?

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News Notes

Signal Butte

The city of Mesa invites you to a ribbon-cutting for Phase 2 of Signal Butte Park, 3355 S. Signal Butte Road, on Sat., Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. The new section has 1.5 miles of LED-lighted walking trails, three ramadas, biking flow trails, a tot track and a BMX pump track. Designer Pillar Design Studios says it's the largest asphalt pump track in Arizona, and 12News took a first look. Signals AZ12News

Downtown

City leaders say downtown Mesa has more than 500 properties and all but 6.9% of them are filled. Keeping vacancy below 10% is important to city developers. ABC15 Arizona

Downtown Mesa's vacancy rate sits below 10%

6.9%Share of downtown properties that are vacant

Source: ABC15 Arizona

View as table
Value
Share of downtown properties that are vacant6.9%
10% vacancy mark10.0%

BBQ fest

The free Downtown Mesa BBQ & Bluegrass Classic runs 5 to 10 p.m. Fri., Nov. 6, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat., Nov. 7, at Macdonald and Main Street. Friday has the appetizer and dessert contests, and Saturday has the four-meat championship and the KidsQ. AZ Big Media

Remembering

Todd Shell, the linebacker who helped lead Mesa Mountain High School to its first state football championship in 1978, died Sunday, Nov. 1, Toros coach Andy Litten said. He was 64. azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic

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Around Arizona

ACA rates

Most Arizona insurers raised marketplace rates by 25% to 30% for 2027, and some residents are seeing even steeper increases. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 15, and if you shop the marketplace, we suggest picking a plan before the Dec. 15 deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1. AZ Family

ACA shoppers have until Dec. 15 to pick coverage that starts Jan. 1

  1. Dec. 15Deadline to select coverage that starts Jan. 1.
  2. Jan. 1Coverage selected by the Dec. 15 deadline starts.
  3. Jan. 15Open enrollment ends.

Source: AZ Family

Cardinals

Tyler Allgeier was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after 147 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Arizona's overtime win over the Cowboys. It's his first weekly conference honor. Gardner Minshew, who's 30, is moving into the starting QB role. Burn City SportsPinalCentral.com

O-line

The Cardinals opened the 21-day practice window for starting guard Isaiah Adams, who hasn't played since Week 4 because of an ankle injury. They also signed wide receiver James Proche and running back Jermar Jefferson to the practice squad. Arizona Sports

Chandler

A Chandler couple's critical medical supplies were delayed for days by FedEx, including sterile suction catheters the husband needs while recovering from a brainstem stroke. The packages were picked up Wed., Oct. 21, and almost a week later tracking showed a weather delay. AZ Family

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We hope you’re enjoying what we deliver to your inbox: a feel-good snapshot of what’s happening around town. No doomscrolling, no dry headlines — just real stories, uplifting news, and local happenings that bring our community together.

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Over the next few days, we’re organizing a fundraising campaign to boost our daily, hyperlocal newsletters, and we’d love your support with a recurring monthly gift. Think of it like buying us a cup of coffee every month. You'll help keep our content free and continue growing a positive local space we can all be proud of. Prefer a one-time gift? That's great, too — every dollar is a high five to our small team and a boost to local news.

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Asked

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Asked

Are you heading to the Downtown Mesa BBQ & Bluegrass Classic?

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Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 13 games

Quoted

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

— Sylvia Plath

Things to Do

Things to Do

Mesa, AZ

Thursday, Nov. 5

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The Buy

Around the Block

Around the Block

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Neighbors

Mr Noah update.

“My PO (precious one) has sprinted up to 2 lbs 12 ounces! He is on the max feedings but still on the ventilator. They may try to take it out this week it all depends on how his breathing does. We had the baby shower for my daughter Samantha and it went really well! Even though I was running like a chicken with my head…”

— A neighbor, Brookfield West
Photo from the neighbor’s post

256 likes · 51 comments

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The Wrap

Mesa Today's Wrap: If you're up for a short drive Saturday, Chandler's Diwali: Festival of Lights starts at 10 a.m. at Chandler City Hall. It has Indian dance and music performances, food trucks and vendors. We suggest getting there early to see the performances and grab a bite.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Mesa Public Schools holds a B, and city bonds sail

Read yesterday’s edition

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Every source in this edition19 links · 15 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. 12News12news.com
  3. AZ Familyazfamily.com
  4. ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix (KNXV)abc15.com
  5. PHNXgophnx.com
  6. CBS Sportscbssports.com
  7. azcentral.com and The Arizona Republicazcentral.com
  8. The Mesa Tribunethemesatribune.com
  9. Signals AZsignalsaz.com
  10. 12News12news.com
  11. ABC15 Arizonaabc15.com
  12. AZ Big Mediaazbigmedia.com
  13. azcentral.com and The Arizona Republicazcentral.com
  14. AZ Familyazfamily.com
  15. Burn City Sportsburncitysports.com
  16. PinalCentral.compinalcentral.com
  17. Arizona Sportsarizonasports.com
  18. AZ Familyazfamily.com
  19. Mesa events calendarmesatodaynews.com

Past issues

  1. Wed., Nov. 4Mesa Public Schools holds a B, and city bonds sail
  2. Tues., Nov. 3SRP sends storm runoff down the Salt River; Tempe Town Lake closed
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Mesa Todayto me · Thurs., Nov. 56:00 a.m.

Salt River runs high after record storms; Bennett wins ASU debut

Plus, Signal Butte Park's ribbon-cutting is Saturday and a downtown Mesa BBQ festival kicks off Friday.

The TLDR

  1. Salt River flood is the biggest since 1993, SRP says
  2. Mesa's Randy Bennett wins his ASU debut, 75-65
  3. Signal Butte Park Phase 2 opens with a Saturday ribbon-cutting
Read this edition

More stories this week

From Mesa Today’s other editions

All the news
SchoolsMesa Public Schools earns a B again, and all of its comprehensive high schools get an AIf you've got a kid in Mesa Public Schools, the state's report cards are in. The district earned a B again, and 33 of its schools got an A, including all of its comprehensive high schools. Another 34 schools got a B, and seven got a C. None went lower.Wednesday’s editionRead WeatherSRP is sending storm runoff down the Salt River, and Tempe Town Lake is closed to boatsA storm dropped more than 6 inches of rain on parts of Arizona, and flood warnings remain posted. The National Weather Service says flooding on major waterways, including the Salt River, could persist through the week.Tuesday’s editionRead UtilitiesSRP's board is weighing a temporary pause on new data centersIf you get power from SRP, this one's for you. Board members consulted utility staff Monday about curtailing new data center interconnection agreements, amid concerns that residential customers may end up subsidizing the AI data center boom's energy bill.Tuesday’s editionRead

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From Yuma Sun, Queen Creek Tribune and 4 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

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  5. chandlernews.com5 hours ago

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