A special election by the city of Tempe will decide the fate of a potential new entertainment district in Tempe. But how do special elections like these work? Plus, one op-ed opposes the South Pier Project, a proposed development for luxury housing at Tempe Town Lake, and a look into ASU baseball’s spring season. Join Naomi Dubovis and the State Press Podcast Desk as they break down the ASU community's top stories in the second season of "State Press Play." New episodes every Wednesday.
State Press podcast transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. The official record for State Press podcasts is the audio.
Naomi Dubovis
Hey there, this is Naomi Dubovis.
Sonya Sheptunov
And I'm Sonya Sheptunov.
Naomi Dubovis
if you're listening to State Press Play. This week we're talking about a proposed special election that might move one step further in building a new entertainment district in Tempe. Plus, we're covering the start of the spring season of ASU baseball and an opinion piece opposing a proposed luxury housing project at Tempe Town Lake.
Sonya Sheptunov
We've got all this and more for you this week. Tune in for the ASU community's top stories every Wednesday right here right now.
Naomi Dubovis
The city of Tempe will hold a special election in May that might decide the fate of a potential entertainment district built around a hockey arena for the Arizona Coyotes. Politics reporter Alysa Horton is joining us today to talk about the special election. Alyssa, thanks for being here with us again!
Alysa Horton
Thank you for having me back.
Naomi Dubovis
So these propositions are on the ballot right now, what is their goal?
Alysa Horton
All three of the propositions right now are surrounding the potential new build of a coyotes arena and an entertainment district in Tempe off of Tempe, Town Lake. So they're all working towards the same thing. They just each have different jargon that would help accomplish the goal.
Sonya Sheptunov
So the city is asking for input from residents about zoning, according to your article. How do special elections like this one work?
Alysa Horton
Special elections work as a way to kind of get a vote in the interim between general elections, the next general election isn't until May 2024. And that will be for a mayor seat in three council seats, as well, as I'm sure we'll see some propositions. But really the special elections goal is to get this process going is to get the development started and get the building going.
Naomi Dubovis
And are these bills popular? Or has it been met with a lot of opposition.
Alysa Horton
Lots of students don't know about the propositions right now, Tempe has a very comprehensive list of what each of the propositions would do on their website, but lots of students aren't going towards that. So when you tell students about a huge deal, it sounds interesting. It sounds interesting to students. There's a big appeal about the coyotes arena, for those who are interested in sports. And for the entertainment aspect. Lots of students are interested in that the big thing is that it costs a lot of money. And a lot of students don't know about it and aren't planning to vote on it, because they don't know about the special election.
Sonya Sheptunov
Can you talk a little bit about the land that this will be built on, whereabouts? How much land is in question? And what impact will that have on the surrounding community?
Alysa Horton
Yeah, so some places are saying it's going to be 34 acres at 53 South Priest Drive, off of Tempe Town Lake, other places are saying around 46 acres, in order to start selling the land to different businesses and opportunities like that.
Sonya Sheptunov
So we're talking about entertainment districts. So this includes sports bars, music venues, what are we looking at?
Alysa Horton
Yeah, we're looking at restaurants, hotels, sports betting places. Yeah, you're kind of looking at standard things that are similar to what Hilo river is now for the coyotes, but transitioning to a Tempe location that's entertaining and could potentially appeal to a lot of young people in the area.
Naomi Dubovis
So one of your sources said that the city isn't really doing enough to let voters know about the election, specifically students. Why do you think this is?
Alysa Horton
I think a lot of the students that I talked to about this project are concerned with the fact they haven't heard about it. They don't know what a special election is. And I don't think it's necessarily because they're uneducated, I think it's hard for Tempe to get out the youth vote right now, young people have a hard enough time voting in general elections. Lots of students are not going to seek out voting on something like this. Whether it's because they think it's a waste of time, their vote doesn't matter. All the standard reasons why young people might not vote are exactly the reasons why they have to learn something like this. It's going to be a huge part of the Tempe community if it passes.
Naomi Dubovis
What do you think is the best way for students and even Tempe residents for that matter? How do you think they should go about learning more about the special election?
Alysa Horton
I think when it comes to special elections, it's the people's responsibility to make sure they're seeking information about their community. I think a big part of being an active participant society is making sure you're voting and making sure you're staying educated,
Naomi Dubovis
and what resources are available to people if they want to learn more.
Alysa Horton
The Tempe city website is actually very helpful in telling voters exactly what's going to be on the special elections ballot. They do a very comprehensive job covering it. They use both a lot of legal jargon and words that everyone can understand and everyone can kind of understand what to expect on the ballot.
Naomi Dubovis
That was politics reporter Alysa Horton, thanks for being here with us today.
Alysa Horton
Thank you for having me.
Naomi Dubovis
Where can we find you online?
Alysa Horton
You can find me on Twitter at @Alysa_Horton.
Naomi Dubovis
to read more about the story you can check out state press.com or our Twitter at State Press.
Sonya Sheptunov
Stay tuned to find out more about an opinion piece opposing a proposed housing plan at Tempe Town Lake and the new season of ASU baseball.
Naomi Dubovis
The South Pier Project, a luxury housing development at Tempe Town Lake has been met with controversy and opinion columnist Aaron Stigile makes the case for why it shouldn't go through. Stigile talked about the housing troubles of ASU students and Tempe residents who don't want a $1.8 billion project to drive up the costs of living. But the op-ed isn't just about the project. Stigile also calls for housing to be treated as a human right. Stigile questions whether these projects which often come at a hefty cost actually address Arizona's housing crisis. In his words, "when someone's housing is determined by their income and is not treated as a public good. The result is the establishment of massive luxury developments while the university neglects its housing and affordable non University options are not adequately provided." For more on this opinion piece, check out the article by Aaron Stigile at state press.com
Sonya Sheptunov
ASU baseball is off to a running start this spring with a hot winning streak. The Sun Devils beat University of Nevada Las Vegas at the home game last night six to three. Last night's win is just the latest victories after three wins in a row against San Diego State University this past weekend at their opening game. In the opening game against SDSU Friday night, The Sun Devils beat out the Aztecs six to five followed by a five to three win on Saturday. They finished strong on Sunday with a cool one to zero win. Eyes are on freshman outfielder Isaiah Jackson who made an impossible catch against SDSU during the Saturday game. Head Coach Willie Bloomquist calls Jackson "the prize recruit of the 2022 Sun Devils." State Press sports reporters Vinny DeAngelis and Jack Barron are covering ASU baseball this season. For more on their work, and Sun Devil baseball, check out the articles at state press.com.
Sonya Sheptunov
As we near the end, here are our favorite stories from this last week.
Naomi Dubovis
Imagine you're playing a game with some friends and instead of the typical six sided dice, you have to roll a die with 120 sides. Sounds crazy, right? Now what if I told you that such a die exists? KJZZ's Mark Brodie talked to Robert Fathauer, a mathematician who brought this idea to life. Fathauer said that the die is around the size of a billiard ball, and there are 12 rings of 10 faces on the entire day. During the interview Fathauer explained how he and his team figured out how to arrange the numbers in a way that makes each outcome as random as possible, which is more challenging than you might think. For all my d&d gamers out there, think about what it would be like to get a nat 120 on a perception check. Now of course, that would make the nat ones six times more painful. While there aren't any games that use the dye yet, you can order the die online on Fathauer's site or on Amazon. And maybe then you can make a game of your own. For more on this story, and what goes into making a 120 sided die, check out the article by Mark Brodie at kjzz.org
Sonya Sheptunov
Prithee and well met, traveler. If thou has been dying to catch a jousting match, enjoy some tasty food, do some axe throwing, maybe even dress up in some ye olde timey clothes, your time is now! The Arizona Renaissance Festival, otherwise known as the Ren Faire, is back in action. It's also celebrating its 35th season this year and it's got some specially themed weekends to celebrate. This weekend is time travel weekend and the weekend after that is "kids need to read" and pirate themed! Kids who donate to books at the read booth get in for free March 4 and fifth. Also, there will be a pirate costume contest for kids. Nicole Gutierrez wrote an article for ABC 15 breaking down all the special dates at the Ren Faire this season, and how to save some money if you go. The Ren Faire runs on weekends from February 4 to April 2 down in Gold Canyon, about an hour drive west from Metro Phoenix. For more on all things Ren Faire, check out the article from Nicole Gutierrez at ABC15.com
Naomi Dubovis
And while you're at it, bring a 120 sided die.
Sonya Sheptunov
[LAUGHS]
Naomi Dubovis
Thanks for listening to this episode of State Press Play, but don't pause us just yet!
Sonya Sheptunov
Follow the State Press on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Naomi Dubovis
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at State Press.
Sonya Sheptunov
To learn more about the stories we talked about today, check out the articles online! You can find all of these stories and more at state press.com. Thank you to Alysa Horton for being here with us this week. This show was edited and produced by the State Press podcast desk.
Naomi Dubovis
Thank you to our editor Sonya Sheptunov, and to our managing team Andrew Onodera and Reece Andrews. Our music is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Naomi Dubovis
I'm your host Naomi Dubovois.
Sonya Sheptunov
And I'm Sonya Sheptunov.
Naomi Dubovis
You've been listening to stay, press play. Till next week!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
