Archive: Southwest

A total cloud inversion on Thursday obscured visitors' view of the Grand Canyon. It's a phenomenon that happens every few years when warm air traps a layer of cold air below the canyon walls.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer put an end to the public image catastrophe and economic wrath from Senate Bill 1062, which would have allowed business owners to refuse to serve lesbian and gay customers if the discrimination was based on a “sincerely held religious belief.” Both Republican Senators in Arizona opposed the bill.

A casting call for Navajo speakers who could voice the key parts brought out people like Marvin Yellowhair, 54, who calls himself a “born Darth Vader." The 34-year-old mom selected to play Princess Leia had never seen "Star Wars," but decided to channel her own mother's sarcasm in the part. Star Wars in Navajo debuts this week.

Just awful news out of the Prescott area in central Arizona. Nineteen firefighters who were battling a fire near Yarnell in Yavapai County were overrun by flames and deployed their shelters. They were later found dead in and around the shelters. All but one is from the Prescott FD's hotshot team.