Editor’s note: We’re taking Monday off for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, so we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.

You can tell temperatures are getting cooler as the weekend events list gets longer and longer. 

This weekend I’m headed to Game 4 of the WNBA Finals to cheer on the Phoenix Mercury. I’m also headed to an Oktoberfest event, but I’m a little unsure how that will go—there’s a lot of rain in the forecast over the next few days due to Hurricane Priscilla. Hopefully not enough to rain on our parade!

If you’re out and about this weekend, be aware of potential flooding. Here are some tips for driving in a downpour. 

Here’s what’s going on this weekend:

What are you up to this weekend? Let me know at responses@coppercourier.com!

A newsletter for Phoenix renters, written by someone who’s lived it—me! Rent Check PHX gives you news, resources, and real renter stories from across the Valley every other Wednesday.

Travelers line up to go through security at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Oct. 7, 2025. (Laura Daniella Sepúlveda/Cronkite News)

by Grace Berry

A week into the government shutdown, staffing shortages among air traffic controllers have begun to hit travelers, though airlines and federal officials say the impact has been relatively small so far.

At Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport—a hub for American Airlines and a base for Southwest Airlines—more than 100 flights were delayed by late afternoon Tuesday, according to data from FlightAware.

Despite five flights canceled by midday and dozens already delayed, airport spokesman Greg Roybal downplayed the disruption, saying the airport “does not anticipate many visible impacts to operations in the short term.”

Air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown—13,294 of them, according to the Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that there had been a “slight tick up” in controllers calling in sick.

Phoenix was one of four airports nationwide listed by the Federal Aviation Administration in an advisory Monday night regarding potential impacts from staffing shortages. 

Diners can expect statues and arches at Roman God of Fire, which is designed to look like a cross when viewed from above.

Air traffic controllers at Phoenix Sky Harbor and other airports are working without pay during the government shutdown.

What are the best local places to work in Arizona? According to Forbes, the answer is in government, health care, or education.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jessica Swarner with stories from Grace Berry, Lorenzo Gomez, Nick Karmia, and USA Today via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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