TJ L'Heureux

Phoenix

Writer at Phoenix New Times

Staff Writer @phoenixnewtimes | featured in @AP, @CodaStory, @CronkiteNews | MA Investigative Journalism @cronkite_asu

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Articles

Where Phoenix ranks among the hottest U.S. cities

2 days ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

Everyone knows that water is wet, and that Phoenix is hot. But the better thing to wonder — does any other major metropolitan area in the U.S. come close to being as hot as the Valley of the Sun? Well, sort of. Real estate and tech company Redfin recently put together a ranking of the hottest cities in the country based on the average summer temperature — and as you can likely guess, Phoenix nabbed the top spot.
Phoenix readers sound off on whether to eliminate the 'suicide' lanes

3 days ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

On May 21, Phoenix City Council considered a citizen petition to do away with the reverse lanes on 7th Street and 7th Avenue — often known colloquially as the city’s “suicide lanes.” But instead of making a decision, the council voted to direct the city Streets Transportation Department to study the issue and report back by December 2026. The issue, while not a politically partisan one, is intensely polarizing for Phoenix residents.
The Valley’s homeless population went up again. It may get even worse

4 days ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

For one year, it looked looked the Valley was making real progress in curbing homelessness. Then 2025 hit. On Friday, the Maricopa Association of Governments released data from its annual one-day count of unhoused people in the Phoenix metropolitan area, known as the Point in Time count.
Here are the 5 wettest monsoon seasons in Phoenix history

5 days ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

If all goes according to forecasts, it looks like the Valley may be in for a wetter-than-normal monsoon season. Despite the scorching heat brought on by summer in the desert, one of the marks of Arizona summers is the monsoon — a furious rainstorm caused by a reversal in weather patterns. In the winter, jet streams carry rain west to east from the Pacific Ocean into Arizona.
Fountain Hills officials punished a paper for coverage they don’t like

1 week ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

A few months ago, President Donald Trump created a First Amendment firestorm by barring the Associated Press from certain events because the outlet declined to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” In Arizona, a similarly petty battle is playing out over the freedom of the press.
3 years after cops let her son drown, Tempe woman demands city do more

1 week ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

On Wednesday, dozens of people gathered near Tempe Town Lake to mark a somber anniversary. Three years earlier, 34-year-old unhoused Tempe resident Sean Bickings had drowned in the lake. Two Tempe police officers had stood by and watched, unwilling to go into the water and unequipped with the proper tools or training to intervene. Bickings’ death made national headlines. The scandal forced Tempe to make some safety changes, including the installation of flotation rings around the lake.
Valley suburb ranked most affordable Arizona city to buy a home

1 week ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

Housing costs have skyrocketed in some parts of Arizona, and a March survey found a quarter of residents have wondered if they’d be better off elsewhere. Despite that, a few Arizona cities are among the most affordable in the country to buy a home, a new analysis found. On May 20, personal finance website WalletHub released a list of 300 U.S. cities ranked by housing affordability.
All the restaurants and food options coming to Goodyear’s GSQ

1 week ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

Goodyear is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and lots is happening in the West Valley suburb. One of the biggest recent additions is GSQ at the new Goodyear Civic Square, a development created to add a commercial element to the new city hall, public library, two-acre park and office space in the square. Altogether, it’s the city’s new downtown hub. GSQ made its debut in August 2022 on McDowell Road and 150th Drive as a 150-acre mixed use development.
Where to observe Memorial Day in metro Phoenix

2 weeks ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

With a three-day weekend coming up, there are ample opportunities to relax, hit the pool in the high-90s sun or party it up at a bar or nightclub. But it’s easy to forget the reason for the extra day off. Memorial Day has been a federal holiday since 1868, just after the end of the Civil War. It became a day to honor and remember the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military.
Cop board punishes Phoenix sergeant for DUI, likely ending his career

2 weeks ago | phoenixnewtimes.com | TJ L'Heureux

Phoenix Police Department brass were understanding of Sgt. Edward Carnes’ DUI, especially since the cop who worked for the force for nearly two decades had made efforts to change. On Wednesday, the Arizona board that disciplines officers took a tougher stance, suspending Carnes’ certification for a year.