4 Jan 1st-Jan 7th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Feature t The Departed Remembering notable Arizona figures who died in 2025. BY PHOENIX NEW TIMES STAFF PAGE 8 Food t Scottsdale Vacation New Scottsdale restaurant whisks us away to the Med. BY SARA CROCKER PAGE 13 E D I T O R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sam Eifling SENIOR EDITOR, CULTURE Jennifer Goldberg NEWS EDITOR Zach Buchanan FOOD EDITOR Tirion Boan MUSIC EDITOR Amy Young STAFF WRITERS Sara Crocker, Morgan Fischer, Benjamin Leatherman, TJ L’Heureux SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Itzia Crespo CONTRIBUTORS David Abbott, Asonta Benetti, Cassie Brucci, Nikki Michelle Charnstrom, Noah Cullen, Cassie Hepler, Mark C. Horn, Brendon Kleen, Geri Koeppel, Stephen Lemons, Mike Madriaga, Ashley Naftule, Adrianna Nine, Melissa Parker, Zach Oden, Rudri Patel, Mr. P-body, Timothy Rawles, Tom Reardon, Lauren Topor, Allison Trebacz, Georgann Yara, Allison Young A R T ART DIRECTOR Eric-John Torres P R O D U C T I O N PRODUCTION MANAGER John Hunt GRAPHIC DESIGNER Adam Lasko, Eddie Villa M U LT I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G 602-271-0040 S A L E S ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jennifer Rockstad ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Ellis Alvarez OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Jennifer Huber ACCOUNT MANAGERS Brooke Manahan, Grant Wade, Lisa McDanel, Nicholas Robbins SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cameron Boyes, Grace Somers, Hotchy Kiene, Ronnie Cote ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Alexandra Lynch, Joshua Hauskins, Joshua Valenzuela, Matthew Gibbons, Rafael Gil D I G I TA L M E D I A DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES Andrew Meister SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kara Vahe SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALISTS Morae Fernandez-Jordane M A R K E T I N G PROMOTIONAL COORDINATORS Kristin Buldan C I R C U L AT I O N CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Brian Scharer B U S I N E S S DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS & OPERATIONS Brian Scharer SENIOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT Seth Ewald ACCOUNTS PAYABLE COORDINATOR Kristina Smith ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE MANAGER Dante Battista ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE COORDINATORS Sonya Rangel, Tom Rodriguez EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kennedy Jones PUBLISHER Kurtis Barton Voice Media Group EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek EDITORIAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Bridget Thomason DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Robinson AUDIENCE STRATEGIST Dallon Adams AUDIENCE STRATEGIST Allison Stephenson CORPORATE CONTROLLER Beth Cook LEGAL COUNSEL Steve Suskin CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jeff Mars CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Scott Tobias EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL SALES Stuart Folb WEB SUPPORT MANAGER Michael Uchtman VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE MARKETING Jenna Corday I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS Gerard Goroski PRODUCT DIRECTOR James Hamilton IT DIRECTOR Dave Marcon OPERATIONS MANAGER Brian Heimert INFRASTRUCTURE ARCHITECT David Fearn DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SYSTEMS Lee-ann Dunton NEW TIMES MAILING ADDRESS: 1201 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034 FOR GENERAL INFORMATION CALL: 602-271-0040 FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALLS: 602-258-1073 FOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CALL: 602-254-3177 FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL: 602-238-4800 Phoenix New Times (ISSN#0279-3962) is published weekly by Voice Media Group, 1201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85034. New Times is available free of charge in Maricopa County, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue of New Times may be purchased for $1, payable in advance at the New Times office. Outside Maricopa County, the single-copy cost of New Times is $1. New Times may be distributed only by New Times’ authorized independent contractors or New Times’ authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of New Times, take more than one copy of each New Times weekly issue. For back-issue information, call 602-271-0040. The entire contents of New Times are Copyright 2026 by Phoenix New Times LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means including electronic retrieval systems without the express written permission of the publisher, New Times, 1201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85034. Our paper is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled product. t Contents 6 News 8 Feature 15 College Playoff Guide 20 Concerts 23 Culture 24 Music 26 Cannabis On the cover: Illustration by Paul Martinez IG: @paul_racks Interior: Portraits by David Morgan IG: @dmorganart (Illustration by Eric-John Torres) VOL. 57 | NO. 01 | JAN. 1-JAN. 7, 2026 The Valley lost beloved restaurateurs, impactful music figures and longtime staples of the local arts scene. It bid farewell to familiar TV news faces and a Pulitzer-winning cartoonist. It’s also the year that the state began executing prisoners again, putting two convicted murderers to death.
