The Jeff Oravits Show Podcast

Joe Galli stops by to talk about his efforts with the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce to organize one of Arizona's most popular Independence Day Parade through downtown Flagstaff. He also updates us on the state of Arizona including the recent passage of the budget as well as local updates. 

The Pocket Fire north of Sedona has become one of Arizona's most challenging wildfire incidents, and today we're joined by Dick Fleishman with Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 for a comprehensive update.
We discuss how and where the fire started, why rugged wilderness terrain has made suppression so difficult, and what firefighters are doing to slow its advance. Dick explains the massive firefighting effort, including nearly a thousand personnel at the height of operations, the critical role of helicopters and large air tankers, and why burnout operations are being used to build defensive firelines ahead of the main fire.
We also cover the latest weather forecast, how Red Flag conditions and outflow winds continue to influence fire behavior, what communities should know about Ready, Set, Go evacuation notifications, and whether the incident is tracking as fire managers expected.
If you live in Northern Arizona—or simply want an inside look at how large wildfires are managed—this is an informative conversation from the front lines of the Pocket Fire.

Matt Beienburg of the Goldwater Institute joins Jeff to discuss the future of Arizona's ESA program, exaggerated media claims of fraud and abuse, new teacher union efforts to limit school choice, a proposed constitutional amendment to protect ESAs, and the debate over DEI in Arizona education.

Elijah Norton joins Jeff to explain the role of Arizona's State Treasurer, discuss his background, and outline his plans for government accountability, educational freedom, state investments, and Arizona's financial future. Learn what the office does and why this race matters.

Andrew Costanzo is running for the AZ House (LD7) and joins Jeff to discuss the seven issues driving his campaign, including taxes, election integrity, education, immigration, water, energy, and forest health. A fast-paced conversation covering many of Arizona's biggest policy challenges.

Mark Haughwout joins Jeff to discuss SNAP food stamp policy, two free speech and religious liberty cases making headlines, and why jumping off cliffs gets a lot less appealing as you get older. A thoughtful conversation with a few laughs mixed in.

Congressman Andy Biggs joins Jeff to discuss his campaign for Arizona governor, what's happening in Congress, and his plans for water, education, affordability, budgeting, ethics, and more. Plus, hear the personal side of Andy—from his early career and family life to playing music in a band and writing books.

After two weeks off a return to Arizona finds a Buc-ee's craze following us. I didn't even know what this was two weeks ago. Plus Angela updates us on the ESA battle in our state while Olivia shares some travel details from our visit to Florida. 

Dr. David Engelthaler talks about the risks of the very deadly ebola Virus, its symptoms, treatment, and the odds of it impacting Americans. He also shares info on a more likely virus to impact people in the southwest, the hantavirus. Dr. Engelthaler shares the facts and gives important practical information on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from this very fatal virus. 
Dr. David Engelthaler is the Director and a Professor at TGen North. TGen North focuses on pathogen genomics with a specific mission to advance clinical medicine, public health, and biodefense. He is also the director of the Health Observatory at ASU. 

We get an update from Representative Walt Blackman including a bill to curtail HOA's from taking homes due to excessive HOA's bills. He also gives us a budget update.