Best Show Trial 2024 | Austin Davis | Megalopolitan Life | Phoenix
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Austin Davis

As homelessness hits all-time highs in the Valley, the city of Tempe dogged poet, organizer, activist and giver of food Austin Davis for actually trying to help unhoused people instead of letting them die on the streets in a nightmare. The city brought Davis into court for not getting its approval to organize feedings, resulting in a plea deal in September. It also hauled him into jail for stepping on city parks after he was banned. But members of the community rose up to run the feedings and help people get into detox programs or find housing. The city wanted to bring Davis into submission and show its muscle, all to ensure the homelessness problem cannot be helped or receive actual grassroots community attention. It was a battle of bureaucracy and laws and rules and the power of government and the police state against the kindness of the human spirit and all its imperfections. Austin Davis' battle was a light upon the city's corporate priorities. Tempe is led by Mayor Corey Woods, who wanted nothing to do with the Davis battle and has deflected any responsibility in his city's siccing the dogs on the 24-year-old poet.

Best Local Newsletter

Arizona Agenda

For more than three years, the reader-supported Arizona Agenda has delivered a political digest to inboxes almost every weekday on Substack, covering issues, races, players and shenanigans with a down-to-earth attitude and keen eye for bullshit (even the Washington Post said so). Thanks to its lack of jargon and uncluttered prose, everyone can easily understand what our elected officials are up to. That's worth a medal itself, but it's commendable that they do so much with so little. Cofounder Hank Stephenson this year lost his co-editor Rachel Leingang, who moved to Minneapolis, but he landed Nicole Ludden, who's just as smart and savvy. The pair distill big stories from other outlets (while properly crediting their fellow journos) and does a staggering amount of original reporting, putting everything from city councils to the state Legislature and the governor's office under their magnifying glass. They've been extra busy this year leading up to elections; they're obviously out to eradicate the excuse of "I didn't vote because I'm not informed." Most content is free, but it's well worth the paltry subscription price to support these indefatigable Fourth Estate champions.

Best Source for LGBTQ+ News

Lookout Phoenix

Nonprofit news site Lookout Phoenix doesn't mess around with the fluffy LGBTQ+ stuff. They dig in, providing accountability-driven queer news and community events in a city that's long overdue for it. And they don't just publish on their own website, they provide it for free to media outlets that want to share it. They call out conversion therapists who work without licenses, candidates who cozy up to anti-LGBTQ+ causes, cops who still struggle to treat queer people with dignity and Republicans who are trying to kill the small businesses that host drag shows. Investigative journalist Joseph Darius Jaafari, the editor-in-chief, and Executive Director Jake Hylton launched the outlet in 2023 as a newsletter, later adding a website and quarterly zine. Their work made a mark: The American Journalism Project awarded them $400,000 to help develop this new local news brand. But while their important journalism is free to readers, it's not cheap to produce. So they continue to seek grants and donations from readers to continue their sorely needed work.

Best TV Station for Local News

ABC15 Arizona

Rising above the clatter of local TV news is tough, thanks to the drumbeat of endless weather dramatics, senseless crime and fringe politicians touting their latest conspiracy theories. But the station manages to do it, helped by an investigations unit that pulls no punches and a data guru who combats misinformation with facts. ABC15 — a.k.a. KNXV-TV — launched in 1979 but didn't get into local news until 1994, quickly garnering critical acclaim. In recent years, the station carved out its investigative reporting niche with scoops, including ones about Phoenix police misconduct, problems with licensed midwives and horrible conditions in the state's prisons. Keep up with ABC15's latest journalism by following Davd Biscobing, the station's chief investigative reporter, on social media. And while you're online, you should also follow Garrett Archer, who's been at the station since 2019. He joined ABC15 after a stint as a senior elections analyst at the Arizona Secretary of State's office. Archer built an almost cultlike following on social media in 2018 with his catchphrase "Maricopa incoming" to announce election results as they dribbled out. He's a data savant with a zest for swatting down election deniers with actual facts and logic. Since election deniers have only gotten louder in the state since 2020, his X feed is both entertaining and informative.

Best Instagram

Downtown Phoenix Inc.

Downtown Phoenix is the heart of the Valley, and unlike years past, there's a lot going on in that area. Nonprofit organization Downtown Phoenix Inc.'s mission is to contribute to the growth and vitality of the community, and one way it does that is by keeping folks in the know through its Instagram account. Whether it's informing followers about upcoming community meetings, showing highlights of last weekend's festival or highlighting local businesses, Downtown Phoenix Inc. keeps its feed bright, fun and engaging. Amid the hustle and bustle of our Instagram feed, we always stop for a Downtown Phoenix Inc. reel. We know it's going to be something worth watching.

Best Local TikTok

WildJoy Experiences

WildJoy Experiences owner Lacy Cain built a cult following of empowering Arizona to find their #wildjoy by hosting #makefriends events and joining #thejoyclub community. This spicy soul seems to actually want to get to know her followers and revels in meeting and making new friends, unlike other "influencers" who think they're too cool for school. By showing her face often, speaking to the camera and cross-posting on Instagram, she's grown her brand to be a local behemoth. Whether she's giving details on a music festival, trying out a new restaurant or promoting moonlight yoga on the Salt River, Cain knows what her audience is interested in and gives it to them in a fun and engaging way. She's also an advocate for helping the homeless, which makes her a bit of a unicorn — an influencer with a soul.

Best Local YouTube Series

Just Give Me Five

Some interviewers rely on dozens of questions to probe their subject's background, motivations and opinions. Dave Miranda and Jimmy Nelson, however, only need five. Since 2020, the local pair have showcased a who's who of Valley icons, creatives, athletes, performers and personalities in their phenomenal Phoenix-focused YouTube channel, Just Give Me Five. Asking each person only five questions, Miranda and Nelson get their subjects to open up and perform candid deep dives into their life stories and speak their truths. Miranda — a hip-hop artist, writer and radio show host — selects the guests, writes the questions, conducts the interviews and hosts each episode, while Nelson — a filmmaker and videographer — records and edits everything. The results are a captivating, informative and occasionally hilarious series of lengthy video interviews. Memorable moments abound: Gin Blossoms frontman Robin Wilson gave an inside look at appearing on "Saturday Night Live." Veteran local broadcast DJ Bruce Kelly gushed about staging pranks with Senator John McCain. And Phoenix Suns all-star Cedric Ceballos discussed collaborating with legendary rapper Warren G. Just Give Me Five has more than 150 episodes so far, and Miranda is launching a radio version on independently owned station KDIF 102.9 FM later this year.

Best Radio Station

KRDP Community Radio (90.7 FM)

Jazz fans who were disheartened when KJZZ dropped the genre from its airwaves earlier this year can take solace in knowing it still has a home on the FM dial through KRDP. The upstart independent radio station, which signed on in 2022, broadcasts multiple flavors of jazz throughout the day, courtesy of on-air talents such as Dee Alexander, Tom Coulson, Dave Schwan and John Hill. It's just one part of KRDP's eclectic and diverse musical repast, which includes sounds you won't hear on any other station in the Valley. There's also funk, R&B and soul every weekday afternoon, nightly shows playing everything from contemporary indigenous music to alternative hip-hop and traditional gospel every Sunday morning. (KRDP also offers a separate internet stream, which was formerly known as local online station Radio Phoenix, which focuses on indie tunes.) Beyond the music, KRDP airs a variety of community-oriented and public affairs and specialty programming ranging from progressive news show "Democracy Now!" to shows aimed at Arizona's African-American and BIPOC communities. The station's broadcast range is largely limited to the East Valley at the moment, but its owners, Desert Soul Media, are raising funds to add a second signal at 91.9 within the next year.

Best Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum

Why visit Phoenix Art Museum? Let us count the ways. Along with iconic museum attractions like the Thorne Miniature Rooms and Yayoi Kusama's "You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies" infinity room, the museum keeps its offerings fresh and interesting with an eclectic lineup of temporary exhibitions, including "Guarding the Art," which allowed the museum's noncuratorial staff to choose works to display, and the blockbuster "Barbie: A Cultural Icon." And there's much more to Phoenix Art Museum than the art. Lectures, film screenings, music events like PhxArt Amplified and, coming soon, a new cafe experience, give the public even more reasons to head downtown. And the museum makes it easy to stop by — this year, it announced the return of monthly free First Friday events, expanded admission hours Wednesday through Friday, gave military members and their families free entry over the summer and ran several other promotions to get more people to experience the best art museum in town.

Best Art Gallery

Lisa Sette Gallery

Andrew Pielage

Lisa Sette Gallery is an oasis in the heart of Phoenix. As we walk in, we escape from the light, heat and noise of the city into the gallery's Al Beadle-designed building, a quiet temple dedicated to creativity. Sette is approaching a major milestone — 40 years of owning art galleries in the Valley — and yet the work her space exhibits is as fresh and challenging as ever. The gallery represents a who's-who of Phoenix-based talent, including Rachel Bess, Mayme Kratz and Mark Klett as well as national and international artists such as William Wegman and Reynier Leyva Novo. This year's exhibitions have included a summer group show and "The Moon Is a Lantern," featuring works that present the moon as an allegory for change and remaking. We can't wait to see what Lisa Sette Gallery has in store in the future.

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