🌱 Legacy Small Business Program + Phoenix-Area Restaurant Closures

Good morning, neighbors! It's me, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Phoenix Patch newsletter — here to impart all the most important things happening in town.

But first, today's weather:

Breezy in the morning. High: 64 Low: 43.

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Here are the top three stories in Phoenix today:

1. The mayor’s office in Phoenix has launched the “Legacy Small Business Program” to recognize and celebrate local businesses that have been serving the community for at least 25 years. Anyone can nominate a business by submitting an application online or at City Hall, along with a brief history of the business and its connection to the neighborhood. Businesses selected for recognition will receive a special acknowledgment from Mayor Kate Gallego's office, which believes small businesses not only contribute to the local economy but also enrich the city's history and culture. (KJZZ)
2. Six Phoenix-area restaurants, cafes, and bakeries have closed their doors permanently, including Chesapeake Bay Bistro, K-38 Beach Mex Cantina, and Original Golden Skone. Bearscat Bakehouse, a western-themed doughnut shop, closed its Mesa location, while Bubbakoo's Burritos, a chain restaurant with a "unique hybrid skater-surf atmosphere," closed its only Arizona location in Gilbert. Cafe Chenar, the only restaurant serving Bukharian food in the Valley, changed hands and subsequently closed. Chesapeake Bay Bistro, which closed its brick-and-mortar restaurant in January and switched its focus to a Tempe takeout-only ghost kitchen, has now permanently closed both its physical and virtual restaurants. (Phoenix New Times)
3. The Phoenix metro area has experienced cooler temperatures and more rain during the first three months of 2023 compared to previous years, with March alone having the lowest average high, low, and mean temperatures since 1991. While below-average precipitation is expected for the Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest for the rest of spring, the abnormally wet winter is expected to improve drought conditions across much of the western U.S. On Mar. 9, NOAA declared La Nina over after being in place for more than two years, and spring snowmelt is expected to benefit California and the Great Basin's water supply. (KTAR.com)

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Today in and around Phoenix:

• DICE Southwest 2023, At The Camby Hotel (8:00 AM)
• LionHeart Security Services Unarmed Guard Card Training Course, At 505 S 48th St in Tempe (9:00 AM)
• Cool It - Tranq Flow, At Sutra Studios (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Is your child quite the artist? Heat Ready PHX is teaming up with Phoenix Public Library to host an art contest for the kiddos! Contestants will design a bookmark promoting heat safety. Learn more about the contest here and submit your design by Apr. 7. (City of Phoenix, AZ USA via Facebook)
• Are you an experienced accountant who wants to help the City of Phoenix Water Services Department meet the mission of delivering water services to nearly 1.5 million residents each day? PHXWater is hiring an Accountant III (Job ID 49598) for professional accounting work using accounting principles to analyze financial data, prepare financial statements/reports, calculate rates, and more. Apply here by Apr. 14. (City of Phoenix Water Services Department via Facebook)
• Wondering what's going on at the Phoenix Public Library? Click the link to view some of the free events happening this week, including programs for all ages. View the full calendar of events here. (Phoenix Public Library via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where she earned degrees in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or practicing film photography.