Peter O'Dowd

The Chinese solar manufacturer Suntech has announced it is closing down its factory in Goodyear, Ariz. — the only one it has in the United States. The company says recent U.S. tariffs have made it too difficult to maintain its presence here.

With consecutive days of subfreezing temperatures, homeless shelters say they're short on supplies and their budgets are stretched. Meanwhile, farmers are working to fight freezing temperatures that could affect the size and quality of this year's crops.

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, 36, is a former social worker who spent part of her childhood living in an abandoned gas station. To win her district, made up of almost equal parts Republicans, Democrats and independents, she had to focus on voters in the middle.

A 1950s-era home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his son is facing demolition. The house in a Phoenix neighborhood has fallen into the hands of a developer that wants to build on the site. But a group of preservationists is trying to stop that from happening. Many architectural experts say it's in this structure that Wright worked out his coiling plan for the Guggenheim in New York City.

The Arizona city already logs more days over 100 degrees than any U.S. city, and climate researchers predict Phoenix will grow hotter still in the coming decades. Planners are taking the projections seriously, and are looking for ways to adapt the city and its residents to a hotter, drier reality.

Supporters of the state's divisive immigration law say it has achieved one of its stated goals: Thousands of illegal immigrants have left. However, the real cause — and consequence — of such a demographic shift may be more complex.

There's a noticeable streak of Mormon libertarianism in the West, and the Ron Paul campaign has actively courted that vote. While Republican Mitt Romney retains strong support among many of his faith, others see their religion more in line with a much smaller-government approach to politics.

With many boomtime developments now just dusty wastelands, Sun Belt suburbs like those outside Phoenix are shifting gears. Some planners argue for a radical option called "smart decline" — letting empty lots go back to nature and even, in some cases, tearing down infrastructure.

One of the main solar companies in the United States, First Solar, is in trouble. Its CEO was forced out in October and its stock prices have fallen dramatically. Thursday the Arizona-based company announces its earnings and investors are going be demanding answers. From member station KJZZ in Phoenix, Peter O'Dowd report.