Good morning, Surprise.

Northwest Surprise celebrated the soft opening of Tropical Smoothie Cafe on June 10 at 16324 W.

Pat Tillman Boulevard, Suite 105 where Mayor Kevin Sartor and officials joined store owner Caitlin Lovett. The cafe will hold its official grand opening this weekend from June 13 to 15 — offering a new tropical spot for locals.

Surprise police closed Cottonwood Street between Nash and Hollyhock after officers found a man dead near a home early Tuesday morning—details remain limited.

ABC15 and ProPublica reviewed nearly 350 death penalty cases from 2004 to 2023 in Maricopa County and found that juries rejected death sentences 35 times out of 41 imposed—raising concerns over prosecutors’ decision-making.

Surprise-area students made honor lists this spring by keeping a 3.5 GPA while taking full course loads; names like Briona Blake at Evansville and Jennah Grice at Illinois Rockford highlight the achievement plus other students at schools in North Dakota, Kansas, Louisiana, Iowa, and Kentucky met similar standards.

The city of Surprise is giving college aid to 9 local students to help cover their costs.

The support will ease their move to college this fall—further opening doors for higher education.

The District 4 Newsletter highlighted that Surprise Youth Scholarship awardees have been recognized and that Community Meetings are paused for the summer—City Council will meet on June 17 at 6 p.m. and several community events, including free emergency training sessions, paper shredding, and a Family & Friends Puzzle Challenge, are on the schedule for residents to attend.