AZ Briefing: Board nixes using school vouchers on dune buggies; July heat puts pressure on Phoenix ER; Will white paint cool your house?

Good morning, Arizona. Here's what our reporters are working on and what you should know before you start your day.

The Arizona State Board of Education quashed a parent’s appeal to use state school voucher money to finance three dune buggy purchases.

Citing her child's need for interactive learning as the reason for the purchase, the parent sought reimbursement through the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.

Here's more on the board's near-unanimous decision .

Other big stories

➤ ER physicians treat heatstroke all summer , but this year, a specific type of injury is showing up: contact burns from scorching asphalt and concrete . What to know.

➤ Do you have to use the standard Seller Property Disclosure Statement when you sell a house ? Find out in this week's real estate law column.

➤ Will painting your house white help cool it ? The exterior color of your house isn't just aesthetic . It could help you use less air conditioning . Here's what to know for the next time you paint.

➤ Today, you can expect it to be partly sunny with a high near 110 degrees. Expect it to be partly cloudy at night with a low near 88 degrees. Get the full forecast here .

Surprise is booming. Is its restaurant scene keeping up?

Only one in four restaurants in Surprise isn't a chain, but restaurateurs are betting on the population boom to build their businesses.

If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber .

We'd love your feedback about the AZ Briefing. Email us at karen.kurtz@arizonarepublic.com .

Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

• On this day in 1900 : “Did the mosquito do it?” Army Dr. James Carroll let an infected mosquito bite him for his colleague Dr. Walter Reed’s research on the transmission of yellow fever. Carroll became severely ill, showing that mosquitoes did indeed transmit the disease. He sustained heart damage that killed him seven years later at 53.
• In 1955 : The Guinness Book of Records debuted. It was a bestseller by Christmas. It came about when the beer company’s managing director missed shooting a golden plover on a hunting trip, then argued that it was Europe’s fastest game bird but had no way to look up the answer. (The red-breasted merganser is faster.)
• In 1963 : W.E.B. Du Bois died at 95. A historian, sociologist, writer and activist, he was one of Black liberation's most important thinkers and leaders, spanning generations of change.
• In 1984 : President Ronald Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Program, opening space travel to civilians for the first time. “When the shuttle lifts off, all of America will be reminded of the crucial role teachers and education play in the life of our nation,” he said.
• In 2008 : Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois became the first Black person to be nominated for the presidency by a major political party. He titled his acceptance speech “The American Promise.”
• In 2011, Hurricane Irene landed in the U.S, hitting North Carolina and moving up the coast. It caused $15.8 billion in property damage, mostly from inland flooding. At the time, it was the most expensive Category 1 hurricane ever to hit the U.S.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Board nixes using school vouchers on dune buggies; July heat puts pressure on Phoenix ER; Will white paint cool your house?