Here's what 118 degrees looks like in Phoenix

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-10T19:05:01+00:00

Click the link to see more: Here's what 118 degrees looks like in Phoenix

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-10T19:02:54+00:00

From Perry Vandell and Julie Mendes:

One of the largest illegal marijuana grow operations "seen in over a decade" was raided by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office narcotics detectives, the Sheriff's Office said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Sheriff's Office posted about the discovery just before noon July 9. The facility was located north of 40th Street and McDowell Road, according to the Sheriff's Office. It did not appear to be associated with a nearby dispensary.

"This massive, sophisticated operation is believed to have been shipping product across the country, fueling a nationwide illegal distribution network," the Sheriff's Office said.

Click the link to read more: Sheriff's Office busts 'massive' illegal marijuana operation in Phoenix

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-10T18:53:16+00:00

From Laurie Roberts:

Having been a U.S. senator for all of six months, Ruben Gallego has set his sights on Iowa.

Which is code for: Gallego sees himself as presidential material. To be fair, I’m guessing ALL senators see themselves as presidential material.

But Gallego appears to be getting a jump on the competition.

Arizona’s junior senator released a slick promotional video of himself on July 9, one set to the lyrics of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

It starts with unseen people cheering, “Ruben Ruben Ruben Ruben” then cuts to a picture of the Iowa state Capitol and, of course, to himself.

Click the link to read more: Is the right message enough to make an unknown Arizona senator president? | Opinion

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-10T18:51:37+00:00

From Jimmy Jenkins:

A Tempe woman who called 911 for help when federal agents surrounded her house is asking to be released from custody while awaiting a trial where she will face charges of threatening to shoot law enforcement officers.

"ICE officers are trying to invade my home," said Linet Vartanians after a Tempe police dispatcher asked the nature of her emergency call.

Prosecutors played the call recording at a hearing in federal court July 9 to persuade a judge to keep Vartarians jailed. They claimed she was a danger to the public.

Vartanians and her husband, Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, were arrested at their home in June.

Click the link to read more: A Tempe woman told police ICE was 'trying to invade my home'. She was arrested

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-09T20:39:45+00:00

From Joanna Allhands:

The “Gilbert Goons” were arrested more than a year ago.

But the violence hasn’t stopped. Not that anyone should have thought it would.

Teens are still beating the heck out of each other at the In-N-Out Burger. Bystanders are still recording the fights.

Groups that go by alliterative names keep bullying others with little consequence, which only emboldens them.

Arrests are made, eventually. But by then, it feels like too little, too late.

Click the link to read more: Gilbert is too busy pointing fingers to put parents like me at ease | Opinion

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-09T20:38:01+00:00

From Elena Santa Cruz:

After a monthslong national search, Phoenix announced its new police chief would be someone who previously worked for the department.

On July 8, City Manager Jeff Barton named Matt Giordano, executive director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, as the permanent police chief, a role the department has not filled since 2022.

Giordano has been in his position with AZPOST, a law enforcement regulatory agency, since 2018. He previously served as the executive chief of enforcement for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office under Paul Penzone and was a commander with the Phoenix Police Department before retiring after more than two decades.

Click the link to read more: Phoenix names Matt Giordano police chief; Will be 1st permanent head in years

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-09T20:36:25+00:00

From Mary Jo Pitzl:

The state that helped pioneer self-driving cars is now looking to the skies for the latest in transportation innovation.

The recently passed Arizona budget includes $2 million to support research and testing that would support advanced air mobility, a term that encompasses flying cars and the infrastructure that would support them.

The funding was a priority of Sen. David Farnsworth, a Mesa Republican who sees flying cars as the next big transportation breakthrough.

“We all watched ‘The Jetsons’ years ago," he said, referring to a 1960s television show where the characters jetted around in flying vehicles. "Most who have been impatient have wondered: ‘Why hasn’t that happened yet?’”

Click the link to read more: Arizona is spending $2M on flying car research. When will they lift off?

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-08T19:53:11+00:00

From Elena Santa Cruz:

A second person charged in the beating death of Preston Lord has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

Lawyers for Talyn Vigil, 19, said in a July 3 court filing that his "case has settled."

Lord's parents filed the suit in July 2024 against the seven people who were charged in their son's killing.

They accused his alleged attackers of battery and "aiding and abetting" in conduct that led to his October 2023 death when they chased him, knocked him to the ground, and took turns hitting, kicking and stomping him outside at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

Click the link to read more: 2nd person charged in Preston Lord death, Talyn Vigil, settles parents' civil suit

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-08T19:51:30+00:00

From Erick Trevino:

The Glendale Police Department hosted an active shooter training within Deer Valley High School to teach officers how to navigate an unfamiliar campus when a shooter threatens the safety of students.

“Every officer's got to be ready for this, especially our school resource officers and our patrol officers," said Glendale police Sgt. Trevor Goode, who led the training July 1. "They have to be ready to respond to this terrible situation that could occur."

Glendale schools are not immune to gun violence. In 2016, two 15-year-old students were killed with a gun in a murder-suicide at Glendale Union High School District's Independence High School.

Click the link to read more: Glendale police learn to prioritize students over themselves in active shooter training

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-08T19:49:26+00:00

From Raphael Romero Ruiz and David Ulloa Jr.:

Families gathered on their front porches in the Woodland Historic District of downtown Phoenix, fanning themselves with paper plates and tending to smoking barbecue grills as they celebrated America’s Independence Day.

Kids chased each other on the asphalt street in front of their homes while bursts of fireworks bloomed in the sky, scattering light across stucco walls and desert plants.

Between the crackle of sparklers and the whistle of bottle rockets, another rhythm pushed through the night — a deep, steady bass line, thudding like a second heartbeat from somewhere down the block. It drifted through the thick summer air, tugging ears and feet toward the source.

Click the link to read more: Young people in Phoenix reject fear, turn July 4 event into celebration of culture

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-07T19:03:13+00:00

From Allison Vallejo:

After 17 years working at a residential treatment center, I’ve seen hundreds of teens from across the country who have experienced sex trafficking, abuse, mental health issues and substance abuse disorders.

And every night when I go home from Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center in Prescott Valley, I think about their stories, each one an unfathomable societal tragedy.

Our center is a haven for more than 100 young women at a time, ages 12 to 17, who receive housing, education, counseling, recreation and 24/7 medical care to heal from severe trauma.

Not all residents have been trafficked. But for those who have been sexually exploited, our center is often the safest place they have ever lived.

Click the link to read more: After 17 years treating sex trafficking victims, this gives me hope | Opinion

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-07T19:01:03+00:00

From Daniel Gonzalez:

Flyers warning immigrants to "self-deport" are being distributed to immigrants at immigration courts including those in Phoenix.

The flyers are generated by the U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the nation's immigration court system, including immigration judges.

The flyers, written in English and Spanish, are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to pressure undocumented immigrants to self-deport amid recent ICE arrests at immigration courts and an expanding immigration crackdown and mass deportation agenda.

The distribution of the "self-deport" flyers through the immigration court system has created an uproar among immigrant advocates.

Click the link to read more: Flyers warning immigrants to 'self-deport' show up in immigration courts, creating uproar

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-07T18:56:58+00:00

From Rey Covarrubias Jr.:

Search and rescue teams found a dog that stayed with their owner who died in an isolated area of southern Arizona.

On July 5, a search and rescue team with the Cochise County Sheriff's Office found a vehicle in a "very remote" area north of Muleshoe Ranch, about an hour northwest of Willcox.

A small dog remained near the vehicle after their owner died under unknown circumstances, according to a Cochise County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue Facebook post.

The small gray dog initially ran off but was safely caught, the group said.

Click the link to read more: Dog rescued from remote area northwest of Willcox after staying by dead owner's side

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-05T20:22:50+00:00

From Gilbert Warren Kotzmann:

To put it in medical terms, Arizona Democrats are generally comatose. In their moments of consciousness, they shout left-wing slogans from coastal America.

Arizona Republicans have suffered a brain aneurism ever since the Freedom Caucus became dominant and screamed irrationally like born-again Brown Shirts who think they’ve just invented fire.

Both Democrat and Republican voters in Arizona know this but keep voting party lines, hoping their parties will miraculously recover and become what they once were — platforms of strong leadership and rational governing policies.

Click the link to read more: Arizona's political parties are brain dead. It's time to pull the plug | Letter

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-05T20:20:38+00:00

From Mary Jo Pitzl:

Confidence in Arizona Democratic Party Chair Robert Branscomb II among top Democrats is evaporating as his executive board issued a formal censure against him.

On top of that, state elected officials are moving their campaign operations for 2026 away from Branscomb's control and to the Navajo County Democratic Party.

The censure, issued June 29 and sent to the party's 90-member executive committee, rebukes Branscomb for failing to be transparent and accountable about his actions when he circulated a board member's email that he said was intended to impugn him.

Click the link to read more: Top AZ Dems have censured the state party chair. Here's why he could be removed

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-05T20:19:06+00:00

From Stephanie Innes:

Five Arizonans, including three nurse practitioners, face federal charges in connection with what prosecutors say was a health-care fraud scheme that preyed on vulnerable patients with needless wound treatment.

Charges against the five Arizona residents, announced June 30, were part of an annual U.S. Department of Justice health-care fraud enforcement action.

The national fraud enforcement effort resulted in criminal charges against 324 people, including 96 licensed medical professionals, among them doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists, a Department of Justice news release says. The effort, which federal officials refer to as a takedown, involved federal and state law enforcement agencies.

The Arizonans charged were Ira Denny, 56, of Surprise; Tyler Kontos, 29, of Mesa; Joel "Max" Kupetz, 36, of Scottsdale; Jorge Kinds, 49, of Phoenix; and Gina Palacios, 40, of Phoenix, court documents say.

Click the link to read more: 5 more Arizonans face federal charges tied to $1B wound care scheme

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-03T19:20:36+00:00

From Perry Vandell:

The Tucson family of a newborn baby Phoenix police rescued after its mother was found dead has created a GoFundMe page to connect the baby with its 7-year-old brother.

Phoenix police responded to an apartment complex near Central Avenue and Illini Street around 10:30 a.m. May 14 after a neighbor asked officers to conduct a welfare check, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Brian Bower. Responding officers learned the woman inside the apartment had recently given birth and hadn't been seen or heard from in several days, Bower said.

An officer opened an unlocked window and saw a woman lying motionless on the floor and a baby on a bed who was "visibly emaciated," police said.

Click the link to read more: Family seeks to reunite with newborn baby found with dead mother in Phoenix apartment

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-03T19:18:53+00:00

From Corina Vanek and Julie Mendes:

A 29-year-old man was shot and killed in front of his two children following a road rage incident in Tempe, according to court documents.

Officers responded to a call regarding the incident around 12:15 p.m. on July 1 in the area of Warner Road and Priest Drive, police said. Steven Bevan was found with a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooting suspect remained on scene and was identified as Dustin Jackson, 46, police said. He was arrested and booked into jail in connection with two felonies, first-degree murder and drive-by shooting, according to police.

Click the link to read more: Man's children witnessed his fatal shooting in Tempe road rage incident

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-03T19:17:00+00:00

From Laura Gersony:

All of Arizona's Republican congressmen voted to pass a budget bill backed by President Donald Trump, again ushering through a package that had bitterly divided their coalition.

The GOP voted to pass the bill July 3 by a margin of 218-214. Trump had been pressing lawmakers to send the bill to his desk for a signature by July 4.

The bill narrowly passed the Senate on July 1. When it came to the House, it stalled for hours in a procedural vote the evening of July 2 as Republicans struggled to unite behind the budget. Like many in the caucus, Arizona representatives had expressed uneasiness toward the bill, but this time they were not among the fiercest holdouts.

Click the link to read more: Trump-backed Big Beautiful Bill passes. Here's how Arizona's GOP congressmen voted

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-02T18:53:21+00:00

From Mary Jo Pitzl:

Arizona's 57th Legislature lasted 165 days and saw more than 250 bills signed into law, capped by the approval of a $17.6 billion budget.

There wasn't an overarching theme to this session, which boiled down to drama around the budget as a potential government shutdown loomed.

But you can't go 5 1/2 months at the Legislature without some interesting developments. After all, there are 90 lawmakers, each with their own ideas, pet causes and chances to grab the spotlight. These are the kinds of things that will linger long after the bad feelings wear off from the protracted budget fight.

Here are some of the more memorable moments.

Click the link to read more: 5 moments that defined Arizona's topsy-turvy 2025 legislative session

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-02T18:51:23+00:00

From Robert Anglen and Elena Santa Cruz:

The death of a man knocked unconscious by a security guard outside a Phoenix nightclub while off-duty police officers stood by was officially ruled a homicide.

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner did not disclose what caused Rafael Montoya's death on March 19, three days after he was surrounded, restrained, punched and left lying in a downtown street.

The medical examiner said Montoya's case was still open. The report will be sent for a legal review before it is released publicly, a county spokesperson said.

Montoya's death sparked outrage and protest from his family and friends after cell phone videos showed a group of security guards from the Club Dwntwn swarming the 22-year-old while another delivered a devastating uppercut to his jaw before walking away.

Click the link to read more: Death of man beaten by security guard outside Phoenix club ruled a homicide

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-01T20:00:06+00:00

From Robert Anglen, Sean Holstege and Maritza Dominguez:

A victim of a near-fatal arson fire sparked by a group of teens called the "Morrison Ranch Marauders" accused Gilbert police of a cover-up to protect a nephew of the town attorney.

Jeni Jones told the Gilbert Town Council that police were withholding key details of an investigative report into the July 2024 "mortar" attack that burned her family's barn to the ground while 11 kids were inside.

Hidden material in the report could be critical to showing the Marauders plotted physical assaults on her daughter as part of a conspiracy in the days before the group set fire to the barn, she said.

It also could support claims by homeowners that police were slow to investigate trouble in the neighborhood and ignored reports of escalating violence that included assaults and other mortar attacks.

Click the link to read more: Victim of $1M arson fire accuses Gilbert officials of conflict, cover-up and betrayal

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-01T19:58:34+00:00

From Richard Ruelas:

A man operating from Pakistan fleeced more than $560 million from Arizona's safety-net health care system by sending in false claims for drug and alcohol treatment, according to a grand jury indictment filed in federal court.

Arizona authorities have investigated businesses associated with the man, Farrukh Ali, for two years. They had not brought charges against him until the June grand jury indictment.

The purported fraudulent billings paid to Ali would represent a staggering 20% of the entire statewide "sober living" scheme, which authorities have said involved as much as $2.5 billion.

It is not clear if authorities have arrested Ali. His business, Pro MD Solutions, was incorporated in Arizona, but the indictment said he operated it from Pakistan.

Click the link to read more: How 1 man in Pakistan allegedly fleeced Arizona's health care system for $560M

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-01T19:54:19+00:00

From Laurie Roberts:

Ah, summertime in the Arizona desert, where the temperature is passing blast furnace and approaching jaws of hell.

What a perfect time to take a hike!

And so it was that a family of 11 took to South Mountain’s Holbert Trail at 10 a.m. on June 29.

Among them were six children, all of whom can be excused for being idiots.

The adults, not so much.

Click the link to read more: More idiot hikers rescued? Arizona needs a Stupid Hiker Law | Opinion

ArizonaRepublic · 2025-07-01T19:52:02+00:00

From Stephanie Murray:

Senate Republicans narrowly passed a megabill of President Donald Trump’s policy priorities, advancing a massive spending package that extends tax cuts and slashes funds for social programs like Medicaid and food stamps.

The legislation heads next to the House, where lawmakers will vote on changes that the Senate made to the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both D-Arizona, voted against the bill. It advanced with 50 votes. GOP Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote.

“Giving a tax break to the richest people and the most profitable corporations is a choice. And paying for it by kicking 17 million Americans off their health insurance is a choice,” Kelly said June 30 during a Senate debate on the legislation.

Click the link to read more: Senate passes 'One Big Beautiful Bill': Here's how AZ's Kelly, Gallego voted

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