Weekend wrap-up: Biggest Arizona stories from President’s Day weekend
Feb 18, 2018, 4:14 PM
PHOENIX — It’s been a long holiday weekend.
Catch up on some of the biggest Arizona-related stories from this President’s Day weekend.
Bill to allow stun guns, pepper spray at Arizona colleges passes House
A bill approved by Arizona legislators in the lower house would allow anyone to carry nonlethal weapons such as pepper spray and stun guns on to a college campus.
House Bill 2172 passed 35-22 along party lines.
Under the plan sponsored by Rep. Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert), the state’s universities and two-year colleges would be compelled to let the self-defense products on to school property.
Flake wouldn’t impeach Trump, but says his actions are bad for US
Sen. Jeff Flake may be highly critical of President Donald Trump and believes his words damage the country’s reputation, but that doesn’t mean he thinks the man should be impeached.
“I’m not one of those who run around calling for our president to be impeached,” Flake said Friday in an interview on CNBC.
“He’s done nothing in my view that would warrant that. But I do think that the behavior he sometimes exhibits, and some of the policies that he has adopted, aren’t good for our national security.”
Matt Antoine, Olympian who trains in Arizona, places 11th in skeleton
An Olympic athlete who was training in Arizona for the skeleton competition did not medal in what could be his last shot at the big leagues.
Wisconsin native Matt Antoine placed 11th in the skeleton final during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Antoine trains with Altis, a professional track training program in Phoenix.
Valley chefs, restaurateur named as James Beard Award semi-finalists
Three Valley chefs and one restaurateur are one step closer to taking home a coveted award that is only granted to local businesses dubbed as American classics.
Silvana Salcido Esparza, Kevin Binkley, Charleen Badman and Sam Fox were all named as semi-finalists for the 28th annual James Beard Foundation Awards.
Esparza, Binkley and Badman were all named as semi-finalists for the best chef in the Southwest, while Fox was named as an “outstanding restaurateur” semi-finalist for Fox Restaurant Concepts.
Kansas man bloody, naked before officer shot him in northern Arizona
A Kansas man was walking along an Arizona highway bloody and naked after a car crash before being shot and killed by a federal officer last month, according to newly released reports.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office released documents that reveal more details about the condition and behavior of Tyler Miller just before he was shot Jan. 5.
The 51-year-old Hutchinson man was on his way to a spiritual retreat in Sedona. The Miller family’s attorney, Matt Bretz, initially said that he apparently lost control of his pickup truck on a mountain road in Coconino National Forest.
The report said Miller managed to climb out of his car, which was lying on the driver’s side with exposed power lines touching it.
He then gradually shed his clothing, shoes and socks and began walking along Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Phoenix.
Poll reveals support for LGBT inclusion in Arizona non-discrimination law
With the bill HB 2586 — which will update the non-discrimination laws in Arizona to include sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations — currently under consideration in the Arizona House of Representatives, a new poll was created to see how Arizonans felt on the issue.
The three-question poll, created by ONE Community Foundation and OH Predictive Insights, included 400 likely General Election voters and 404 self-identified conservatives.
Out of the three poll questions, policies that protect gay and transgender people from discrimination in employment situations received the biggest support as 77.8 percent of General Election voters and 62.3 percent of self-identified conservatives voted in favor of the policies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
