Weekend wrap-up: Biggest Phoenix-area stories from 4th of July weekend

PHOENIX — This weekend was an eventful one for Phoenix-area residents.

The Fourth of July weekend also recognized the fifth anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire, when 19 city of Prescott firefighters were killed, and saw developments in the deadly newspaper shooting in Maryland.

Officials also identified human remains found last week at a Phoenix-area worksite as a woman murdered by her boyfriend eight years ago and a woman who was seriously injured in the Las Vegas shooting joined a lawsuit against the hotel where the gunman staged his attack.

But not all of the news was bad: A Phoenix-area pup went viral after he saved his owner from being attacked by a rattlesnake.

Here is some of the biggest news from Fourth of July weekend, both in Arizona and nationwide.

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Banner Health, Lyft partner to bring Arizona patients to medical services

Getting to and from the doctor’s office will soon get a lot easier for patients who have ties to Banner Health.

Banner Health and the ride-share company Lyft have partnered in order to give patients an easier way to seek medical treatment.

The service will be available for patients seeking treatment at Banner Health’s urgent care sites, clinics and other specialty care locations in Arizona and Colorado.

Saturday marked 5th anniversary of deadly Yarnell Hill Fire

Tragedy struck five years ago on Saturday, when the Yarnell Hill Fire burned more than 8,400 acres of land in 2013, destroyed 129 buildings and took the lives of the 19 city of Prescott firefighters.

It was the deadliest wild-land fire for United States firefighters since the 1933 Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles left 29 dead.

Suspect in deadly Maryland newspaper shooting denied bail

The gunman accused of killing five people in a vendetta against a Maryland newspaper barricaded the rear exit to prevent anyone from escaping and blasted his way through the newsroom with a pump-action shotgun, cutting down one victim trying to slip out the back, authorities said.

“The fellow was there to kill as many people as he could,” Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare said as Jarrod W. Ramos, 38, was charged with five counts of murder in one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in U.S. history.

Driverless grocery delivery could be coming to Fry’s stores in Arizona

We all know about the self-driving car programs operating in Arizona, but what about self-driving groceries?

Kroger Co. could soon be testing a delivery service in Arizona using small driverless vehicles designed by Nuro, a Silicon Valley startup.

Cincinnati-based Kroger, which owns Fry’s grocery stores in Arizona, announced the service would start by the end of this year.

Mesa couple sues Las Vegas hotel where wife was shot at concert

A Phoenix-area woman who took a bullet to the brain during the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year joined a lawsuit with several others against the hotel where the gunman staged his attack.

Jovanna and Frank Calzadillas of Mesa were listed as plaintiffs in the negligence filing in the Clark County, Nevada, Courthouse dated Feb. 16, 2018. The filing was amended June 4.

Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded more than 800 when he opened fired on the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1, 2017. It was the worst mass shooting in the United States.

Remains found in Chandler identified as woman killed by boyfriend in 2010

Human remains found last week at a Phoenix-area worksite were identified as a woman murdered by her boyfriend eight years ago, authorities said.

Jamie Laiaddee disappeared in 2010, and Rick Valentini, also known as Bryan Stewart, was convicted of second-degree murder for her death a year later despite the absence of a body.

According to news reports from the time, Valentini was being held in connection with the 32-year-old Chandler woman’s disappearance when he told a fellow inmate that he killed her with a shotgun and fed parts of her body to pigs.

He was sentenced to 54 years in prison for the murder and crimes related to it.

Mexicans living in the U.S. take part in Mexico’s presidential election

They may be far from home, but Mexican citizens living in the United States are eager to influence Mexico’s presidential election being held Sunday.

About 95,000 Mexican citizens living in the U.S. have mailed in their ballots, according to the latest numbers from the Electoral Institute of Mexico City.

Of those, an estimated 20,000 are people living in the U.S. who are originally from Mexico City. That number was 8,000 during the last Mexican presidential election in 2012.

Hotshots Memorial Partnership picks Sonoita artist’s memorial design

After receiving design proposals from around the world, a decision has been made.

The Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Partnership announced Sonoita artist Deborah Fellows and her vision of the memorial was selected.

The memorial will be located at the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott.

Phoenix suburb to showcase ‘Moving Wall’ Vietnam Memorial

Never had the chance to view any of the memorials that cover Washington D.C.? Well, here is your chance.

Following the Fourth of July holiday, the city of Surprise is hosting “The Moving Wall,” a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The memorial will be on display at Mark Coronado Park from July 5 to July 9. It will be open and free to the public 24 hours a day.

Family separation highlights immigration in Arizona midterms

The outrage sparked by the sights, sounds and stories of children separated from parents at the U.S.-Mexico border underscores the outsized role immigration will play in the midterms in Arizona.

On all sides of the political spectrum, campaigns are emphasizing immigration policies with would-be voters as Democrats push to make gains in traditionally conservative Arizona, where more than 1 in 8 residents is an immigrant.

“The government hasn’t had enough to just say, ‘Out with the immigrants,’” Betty Guardado said to a crowd of around 100 attendees at a recent rally at the state Capitol to protest a policy of separating immigrant parents and children at the U.S. border. “Now they’re going after our children.”

Sen. John McCain’s longtime aide says he is working on physical therapy

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been working on physical therapy in an attempt to get stronger as he battles a deadly brain cancer, his longtime aide Mark Salter told CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday.

“He’s doing alright. He’s hanging in there, he’s working on physical therapy, trying to get stronger, and staying engaged with his staff. He’s doing well,” Salter said.

Salter also said McCain is still staying up-to-date with all the events in Washington. “He is, still reading the papers, watching the news,” he added.

Phoenix-area dog goes viral after saving owner from rattlesnake bite

A Phoenix-area pup is being deemed a “hero” for saving his owner from being bit by a rattlesnake during a hike over the weekend.

Paula Godwin, a woman from Anthem, said on Facebook that her and her two dogs, Copper and Todd, were hiking “bright and early” around 7th Street and Carefree Highway in Phoenix on June 29.

During the hike, Godwin said she almost stepped on a rattlesnake while they were walking down the hill, but Todd jumped in front of her, taking the bite instead.

The photos of Todd’s bitten face were soon shared over to Twitter, where the famed We Rate Dogs account re-posted them — and they soon went viral.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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