Weekend wrap-up: Biggest Arizona-related stories from this past weekend
Aug 19, 2018, 4:34 PM
PHOENIX — The news this past weekend was all over the place.
From former Phoenix Suns power forward Tom Chambers and a bar patron getting into an alleged fight, more than a dozen nurses at a Phoenix-area hospital announcing they were all pregnant and the prolonged closure of a Scottsdale hotel, there were no shortage of news this weekend.
If you were too busy to keep up, no worries: Here are some of the top Arizona-related stories from this past weekend.
Ex-Phoenix Sun Tom Chambers allegedly involved in Scottsdale fight
Former Phoenix Sun Tom Chambers was allegedly involved in a physical incident earlier this year in Scottsdale.
Chambers, who played as a power forward with the team from 1988 to 1993, allegedly “got physical with a trash-talking 22-year-old” at Isabella’s Kitchen in Scottsdale on April 15.
The 22-year-old, identified by TMZ as Alexander Bergelt, was allegedly mocking Chambers’ looks and used profane language toward him.
Chambers allegedly admitted to putting his hands on Bergelt but said he never punched him.
Tempe mosque case against 2 women moves forward to October trial
Two Phoenix-area women who recorded themselves taking things from a Tempe mosque while using hate speech will face a fall trial.
Elizabeth Dauenhauer and Tahnee Gonzales were charged with burglarizing and damaging the Islamic Community Center in March.
Their trial in Maricopa County Superior Court has been scheduled to begin Oct. 4.
The women pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted they would face a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Sixteen ICU nurses nearing maternity leave at Banner Desert
A Valley hospital is losing a handful of nurses this winter — to maternity leave.
Sixteen of the ICU nurses at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa are pregnant. Most of them are due this winter.
Banner Desert officials assures patients there will be no interruption in care.
They’ve been planning coverage for the nurses while they’re on maternity leave.
Phoenix police chief calls spike in violence ‘an alarming trend’
One day after a Phoenix police officer was shot during a traffic stop, Chief Jeri Williams called a spike in violence involving her department “an alarming trend” and said the reasons behind it remain unclear.
“I wish I knew one key cause of it, which is why I think it’s critically important to have the study to begin that process of really drilling down and dissecting what’s happening,” she said Friday during a wide-ranging interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM.
She was referring to a $150,000 independent study into the causes of the violence that the City Council approved last month at Williams’ request.
“We’re inviting an outside entity to come in and look at us. Most professional organizations do that, and the Phoenix Police Department is a professional organization,” she said.
Review of Mesa PD use-of-force incident suggests charges aren’t likely
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office concluded that a conviction for aggravated assault was unlikely in a use-of-force incident involving the Mesa Police Department and a 15-year-old suspect earlier this year.
In findings released Friday, Bill Montgomery’s office said “there is no reasonable likelihood of securing a conviction for aggravated assault” against two officers involved in the May 16 arrest of an armed robbery suspect.
The investigation was conducted by the Scottsdale Police Department. It consisted of viewing body camera video from multiple officers, witness statements and an interview with the suspect.
Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale to remain closed indefinitely
Talking Stick Resort will remain closed beyond the initially-expected time frame, the Scottsdale casino announced Friday.
The re-opening target had been Sunday.
Guests with reservations through Monday will be allowed to reschedule or be relocated, a statement said.
Convicted child molester Larry Nassar moved from federal prison in Tucson
Larry Nassar, the longtime former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State team doctor who is serving an effective life sentence after being convicted of federal child pornography and state sexual abuse charges, has been transferred from a federal prison in Tucson.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons website showed that Nassar, 54, was an inmate at Oklahoma City’s Federal Transfer Center as of Sunday.
It was not clear why he was transferred. Last month, his lawyers revealed that Nassar was allegedly assaulted during his stay at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson in May.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kathy Cline and Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.
