Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from March 15-17
Mar 17, 2019, 6:35 PM
This photo shows the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix, Monday, May 4, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Local reaction to the New Zealand mosque shootings, St. Patrick’s Day festivities and nine Arizona billionaires.
Here are some stories that headlined the news cycle, both locally and nationally, over the weekend.
50 killed at mosques in ‘one of New Zealand’s darkest days’
At least 50 people were shot to death at two mosques during midday prayers Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a white supremacist who used a helmet-mounted camera to broadcast live video of the slaughter on Facebook.
Arizona politicians took to Twitter to express their sympathy for victims and their loved ones.
A Phoenix mosque leader and a Phoenix activist both condemned the the so-called “right wing” extremist ideologies that were believed to inspire the mass shooting.
Valley police ramped up security at local mosques and encouraged anyone who noticed something suspicious to report it to police.
A man was arrested Saturday night after he entered a Phoenix mosque and reportedly threatened and intimidated its members.
People across the Valley celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
While Arizona didn’t rank very high in a list of best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, there were still plenty of events and Irish pubs on hand for the holiday.
Lyft partnered with Maricopa County to get drinkers home safely while navigating all of the weekend’s traffic snags.
Some celebrated the holiday at the Pot of Gold Festival in Phoenix, which was headlined by Ozuna on Friday night, Lil Wayne on Saturday and Post Malone on Sunday.
Arizona has 9 billionaires and here’s who they are, says Forbes
There are nine men in Arizona who have billions of dollars to throw around, according to a Forbes list of the world’s extremely wealthy.
The business magazine recently released its annual list of billionaires, and DriveTime magnate Ernest Garcia II and retired U-Haul vice president Mark Shoen were the richest Arizonans on the list.
They tied with a net worth of $3.2 billion apiece.
Arizona’s big money makers don’t appear on the list until nearly the 700th spot.
Wetter-than-normal season eradicates extreme drought in Arizona
The heavy rain and snow across Arizona in recent months may have been inconvenient in times, but the state will benefit from it.
“One of the nice things is that we are definitely getting out of the drought. The latest drought summary shows that we don’t have any extreme drought conditions in the state,” Arizona State University climatologist Randy Cerveny told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday.
“We still have a little bit of drought up in the northeast, but extreme drought is no longer part of the state.”
Cerveny said the rainfall in Phoenix since October has doubled normal totals, something he called “just amazing.”
Another benefit of the statewide precipitation is that it will reduce the threat of wildfires in the northern Arizona in the coming months.
New parking garage in downtown Gilbert opens this weekend
Gilbert announced on Thursday that it was opening a second parking garage in the Heritage District on Saturday, two weeks before a massive new restaurant debuts.
The Hearne Plaza Garage will eventually add nearly 600 spaces, including six electric vehicle charging stations, to the dining and entertainment district lining Gilbert Road north of Elliot Road.
At first, the garage will be accessible only from the south via Vaughn Avenue, east of Gilbert Road, and the top floor won’t be open.
A second access point on the west side of the structure will open March 25 off Hearne Way, just south of the new Culinary Dropout, a 25,000-square-foot restaurant and bar scheduled to open April 2.
The new garage, which has nearly twice the capacity of the existing one, features a prominent clock tower facing Gilbert Road that lights up at night.
