Weekend wrap: Here are the biggest Arizona news stories from Feb. 6-8

PHOENIX — From the developing Nancy Guthrie case to state election changes and more, here are some of the top Arizona news stories from Feb. 6-8.

Savannah Guthrie says family ‘will pay’ for kidnapped mother’s return in social media video

A week after the kidnapping of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie posted a video acknowledging the demands of ransom notes.

“We received your message, and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.

“This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Guthrie was referencing a message that was sent to the Tucson-based television station KOLD on Friday afternoon, according to Kevin Smith, a spokesperson for the FBI office in Phoenix.

Gov. Katie Hobbs signs bipartisan bill to change Arizona primary election dates

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bipartisan bill to permanently change the date of primary elections in the Grand Canyon State after it was passed by the Arizona Legislature.

According to the Maricopa County Elections Department, Hobbs signing HB2022 changes the 2026 primary date and permanently moves Arizona primaries to the second-to-last Tuesday in July. That means this year’s primary election will be on July 21.

The previous date of the primary was the first Tuesday in August.

The change of date is intended to provide election officials more time to prepare for the general election, such as military and overseas voters receiving their ballots in time to participate in the election.

Chai from Arizona Humane Society competing in Sunday’s Puppy Bowl

Arizona may not be represented on the NFL side of Super Bowl Sunday, but the state still has a dog in the fight when it comes to the Puppy Bowl.

Chai, a Cairn Terrier from the Arizona Humane Society, will be one of 150 dogs competing in the Puppy Bowl and vying for the “Lombarky” trophy. It’s the fourth year in a row and fifth overall that AHS will be represented at the annual event.

Chai is a 7-month-old puppy who arrived at AHS after it was found she and four other puppies were being kept in a crate outside during the hot summer months.

“We were able to bring her into the Arizona Humane Society’s care where her and her family received treatment in our maternity suites, which is a quiet, medically supervised area for nursing mama dogs as well as pregnant dogs,” AHS spokesperson Kelsey Dickerson told KTAR News.

Payson community’s evacuation status for Bonita Fire lowered

A community near Payson that had been under a “GO” evacuation order due to the nearby Bonita Fire saw its status lowered to “SET.”

Gila County Public Health and Community Services put residents from Bonita Creek on “GO” status as of 2:35 p.m. on Saturday, and the status eased by 6 p.m.

Phoenix hospital performs groundbreaking heart valve procedure

Banner Health’s University Medical Center Phoenix became the first hospital in the United States to successfully perform a new procedure aimed at treating patients with leaky heart valves.

Using a Valcare’s AMEND Ring, Dr. Paul Sorajja completed the procedure, which is aimed to treat mitral regurgitation, according to a Monday news release.

Traditional treatment for mitral regurgitation is open-heart surgery, in which a patient is prone to longer recovery times, higher risks and longer hospital visits.

The new procedure is done using a catheter that is inserted through a blood vessel using the AMEND ring. This allows for repair on a beating heart without having to stop it.

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