Weekend Wrap: Here are the biggest Phoenix news stories from Jan. 3-5
Jan 5, 2025, 6:00 PM
PHOENIX — From Phoenix breaking a daily heat record for the first time in 2025 to new Arizona laws that went into effect, here are some of the Valley’s top news stories from Jan. 3-5.
Daily heat record broken in Phoenix for 1st time in 2025
It didn’t take long for a daily heat record to be broken in Phoenix in 2025.
The mercury hit 80 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for the city’s official readings, at 2:25 p.m. on Friday.
The previous record for Jan. 3 of 79 degrees was set in 1989.
Arizona’s capital city had just a 13-day break between heat records.
Phoenix had most recently broke a daily heat mark on Dec. 21, when it was 79 degrees.
Here’s a look at some impactful Arizona laws that went into effect on Jan. 1
Multiple new Arizona laws went into effect when the calendar turned to 2025, including several designed to ease economic burdens.
One of the most impactful laws is one that prohibits municipalities from collecting transaction privilege taxes on rental properties.
As a result, renters in dozens of cities across the state, including Phoenix and many of its suburbs, can expect a bit of relief on their monthly housing costs.
While the law might help renters, it is expected to put a dent in city and town coffers. Lee Grafstrom, tax policy analyst with League of Arizona Cities and Towns, told ABC15 it would cost local governments a combined $230 million.
Lottery ticket sold in East Valley hits six-figure jackpot
Arizona Lottery players continued their recent lucky run, adding to their haul with a jackpot win on Thursday.
A Fantasy 5 ticket purchased from the QuikTrip at 3720 S. Val Vista Drive in Gilbert, between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and Germann Road, provided the state’s latest big payout.
The entry matched Thursday’s winning numbers of 2, 4, 12, 15 and 29 to hit a jackpot worth $154,000. The odds of matching all five numbers are 1 in 749,398.
Fantasy 5 is a daily Arizona Lottery game that costs $1 per play. The top prize resets to $50,000 after a jackpot win.
Arizona Department of Health Services launches public data portal
Arizona health officials are making it easier to analyze the state’s health statistics through a new portal.
The Public Health Data Portal is changing the game by making it easier for people to search through data troves put together by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
Essentially, this change frees the public from having to hunt down different datasets. Now, all of the numbers are together in one easy-to-use website.
There are five separate sections of the site where users can peruse public health data. The first is a collection of data explorers.
Clicking on this big, colorful icon takes netizens to a page that allows them to search, interact and download various types of ADHS data, like maps, graphs and tables that cover different types of environmental health topics.
Suspect dies after being shot during home invasion in south Phoenix
Police are investigating a home invasion in south Phoenix that resulted in the death of a suspect.
On Dec. 16, police responded to a report of a shooting in a neighborhood near the intersection of Southern and 51st avenues.
According to police, multiple suspects forced their way into a home there and then exchanged gunfire with a person within the residence.
One of the suspects, Carlos Pardo Espericueta, 28, was shot. He was transported to a nearby hospital and died there on Dec. 27.
None of the occupants in the residence were injured.
