Weekend Wrap: Here are the biggest Phoenix news stories from Jan. 10-12
Jan 12, 2025, 6:00 PM
PHOENIX — From Macy’s closing a Mesa location to a shooting near Phoenix’s Desert Ridge Marketplace, here are some of the Valley’s top news stories from Jan. 10-12.
Macy’s to shutter Valley store as part of nationwide closures
Department store chain Macy’s Inc. plans to shutter a store in the Phoenix metro as part of a broader plan to close 66 retail locations around the country.
The publicly traded New York fashion retailer on Thursday said it would close its anchor location at Superstition Springs Center, 6535 E Southern Ave., in Mesa.
Most of the Macy’s (NYSE: M) retail stores are expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, but an exact date was not yet specified for the Mesa store closure. The company said that full-size stores that will close in Q1, including the Mesa location, will start clearance sales in January, and that process will last eight to 12 weeks.
Superstition Springs Center is operated by The Macerich Co. (NYSE: MAC), which owns multiple major retail properties in the Valley including Scottsdale Fashion Square, Kierland Commons and Arrowhead Towne Center. Macerich made a major move in 2024 when it sold its remaining ownership stake in one of its longstanding Valley mall properties, Biltmore Fashion Park, to Phoenix-based Red Development.
Arizona trooper seizes over 550 pounds of cocaine during traffic stop on I-40
Arizona authorities recently arrested a man believed to be smuggling over 550 pounds of cocaine through the state while on the way to Canada, authorities said.
The suspect, 31-year-old Amarjeet Singh Matharu, allegedly hid the cocaine in produce boxes, according to a Wednesday news release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).
DPS said the 553.8 pounds of cocaine he allegedly was transporting had a street value of anywhere from $16.6 million to $22.1 million.
ASU Prep Academy forced out after Phoenix district cuts lease
The board of the Phoenix Elementary School District voted against renewing ASU Preparatory Academy’s 171,487-square-foot lease in downtown Phoenix.
While Arizona State University’s charter school and the Phoenix school district have had a collaborative relationship since 2009, the district needs the space to address the changing landscape of education in its district, said Nicole Baker, spokeswoman for the school district.
The charter school’s lease expires in June 2026, which means ASU will need to find a new home for its staff of 150 and 1,200 students before families start seeking other schools.
Mark Vitucci, president of ASU Prep Academy’s Parent Teacher Organization, said he’ll most likely have to find another school for his 5th-grade daughter if ASU can’t find another location nearby.
The Vitucci family lives in within the Phoenix Elementary School District boundaries, but Vitucci said he won’t enroll his daughter in that system, which has 5,078 students.
Woman injured after shooting near Desert Ridge Marketplace
A woman was injured in a shooting near Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix on Saturday, authorities said.
At around 9:40 a.m., police responded in the area of Tatum Boulevard and Rose Garden Lane. Upon arrival, officers found a woman with a gunshot wound.
The woman was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
Authorities said the area was shut down for an extended period of time as the investigation continues.
Woman accused of killing ‘Baby Skylar,’ leaving body at Sky Harbor in 2005, released from custody
The woman accused of killing “Baby Skylar” and leaving her newborn’s body in a trash can at Phoenix Sky Harbor in 2005 was released from Arizona custody, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KTAR.
MCSO said Annie Anderson, 51, was released from custody on Dec. 12 with electronic monitoring. No other details on Anderson’s release were made available.
In April of 2024, Anderson was extradited to Phoenix and booked into the Maricopa County Intake, Transfer and Release facility in Phoenix on three counts: first-degree murder, child abuse and concealing a dead body.
At the time, MCSO said she was not eligible for release.
She was in custody for two months in Snohomish County, Washington, after being arrested in February of 2024.