ARIZONA NEWS

Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Dec. 1-3

Dec 3, 2023, 8:00 PM

Gilbert...

Gilbert ranked as one of the fastest-rising cities in America. (Facebook Photo/Gilbert Regional Park)

(Facebook Photo/Gilbert Regional Park)

PHOENIX — Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.


3 Valley cities among the top 5 ‘fastest-rising’ cities in the country

Three Valley cities ranked in the top-5 of FinanceBuzz’s “fastest-rising” cities across the U.S.

Gilbert ranked No. 2, Chandler was slotted at No. 3 and Glendale placed No. 5.

Arizona cities were littered throughout the list of fastest-rising cities, with Mesa coming in at No. 13, Scottsdale at No. 20 and Phoenix at No. 26.

Frisco, Texas, was ranked as the nation’s fastest-rising city.

San Francisco, California, New Orleans, Louisiana and New York City are the fastest-declining cities in the United States.


Weather system expected to bring rain to Phoenix area, snow to northern Arizona

A winter weather system is expected to bring widespread rain to the Phoenix area starting Thursday night and the largest snowstorm of the season to northern Arizona.

“It’s going to be a pretty widespread rainmaker for much the state,” Ryan Worley of the National Weather Service in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday morning.

Parts of the Valley could see heavy showers starting after 7 p.m. Thursday, with totals from 0.2 to 0.3 inches by Friday morning, Worley said.

A winter weather advisory for the western Mogollon Rim area, including Flagstaff, ran from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Saturday.


Woman dead, man jailed after night of drinking and gunplay in west Phoenix

A night of drinking and gunplay in west Phoenix this week ended with a woman dead and man behind bars, authorities said.

Steven Ray Gault III, 24, was booked into jail on one count of manslaughter after 25-year-old Jennifer Jazmin was killed in a shooting that apparently was accidental.

Officers went to the residence near 79th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday after receiving multiple calls about a shooting, the Phoenix Police Department said.

They found Jazmin inside with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Phoenix Fire Department personnel.

Officers found a cartridge on the ground in the kitchen near the victim and a casing on the counter, according to court records.

Gault was among those at the scene when police arrived.


Major Arizona border crossing to close, with staffing redirected to catch migrants

U.S. officials are closing the Lukeville Port of Entry on the Arizona-Mexico border indefinitely to better deal with a surge of illegal crossings.

All pedestrian and vehicle traffic at the crossing will be suspended starting Monday until further notice, Customs and Border Protection announced Friday.

Personnel who usually man the crossing will be redirected to help the Border Patrol, which is part of CBP, take migrants into custody. The Lukeville staffing level was recently reduced for the same reason. One of two bridges to vehicles at the Eagle Pass, Texas, crossing has also been closed.

“In response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals, CBP is surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants. CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” the agency said in a press release.


ADOT sets winter closure dates for several Arizona highways

As it does each winter because of heavy snow in the area, the Arizona Department of Transportation will close State Route 67 between Jacob Lake (U.S. 89A) and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park on Dec. 4.

ADOT reopens the highway each spring, usually in mid-May, according to a press release.

U.S. 89A will stay open at the junction with SR 67.

Three more White Mountain highways are listed for closures, as well.

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Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Dec. 1-3