Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Feb. 25-27

PHOENIX — Healthy people in four Arizona counties no longer need to wear masks in public indoor spaces, authorities believe they found the body of a man suspected of shooting an Arizona tribal police officer, and Tempe has approved a proposal to create a $1.8 billion resort-style lakeside neighborhood.

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

4 Arizona counties safe from COVID without masks, according to new CDC system

It’s now safe for healthy Arizonans in four counties, including Maricopa, to stop wearing face masks in public indoor spaces, according to federal COVID-19 guidelines released Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

Healthy Americans in counties deemed to have low or medium community COVID levels are safe without masks, according to the CDC, but those where the community level is high should still keep their faces covered in indoor public spaces.

Coconino, Maricopa, Santa Cruz and Yavapai counties are currently at medium, while Arizona’s 11 other counties are in the high range, per the new CDC classification system. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs, is home to over 60% of the state’s population.

Police believe body of suspect in shooting of Arizona tribal officer found in river

Yavapai police said they believe they’ve found the body of a suspect in the shooting of an Arizona tribal police officer earlier this month.

The body of a Hispanic male, believed to be 39-year-old Valentin Rodriguez was found in the Verde River near the Tunlii crossing around 4 p.m. on Friday.

A father and son fishing in the river saw the body and contacted police, according to a press release.

Authorities are awaiting formal identification, however, personal items found on the body led law enforcement to believe it is Rodriguez.

Tempe approves proposal to create $1.8B resort-style lakeside neighborhood

The Tempe City Council has approved a proposed $1.8 billion project to transform blighted waterfront property into a resort-style neighborhood.

Plans for a mixed-use development named South Pier at Tempe Town Lake call for 2,300 apartments and 160 condos to house 3,500 residents, along with 520 hotel rooms and office and retail space.

A Ferris wheel, pier and pedestrian bridge, among other amenities, will be part of what the development agreement calls an “entertainment destination within an urban setting.”

Per the city ordinance authorizing the project, construction will begin by Jan. 31, 2023, with seven phases of development over 15 years.

City officials laid out the details of the proposal, which has been in the works for three years, before council members unanimously approved it during their Feb. 10 meeting.

Jury convicts Scottsdale man for $20 million investment fraud

A federal jury convicted an Arizona man and a California man on multiple counts that resulted in over $20 million of investment fraud from 2011-17.

David Alcorn, 78, from Scottsdale and Aghee William Smith II, 70, of Roseville, California, face charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a nationwide investment scheme involving fraudulent wireless spectrum and dental franchise investments, IRS Criminal Investigation said in a press release.

Alcorn, Smith and other associates deceived hundreds of investors, mostly elderly, by convincing them to invest in companies owned by the men.

Arizona to receive $542M from J&J, drug distributors in milestone opioid settlement

Arizona will receive $542 million to combat an ongoing epidemic after healthcare company Johnson and Johnson and three other major drug distributors reached a $26 billion settlement for their roles in the opioid crisis.

Settlement funds will be disbursed to the state and its subdivisions through the One Arizona Plan over an 18-year period to aid in treatment, preventative measures and for education, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a press release.

All state counties, cities and towns have signed onto the One Arizona Distribution of Opioid Settlements Funds Agreement, which guarantees the money will be effectively distributed across Arizona.

“We have lost far too many Arizonans to the opioid crisis and many others are still suffering and seeking help on their road to recovery,” Brnovich said in the release.

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