Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from July 15-16
Jul 16, 2023, 6:00 PM | Updated: 6:20 pm
View of the downtown Phoenix, Arizona city skyline as seen from South Mountain Park, August 28, 2018. (Photo by Robyn Beck/Getty Images)
(Photo by Robyn Beck/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — The Valley is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave, Kari Lake’s attorney was ordered to pay sanctions and a Navajo man was sentenced to prison for a deadly stabbing.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
Bringing the heat: Phoenix breaks temperature record for July 15
As the old saying goes, “Records are made to be broken.” But many could’ve done without this one.
According to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, the Valley has set a new record for highest temperature on this date, July 15, in the city’s history: 118 degrees.
The temperature, which is measured at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, was reported on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.
Alan Dershowitz, other lawyers for Kari Lake and Mark Finchem ordered to pay sanctions
Lawyers for Kari Lake and Mark Finchem who filed a lawsuit attempting to ban the use of voting machines prior to the November 2022 election and were found to have “acted at least recklessly,” were ordered to pay $122,000, according to a ruling Friday by Arizona U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi.
The ruling establishes the monetary award amount to sanctions ordered in December by Tuchi and covers legal costs accrued by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
The ruling also specifically addressed legal arguments put forth by noted attorney Alan Dershowitz, who claimed he was not subject to the sanctions.
Navajo man gets 24 years in prison for stabbing a victim to death
The Arizona District Attorney’s Office sentenced a Navajo man to 24 years in prison for murdering a victim by knife last November.
A Friday news release revealed Judge Dominic Lanza sentenced the assailant to exactly 292 months on June 26 of this year.
Eric Lee Kinney, 37, pleaded guilty to second degree murder, according to the Arizona District Attorney’s Office.
He stabbed a victim to death around Nov. 5, a statement from the office said.
Phoenix man charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography
Police arrested a northeast Phoenix man on multiple child pornography counts on Wednesday, according to court documents.
Phoenix police arrested 38-year-old Matthew Trask at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on 10 counts of sexually exploiting a minor, which are class 2 felonies.
Trask told police he wasn’t attracted to children during a post-Miranda interview — despite having explicit photos of prepubescent children being sexually abused on his phone, court documents said.
Police in Peoria seek help finding missing man
Police in Peoria are seeking the public’s help in finding a missing 28-year-old man.
Police are trying to locate James Esposito.
He’s described as 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
