Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from July 17-19

PHOENIX — Coronavirus cases continue to rise, the Phoenix Police Department arrests four individuals following protest activity downtown and Arizona banks are seeking your help with a coin shortage.

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

Arizona reports 2,359 new coronavirus cases, 31 more deaths

The Arizona health department reported 2,359 coronavirus new cases and 31 deaths on Sunday morning.

That brought the state’s totals to 143,624 COVID-19 cases and 2,761 fatalities.

According to the state health department, some of the numbers reflect Saturday’s report after a lab partner did not make the reporting cutoff for the update.

Phoenix Police Department arrests 4 following protest activity downtown

Phoenix police have arrested four individuals following protest activity that occurred over the weekend in the downtown area, authorities said.

Around 9:15 p.m. Saturday night, the Phoenix Police Department arrested Kristen Bird, 29, Jonah Ivy, 22, Lee Percy Christian, 27, and Ryan Tice, 22, in the area of Second Avenue and Fillmore Street, according to a press release.

The suspects were then booked into the Maricopa County Jail.

Bird was charged with 3 counts of obstructing a public thoroughfare and 1 count of resisting arrest.

Ivy was charged with 3 counts of obstructing a public thoroughfare.

Christian was charged with 1 count of obstructing a public thoroughfare, 1 count of resisting arrest and 2 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer.

Tice was charged with 1 count of obstructing a public thoroughfare, 1 count of hindering prosecution and 1 count of resisting arrest.

Arizona banks seek spare change during pandemic-related coin shortage

In the midst of a coronavirus-related national coin shortage, Arizona’s banks are seeking your help.

“If you have spare change, we encourage Arizonans to check with their local bank to see if they are accepting rolled coins, use exact amounts when purchasing items, or deposit them in grocery store coin-cashing machines,” Paul Hickman, CEO & president of the Arizona Bankers Association, said Friday in a press release.

Coin circulation has plummeted due to a combination of factors, causing banks and businesses around the nation to run low on metallic money.

Shoppers are favoring credit or debit cards more than before, whether for convenience or over concerns about spreading COVID-19 through handling cash.

Banner Health utilizing 1,000 out-of-state workers for coronavirus response

Banner Health confirmed Friday it is utilizing about 1,000 out-of-state workers to help combat the continued rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Arizona.

Becky Armendariz, a spokesperson for Banner, said most of the workers are ICU nurses, progressive care nurses and respiratory therapists.

Armendariz said that the extra help is being used in Banner locations throughout the state.

Banner is the state’s largest hospital network.

Most of the workers, who came from across the country and who previously worked in other COVID-19 hotspots, were on initial four-week contracts that have been extended an additional four or eight weeks.

Report: White House document shows Arizona in coronavirus “red zone”

Arizona is in the “red zone” for coronavirus cases and positive test percentage, according to a July 14 document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force that was obtained by the Center For Public Integrity.

States in the COVID-19 cases red zone had at least 100 new cases per 100,000 people last week. Those in the test positive red zone had at least a 10% positive test rate.

Arizona was one of 18 states in the cases red zone and one of 11 in the positive test red zone, according to the document.

Arizona had 349 cases per 100,000 people, almost three times the national average of 119 cases.

The test positivity rate in the state was 21.6%, more than twice as much as the national average of 9.6%.

Arizona did do more testing than the national average. The state completed 1,529 tests per 100,000 people, ahead of the 1,172 in the country.

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