Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from July 29-30
Jul 30, 2023, 6:00 PM | Updated: 6:32 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 Arizona Attorney General sued a solar company, the extreme heat continued and an iconic Valley church is being torn down for luxury homes.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
Attorney General sues solar company over illegal phone calls, dishonest savings claims
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a lawsuit against a local solar company on Thursday.
Mayes said that Vision Solar, which sells and installs solar panels, had been hounding residents with unlawful sales calls and outright lies.
“Solar is a major investment that should be considered by consumers without being subject to unfair pressure tactics,” Mayes said in a statement.
Phoenix heat wave abating as monsoon churns the Southwest
A historic heat wave that baked the Southwest and set high temperature records throughout July is beginning to abate with the late arrival of monsoon rains.
Forecasters expect that by Monday at the latest, people in metro Phoenix will begin seeing high temperatures under 110 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in a month.
As of Friday, the high temperature in the desert city had been at or above that mark for 29 consecutive days.
Iconic Paradise Valley church to be torn down to make way for luxury homes
The iconic Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley — practically across the street from the sprawling Ritz Carlton project under development — has been sold for $11 million in cash.
The buyers plan to raze the nearly 60-year-old structure to build luxury custom homes on the 5.3-acre parcel, said Jay Mecray, who represented the buyer and who is part of the residential development team.
The deal closed on July 24.
Arizona company pays $600K to settle false postal-fee claims
Plexus Worldwide, an Arizona-based company that directly markets health and wellness products, agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that the company violated the federal False Claims Act, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The allegations centered on Plexus underpaying postage to the U.S. Postal Service. According to the release, Plexus provided mail for delivery with postage that was calculated with attributes not associated with the items mailed.
The United States also alleged that Plexus mailed other items with re-used postage.
Developer close to building out huge Phoenix industrial park along Loop 202
A manufacturer has signed on to a massive logistics park at the northeast corner of 59th Avenue and Van Buren Street in Phoenix.
Colson Group USA, which makes and distributes caster, wheel and hardware products, leased about 118,833 square feet of the new West 202 Logistics park and is expected to occupy the space for distribution uses in the fourth quarter of this year.
It’s one of the first tenants planning to occupy a portion of the facility just south of Interstate 10 and east of the Loop 202 on more than 180 acres of infill industrial space.
