About
Jeff Vinton is an editor and reporter for KTAR.com. A Colorado native, Vinton is an Arizona State University graduate and has covered news and sports in the Valley since 2019. After graduating from ASU in 2015, he began his professional career in television in Macon, Georgia, working as a multimedia news producer. After three years in the South, Vinton moved back to the Valley, where he has covered politics, monsoon season, a World Series, a Super Bowl, multiple Waste Management Phoenix Opens, while spending much of his career on breaking news watch. Vinton has written for The Arizona Republic, Pick Six Previews, 13WMAZ and 12News.
Expertise
Sports and news writing
Video editing
Social media management
News judgement
Copy editing
Still and Video photography
Education
Arizona State University — bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications
Minor in religious studies
Achievements & Awards
3-time Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmy Award Winner
Best Evening Newscast
Best Live Sports Program (2x)
Georgia Association of Broadcasters GABBY Award Winner
AA-TV Best Sports Play-By-Play Broadcast
Social Media Profiles
X: @j_vinton52
Instagram: @J_Vinton52
Facebook: Jeff Vinton KTAR
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ARIZONA RESTAURANT NEWS | Jan 7, 2026Salad and Go reportedly moving headquarters back to Arizona, closing Texas and Oklahoma locations
Quick-serve restaurant Salad and Go will reportedly move its headquarters back to Arizona and close over 30 locations in Texas and Oklahoma.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Jan 6, 2026Mesa’s Revel Surf Park to host multiple record-breaking attempts, All-American Rejects concert
The Record Breakers event at Revel Surf Park in Mesa will feature multiple world record attempts and a concert from The All-American Rejects.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Jan 6, 20263 arrested after man allegedly threatened at gunpoint at Chandler Fashion Center
Two men allegedly threatened another man at gunpoint at Chandler Fashion Center on Monday. All three men were later arrested.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Jan 6, 2026Glendale police shoot allegedly armed suspect during investigation in Phoenix
Glendale police officers shot a suspect, who was allegedly armed, while conducting an aggravated assault investigation in Phoenix.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Jan 6, 2026Glendale Fire Department announces death of firefighter after long battle with cancer
Glendale Fire Department Capt. Kevin Thompson died Tuesday morning after a more than six-year-long battle with cancer.
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | Jan 5, 2026How the Thunderbirds use the WM Phoenix Open to benefit the community
KTAR's Community Spotlight is focused on the Thunderbirds and the work done to benefit local charities through the WM Phoenix Open.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Jan 5, 2026Reported bomb threat in Queen Creek cleared, determined to be ‘swatting’
An alleged bomb threat Monday morning in Queen Creek has been determined to be a "swatting" incident, according to authorities.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 31, 2025New pickleball courts, renovated dog park set to open at Avondale’s Friendship Park
The city of Avondale will open eight new pickleball courts and a renovated dog park at Friendship Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 6.
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ARIZONA HEALTH NEWS | Dec 31, 2025Banner Health to require masks at all facilities starting Jan. 1 due to flu spike
Banner Health will require all patients, visitors and staff to wear masks starting Jan. 1 due to a spike in flu cases.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 31, 2025California farmer accused of killing wife in Arizona extradited, reportedly pleads not guilty
Michael Abatti, who allegedly killed his wife in Pinetop on Nov. 20, has been extradited to Arizona and has reportedly pleaded not guilty.
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ARIZONA WEATHER NEWS | Dec 23, 2025Phoenix sets new high temperature for third day in a row, breaks 75-year-old record
The Valley's unseasonably warm December continued on Tuesday as a record high temperature was set in Phoenix for the third day in a row.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 23, 2025Arizona Gov. Hobbs invests $7.5 million to speed up wait times for SNAP, unemployment insurance
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that she is investing $7.5 million to help reduce wait times for SNAP benefits and unemployment insurance.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 23, 20255 Arizona Powerball players get early Christmas gift by winning $50,000, jackpot grows to $1.7 billion
Five people who bought Powerball tickets for Monday night's drawing are now $50,000 richer. Here's where the winning tickets were sold.
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ARIZONA WEATHER NEWS | Dec 23, 2025Will the Valley see a wet Christmas? Here’s what the forecast says
It has been unseasonably warm in recent weeks, but could the Valley get the gift of rain for Christmas? Here's what the forecast is telling us.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 23, 2025SAFE Alert canceled after missing 70-year-old Phoenix man located
A SAFE Alert was canceled Tuesday morning after Raul Perez, 70, who went missing in Phoenix on Dec. 15, was located.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 23, 2025Allegedly intoxicated driver hits 4 people, kills at least 1 at northern Arizona Christmas parade
An allegedly intoxicated driver hit four people and killed at least one before a Christmas parade in northern Arizona on Monday.
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ARIZONA WEATHER NEWS | Dec 22, 2025Phoenix breaks heat record that had stood for over 100 years on Monday
On the first day of Christmas week, Phoenix broke a daily heat record that had stood for over 100 years.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 22, 20251 detained, 1 seriously hurt after ‘suspicious vehicle’ flees from deputies, crashes in Glendale
A driver was detained and a passenger was seriously hurt after a car that had allegedly fled from MCSO deputies crashed into a pole in Glendale.
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ARIZONA HEALTH NEWS | Dec 22, 2025Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announces 141,000 Arizonans to have $213M in medical debt forgiven
Nearly 500,000 Arizonans will have now had $642 million in medical debt forgiven, thanks to a state partnership with a national nonprofit.
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ARIZONA BUSINESS | Dec 18, 2025New renderings released of video game-themed Atari Hotel in downtown Phoenix
New renderings and a new start date for construction have been released for the first-ever Atari Hotel, which will be in downtown Phoenix.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 18, 2025Cleophus Cooksey Jr. sentenced to death for 2017 metro Phoenix killing spree
Cleophus Cooksey Jr. sentenced to death for killing eight people in metro Phoenix in a three-week span in 2017.
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ARIZONA BUSINESS | Dec 17, 2025State-of-the-art women’s health and sports campus to be built at former site of Fiesta Mall in Mesa
Officials announced Wednesday that a state-of-the-art women's health and sports campus will be built on the former site of the Fiesta Mall in Mesa.
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ARIZONA TRAFFIC | Dec 16, 2025Southbound I-17 reopens in Phoenix after deadly crash
The southbound lanes of I-17 have reopened near Camelback Road in Phoenix after being closed for more than 3 hours due to a crash.
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ARIZONA NEWS | Dec 16, 20253 hospitalized after boat crashes, flips on Lake Havasu
Three people were hospitalized on Friday after a boat they were riding in crashed and flipped on Lake Havasu, authorities said.