Weekend wrap-up: Biggest Arizona-related stories from past weekend

PHOENIX — It may have been cold in Arizona this weekend, but the news was heating up.

From allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding an Arizona State University professor to a report that University of Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller discussed potential payments to Deandre Ayton, the news just kept on breaking.

Here are some of the biggest Arizona-related stories from this past weekend.

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Arizona State University professor accused of sexual misconduct

An Arizona State University professor accused of sexual misconduct never raised any red flags among school officials, a university statement said.

Lawrence Krauss, a foundation professor at the university’s School Of Earth and Space Exploration, has been accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by multiple women over the last decade.

A BuzzFeed News report detailed the allegations, which included Krauss “groping women, ogling and making sexist jokes to undergrads, and telling an employee at Arizona State University that he was going to buy her birth control so she didn’t inconvenience him with maternity leave.”

In a statement, an Arizona State University spokesperson said the school has not received any complaints about Krauss from students, facility or staff members.

Trump slams McCain over Obamacare in speech, but doesn’t name him

A few weeks after reportedly indicating he would lay off his attacks of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), President Donald Trump slammed him while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.

Trump talked about the one senator who used a thumbs-down to vote against the so-called “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act.

“Except for one senator who, at 3 o’clock in the morning, came in the room and went like that, we would have had health care,” Trump said, while making the thumbs-down motion.

That senator was McCain. After stepping out of the Senate room during the July vote, he then returned and gave his thumbs down. He was essentially the deciding vote.

Debate continues over gun control measures following Florida shooting

The shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, continues to dominate headlines both in Arizona and across the country.

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said Friday that protecting the nation’s schools is not as easy as simply handing out guns to teachers.

“It’s not simple,” he told Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes on KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“Taking a life, even in the defense of others, is not as simple as saying, ‘I’m going to give you some training and put a gun in your hand, now go do it.’ It is far more complex than that.”

Dozens of students from across the Valley also marched through downtown Phoenix on Friday to say more guns and police officers on campus is not the answer to prevent more school shootings.

Instead, they believe more resources, such as support services and school counselors, are needed instead.

Former Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash also entered the conversation, advocating for gun control and offering support for the victims of the shooting.

“I wave goodbye to my kids so many times, every day, not thinking anything of it,” Nash wrote in a “The Players Tribune” post. “And that was one of the first things that came into my head when I heard about last week’s shooting in Parkland, Fla.

“I just couldn’t help but think about it like a dad.”

Nash pleaded for change in the article, asking for measures that he believes would save lives right away.

The first involved stricter background checks for those wishing to purchase guns, as well as proof of proper storage for the weapon in the home. The second involved the regulation of semiautomatic weapons, such as the AR-15.

Police: Ex-Arizona State student accused of making threats

Arizona State University police said a former student has been arrested and is accused of making threats against people in the university’s athletics program.

Police said they learned of the threats at noon Friday and arrested 20-year-old Edward Robinson eight hours later without incident at an off-campus location.

Detailed information on the alleged threats wasn’t released but police say they threatened “violence against members of the Sun Devil athletics community.”

Arizona Regents hold emergency meeting regarding UA basketball

The Arizona Board of Regents held an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss the circumstances surrounding the University of Arizona men’s basketball program, according to a release.

The emergency meeting was held to obtain legal advice following an ESPN report of FBI wiretaps that have Arizona head coach Sean Miller on record discussing potential payments to Deandre Ayton.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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