Weekend wrap-up: The biggest Arizona-related stories
May 6, 2018, 8:00 PM | Updated: 8:04 pm
PHOENIX — If you missed any big news during Cinco de Mayo weekend, it’s understandable.
School’s back in session, James Taylor will have a new guest appearance and there was another accident involving a self-driving vehicle – a car swerved into the autonomous vehicle.
Get a quick look at the top five stories of the weekend.
Amber Alert issued for two children taken by parents in Tucson
As of Sunday at 7:30 p.m., there was an active Amber Alert for two children abducted by their parents on Friday.
The parents had tased and duct-taped a case aide during a supervised visit. It was unclear why they didn’t have custody.
Five-year-old Luis Ramirez Jr. and 7-month-old Kahmila Ramirez were taken by Luis Ramirez, 30, and Andrea Ramirez, 28, in a greenish-teal 1996 Toyota Camry four-door sedan with Arizona license plate BKH8427.
On Saturday, the car was located in Nogales, Ariz. near the Mexico border but the parents and children were not found.
The children and parents all are Hispanic with black hair and brown eyes.
The boy was last seen wearing a gray and white striped polo shirt with khaki shorts. He is 3-foot-3 and weighs 35 pounds. His sister, who weighs 14 pounds, was wearing a white onesie with yellow ruffles.
The father, who is 5-foot-6 and weighs 200 pounds, was last seen wearing a red and white polo shirt with blue jeans. He has a mustache and beard. The mother, who is 5-foot-1 and 195 pounds, was last seen wearing a white shirt with blue jeans with her hair in a bun.
James Taylor concert on May 29 to include special guest Sheryl Crow
There was a slight change in plan for the James Taylor and His All-Star Band performance on May 29 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Sheryl Crow will be the new guest star.
Crow has won nine Grammy Awards out of her 32 nominations, including Best Rock Album for “Sheryl Crow” and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “If It Makes You Happy,” both in 1997.
Initially, Bonnie Raitt was scheduled to make the guest appearance. She won a Grammy award in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
“Due to an unexpected medical situation that requires immediate attention, Bonnie Raitt will no longer be able to join James Taylor & His All-Star Band,” a press release said.
One dead after officer-involved shooting in Scottsdale
Police responded to a report of a bank robbery at the Comerica Bank near Scottsdale and McDowell roads around 9:16 a.m.
“A white male suspect had entered the bank and approached a teller, displayed a firearm and demanded cash,” Scottsdale officer Kevin Watts told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “He was given that cash and then he made his way on foot out of the bank in an unknown direction.
“Within minutes, our arriving officers in the area located a subject matching that description to the front of the LA Fitness.”
The man, identified as 51-year-old Stephen Charles Arthur, shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting. Prior to the armed robbery, he not have any prior violent criminal history.
Four officers were involved in the shooting, but none were injured.
Students return to Arizona classrooms after teacher walkout ends
For the first time in more than a week, schools across the state were humming with classroom activity Friday after teachers ended a six-day walkout and campuses reopened.
This came the morning after Gov. Doug Ducey signed a $10.4 billion state budget that included funding for teacher raises and education improvements.
Cori Veatch, who has a child attending Madison Heights Elementary school, had mixed emotions about sending her daughter back.
“We had a great time doing some learning at home,” she said. “The teachers gave us lots of great ideas to keep the kids going with reading and math. They had a great time playing with the neighbors with the great weather before it gets hot.”
Her husband, Jeremy Veatch, said he was glad school had resumed.
“It did put them a little behind, so there’s some extra pressure on them to step it up,” he said.
Some schools had reopened Thursday and others were scheduled for Monday.
VIDEO: Waymo self-driving vehicle involved in accident in Chandler
The Chandler Police Department investigated a minor injury collision involving a self-driving vehicle Friday afternoon.
A Honda sedan driving eastbound on Chandler Boulevard near Chandler Fashion Center swerved to avoid another car and struck a Waymo autonomous vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, according to police.
Waymo released a video of the incident on YouTube. The video shows the car that struck the Waymo vehicle drove through an intersection at the same time a car in the adjacent side was entering the intersection.
It swerved sharply before crashing into the driver’s side of the Waymo car.
Police said the self-driving vehicle was not at fault.
“The Waymo vehicle is not the violator vehicle. It just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Chandler police detective Seth Tyler told Phoenix New Times.
