Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from July 9-11
Jul 11, 2021, 6:00 PM
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — A new analysis finds it’s getting harder for metro Phoenix renters to put away enough money for a down payment on a starter home, a driver involved in a three-vehicle wreck was arrested and Sprouts Farmer’s Market is set to open a new store in Phoenix.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
Analysis shows how hard it is for Phoenix renters to afford starter home
It’s getting much harder for metro Phoenix renters to put away enough money for a down payment on a starter home, according to a new analysis.
The average Phoenix-area renter would need more than 10 years of saving 10% of earnings to afford a 20% down payment for a typical starter home, Zillow reported Thursday.
That’s more than three years longer than it would have taken five years ago, according to a press release from the real estate website.
Zillow defines a typical starter home as one at the median point in the bottom third of home prices. For Phoenix, it’s $270,560.
Driver in 3-vehicle wreck on I-10 west of Phoenix that killed 6 arrested
The driver of an SUV involved in a three-vehicle wreck on Interstate 10 west of the Phoenix area that left six people dead last week was arrested Thursday, authorities said.
Iyona Holton, 35, was booked into Maricopa County Jail on four counts of aggravated assault and one count each of drug possession and drug paraphernalia possession, according to an Arizona Department of Public Safety press release.
DPS said Holton was driving a GMC Envoy that was one of two vehicles, the other a Nissan Altima, to turn from the westbound lanes of I-10 near Tonopah through a dirt median marked as a “no U-turn” zone around 1:20 p.m on July 2.
A tractor-trailer smashed into both vehicles when they entered eastbound traffic. The impact split the Nissan in half and killed Natisha Nicole Moffett, the 35-year-old driver, and five passengers whose identities were not released.
Sprouts set to open store in Phoenix to replace Glendale location
Healthy grocer Sprouts Farmer’s Market is set to open a store to replace an old store on July 21 in Phoenix, the company announced on Thursday.
The new store will be located at 4201 W. Thunderbird Road about three miles from the existing location at the intersection of Peoria and 51st avenues in Glendale.
The Glendale location will remain open until July 19.
To welcome patrons to the new store, the first 200 customers will receive a 20% discount on their first purchase and all shoppers on opening day will receive a free reusable canvas grocery bag.
Former President Donald Trump scheduled to appear at Phoenix rally
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear this month at an event called the “Protect Our Elections Rally” in downtown Phoenix.
Turning Point Action, a youth activist affiliate of Charlie Kirk’s conservative Turning Point USA organization, is putting on the event July 24 at Arizona Federal Theatre.
Doors open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m., with free entry on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is scheduled to end at 5 p.m., but the listing doesn’t say what time Trump is expected to appear.
People interested in attending can register for tickets through the listing.
5 Valley cities ranked among top 20 in country for first-time homebuyers
The Valley is one of the best places in the country for first-time homebuyers, according to a personal finance website.
Five Valley cities cracked the top 20 list of the best cities in the country for somebody looking to purchase their first home, according to WalletHub.
Gilbert was No. 2 on the list, with Peoria (No. 7), Surprise (No. 10), Chandler (No. 12) and Scottsdale (No. 17) following behind.
The rankings took 300 U.S. cities that varied in size and compared each based on affordability, the real estate market and quality of life.
