Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from August 13-15
Aug 15, 2021, 6:30 PM
(AP File Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP File Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — Heavy storms in central Phoenix, record-setting heat in the month of July and a new lawsuit that questions the legality of a ban on COVID-19 protective mask mandates.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
Arizona Gov. Ducey calls for Homeland Security secretary to resign
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday called for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign as southern border apprehensions soar.
Ducey, a constant critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, issued the call after Fox News reported that Mayorkas told Border Patrol agents the situation was “unsustainable” in audio leaked to the network.
“The buck must stop somewhere,” Ducey said in a press release. “A defeatist is not what we need when it comes to fighting for border security.
New lawsuit argues Arizona ban on mask mandates was passed illegally
A lawsuit filed Thursday argues that Arizona’s ban on face mask mandates in public schools should be invalidated because lawmakers violated the state constitution while passing it.
“This legislative session, the Legislature passed several so-called ‘budget reconciliation bills’ that violate these constitutional mandates.”
Roopali Desai, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday the lawsuit is challenging the prohibition of mask mandates in K-12 schools and several other laws passed as provisions in the state budget in June.
“When the Legislature passes substantive laws, they cannot logroll into one bill unrelated subjects,” she said.
Phoenix official is ‘comfortable’ with 1-day suspension of Chief Williams
The city official who imposed a one-day suspension on Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said he’s comfortable with the length and doesn’t expect everyone to agree with him.
“I’m under no illusion that 1.7 million Phoenicians are all ever going to agree with a decision I make,” City Manager Ed Zuercher told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Friday.
“I made the decision based on full information of reading the reports and talking with folks who had done the investigations about what was appropriate. I made those decisions; I’m very comfortable with that.”
Zuercher suspended Williams for one day in connection with sham gang charges filed against people arrested last year at a Black Lives Matter protest and a controversial challenge coin.
Global sizzling: July was hottest month on record, NOAA says
Earth sizzled in July and became the hottest month in 142 years of recordkeeping, U.S. weather officials announced.
As extreme heat waves struck parts of the United States and Europe, the globe averaged 62.07 degrees (16.73 degrees Celsius) last month, beating out the previous record set in July 2016 and tied again in 2019 and 2020.
Earlier this week, a prestigious United Nations science panel warned of worsening climate change caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas and other human activity.
While the worldwide temperature was barely higher than the record, what shattered it was land temperature over the Northern Hemisphere, according to one scientist.
Monsoon storm brings heavy rain to parts of the Valley Friday night
A storm passing across the Valley Friday night dropped upwards of two inches of rain, resulting in road closures and flash flooding.
Most rain gauges captured a quarter of an inch to two inches of rain, according to the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, while others in south and North Phoenix recorded more than two inches.
“The average rainfall amount was 0.33 inches and the coverage across the Phoenix Valley was 97 percent,” James Sawtelle, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
