Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Aug. 5-7
Aug 7, 2022, 7:00 PM
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey threw his hat in the ring for Republican gubernatorial primary winner Kari Lake, Arizona senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly praised the Senate’s approval of a sweeping inflation and climate change bill and an Arizona man was sentenced to just under six years in prison for his role in trafficking liquid methamphetamine into the United States.
Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.
Gov. Doug Ducey endorses Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has thrown his hat in the ring for Republican gubernatorial primary winner Kari Lake, despite endorsing her opponent, Karrin Taylor-Robson throughout the campaign.
“As co-chairman of the Republican Governors Association, our organization is already active on the airwaves supporting Kari Lake’s candidacy,” Ducey said in a series of tweets on Saturday.
Lake was firmly backed by former President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep Paul Gosar, the Conservative Political Action Coalition and the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police.
Senate approves Biden’s sweeping Inflation Reduction Act
The Senate on Sunday passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to combat inflation, fight climate change, lower health-care costs and raise taxes on corporations.
The estimated $740 billion package was voted for along party lines with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the 50-50 tie. The House will vote on it next, and President Joe Biden said in a statement he looks forward to signing it into law.
Arizona man sentenced to 6 years in prison for trafficking liquid methamphetamine
An Arizona man was sentenced on Monday to just under six years in prison for his role in trafficking liquid methamphetamine, authorities said.
Rey Moreno-Vasquez, 52, of Douglas, will serve 70 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute 234 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona said in a press release.
The investigation into Moreno-Vasquez started in 2017 when officers seized 52 sealed beverage bottles that were filled with the substance in the southeastern United States.
Abraham Hamadeh’s GOP Arizona Attorney General primary win another Trump victory
Abraham Hamadeh won the Republican nomination for the Arizona Attorney General race in Tuesday’s primary, securing another victory for a Donald Trump-backed candidate.
Hamadeh’s win — he beat out Rodney Glassman — helped give Trump-endorsed candidates spots in the November general election for governor, U.S. Senate and secretary of state in addition to attorney general.
It’s a success for Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward.
Phoenix emissions fell in 2020, per Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
The 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory showed Phoenix had a 14% decrease in community-wide GHG emissions compared to 2012, the city announced this week.
This is in lieu of the city’s population growing by 12% in that time frame, according to a press release from Phoenix.
The report disclosed that Phoenix’s governmental operations emissions — including street lighting, electricity, water services, fleet fuels, fugitive and process emissions and employee commutes — dropped 25.2% from 2005 levels.
