ARIZONA NEWS

Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Nov. 18-20

Nov 20, 2022, 5:55 PM | Updated: Dec 4, 2022, 3:38 pm

(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)...

(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — A nonprofit group examined chances that a recount would change election results, Tom Petty’s estate responded to Kari Lake’s video using the late rocker’s song and a lucky winner in Scottsdale won over $1 million at a slot machine.

Here are some of the biggest stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.


What are chances recount would change Arizona election results?

The Arizona attorney general and superintendent of public instruction races are tight enough to trigger automatic full recounts, but is there any chance the results will change?

FairVote, a nonprofit that studies election practices, has studied recounts across the country in an effort to see how they affect results. The group found fewer than 40 recounts for statewide races across the nation over two decades.

“In the 35 recounts that we studied, the outcome changed in three of them,” Deb Otis, FairVote research director, said Thursday. “Every time that it has happened, the initial margin between the top two candidates was within .06 percentage points.”


Tom Petty estate responds to Kari Lake video: Don’t do me like that

Did Kari Lake back down after Tom Petty’s estate threatened legal action over her use of the late rocker’s classic “I Won’t Back Down” in a video?

Lake posted the video, a 2-minute montage of clips from her campaign backed by Petty’s 1989 classic, to her social media accounts on Wednesday.

The verified @tompetty Twitter account, apparently alerted by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s fans, expressed its displeasure in a post Thursday night.


Anonymous player wins $1.3 million at slot machine at Scottsdale’s Talking Stick Resort

One lucky player can say they’re a millionaire after hitting the best slot machine play of their life at an Arizona casino.

The player, who has chosen to stay anonymous, won $1.31 million on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine jackpot at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, the casino announced Friday.

The game is one of the most popular on the floor, according to the casino, but doesn’t typically have a pull of that size.


2nd victim dies as murder charges expected against Chandler shooting suspect

A second victim died in a Chandler shooting from last week and the suspect is set to face murder charges, police said Friday.

Kory William Sandusky Jr., 27, is accused of fatally shooting two people near Pecos Road and Arizona Avenue on Nov. 9, according to the Chandler Police Department.


Arizona man gets 14-month sentence, $10k fine for smuggling 5 migrants

An Arizona man was sentenced in November to more than a year in prison for smuggling five migrants in the United States, authorities said.

Michael Ernesto Abril from Tucson, 24, will serve 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised released and pay a $10,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said in a press release.

He previously pleaded guilty to transporting migrants for profit.

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Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from Nov. 18-20