Here are the most-read Arizona stories on KTAR.com in 2022

PHOENIX — With 2022 coming to an end, it’s time to look back on what interested readers throughout the year.

Here are the most-read stories on KTAR.com for 2022:

January

Arizona expert says end of COVID public health emergency could be near 

Arizona started off the year dealing with the omicron COVID-19 surge.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the wave was nearing its peak and the end of the state’s public health emergency could soon follow.

Arizona percent positive for COVID-19 testing remains at record level 

Percent positivity for COVID-19 testing, a key indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, remained at a pandemic-high level in Arizona.

Until the highly contagious omicron variant hit, the state’s highest positive rate was 20% for the week of June 28-July 4, 2020.

Here’s what Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly say about Supreme Court vacancy

With Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retiring, Arizona’s U.S. senators said Thursday they are looking forward to the confirmation process.

It will be the second time Sen. Kyrsten Sinema takes part in a Supreme Court confirmation, and the first for Sen. Mark Kelly.

February

Scottsdale police arrest grandmother, man in death of 11-year-old boy at hotel

A 51-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were arrested in connection with the death of an 11-year-old boy at an Old Town Scottsdale hotel, police said, with the woman being the biological grandmother of the boy.

Stephanie Marie Davis and her husband Thomas James Desharnais were both booked on charges of first-degree homicide and two counts of child abuse.

4 Arizona counties safe from COVID without masks, according to new CDC system

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

It was safe for healthy Arizonans in four counties.

9 Phoenix police officers injured in ambush; 2 people dead

Five police officers were shot and four others were injured by shrapnel or bullet fragments while responding to a shooting call at a Phoenix home.

Shatifah Lobley, 29, was identified as the woman shot inside the home and later died at a hospital.

March

Hundreds of migrants dropped off at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport daily, official says

A Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport official said hundreds of migrants come to the airport each day, many without finalized travel plans, as the crisis at the southern border continues.

Eric Everts, public information officer for the airport, in a statement said approximately 300 to 400 refugees and migrants have arrived by bus each day for the past few months.

New York hiker rescued from Arizona mountain trail 2 days in a row

A hiker from New York needed rescuing from a northern Arizona mountain range on two consecutive days.

Casa Grande woman who won Arizona lottery charged with fraud, theft

A Casa Grande woman was charged with fraudulent schemes and practices after authorities allege she falsely claimed she was eligible for a nearly $200,000 Arizona Lottery cash prize in order to obtain it.

A Trekell Chevron employee, Barbara White, 50, is accused of stating she wasn’t a “retailer or employee of a retailer” on a statement when she picked up the $191,107 cash prize in June 2020.

April

Arizona parents now able to become paid caretakers for kids

A new program in Arizona allows parents and guardians of medically-fragile children to become licensed health aides.

The legislation was passed last year, but now parents can officially train, test and receive certification. This means they can be hired by any Medicare-certified home care agency and get paid to provide the care they’ve already been giving to their children.

Here are Arizona’s 10 richest people in 2022, according to Forbes 

Arizona once again had double-digit representatives in Forbes’ annual list of world billionaires.

Powerball ticket worth $1M among spate of big Arizona lottery winners 

Arizona had five big lottery winners from three drawings, with the prizes ranging from $30,000 to $1 million.

May

US 60 closed in both directions in Tempe due to flooding 

A water main break in Tempe caused complete flooding on a two-mile stretch of U.S. 60, forcing road closures in both directions from Loop 101 to Rural Road.

Officials said a 24-inch water transmission line broke under the U.S. 60.

Arizona Humane Society rescues pig and chihuahua duo named Timon and Pumbaa

The Arizona Humane Society has rescued an unlikely pair of best buddies that won’t be separated any time soon.

Timon and Pumbaa, the chihuahua and pig combo aptly named after the meerkat and warthog characters from “The Lion King,” were picked up after their owner was arrested on non-animal cruelty related charges.

Inmate mistakenly released from jail by Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was trying to locate an inmate who assumed the identity of a different person in jail and was mistakenly released.

June

Watermelon Fire in northern Arizona closes I-17 for several hours

A wildfire in northern Arizona closed Interstate 17 in both directions for several hours.

Pipeline Fire grows near Flagstaff; authorities make arrest

Some communities near Flagstaff have been evacuated and federal aid was approved as a wildfire grew to about 5,000 acres late Sunday.

Authorities arrested Matthew Riser, 57, in connection to the Pipeline Fire, which began Sunday morning about 6 miles north of Flagstaff. He was charged with federal natural resource violations.

Phoenix heads into scorching weekend by breaking 44-year-old daily heat record 

The mercury reached 112 degrees at about 2:10 p.m., surpassing the previous high for June 10 of 111 degrees set in 1978, according to the National Weather Service.

July

First phase completed of expansive I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project

The first phase of the expansive Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project was completed after a year of work.

Crews began construction in July 2021, with the most work on the 11-mile, $775 million project being done between Baseline Road and 40th Street in Tempe.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signs controversial school voucher expansion bill 

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey wrapped up his final legislative business by signing a controversial expansion of the state’s school voucher program.

“With this legislation, Arizona cements itself as the top state for school choice and as the first state in the nation to offer all families the option to choose the school setting that works best for them,” Ducey said in a press release.

MCSO releases video, photos from armed robbery at Anthem jewelry store

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office released video and photos from an armed robbery and shooting at a jewelry store in Anthem.

The surveillance camera images show two people dressed completely in black and wearing motorcycle helmets entering the store near Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Parkway.

August

Arizona school district moves to 4-day weeks to boost teacher recruitment, retention

An Arizona school district moved to four-day weeks this year in an effort to boost teacher recruitment and retention and it’s working, according to one principal.

Casa Grande Elementary School District’s board voted 3-2 in April to make the change from the traditional five-day week.

Stealing home: Dozens of Arizona houses fraudulently sold without owners’ knowledge

Arizona is seeing a rise in deed fraud schemes in which entire homes are sold out from under the rightful owners.

The state Attorney General’s Office said it has received dozens of complaints about properties being sold without the owners’ knowledge by unknown scammers who filed forged warranty deeds with the county recorder’s office.

7-year-old student in 2nd grade caught with guns, ammunition at Arizona school

A 7-year-old second grade student was caught with guns and ammunition at a southern Arizona school.

The incident occurred at Cochise Elementary School in Cochise, Arizona, according to a social media post by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

September

Phoenix police find about 1M fentanyl pills at West Valley home in record bust

The Phoenix Police Department said it made its largest fentanyl bust ever when officers seized about 1 million pills containing the powerful synthetic opioid.

Most of pills seized are blue and designed to resemble prescription oxycodone, Sgt. Brian Bower told KTAR News 92.3 FM. There were too many to count, so police used weight to estimate the amount.

Arizona man charged after girls found in enclosed trailer

A leader of a small polygamous group on the Arizona-Utah line pleaded not guilty to federal charges of tampering with evidence, weeks after being stopped on a highway with young girls in an enclosed trailer.

US renames sites in Arizona, other states with Native American slur

Nearly 70 geographical features in Arizona were renamed by federal officials to replace a word considered derogatory toward Native American women.

The Interior Department completed a yearlong process of changing out the names of nearly 650 mountain peaks, lakes, streams, springs and other components of the federal landscape that contained the word “squaw.”

October

2 women accused of scamming special needs worker at Scottsdale Fry’s

Two women have been arrested for allegedly scamming a Scottsdale grocery store worker with special needs out of his wallet and then using his debit card to spend hundreds of dollars.

Paradise Adams and Pearl Mitchell were each booked on three counts — theft of credit card, credit card fraud and theft — according to the Scottsdale Police Department.

Republican Mesa mayor endorses Democrat Katie Hobbs in gubernatorial race

It’s not often a Republican mayor has gone across the aisle to support a Democrat, but that’s exactly what Mesa’s John Giles has done in the Arizona gubernatorial race.

Giles, elected mayor of Arizona’s third largest city in 2014, backed Katie Hobbs over Republican Kari Lake.

Suspect arrested in fatal shooting of professor at University of Arizona

A professor at the University of Arizona was fatally shot on the Tucson campus and police said a former student was taken into custody.

The university identified the victim as Thomas Meixner, head of the hydrology department. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

November

Democrat Katie Hobbs projected to become Arizona’s next governor, defeats Kari Lake 

Arizona has selected a new governor and it’ll be Democrat Katie Hobbs.

The Democrat and current secretary of state was projected to defeat Republican Kari Lake.

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 was there any chance the results would change?

Arizona Votes: Here are the results from the state’s 10 ballot propositions

Arizonans were asked to consider 10 ballot measures in the Nov. 8 general election.

December

Son, infant grandchild of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb die in car crash

The son and infant grandchild of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb died in a car crash in Gilbert.

The crash occurred near Elliot and Recker roads.

Adoptive mother arrested in case of Buckeye boy who went missing in 2016

More than six years after 10-year-old Jesse Wilson went missing from his Buckeye home, police announced that his adoptive mother has been arrested in the case.

Crystal Wilson, 54, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of abandoning or concealing a body.

President Joe Biden touts economic plan at TSMC chip plant in north Phoenix

President Joe Biden visited the site for a new computer chip plant in north Phoenix, using it as a chance to emphasize how his policies are fostering job growth in what could be a challenge to the incoming Republican House majority.

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