ARIZONA NEWS

Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from June 16-18

Jun 18, 2023, 6:00 PM | Updated: Dec 7, 2023, 9:48 am

A search and rescue operation remained active Friday, June 16, 2023, after a jet ski rider went mis...

(Roosevelt Lake -Tonto National Forest File Photo)

(Roosevelt Lake -Tonto National Forest File Photo)

PHOENIX — The body of a missing jet ski rider was found in an Arizona lake, a bear mauled and killed man near Prescott and a new 9,000-acre community is being proposed south of Phoenix.

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


Air Force sergeant found dead after search at Roosevelt Lake

Authorities discovered the body of Air Force sergeant Kory Wade on Saturday after a search and rescue mission that lasted multiple days at Roosevelt Lake.

A release from the Gila County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday stated that Wade went missing while conducting training in preparations for a jump operation.

A 911 call was placed for a missing person around 2 p.m. Wednesday which prompted the rescue efforts, authorities said.


Man killed by bear near Prescott in ‘vicious’ and ‘unprovoked’ attack

A bear mauled and killed an Arizona man Friday near Prescott in an attack officials say was vicious and unprovoked.

A citizen shot the bear, but not before it killed 66-year-old Steven Jackson of Tucson, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.

“This is clearly just a vicious attack. … It was unprovoked, is what it appears to be, from what I’ve seen,” Sheriff David Rhodes said during a press conference near the scene in the Groom Creek area.


‘Next hot spot’: 9K-acre community proposed for John Wayne’s Red River Ranch south of Phoenix

Developers who already own more than 7,000 acres between Maricopa and Casa Grande have just purchased another 1,773 acres with plans to develop a master-planned community on much of the former John Wayne Red River Ranch.

But this won’t be like any other master-planned community being developed today, said Carson Brown, managing general partner of Arizona RR Ranches LLC, which plans to develop a unique master-planned community.


To stay or go? Individuals in Phoenix’s homeless encampment the Zone faced with decision

For individuals living within the Zone in downtown Phoenix during a cleanup, there are two options: a short-term fix or a long-term solution.

During May’s cleanup of sections within the Zone, the city of Phoenix’s Office of Homeless Solutions engaged with 104 people. Of them, all but 20 individuals opted into moving to indoor locations.

The increase in unsheltered homelessness exists but it is not connected to the cleanup in the Zone, director of the office Rachel Milne told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Gaydos and Chad Show on Thursday.

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Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from June 16-18